Ancient Ruins

By Benjamin Medrano

Ancient Ruins by Benjamin Medrano

© 2017 Benjamin Medrano. All rights reserved.

Contact the author at BenjaminPMedrano@gmail.com

Visit the author’s website at benjaminmedranoblog.wordpress.com

Cover Art by Jackie Felix Wei

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and
incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used
fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses,
companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental or with direct
permission.

This is for you,
Jessica. Thank you for your endless support.

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Epilogue

Author’s
Note

Prologue

Avendrial
let out a gasp as something pierced deep into her chest, Lord Gauros snarling
out the words of a spell. With a savage gesture as if he were ripping something
away, Avendrial felt her soul shift and shudder in its foundation, sending ripples
of unimaginable agony through her. Falling to her knees, she finally gasped out
a plaintive inquiry. “W-why?”

“I
chose to trust you to do your tasks properly, and you failed me.” He growled,
slowly clenching his fist in front of him, and the agony continued to grow as
he kept speaking. “Now, you harlot of the hells, I will make you pay for your
failures!”

Pain
obscured Avendrial's mind, preventing any protests she might have spoken, her
soul slowly being ripped free of her body. Her skin cracked like dried mud,
black flames seeping through the cracks. As Gauros finally clenched his fist
tightly, her soul was torn free of her body, the flesh and bone collapsing into
a pile of ashes behind her spirit.

The
shock of the forced departure of her body stunned Avendrial for a long moment.
All around her the spirit world overlaid the real world, with vibrant energies
surrounding the deep violet-red of her own spirit. Darkness surrounded Gauros,
revealing his own irredeemable damnation to her sight. In an instant black
chains formed around her, latching onto her and dragging her downward, toward
the hells themselves to slowly reform once more.

But
before she could be moved far, Gauros hissed out another spell, and a rippling
web of crimson shattered the chains, wrapping around her like a white-hot net
that seared her spirit. He slowly drew the web toward him, his dark eyes
glittering with malice.

“You
think I’m going to allow you to reform in whatever hell you came from, to come
back for revenge? I think not, harlot. Nor will I grant you the mercy of a
simple death.” He growled, a thin smile growing on his face as she was drawn
closer. As she approached Gauros, his hands seemed to grow larger as well. It
took her a moment to realize that it wasn’t his hands that were growing, but
she was shrinking instead, the searing web slowly compacting her until she
would fit into his hands, smaller than the smallest joint of his fingers. She
tried to plead for mercy, but as a spirit she had no voice and no way to
escape.

One
of Gauros’ titanic hands vanished, and a moment later it reappeared with a
perfect ruby cradled in its palm. Avendrial had never seen such a beautiful
jewel before, its facets perfectly cut to accentuate its beauty, and seeming
almost ten times her own present size. With another gesture he sent the web
dragging her toward the jewel. Terror slowly grew more and more as she risked
the pain, struggling to escape as he explained almost gleefully. “You will be
trapped in a soulgem enchanted to hide your presence, your very existence. It
will be powered at first by your own magical strength, and then will begin to
dissolve your memories and very soul to sustain itself. Over ten thousand years
or more, it will drain you to nothing. Your memories and name will be forgotten,
until you are naught but the barest spark of awareness, a bare flicker that
will be snuffed out by the enchantment that will keep you from being rescued by
anyone, or from realizing you exist at all!”

As
he spoke the web dragged her painfully into the jewel, and into the very center
of its lattice. She passed dozens of sigils and mandalas, layers of spells
built into the jewel in horrific perfection. Trapped at the very center of the
jewel, they pulsed to life as her energy brushed against the innermost circle,
and her power began to fuel the spells he’d forged into the ruby. He smiled
down at the jewel, and she could hear him as he murmured. “An elegant way to
avoid explaining what happened to you, I think.”

Avendrial
pressed herself against the walls of her prison, looking out and up at Gauros
in confusion and rage, trying to free herself as he slowly tossed the ruby into
the air several times. The entire world seemed dyed red now, and she finally
murmured to herself. “But what did I do?”

When
inside a ruby time flowed strangely. Or at least Avendrial’s perception of time
did. At times it seemed that days, months, and even years passed by like
lightning, while at other times a single hour could crawl like an eternity had
passed. Most of the first few decades was spent inside Gauros’ vault, sitting
in a dusty pile of jewels. A part of her idly wondered if there were any others
like her among the other gems, but there was no way for her to know, trapped as
she was inside her ruby prison.

As
time passed the enchantments hummed silently around her, leeching away her
innate powers like an almost imperceptible thief. Fragments of power slowly
gained over the course of countless centuries vanished as if they had never
been, leaving an aching void in their wake. And with them, as Gauros had
threatened, vanished parts of her memories.

The
most important thing to her was her Name, and it was what she lost first. A
demon’s most valuable, dangerous possession, their true name described
everything that they were, all of their ambitions, hopes, dreams, and the very
essence of whom they were. As such the loss was one which all but crippled her.
Mental strength and resolve faded with the loss of clarity of who and what she
was. She could still remember, but her ability to resist the siren song of the
enchantment faded swiftly. And her senses, her interest in the outside world
waned with her lack of focus as well.

As
language was slowly forgotten, the demon could do little but reminisce over the
few things she could remember, letting time simply pass her by. And pass by it
did, until one day as she watched, an explosion of shadow-hued flames blew
Gauros through the wall of the vault. The human was old now, gaunt and his dark
hair now mostly white, yet she could still see some of his power surrounding
him. But that power availed him little at this time.

She
watched, vaguely intrigued as he was torn apart by a pack of spectral hounds
the size of horses. She didn’t quite remember what he’d done to make her so
happy at his death, but she watched in satisfaction through crimson-hued light
as he died horribly. Moments later another man stepped into the vault, this one
a skeletal form in black robes and carrying a black stone staff. The man
searched the room, taking everything of value, including the jewel in which she
resided, and for some time all was darkness inside of the pouch where her
prison was placed.

When
she next saw light, it was as a gleaming blade of light cut through the pouch,
sending her prison spilling onto the ground as the skeletal man was incinerated
by white flames, collapsing under the assault of pair of gleaming knights who
were accompanied by a half-dozen others. While no one else noticed, she
certainly noticed when most of the gems, including her own, were palmed by a
young man in leather armor and with a friendly face.

From
the young man she was passed into the hands of a merchant in exchange for coin.
From the merchant she went to an angularly handsome man who admired her, and
whose throat was slit by another vying for his position in the assassin’s
guild. She was given away as a bribe by the man’s successor, and her awareness
of the individuals who held her prison slowly began to fade into nothing. As
her memories slowly drained away, she passed from hand to hand, from merchant
to buyer, until she finally was set into a golden pendant and hung on a shelf
to wait. And there she was content to wait, her mind gloriously blank as she
simply let time take its course, her jewel the entirety of her world now.

However,
that placid introversion was shattered after she’d gathered only two layers of
dust. Of course, the jeweler had quickly cleaned away the dust, but it was the
only sense of time she truly had. She looked out of the gem to meet the
sparkling blue eyes of a young elven woman, looking at her in fascination. The
elegant features of the elf were beautiful, and her long black hair was combed
behind her long, mobile ears. And the sparkling blue of the elf’s eyes were the
first other color to break through the crimson of her world in a long time,
rousing her as she stared at the elven maiden, with just a hint of
longing...though what she was longing for, she wasn’t entirely certain. Not
anymore. But a hint of...something different struck her about the elven maiden.
As if a silent chord had been struck between them, like destiny unfolding. And
so she ceased her introspection and watched as the young woman fiercely
bargained over her price before triumphantly purchasing her.

The
young elf lived some distance away, across a plain and in an ancient, primeval
forest. The necklace was worn frequently by the young elf, and in spite of
herself, the name of the young woman slowly stuck in her mind. The elf was
Sistina Constella. She was a noble of some form, and they lived in a beautiful
elven city, carved of white stone and lit at night by globes of glowing crystal
that shone like the full moon. And within the vast city, her favorite places
were the gardens. Each garden was a riot of colors and rare plants that broke
through the crimson haze over her vision.

New
memories slowly formed once more, memories that were strangely resistant to the
attempts by the enchantment to dissolve them. Nights at balls where hundreds of
guests swirled about the dance floor, Sistina laughing as she nearly tripped a
young prince, and him laughing in turn. The night when Sistina had her first
kiss, and the jealousy that she couldn’t be out there with the elven woman
herself. The journey into the deepest parts of the forest, where Sistina had
consulted with an age-old nymph, the unnatural beauty of the nymph awing both of
them before Sistina was gifted with a few words of advice, a golden willow
seed, and a kiss.

Sistina
eventually took the position of the head of her family, and the necklace was
worn frequently by Sistina over the years. Children were born, lovers were had,
and the only companion she truly possessed was Sistina herself, who would
sometimes talk to her necklace almost as if to an old friend, and she was kept
in small box of other keepsakes from when Sistina was younger, including the
willow seed. But in spite of that, Sistina slowly aged, growing older and wiser
as time passed. And when Sistina stepped down from her position in her dotage,
she began to grow anxious, pressing against the walls of her prison
desperately. She could only remember Sistina at this point, with the rest of
her past as scattered fragments. It was almost as if she had always been in the
ruby.

She
cried when Sistina died peacefully in her sleep, weeping within the jewel for
the only friend she could remember. And a sense of utter gratitude pervaded her
when the keepsake box was placed in Sistina’s hands by her friend’s children
before the elf was placed in the coffin and interred.

In
the silence and darkness of the tomb, she had nothing to watch for the first
time in ages. She sat in the keepsake box in utter silence, and slowly, gently
drifted off into a dazed sort of sleep in which she could reminisce once more.
Only once was she disturbed, when the tomb vibrated and shifted, and her ruby
prison bounced slightly inside of the box. But then it went silent once more,
and the earth calmed. Time slowly passed, and her soul slowly dimmed as well.
Her time was reaching its end, but she was happy she could rest with Sistina,
as only those memories stubbornly persisted, fighting the enchantment
attempting to destroy her.

But
one day the lid of the box was cracked open, and the unshaven, dirt-caked face
of a human leered down at her in happiness, before wrenching the box from
Sistina’s long-dead grasp. As he ran, a flash of white-hot flame suddenly
surrounded her and she went spinning through the air. She found herself and the
scorched willow seed bouncing across the pale stones of a massive cavern filled
with ruins and the rotted remains of plants. Behind her the grave robber was
incinerated by a trap, but she was filled with horror at the sight before her.
The lovely gardens she’d walked through with Sistina were one of her few
remaining memories, and they were gone. Gone along with Sistina herself, and
grief wracked her for an eternal moment as she spun through the air. But her
ruby, warm from the trap, hit a stone that redirected her path.

The
impact cracked the perfect facets of her ruby, and a hint of her remaining
power began to seep from the crack. Not much of her was left and she would expire
soon, though she didn’t really understand what was happening. But her jewel
happened to come to rest against the scorched willow seed at last, her constant
companion for untold years. The seed was dry and lifeless from the past
centuries, but slowly her energy infused it and drew it back from seeming
death. As it slowly recovered, light came and went, shining through gigantic
crystals high above them at the peak of the cavern. Her own consciousness was
beginning to fade, almost everything gone. Words, memories...all of it was
outside of her reach, as she faded toward her eternal slumber.

Until
one day the scorched seed began to sprout. The tiny root followed the stream of
her energy, reaching out and latching onto her ruby. Slowly, bit by bit, it
reached into the crack, growing and spreading the fracture. Formation after
formation of the spells around her cracked and shattered under its assault, and
she only vaguely felt it as each segment of her prison was broken. Until at
last, the root pierced through the final barrier, freeing her from the gemstone
as a guttering spark of consciousness. All around her, black chains began to
form, and she felt the faintest hint of fear as she realized they were coming
for her. But at that moment the tiny root reached out and touched the spark of
her existence...and all at once she and the unborn tree became one, her as the
soul, and it as the body.

Their
last thought was the same, as she was absorbed into the seed, and their roots
began to spread.

Sistina.

Chapter 1

Growth
came slowly in the intermittent light of the cavern, and the dry soil was not
much better. It was a wonder she could grow at all. What moisture there was
felt slightly wrong as well. But she had no real choice. She could only sink
her roots deeper into the ground, and strain to grow her branches to gather
more light.

But
as time passed she found that she could feel...something nearby. She
could feel a faint warmth nearby, but it was just out of reach in the earth
below her. So she focused everything she could on reaching it with her roots.
It took a great deal of time, but eventually her roots touched the source of
the warmth. It was like touching a sphere of deep golden light, its warmth
slowly infusing and supporting her. Her roots slowly spread into the light, and
she began to drink in the warmth, the golden light entwining itself with her
own emerald light, infusing her. And as it infused her, she realized that it
was allowing her to grow faster and healthier, without many of the difficulties
she’d encountered before. She felt a core of warmth growing within her, and it
was both comforting and familiar. She reveled in the sensation, but mostly she
began to grow in earnest.

Her
branches grew longer, and the longer branches finally began to dangle properly.
As her core of warmth grew, she watched in fascination as tiny glimmers of
light began to dance along the lengths of her branches, glittering softly in
the dim cavern. On the other hand, she wasn’t sure if a tree of her type should
have smooth white bark. Either way, she thought it was beautiful with the
lights glittering on her branches.

As
she grew, her perceptions slowly expanded and she was able to see more of her
surroundings. She planted near a fouled pond, fed by a spring down below it,
and she felt slightly embarrassed for not realizing she was perhaps twenty feet
from a water source. The water was quite disgusting to absorb, but it was all
she had for sustenance. All around her she could feel and see what seemed like
the stones of a...mausoleum? No, it was a full graveyard, she realized slowly,
her mind putting the pieces together. Behind her, opposite the pond, was a
large tomb with its walls cracked and crumbling and the door hanging open,
blackened as if by a fiery explosion. Other crumbling edifices around her
seemed to have been severely weathered by time and some other form of violence
that shattered many of them, and crumbling towers and buildings could be seen
in the distance. Her vision beyond her immediate presence was cloudy and vague,
but she could sense some impressions of it, with the most clarity on those
areas closest to her.

Examining
the soil into which she’d sunk her roots, she found it rocky and depleted for the
most part, as well as fairly dry. With the way it was, she might never grow to
her full height even with the support of the energy deeper beneath her.
Wistfully imagining the rich, dark soil that would be perfect for her to grow
in, she suddenly felt the core of warmth within her react. Letting it continue,
the threads of golden energy flowed through her and into the ground around her,
slowly beginning to change. The warm glow slowly began to dim within her, but
as it did, the soil began to transform into the type that she’d imagined. Rich
and dark, it was the type of soil that she would want to bury her roots
in, and she let out an inner sigh of satisfaction as the last of it in her
immediate area changed. The process was exhausting, though, and for a time she
fell almost dormant, as if she was sleeping while the warmth restored itself.

Recovering
took an unknowable amount of time for her. The light came and went many times,
as the warmth slowly gathered within her once more, permeating her branches,
roots, and veins. And as the light changed, she felt the cavern growing warmer,
and from deeper in the cavern she felt a slow, warm wind blowing toward the
other end of the cavern. But it was a different warmth than that which was
within her, pulsing with a warm gold-green light. After a time she began to
experiment with the warmth, carefully trying not to exhaust herself as much as
the previous time. Sending out streamers didn’t do much, she found, so she
tried pushing it outward in a sort of bubble around her. The result was
entirely unexpected to her.

Pushing
outward weakened her, but it also expanded her area of clarity. It also didn’t
collapse when she stopped pushing, instead allowing her to retain her ability
to more clearly sense what was in the area. Cautiously testing, she found she
could also change the air inside her bubble, similar to how she was able to
change the soil, though it wasn’t as easy as the soil had been. With that in
mind, she turned her attention to the pool of water, examining it hungrily. She
wanted good water, not this...filth.

Time
steadily rolled on, but she didn’t pay it any mind, instead focused on her
goal. She slowly extended her bubble toward the water, but found that
unfortunately it had to remain roughly a sphere around her, which dramatically
slowed her efforts. It took her a long time, pushing outward inch by inch. She
wasn’t honestly certain how long it took, but eventually she managed to envelop
the edge of the pool as the times of light grew shorter yet again. The first time
she managed to purify the water, she was elated in spite of her utter
exhaustion. But the elation quickly turned sour as she watched the pure, clean
water flow downstream, quickly replaced by the foul water once more. With a
mental growl of annoyance, she glowered at the water, digging in her mental
heels. She wouldn’t be defeated by a mere pond!

Through
sheer, dogged determination, she expanded her bubble toward the pool’s source.
She found all sorts of things that intrigued her within the pond, from jewelry
to rusted metal plates, but most of the foul mud simply disgusted her. Cool
wind came in the reverse of the warmth from before yet again, and light slowly
cycled between long and slow periods. A part of her whispered that each of
these periods must be a day, a rising and setting of the sun, and the warm and
cool winds must be a side-effect of the seasons changing. But when she realized
what they were, she actually spent a few months idle, contemplating this sun
that she had never seen before, and the seasons that she knew existed outside
of this cavern. She’d never seen any of them, and yet she knew about it. It
struck her as odd.

She
mentally frowned at the odd sensation of the unknown knowledge. It was like the
information had always been in the back of her mind, but she hadn’t been able
to recall it until something reminded her of it. It was strange and
aggravating, and yet exciting at the same time. But eventually she shook off
her contemplation and went back the most important thing in her life. Destroying
her archnemesis, the source of the foul water in the pond.

Eventually
she encompassed not only the entire pond, but she was delving into the earth
beneath it, still trying to find the source of the foulness. Only a few feet
below the pool on the opposite side of the pond, she paused in surprise as she
found an uneven, cracked ring of stone. The stone ring was inscribed with runes
which flowed with a dark warmth, similar to her own warmth, and yet different.
She paused on seeing it, since the ring seemed to be the source of the
foulness, the water coming from the other side being relatively pure by
comparison. A tingling slowly seeped through the back of her mind, as she felt
there was something familiar about the inscriptions. She paused, looking at the
odd device, trying to work out why it seemed so familiar.

Weeks
passed, and slowly she managed to piece together fragments of knowledge. One by
one, pieces of knowledge slowly fell into place. The warmth, the green-gold
light...it was all mana. Mana was the source of magic, and all things generated
mana to some degree. The glow which her roots had tapped into, after a long
while realization dawned on her. It was an earth node, the places where rivers
of earth mana converged and caused an upwelling of power, a power that was
sustaining her.

But
none of that helped with the inscription, which took still more time to
decipher. Slowly it dawned on her that the inscription was an enchantment.
Instinctively, she knew it was designed to purify the water, but the ring was
damaged, the runes designed to purify the water instead misaligned. Instead of
purifying the water, the runes were causing it to corrupt the water. But it
wouldn’t be too hard to fix from what she could tell, so she gently began to
‘push’ the stone back into alignment, to make it whole once more.

It
was actually harder than she had initially expected to fix the inscription. It
took a lot of energy to push the stone back into place, since she was using
mana to force it into position. By the time she finally fixed the inscription,
she was exhausted again, and knew it would take her quite a while to recover.
But the moment the inscription was fixed, the inscription began cleanse the
water once more, allowing it to flow pure and clear again. It took a few more
weeks to recover, and then a pair more to clean the pond, but finally it was
free of filth and she felt her body quickening at the better sustenance. And
yet...there was something about the water. Some hint of power to it that was
strange.

As
time passed, she began to spread her bubble of clarity, or as she thought of
it, her domain. This time she didn’t have a specific goal, though, so she just
slowly spread out. After judging time for a while, she decided that the air
moved in response to spring and fall. They were about six months apart, and
those seemed the most likely seasons to her.

But
when her domain enveloped the entrance of the tomb, she stopped moving for a
long, long time as sudden grief overwhelmed her. Carved into the broken, ancient
stone was a name. She couldn’t read it, she couldn’t focus that much, but she
knew the name. It said Sistina Constella. And that name overwhelmed her with
grief and longing.

If
a tree could have cried, she would have. And for more than a year she did nothing,
simply grieving, internally weeping, like the weeping willow she was.

She
repaired the tomb. Remade it like new with her power, ignoring the drain on her
energy. It took months, almost a full year to fully restore the tomb with the
breaks her recovery required. The sarcophagus was repaired of the damage when
it was forced open, and Sistina’s corpse made anew. She even carefully restored
Sistina to the vague memories of when she’d been alive, making her appear as
though she were simply sleeping, and placed a new keepsake box in her hands.
The keepsake box was filled with copies of most of the items within. Finally
she sealed the tomb once more, anguished still, but at least somewhat
satisfied.

But
while she was restoring the tomb, one day she paused in shock as something
unusual happened. A small shoot of a simple weed poked through the surface the
soil she’d restored at the edge of the pond. It wasn’t anything impressive, but
she could feel it, almost as though it were a part of her. The tiny plant was
growing quickly and happily in spite of the lack of sunlight. And it had grown
from a seed she would have sworn had dried out and died long before. And its
connection to her was almost total, joyfully sending her the faintest stream of
its mana as an offering.

She’d
already realized that expanding her domain took vastly more mana the larger the
area grew. As she expanded, the cost was growing so much that she’d determined
that it was unlikely her domain would ever reach more than a hundred feet in
every direction from her trunk, but this changed things dramatically. Realizing
that if she could grow more plants to add to her mana, she might be able to
expand enormously if she were given enough time.

So
she began to cultivate plants in her spare time. It was fascinating to realize
that she could revitalize even ancient, dead seeds with her mana. Even those
plants that she knew shouldn’t be able to grow in the same climates as one
another were somehow able to not just grow here, but thrive in spite of the
darkness.

It
was several years later that she found what felt so odd about the water. Deep
below the pond, nearly two hundred feet down, she found a glowing blue orb like
her earth node. The water node was potent, surging with power that almost
matched her earth node, and she eagerly began to draw upon its power, causing
her emerald mana to grow still more vibrant, and her domain to grow still
faster.

The
cavern was almost two miles long, and a half-mile across with a slight curve to
it. Spreading her domain through the entire cavern took decades, and since she
was near the rear half of the chamber, it meant that her domain encompassed
large portions of stone. When she had time, she slowly expanded the cavern,
carefully ensuring that the ceiling wouldn’t come crashing down on her while
she added to the area that she could grow plants. Eventually she found that
rarer, more beautiful plants and trees produced more mana for her. So she
carefully cultivated the cavern within her domain with the rarest plants she
could, creating large gardens and places of beauty. She could just cultivate
them at random, but she really didn’t want to do that. Besides, she found that
making the gardens correctly, with proper paths and the like, allowed mana to
flow more easily, and actually increased the flow of mana she could absorb.

As
she expanded, she removed most of the ruins of homes and graves by the simple
expedient of sinking them into the ground until they were fully out of the way.
Her work took little concentration, and she slowly grew taller and taller,
almost brushing the ceiling two hundred feet above. She improved the clarity of
the crystal in the ceiling, allowing brighter light to pass through it. When
she found a damaged but faintly functional elven glow-globe, she studied it for
a decade to determine how it worked, then created new ones on the ceiling, ones
that would provide ‘sunlight’ during the day to the cavern, and aid her
thriving gardens. It wasn’t easy to make them, but she persevered in spite of
that. She reinforced the walls of the cavern after an earthquake caused a small
collapse in a corner of the cavern, making the stone both stronger and more
flexible.

The
day she found an axe-head, she recoiled in horrified realization of what it
was, and that it could be used to cut down a tree like herself. But it was
metal, she reasoned, and her roots had found ore down below, so she began to
reinforce her trunk and branches with some of the metal she’d found. It should
strengthen her body against attacks and make her more durable. She could only
use the lighter metals, like mithral, since otherwise she feared she’d grow too
heavy and her branches might break under their own weight. Integrating it into
her trunk and branches wasn’t easy, and took years in its own right.

Eventually
she claimed not only the entire cavern, but also parts of each of the tunnels
exiting the chamber. She was faintly bemused to find the decayed campsite of
the tomb raider whose actions had led to her sprouting. She considered it for a
while before burying everything and continuing her expansion, though she was
forced to cease expanding her main cavern for fear of collapse. A few hundred
feet beyond the entrance she found a cave-in had prevented anyone else from
getting into the cavern, likely preventing anyone from following in the tomb robber’s
footsteps. There was a gap near the ceiling that still allowed a hint of wind
into her cavern.

She
melded the collapse into the walls before continuing her slow, steady expansion
through the cavern tunnels, happily expanding her domain, and adding scattered
small caverns with their own glow-globes and pockets of vegetation. Along the
way she found other sections of what had once been the elven city, which she
either ignored due to them being buried in solid earth and stone or buried like
she had the others.

When
the first bear appeared, following the scent of her plants in search of
berries, she was bemused. Bemused, but not displeased, as after a few days it
also linked to her, granting a bit more power each than the plants did and it
seemed to obey her desires to some extent. It was shortly followed by more
bears, and then a group of deer, which took a bit more firm of a hand to keep
from destroying her gardens. Fortunately the deer were quickly followed by a
pack of wolves. She slowly managed to link to them, and found that like the
ground, she could likely modify them somewhat. Not that she intended to, just
yet. Instead she tried to separate the three species into different caverns
from her main one, ones less perfectly organized, and kept her original,
primary cavern more private.

She
was alone, but she found that she was actually quite content.

Chapter 2

Lily
gasped heavily as she clambered over another rock, her breathing labored as she
glanced back down the hillside, afraid she’d see a sign of the orcs, or even
worse, the Enforcer himself. She didn’t see any of them at the moment, but that
just heightened her anxiety. Not knowing where they were was worse in some ways
than being able to see them bearing down on her. Even the threats in the
mountains wasn’t enough to make her slow down.

She’d
caught a glimpse of the three the night before, and she’d started running with
renewed vigor ever since. The very thought of what would happen to her if she
was captured made her shudder with revulsion and terror. Almost anything would
be better than being captured again. If it weren’t for the inability to try to
hurt herself, she might have already tried throwing herself off a cliff.

Lily
almost missed seeing the cave, but the way the shadows fell made her guess that
it was deeper than it looked at first glance. Heart pounding, she glanced
behind her, hesitating a moment. If there was something hostile inside the cave
she wouldn’t have much chance of survival, but she might just throw off her
pursuers. So she plunged into the dark cavern without another moment of
hesitation, praying that she might be able to escape this way, the soft sound
of her shoes striking dirt and stone echoing through the tunnel.

Following
the slave’s tracks over another ridge, Enforcer Gideon paused to pick out the
trail again, annoyed by the time this was taking. A single foolish order from
Lady Tanna and a modestly valuable dawn elf slave, not even a highly valuable
one, had managed to escape. That Lady Tanna insisting on sending him after the
slave was simply a waste of time and resources when a normal group of slavers
could have tracked the jumped up gardener and captured her in reasonable time.
They were too far from the woman’s homeland for her to actually reach the
border, and she wasn’t valuable enough to justify his time.

But
Lady Tanna had been quite strident, and the Adjudicator had sent him after the
slave after a long, impassioned tirade by the noblewoman. He sighed in
irritation, following her tracks down the hillside, then paused as he looked at
the cavern her tracks led to, frowning. There were faint tracks from both bears
and wolves leading into the cavern, and he reached down to examine the tracks
more closely. Deer as well? That was extremely odd. What were deer doing in a
cave? After a moment he shook his head and told his guards. “Weapons out. There
might be wolves or bears inside. Remember, take the slave alive and without
doing too much damage.”

She
noticed the presence of intruders surprisingly slowly, considering that she was
at least somewhat aware of everything in her domain. But she was distracted,
considering new fragments of knowledge, and only found her attention drawn as
the elf half-tripped over a vine in one of the tunnels.

The
sight of the woman was surprising, as she was the first non-animal that she’d
seen as of yet aside from the fragments of bodies. The elf shouldn’t be too
old, no more than halfway through her first century if she judged correctly,
and she had slightly golden-hued pale skin. Her ears were long and mobile, and
she had soft blonde hair that must normally reach her waist, though it was
currently tangled and only messily braided. She was about five and a half feet
tall, which she felt was average for an elf, and dressed in worn, simple
clothing that covered a modestly attractive body. The elf’s eyes were a light
blue, and were darting about as she rushed through the tunnels, straining to see
even with her enhanced eyesight.

What
surprised her, though, was that she sensed something from the elf. She felt
some kind of sigil or inscription on the elf’s lower abdomen, just below her
navel. It was both dark and twisted and yet it felt very familiar as well. It
was almost jogging a memory, a tantalizing fragment that distracted her
slightly. It slightly amused her that the elf had somehow avoided all of the
smaller caverns.

She
also noticed another a group following the elf through the caves, occasionally
pausing to follow her tracks. This group was headed by the massive, seven-foot
frame of an orc, the tanned creature slightly pig-like in appearance, with
large tusks protruding from its mouth. It was wearing leather armor and
wielding a large club and shield, all of modest quality. After the orc came a
human in black leather armor and wearing a hood, who seemed to bear an
inscription of his own on his right arm that was even darker, but not nearly as
twisted as the elf’s. He had a crossbow and a pair of short blades hanging on
his belt, and his short-cropped hair was dark brown, as were his eyes.
Moderately handsome, he was six feet in height and muscular himself, and he was
followed by a second orc. This group was moving faster than the elf, in spite
of being more methodical in their movements. It took her a minute to realize
that they were simply more efficient and the orc in front was regularly
sniffing, likely following the woman’s scent.

But
looking at them, a memory stirred more heavily, and not one that the
inscriptions had inspired. No, it was a memory of having a body like the
intruders. And as the memory struck, her attention lapsed slightly as she fell
into contemplation, trying to remember what it was like to have a body which
could move around.

Lily
both relieved and worried when she saw the hints of light ahead, along with the
pungent scent of plants. But more worrying were the handful of grunts she’d
heard from behind her. That meant there was an orc in the tunnels behind her,
and it was growing closer. The Enforcer couldn’t be far behind the orc, so she
didn’t have time to worry about what was ahead. She just had to run and try to
escape.

But
even with that in mind, she froze in shock for a moment as she came around the
corner and saw the cavern ahead of her, mouth slightly agape.

Crystals
blazed like miniature suns on the ceiling of the cavern, and a large crystal
seemed to emit natural sunlight from above. And in a large, almost maintained
garden of sorts, she saw hundreds of flowers, trees, bushes, and other
beautiful plants, each with small paths winding through them. There was
something odd about the plants, too, but she didn’t have time to consider them.
No, this place looked like someone had deliberately groomed it, and that meant
she might just be able to find help. The thought buoyed her hopes ever so slightly,
and she shook herself.

In
the distance she could see a tree that was almost the centerpiece of the
cavern, stunning to the point she knew it would have had a shrine back home. It
looked vaguely like a willow tree, but the bark was smooth white like an aspen’s,
and it’s branches glittered with sparkling light that could be seen even from
where she stood. There were faint signs of buildings around the edge of the
cavern, but the only one that looked intact was near the tree itself. So, after
a moment of hesitation, she raced toward the tree, praying there was someone
who could help her, and who would respond to her pleas.

Entering
the cavern made Gideon pause as well, surprised to find such a sight inside of
a mountain. But he didn’t pay it much attention since he’d just caught a
glimpse of his target fleeing toward the massive tree. He signaled the orcs to
pursue with a grin. “Catch her.”

The
two orcs grunted, one speaking in a deep voice. “Yes, boss.”

Breaking
into a ground devouring jog of his own, Gideon noticed that the magic in the
air seemed to be particularly rich as he dodged around a couple of trees. The
orcs simply smashed their way through the barriers in their way, barely even
slowing as branches got in their way. Gideon wondered what the Adjudicator
would make of this place when he gave his report. Maybe they’d even reward him
if it proved valuable.

As
he circled another tree, Gideon found that he’d gained on the slave. Right as
she got near the big tree, he thought that she should be able to hear him
clearly enough, and he shouted out an order. “Slave, halt and do not resist
captivity in any way!”

And
he grinned as the woman suddenly skidded to a stop where she was, unable to
move. The enhanced hearing of elves sometimes was a blessing, in his opinion.
Gideon slowed down, breathing slightly harder as he slowly advanced on the elf,
who turned around, obvious despair on her face. It took him a few minutes to
approach her, during which time the two orcs also slowed, laughing softly as
they did so.

Finally
catching up, Gideon nodded in satisfaction, a thin, cruel smile appearing as he
spoke harshly. “You have caused me quite a bit of irritation, slave. Since Lady
Tanna insisted I come after you, I was taken away from more important tasks to
hunt down your miserable ass. Perhaps I should let my troops have their way
with you as punishment for your attempted escape before we take you back? I…”

Enjoying
the sight of utter terror dawning on the pretty woman, he was about to continue
when the tree trunk abruptly rippled, drawing his attention away from
tormenting the elf.

“Please,
let me go.” The slave almost whispered, her voice trembling as she stood there,
hugging herself and staring at the orcs in terror as they flanked her, horrible
grins on their face at the suggestion. “I just want to go home!”

Gideon
ignored her mewling, watching the tree as it rippled again, and with a third
ripple a long, shapely leg stepped from the tree. The skin of the leg was pure
white, matching the bark of the willow, and the only markings on it were a
handful of lines and whorls that looked like the smooth grain of a wooden
plank. But without pausing, a woman stepped out from inside the tree. She had
wide hips, a narrow waist, large breasts, and a breathtakingly beautiful face.
Her skin was perfectly formed of some form of patterned white wood and her eyes
were the deep green of fresh shoots, while her lips looked like burnished gold.
Her golden hair was long and flowing, falling almost to her knees, and she
extended a hand in front of herself, seeming to flex it almost curiously as she
ignored the gazes that she’d drawn. She was as tall as he was, and Gideon took
only a moment to realize she had to be a dryad of some form.

“Well,
at least something of actual value came from this pathetic task.” He sneered,
smirking as he ordered one of the orcs. “Grab her. She’s coming with us too.”

“Right!”
The orc laughed, stepping toward the dryad while the elf stared in shock, her
mouth opening and closing wordlessly.

The
orc swung his club at the dryad with a grin on his porcine face, obviously
planning to knock her away from her tree harshly. But just as the club was
about to hit her, her eyes rose to meet Gideon’s eyes without the slightest
expression on her face. A splintering crack echoed through the chamber and the
orc soldier stopped, looking stunned as it stared at the shattered handle of
its club, then at the wrist-thick branch that had lowered to block his attack.

With
a flicking gesture, the dryad caused two branches to lash out with blinding
speed before Gideon could even begin to react. The branches hit the orcs hard
enough to send them flying as the sickening sound of breaking bones echoed in
the cavern. Gideon snarled in shock as his hands instinctively dropped to the
hilts of his swords, taking a step toward the dryad. It was at that moment that
a thin line of heat wrapped around his throat, and his second step slowed to a
stop.

Reaching
toward his neck, his hand obeyed at first, then slowed and began falling at the
same time the rest of his body stopped obeying his commands. His sight blurred
slightly, and he saw what looked like a single strand of one of the hanging
branches dangling only a few inches from his head, the length of it covered in
blood.

And
then he fell to the ground as his vision slowly began to fade into darkness.

Lily’s
eyes went huge as the dryad appeared. She opened her mouth to try to warn the
dryad of the danger, but the words stuck in her throat as terror paralyzed her,
afraid of what would be done to her if she spoke. But just as the orcs
attacked, the tree reacted instead, causing her voice to freeze for an entirely
different reason.

In
an instant the orcs were knocked away with sufficient force that they were
likely dead or dying. And all in less time than it took her to blink. The
Enforcer attacked almost instantly, but he never saw the branch that circled
his throat three times, the thin strand flickering with golden energy for a
moment as it tightened, and pulled like a child pulling the string of a top.
Lily blanched as the strand-like branch cut through his neck like a hot knife
through cheese, and she saw the look of confusion on his face as it pulled away
from him, and how he tried to reach for the wound for a moment. He staggered
forward a single step more, then fell to the ground with glassy eyes.

And
through all of it, the dryad watched without the slightest expression on her
face. She watched the Enforcer fall to the ground, staring at him for a few
moments before shaking her head slightly. The lack of expression was even more
horrifying to Lily than the casual brutality of the Enforcer, and she almost
lost control of her bowels when the dryad turned her attention to Lily.

The
dryad’s eyes were like nothing Lily had ever seen before. The bright green eyes
felt deep, like she was staring into an endless, incomprehensible abyss, and
she swallowed hard, too terrified to speak for a long minute. Finally she
whispered. “P-please...don’t hurt me…”

Tilting
her head, a hint of a smile played across the dryad’s lips for a moment,
vanishing just as quickly as it appeared, and with it faded some of the terror
that was wracking Lily. The dryad stepped forward, the movement so graceful and
perfect as though it had been carefully choreographed beforehand, and stood in
front of Lily.

“What
are you doing?” Lily yelped, wanting to jump away as the dryad abruptly reached
out to tug up the hem of her shirt, and pulled down the waistband of her
trousers somewhat. And of course, the order kept her from trying to escape or
from resisting, to Lily’s bitter realization.

Ignoring
Lily’s protests, the dryad revealed a black symbol across Lily’s lower stomach.
The slave brand was palm-sized and curved with numerous jagged shapes. It was
slightly triangular, pointing down toward her nethers with the upper edge an
inch below her navel. Lily flushed in shame at the sight of it, though the
dryad didn’t seem to react the way she expected, her face expressionless as she
studied the symbol.

The
brand made it so that Lily couldn’t hurt herself except by a direct order from
her master. And her master was anyone with a command sigils branded on them,
such as the Enforcer who’d died, or whomever they told her to obey. She knew
that some of the rebels knew how to undo orders if there wasn’t anyone with a
command sigil nearby, but she had no idea how it was done and with where she
was, she was afraid that the order the Enforcer had given would lead to her
dying of starvation.

Finally
the dryad stood up straight, seeming to think for a moment. Then she looked at
Lily curiously and picked up a rock. Pointing at the slave brand, she crushed
the rock, shaking her head. Lily blinked, and with hope kindling in her heart,
she slowly asked. “You...can break it?”

Her
hopes were dashed when the dryad shook her head firmly. Bitterly, Lily reminded
herself that she should have known better. No one knew how to destroy the
brands, that’s why Kelvanis was so powerful. But she was distracted when the
dryad dropped the rock, pointing at the slave brand and then at the Enforcer’s
body. Then she pointed at herself, and at the brand.

“Ummm…”
Lily blinked, trying to understand, and then guessed, afraid to get her hopes up
a second time. “You can take control of it? I guess?”

The
dryad nodded firmly, a slight smile appearing again. Pointing at Lily, she
tilted her head and raised an eyebrow.

“You
want my permission?” Lily guessed again, her hopes rising slowly. At the dryad’s
firm nod, her heart jumped in joy as she nodded fiercely. “Please! I...I have
to follow his orders, so if you don’t, I’ll probably stand here until I die. I
don’t want that to happen. I just wanted to be free of what...what they were
doing to me…”

Ignoring
Lily’s words, the dryad leaned over and pressed her finger against the very
center of the brand. Her skin was oddly warm and soft for appearing to be wood,
Lily was surprised to find. But she gasped as she felt a slow warmth spread
outward through the brand, almost as if it were exploring each stroke of its
design. And as it progressed, she felt a faint tingling rise up her spine, and
it almost felt like she could hear faint words in a language she didn’t know.
Lily watched as the brand slowly began turning gold threaded through with green
highlights from where the dryad was touching. It slowly spread across the
brand, taking several minutes to turn the entire brand green and gold.

As
the last threads of the brand changed colors, Lily felt the compulsion of the
Enforcer’s order vanish abruptly. A gentle warmth and some other strange energy
enveloped her body in the aftermath. Staggering slightly at the abrupt release,
Lily gasped and steadied herself.

The
dryad tilted her head slightly, as if curious, blinking once before
straightening slightly and nodding, a smile of satisfaction on her face. It
took Lily a few seconds to realize that she was actually free of not just that
order, but all of the others that Lady Tanna had given her as well, and a slow smile
bloomed on her face.

“Thank
you! Thank you so very much! I’m Lily, Lily of Vernglade!” Lily spoke
excitedly, relief almost making her legs collapse beneath her. Even if the
dryad was going to control her choices, she had to be better than Lady Tanna. But
her smile dimmed slightly as the dryad ignored her thanks, stepping around her
and walking back to her tree. And then she asked, trepidation filling her
voice. “M-may I ask who you are? Can you talk?”

The
dryad stopped, turning her head toward Lily, then looked at the tomb that her
tree was towering over. The tree was almost like a guard in front of the
building’s front door, Lily realized. But then the dryad spoke a single,
perfectly inflected word, her voice bell-like in beauty. “Sistina.”

“Sistina?
That’s a beautiful name!” Lily exclaimed, awe rippling through her at the
perfect beauty of the dryad’s voice. She’d always heard that dryads were the
manifestations of nature’s beauty, second only to nymphs, but there was
something magnetizing about Sistina. Swallowing, Lily asked, slightly hesitant
now. “Umm...Sistina? Since you now...command the slave brand...can I leave?
Will you let me?”

Again
Sistina looked at Lily, this time looking slightly incredulous before she
nodded firmly, making a slight shooing gesture toward the cave entrance.

Lily
took a hesitant step toward the cavern entrance, almost not believing that this
was real, then looked back. Sistina had stepped toward the entrance of the tomb
and was crouched down, naked as she picked up small crimson fragments that were
scattered over the stones. It was then, looking at the exit, that Lily’s
determination wavered. Screwing up her courage, she decided that she didn’t
dare try to journey south and she needed somewhere to stay. So she took a deep
breath to steady herself before turning back and speaking.

“Actually,
could...could I stay here for a while? To prepare to try to go home?” Lily
asked after a moment, nervous this time. “It’s a long trip, and I don’t have
much of anything.”

Sistina
simply nodded, a smile flickering across her face again.

Sistina
carefully picked up the scattered fragments of the ruby she’d once been, not
missing the slightest fragment of it. Something about the fragments was
fascinating, and she wondered if she’d be able to remember more if she used
them as hints. But she wasn’t thinking about the fragments in truth, that was
more an idle thought. Nor was she thinking about the human or orcs. Their
attacks had annoyed her, but they were gone, and no longer were important.
Besides, they’d never been a real threat.

Instead
she was contemplating the symbol on the elf, Lily’s, stomach. It felt so
familiar, and figuring out how to claim it had been easy as absorbing water,
sunlight, or air for that matter. Even now she could feel the symbol linked to
her core of mana, and knew that if she wished, she could send a command
whenever she wanted. Range would weaken that ability, but it didn’t matter,
since she had no interest in enslaving the young woman. She liked elves, since
they reminded her of the original Sistina, the memory of which made her
mentally reach out to stroke the tomb of her namesake. But the most interesting
thing about the symbol was that she could feel more mana pouring into her pool
from it than she’d gained from any other creature so far. The link between them
was also stronger than anything she’d felt before, and it intrigued Sistina.

Based
on her prior experiences, she probably could change Lily somewhat if she wished
to, much like she’d changed some of the plants and her own body. But she didn’t
want to, that would be interfering too much with the only other fully sentient
individual in her domain. The young elf seemed to be drawing on her domain in
any case, instinctively improving her body, so Sistina felt it didn’t matter
anyway.

So
while Lily took items from the bodies of the fallen orcs and the human, Sistina
raised one of the larger ruby fragments and looked through it at the ceiling,
seeing the world was hued crimson through it. But staring at the light coming
from above, she came to a decision. She needed to be able to defend her cavern
if more humans or orcs came for her Lily. A Lily was a plant after all, and
plants were hers.

The
next few months were among the strangest in Lily’s life, even including when
her village had been ransacked and she’d been enslaved. The day after she’d
taken up residence in Sistina’s cavern, she found that the bodies of the
Enforcer and the orcs had vanished without a trace. Most days Sistina never
moved from under her tree, but seemingly randomly she would go on a journey to
one point or another in the cavern. And the cavern was strange as well, now
that she had time to truly examine it.

Days
after she’d taken up residence, one of the old buildings moved in the midst of
the night. It moved next to a large field near Sistina’s tree, fully repaired
rather than missing half its roof, and with full furnishings inside that were
finer than anything she’d grown up with. The field quickly filled with fruit
trees, vegetables, and other edible plants in mere days, growing far more
rapidly than she would have believed even a druid could manage. Many of the
plants were oranges, apples, and other plants that shouldn’t have grown in the
same climate as one another, such as the single banana tree she’d seen, or
which were thought to be extinct, like the fireberry bush.

When
Lily wanted to talk, she would go up to Sistina and chat for hours, though
Sistina never spoke another word beyond initial introduction. It amused Lily
that the dryad would occasionally nod, or make gestures to get her own thoughts
or desires across. Lily found herself quickly growing able to interpret the
gestures more easily. And the translation came even more easily when she
realized that she could faintly sense Sistina’s desires, mood, or responses.
Nothing as concrete as thoughts came across, simply faint approval,
disapproval, or other simple emotions.

Without
a change of clothing, Lily’s garments began falling apart as winter approached
outside of the mountain. Before Lily could say anything, Sistina took the
fibers of a few plants and wove cloth it together into cloth almost
effortlessly, though the dryad seemed to be concentrating heavily throughout.
The cloth was dyed with other plants, and then she shaped it into clothing that
perfectly fit Lily without cutting a single strand. The clothing was light,
easy to move in, and yet allowed her to deal with the elements more easily as
well, something that Lily marveled at.

She
was growing stronger and faster too, Lily realized after a few weeks. After a
month she took a bow and arrows she’d found, as well as a knife from the
Enforcer’s body to go out hunting. It took a few trips before she managed to
any game at all, but she improved somewhat before winter descended in full
force. While she was out, though, she ensured that she tried to bring back
additional plants, which always made Sistina happier.

The
oddest moment was when Lily realized that in spite of living with a dryad that
never spoke, she’d never been happier than she was in the cavern. For the first
time in her life, she was safe and didn’t have to worry about much of anything.
She was freer here in the caves than she’d been at home in Vernglade, and a
large part of her was wondering if she even wanted to go home.

Eventually
winter passed, and Lily began to venture out in the spring once again, eager to
add different food to her diet.

Chapter 3

“Did
you see any sign of pursuit?” Captain Vendis asked the scout who’d just caught
up with the group.

“No,
ma’am. Not yet, anyway.” The man replied, shaking his head wearily. “I imagine
they’ll come after us as soon as they realize that the horses are a
distraction, though.”

“Very
true. Hopefully Lieutenant Calvor manages to keep ahead of them.” The captain
replied with a slight smile, patting the man on the shoulder before turning her
attention to Phynis.

“From
your lips to the gods ears.” The scout murmured, pulling out his waterskin and
taking a long drink of water.

“Highness?
How are you holding up?” Vendis asked, settling down next to Phynis on a
convenient log.

The
group of dusk elves was hiding in a small wooded area of the foothills of the Godsrage
Mountains, nearly seventy miles from the northern border of Kelvanis, where the
fell kingdom was skirmishing with their own kingdom of Sifaren. Phynis felt
exhausted, her feet aching and her muscles wanting nothing more than to let her
collapse. But if it meant she might avoid Kelvanis’ grasp for even a few days,
Phynis would willingly trudge onward until she collapsed of exhaustion.

“I’m
doing tolerably well. I may not be used to quite this strenuous of hikes, but I
think I can manage a few more hours if we need me to.” Phynis replied softly,
glancing at the rest of the group around her. “I wish I could say the same
about everyone else, though.”

“True
enough. You were always more active than your sisters, from what Captain Randa
told me in my briefing. The other ladies with you, though…” Vendis paused,
glancing over the group and sighing.

There
were forty-three dusk elf women in the group, including Phynis, her two maids,
and five guards. A handful of them were armed with weapons taken off their captors,
foremost among them being Phynis’ guards. Beyond their numbers were two dozen
soldiers under Captain Vendis’ command, each lightly armored for overland
travel, along with a half-dozen donkeys carrying supplies. And then there were
the six scouts, two of whom were following behind them to keep an eye out for
pursuers. Phynis looked over the group, then looked at Vendis apologetically.

“I’m
sorry. You were sent to rescue me, but I couldn’t abandon the others.” She
explained guiltily, shrugging helplessly.

“No,
don’t be sorry, Your Highness.” Vendis said firmly, shaking her head and her
eyes flashing with anger. “We might have been sent to rescue you, not the
others, but there’s no way in all the Hells I would have abandoned them to the
damned slavers of this godsforsaken land. No one deserves slavery, and these
bastards are worse than most, especially with their brands.”

“I’m
glad to hear that.” Phynis replied with relief, smiling at the captain warmly.
“I must admit I’m not sure how you’re going to get us all through the
mountains, though. I imagine it would be hard enough even with just me and your
soldiers.”

“I’ll
admit it’ll be a challenge, but we don’t have any other choice.” Vendis
shrugged lightly, while the others were sipping at flasks of water and nibbling
at hard rations. “There’s no way we could get back across the border again with
a group this size. The Lieutenant might manage it, but only because his team is
primarily illusionists. The fact Kelvanis will be almost certainly focusing on
finding us will only help his chances.”

“Ah,
that explains why you sent him off.” Phynis shook her head and frowned,
thinking about the challenge before them. Taking a deep breath, she began to
speak. “Well-”

“Captain?
Tandor just saw something strange.” One of the other soldiers interrupted
softly as he came closer, giving an apologetic nod to the princess.

“What
is it?” Vendis asked, glancing at Phynis and smiling wryly. “My apologies for
the interruption, Highness.”

“No,
no...you’re in charge of the rescue, not me.” Phynis raised her hands, shaking
her head quickly. “Do what you need to do.”

“Go
ahead.” Vendis told the soldier.

“Well,
Tandor said that she just saw a female dawn elf a bit to the west of us. Not in
armor or anything, but carrying a bow.” The man explained with a frown. “She’s
not coming straight at us, but she’ll be coming awfully close. With as big is
our group is, the chances of her spotting us are fairly high.”

“What?
What’s a dawn elf doing out here, of all places? Did Tandor see any others?” Vendis
asked quickly, sitting up straight and going on alert. Phynis could entirely
understand the woman’s reaction, considering that they were even farther from
Yisara’s border than their own, and that Kelvanis enslaved elves of both
nations.

“No,
ma’am. She seemed to be on her own.” The soldier responded quickly. “And we’ve
no idea what she’s doing out here.”

“Shit.
I want a squad to apprehend her, Narvus.” Vendis ordered, frowning. “Be wary of
ambushes, too. She might be a slave, bait, or both. If you spot any slavers,
take them out and let me know, in that order.”

“Yes,
ma’am!” The soldier saluted and quickly walked back the way he’d approached
from.

Phynis
frowned slightly, considering the situation as carefully as she could. Finally
she asked softly, a hint of nervousness in her voice. “We’re about ninety miles
from Yisara, right? What would a dawn elf be doing out this way?”

“Close
to that, yes. And the only reason I can think of for a dawn elf to be out this
way is as a slave, or a traitor. It wouldn’t be the first time someone had
changed sides to avoid slavery.” Vendis replied grimly. “And the last thing we
need is to be discovered at this point in our journey.”

“On
the other hand, if she is a slave, at least we could get her out of here, too.”
Phynis replied with a soft sigh, wringing her hands together. “I really hope
she isn’t a traitor, though.”

Lily
had her bow out, and reveled in the comfort of her new deerskin boots. Sistina
had made them for her only a week earlier, and Lily had never owned such a
comfortable pair of boots in her life, at least once they’d been broken in.
When she thought about the shoes she’d been wearing when she’d fled the
Enforcer, it was like heaven and earth in comparison! It certainly made these
hunting trips far more comfortable as well.

Now
she was looking for a deer, or any other game, for that matter. A couple of
rabbits might be nice to fill out the larder. While she liked fruit and
vegetables, she preferred a slightly broader variety of food in her diet.
Though she had to admit that the variety she’d had before living with Sistina
had never been even close to what she had available now. But even though that
was the case, she didn’t want to get too much farther from the caverns, in case
she ran into a roving patrol from Kelvanis or the like. The problem was that
she hadn’t seen much more than a couple of squirrels so far.

Lily
frowned as she looked around, wondering why there were so few animals around.
It was like-

“Eep!”
She yelped in surprise as four elves with light brown skin seemed to melt out
of the bushes and grass around her. Each of them was wearing leather armor,
while two of them were armed with bows, the other two were wielding scimitars.

“No
sudden moves. Drop your bow and dagger.” One of them ordered, a rather handsome
man, she noticed almost morbidly.

“R-right.
Just give me a second.” She replied, dropping the bow, then slowly unsheathed her
dagger and dropped it to the ground.

The
only saving grace was that she didn’t think any of them looked like they worked
for Kelvanis.

“What
do you mean that her slave brand is strange?” Captain Vendis demanded, her dark
brown eyes narrowed. The captain was a bit more attractive when she was
annoyed, Phynis noticed with dark amusement.

“It
doesn’t match any of the known brands.” One of the soldiers explained with a
confused shrug. “They’re supposed to have specific designs for each color and
this one is the right shape for a black crest, but it’s actually gold and
green. And it looks nothing like sketches we have of gold crests, either.”

“That’s
worrying.” Captain Desa Iceheart murmured, frowning slightly. Desa, the captain
of Phynis’ personal guard, had returned from attending to some of the other
slaves, which brought a degree of relief to Phynis’ mind. The haunted look in
Desa’s eyes worried her slightly, but there was little she could do. Desa had
refused to say anything about what she’d experienced in captivity, as had the
others, but nonetheless she’d managed to catch a few whispers. From the bits
that she’d managed to hear, her guards and most of the other women hadn’t been
lucky enough to be left alone.

“Isn’t
gold the brand they usually use on priests and the like?” Phynis asked the
others, trying to remember the details. “If I remember right, it’s fairly
elaborate.”

“That’s
correct, Your Highness.” Desa confirmed, her face somewhat unsightly at this
point. “I’ve heard it controls their magic, much like the silver crests do.”

“Which
means something about her is very unusual, because I’ve never heard of any
green brands, or of any crests that include other colors.” Vendis spoke
thoughtfully, then looked to the guard. “So what does she have to say for
herself?”

“She
claims that her name is Lily of Vernglade, and also that she’s an escaped
slave.” The soldier replied, her eyes going back and forth between Phynis and
her captain, as if not certain who to address. “She claims that she’s out
hunting. I’m not sure I believe her, though.”

“Oh?
Why not?” Phynis asked, glancing to Vendis apologetically. The captain,
fortunately, seemed unruffled, just nodding when the soldier looked at her
first.

“Ah,
because her clothes are too nice, Your Highness.” The woman replied, slightly
flustered. “I haven’t seen fabric like her clothing before, but it looks like a
really fine weave, and her boots look almost brand new and are well-made
besides. But even more than that, her dagger is issued by Kelvanis’ military
and is enchanted.”

“Ah.
That is quite telling in its own way. Did you perform the ritual to free her of
ongoing orders?” Vendis asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

“That’s
the first thing we did.” The soldier assured her.

“Excellent.
I think I’ll talk to her myself, sergeant.” Vendis decided, glancing at Phynis
with a frown on her face. “This feels too convenient to me. Just as a warning,
I’m not going to be nice. It might shake her into giving something up.”

“Good
idea.” Desa murmured in approval, getting a smile from Vendis in return, before
their rescuer stalked off toward the captive.

Lily
nervously wrung her hands in front of her, her eyes darting about as two of the
elves guarded her. They’d taken her to a small clearing and had seemed
surprised after checking her slave brand. Their suspicion after she’d answered
their questions had been quite obvious, which had done nothing to calm her
nerves. What a group of dusk elves were doing here was beyond her, and a small
part of Lily’s mind was afraid that they might hurt her.

But
a soothing, calm sensation came from the back of Lily’s mind, as Sistina calmly
extended her own serenity to Lily. It was hardly perfect, but the knowledge
that she wasn’t alone helped calm Lily more than a little. So she took a deep
breath and slowly let it out, closing her eyes like Sistina did so often,
trying to find the same serenity.

“So
what’s your name again?” A firm female voice jolted Lily out of the bare
beginnings of relaxation, and she opened her eyes quickly, barely biting back a
yelp of shock.

The
woman was in armor that matched the other soldiers she’d seen, and was a tall,
muscular dusk elf with short white hair. Her eyes were a deep brown, but the
hard look in her eyes made Lily swallow nervously before replying. “L-Lily of
Vernglade, ma’am.”

“I’m
Vendis.” The woman replied, slowly pacing back and forth in front of Lily, her
eyes fixed on Lily’s. “Tell me, why are you here?”

Lily
hesitated a moment before standing up herself, taking advantage of the moment
to look away from the woman’s piercing gaze. She swallowed and spoke softly,
her voice hesitant. “I was out hunting. Hoping for a rabbit or two, a duck, or
even a deer. I didn’t think I’d run into anyone out here, since I haven’t seen
anyone in months.”

“Oh?
If you’re a slave, or an escaped slave, how is it that you have clothing that
looks like it’s brand new, seemingly made of fine cloth? Or newly made, fitted
boots?” Vendis challenged, her eyes narrowing and the line of her mouth
thinning. “I certainly don’t have anything quite that nice myself, and I’m not
a slave. In fact, I don’t think I believe you, especially with a brand that’s
different than any of the others I’ve seen or heard of.”

“I...but…”
Lily froze almost panicked for a moment. It was then that another gentle,
soothing sensation came from Sistina along with a beckoning sensation, calling
her home. Taking a breath, Lily shook her head and spoke more calmly, but vehemently.
“You don’t understand at all. I did escape, and I was chased out here, where I
met someone. She...altered the brand. That’s what made it change colors. She
indicated that she couldn’t break it, but she could take control of it and
prevent me from being controlled again. She’s the one who made my clothing and
boots, too.”

“What
an obvious lie.” Vendis hissed, her eyes narrowing in both disbelief and anger.
“That’s impossible! No one has been able to alter the brands in decades of
trying! You dare claim otherwise, when you’re here in the middle of Kelvanis’
territory? They would never let someone who could steal their slaves live
here!”

“I’m
not lying! The dryad just-” Lily protested, eyes widening at the woman’s anger.
She didn’t know why the woman was so angry at her claim, but she yelped in
surprise as the two guards grabbed her while she was distracted. “What are you
doing?”

“Tie
her up! We’ll decide what to do with her later!” Vendis ordered, turning to
walk away.

That
left Lily behind as the two soldiers roughly tied her up, and she winced at how
tightly the ropes were. On the other hand, she had to wonder what she’d said to
upset the woman so much.

“And
she’s claiming a dryad did it, of all the stupid things!” Vendis told
them, disdain apparent in her voice. “What does she think we are, stupid? There
are plenty of dryads in the kingdom, and I’d think we would have heard if they
could do anything about the slave brands!”

They
had ended up not moving again that night because of the mystery of Lily’s
arrival, which had seemed to deepen Vendis’ suspicion of Lily’s motives and
purpose. Phynis had caught a glimpse of their captive despite attempts to keep
her away as well. Lily seemed a bit more attractive than most dawn elves, but
aside from her clothing, there wasn’t all that much that was unusual about her.
It made her a puzzle, which she had to admit lent some credence to Vendis’
suspicions.

“But
what if she’s telling the truth?” Desa asked after a moment, her own voice
calm. The captain sipped at a flask of water before taking a bite of the dry
rations they’d been given, and grimaced ever so slightly. They didn’t dare
light a fire, which made the meager meal somehow even less appealing. After a
moment she continued. “Even if this supposed dryad is of uncertain provenance,
if she can somehow key the slave brands to someone other than Kelvanis’ command
sigils, it would be enormously better for all of the people that have been
rescued. And I’m not just speaking for myself.”

“I
suppose that’s true, I just...” Vendis admitted, pausing for a moment as she glanced
at Phynis guiltily before continuing. “That’s part of why I had them tie her up
for the night, actually. The girl seemed shy and weak-willed to me for the most
part, so it might break through the courage she seemed to gain halfway through
the conversation and convince her to tell us the truth. I know it isn’t nice,
but I think it might make a difference.”

“Well
I personally hope she was telling the truth.” Phynis said with a sigh of her
own, trying to smother the flickers of her own hope. “If she is, that means
there’s no slavers in the area. But we can hardly count on that to be the
case.”

“Very
true, Your Highness. That’s why I doubled the watches for the night.” Vendis
agreed, smiling thinly. “If there are slavers in the area, I want to spot and eliminate
them.”

“From
your lips to the goddess’ ears.” Desa murmured softly, raising her flask as if
in a toast.

Sistina
opened her eyes, looking at the ceiling and considering the dim glow-crystals.
Night had fallen over an hour ago, and Lily seemed to be in some distress,
though not in immediate danger. She hadn’t returned, as Sistina had suggested,
which meant the others she met were being difficult.

Well,
there obviously wasn’t any other real option. She’d just have to go get Lily
herself.

Climbing
to her feet, Sistina brushed herself off and headed for the cavern exit,
purpose in her steps. She would retrieve Lily, one way or another. And she
doubted that it would go well for anyone who tried to stop her. She was feeling
a trifle annoyed.

Chapter 4

The
knock on the door echoed through the room, and internally Jared complimented
the timing of the knock. Any earlier and he would have been less than pleased
about the interruption, and any later and he’d have been woken up just as he’d
been dozing off. In either case he’d have been distinctly annoyed, which made
this particular timing almost ideal. Even if it was rather late for someone to
come visit him.

Glancing
over at the dawn elf priestess next to him, Jared smiled in distinct
satisfaction. She was thin but beautiful, with flawless skin, deep blue eyes,
and golden hair. The intricate golden crest of her slave brand shone softly in
the near-dark of the room, making her position quite obvious to any who saw
her. The woman was staring at the ceiling and occasionally shivering, obviously
still somewhat in shock. Fortunately he’d ordered her to stop her hysterics
earlier, which likely was keeping her from deafening him with wailing or the like.
He found priestesses were among the least likely to adapt well to slavery.

On
the other hand, he couldn’t remember the priestess’s name. Actually, come to
think of it, he’d never actually asked what her name was. It simply hadn’t
seemed important, considering that she was a priestess of Medaea. Beyond that,
she’d also been on her way to Medaea’s hidden temple, and the Archon had been
most pleased at her acquisition.

Considering
her lack of a name for a moment, Jared finally shrugged dismissively and put it
out of his mind. He slid out of bed and pulled on a bathrobe before touching
the crystal to unlock the door to his room as he called out. “Come in.”

The
door opened to reveal a pretty woman with raven hair. Stepping into the room,
the woman’s piercing blue eyes glanced over the room, almost certainly checking
for threats, he knew. The woman had a serpentine tattoo on her left cheek and a
severe set to her face that somewhat offset her beauty. She wore black leather
armor and a long, curved sword at her waist as well. She held her fist to her
chest in a salute as she spoke evenly. “Adjudicator.”

“High
Enforcer Serel.” He replied, smiling slightly in return. “To what do I owe your
visit? Especially given the time of night?”

“My
scouts returned from investigated the delay of Grayhold’s caravan.” She replied
bluntly, folding her hands behind her ramrod-straight back. “Caravan security
appears to have been half of what was recommended. The entire detail was slain
and Princess Phynis is missing, while tracks lead west toward the mountains and
north-west toward the border of Sifaren.”

“I
see. Lord Calvin must have decided that our suggestion of escorts was overly
cautious.” Jared murmured thoughtfully, shaking his head. His brow furrowed as
he slowly paced across the soft carpets. “A pity. He’s been rather successful
in most regards.”

“Perhaps
so.” Serel replied, her gaze hard and pitiless by comparison. Jared thought it
was truly fortunate for Lord Calvin that she would not be in charge of any repercussions.
“Do you wish to reassign some of my Enforcers to retrieve the princess?”

“Hmmm…”
Jared considered a moment more, then asked with a raised eyebrow. “Was she
successfully branded?”

“My
information indicates that she was branded with a royal crest immediately after
she was returned to Grayhold.” The High Enforcer explained shortly.

“And
the mindshard?” He inquired patiently, carefully considering the full
situation. “What of it?”

“It
was implanted without her knowledge. That is assuming that Lord Calvin’s
reports were accurate.” Her answer was curt and pointed, and Jared suppressed a
sigh of annoyance. He liked Serel for the most part, but she was too serious
much of the time, and she tended to hold onto grudges until they died of old
age when she decided someone was incompetent.

“Excellent.
In that case, send two platoons of scouts in pursuit, each with at least four
officers who possess black command sigils.” Jared ordered, turning to face
Serel again with a slight smile. “Have a single company of line troops backing
them up, with...Lady Marath commanding them. They will be tasked with
retrieving Princess Phynis.”

“As
you wish, Adjudicator.” Serel acknowledged with another salute, the annoyance
on her face fading slightly. She paused a moment before asking. “And my own
mission?”

“Your
mission takes priority. Even if it results in the princess escaping.” Jared
told her, shaking his head. “Only when you have the temple in sight are you to
read your sealed orders. Even I don’t know their contents, so read them
carefully. The Archon was quite insistent.”

“As
you say, Adjudicator.” Serel bowed her head this time, the mention of the
Archon obviously having quelled any other misgivings she had possessed. Serel
turned to leave, but paused and frowned before asking. “What of Lord Calvin?”

“I
will pass word along to Justicar Hall. It is not my place to decide how the
Lord will be treated for his lack of foresight. That position belongs to the
Justicar.” Jared shook his head, pitying the man as he added. “I believe his
caution will not result favorably, though.”

“As
you say, Adjudicator. I shall carry out my orders. By your leave?” Serel
nodded, a thin smile flickering over her own face at his explanation. When he
nodded, though, she bowed her head slightly and left the room.

Jared
shook his head, smiling wryly at the woman’s response. Touching the crystal
again to lock the room, he was about to go to bed when a thought struck him as
he looked at the elf. He was allowed a few personal slaves, and it could be any
captive that wasn’t royalty or requested by the Archon or High Adjudicator. He
hadn’t chosen one yet, and this slave...he could work with. The woman was
beautiful and pleasant, and he had the budding thoughts of how to make an
abandoned project of his work. It required seven potent spellcasters, and since
priestesses almost universally were spellcasters, she was the first he'd need.

“Slave.
Make yourself presentable.” He ordered as he approached his nightstand and
uncorked a bottle of brandy.

Pouring
some of the amber liquid into a glass, he glanced over as the elf stood up
looking around as if trying to figure out what to clean herself with. Her eyes
were filled with anger, which meant that she hadn’t broken. That was good.
After taking a sip of brandy, he added. “You may use your magic to clean
yourself for this task, but you may not dress after cleaning yourself. I wish
for you to remain naked for the evening.”

If
a gaze could cut, he’d likely be bleeding on the floor from the glare the woman
gave him, but he was more satisfied that that she didn’t manage to resist the
order. At least this time. Earlier she’d displayed impressive willpower,
managing to refuse to answer his questions for a few moments even under the
compulsion of her brand. Of course, it had only been for a few moments, which
somewhat ruined her attempt.

Whispering
a few words, the elf’s fingers danced gracefully through the air as she wove
her spell. A soft white glow enveloped her body for a moment, and then she was
clean again. All of the sweat and grime that had been on her vanished, and it
was like she’d taken a bath, combed her hair, and otherwise made herself
perfectly presentable for a court function. And all of it done in seconds. He
would have to remember that she could do that in the future, considering how
useful it must be.

Shaking
off his distraction, he pointed at a spot in the center of the room and
ordered. “Stand there. Don’t try to hide yourself. Besides, that’s pointless
after earlier.”

Flushing
at the humiliation, the tips of the elf’s ears quivered slightly in rage. But
in spite of any anger she felt, she couldn’t help herself from following his
orders. Once she was in position he circled her again slowly, examining her
critically for any real flaws. Finding none, he finally stopped in front of her
and nodded. He placed a hand on the golden brand and looked her in the eye as
he spoke formally. “I, Adjudicator Jared Falgrave, claim you as my personal
slave. None save Enforcers or my superiors may give you orders via your brand,
save as granted by myself.”

The
brand heated under his hand for a moment, then the heat faded. Stepping away,
Jared smiled to himself as he took out a small chest from the nightstand. This
iron banded box was locked with another crystal, and he touched it, wondering
where other Adjudicators kept theirs. He didn’t see the point in hiding his,
considering that if someone could get this deep into the manor, they could
certainly find the box without much difficulty. But as he opened it, another
thought struck him and he asked curiously. “How do you feel?”

“Outraged,
angry, frustrated, and defiled.” She ground out, her voice beautiful in spite
of the anger infusing every word she spoke. “I hate you more than I have anyone
or anything in my life, and I hate that I helped you in any way. Even if I had
no choice in the matter.”

“That’s
enough.” Jared replied in a leisurely tone, cutting off further complaints as
he looked through the small chest. The interior was split into an upper and
lower compartment, and he sorted through the top first. It was filled with tiny
pouches, each labeled with a single word. Words like courtesan, goldsmith,
submissive, dominant, gladiator, as well as many others. It took a little while
to find the one he wanted, and he pulled a thin, colorless jewel out of the
pouch, the gem little more than a spindle an eighth of an inch across and an
inch long. Removing the top tray for the moment, he continued looking through
more pouches that filled the bottom, these ones labeled with colors instead. He
replied almost absently as he worked. “I’m not surprised you feel that way. I
imagine that if our situations were reversed, that I would feel much the same.
On the other hand, I think that you have no one to blame but yourself.”

Upending
a pouch in his hand, a golden jewel spilled into his palm. The topaz was a
perfect oval to his amateur eye, and he continued pitilessly. “You are the one
who chose to become a priestess of Medaea. You also didn’t train enough to gain
the strength necessary to fight off the raiders who attacked the town you were
passing through. You knowingly chose to travel near borders that you knew were
regularly attacked by slavers. If you had chosen differently on any of these
aspects, you likely would still be safe and sound in Yisara. Instead you are a
slave. You are my slave, whether you like it or not. I am the one in
power, and power is what truly matters.”

He
stepped closer to her, smiling as her glare weakened and her cheeks paled under
his verbal assault. Holding up the clear jewel for a moment, he gently pressed
it against the middle of her forehead and waited. The spindle-shaped gem warmed
after a few moments and slowly melted into the elf’s body vanishing without a
trace of its presence. As the priestess gasped and swayed in place, Jared
smiled broadly, speaking quickly and firmly. “Forget your old name, that name
never existed for you. You are now named Topaz, and that is the only name which
you have ever had.”

The
elf let out a soft whimper as she blinked slowly, seeming to be in pain. Jared
ignored that, though. It was normal for such invasive changes, and there was
nothing he could do about that part. Instead he held the topaz and
concentrated, fixing his desires into the gemstone. Once he was certain he had
them in place, he pressed the jewel against Topaz’s body, midway between her
navel and crotch between two curved segments of the slave brand. The design
actually looked as though it was designed to frame the gemstone, and which he
knew was actually the case. Both the jewel and brand grew warm for a moment,
and then the gem half-melted into the elf’s skin, leaving half of it exposed as
the gem became part of her body.

Letting
go of the gemstone, Jared smiled and nodded to himself as he examined his work.
The jewel glittered against Topaz’s skin and her pain seemed to have subsided.
Which was fortunate, since the procedure had actually woken him up enough to be
fully interested in her again. Setting his near-empty glass aside, Jared looked
at his distressed elf and ordered, his smile widening. “On your knees, Topaz.”

Chapter 5

Alaina
held a hand over her mouth as she tried to suppress a yawn. Blinking away the
moisture the yawn had brought to her eyes, she quickly scanned her portion of the
camp perimeter again. It was an incredible honor to have been chosen to help
rescue Princess Phynis, but with that honor came more than a few risks, and
anxiety had been her constant companion for the last few days. The last thing
Alaina wanted was to be enslaved by Kelvanis. Fortunately they’d at least saved
the princess from being auctioned off to the highest bidder. That would have
been an utter disaster.

Even
that knowledge didn’t make a night watch any more enjoyable, though. Especially
on the edge of the Godsrage Mountains. It was true that most of the more
powerful monsters rarely came out of the mountain’s depths, but just being here
unnerved Alaina slightly, and the way that Lily had just seemed to appear made
her shiver. Part of Alaina wondered if Lily might be a doppelganger or
something of the sort, even if she knew that the captain had checked for things
like that.

It
was the thought of a doppelganger or monster that made her freeze in place when
the ghostly female figure walked out of the darkness with a look of such
indifference that for an instant Alaina thought that she was seeing a dark
spirit of some form. But as the figure stepped closer, a glimpse of what looked
like patterned wood rings on the woman’s skin caught Alaina’s attention, causing
relief to flood her body at the evidence that the woman was alive. She quickly
knocked an arrow and took aim, her fingers slightly unsteady from the chilled
night air.

“H-halt!”
Alaina demanded, her voice firming after the first unsteady word. Aiming at the
woman’s chest, she spoke again. “Halt and identify yourself!”

As
the nearest other guard responded to her cry and came into sight, the dryad
glanced at Alaina. The glance was so brief that Alaina almost missed it, and
something about the woman’s dark eyes made her shiver again. But the dryad
didn’t even pause, walking straight toward the camp.

“Halt,
or we’ll attack!” Draven’s deep voice was unmistakable, and his bow fully drawn
and unwavering. When the dryad didn’t slow at his warning, Draven growled and
loosed his arrow. Alaina winced slightly, but watched as the dryad was
continuing with her graceful, perfect steps.

Alaina
almost couldn’t see what happened in spite of watching closely. The arrow
hissed through the air so fast that it was almost invisible, and then the
dryad’s left hand blurred. An instant later the dryad’s arm was fully extended
in the direction of Draven, and a harsh thock echoed through the night as the
arrow he’d fired sank deep into the tree next to him. The dryad didn’t even miss
a step.

The
way the woman moved and reacted suddenly made Alaina very glad she hadn’t
attacked, and she slowly relaxed her bowstring. Draven just stared at the arrow
with wide eyes as the camp woke.

The
distinct feeling of annoyance coming from Sistina woke Lily from her fitful
slumber. Not anger, not frustration, simply annoyance. And at the shouts she
stirred, confused in her rough bedroll, and thought longingly of her bed back
in the caverns. She’d forgotten what it was like to sleep outside, or to sleep
while tied up, since she could barely feel her hands.

Rolling
over, her eyes widened and she swallowed as she bit into her gag slightly. As
she watched, Sistina walked directly past the guards and into the camp,
ignoring every challenge and attempt to stop her. And the dryad’s eyes were
fixed on Lily. Feeling anxious, Lily glanced around nervously as the camp came
to life. And the first thing she saw was Vendis, who appeared to be extremely
upset.

“What
in the hells is that woman doing in the middle of camp?” Vendis’ angry
exclamation woke Phynis from her exhaustion induced slumber.

Blinking
away her sleep, Phynis missed whatever the reply might have been as she yawned,
struggling to her feet blearily. She might be more active than her siblings
were, but she wasn’t used to sleeping outdoors, and the events of the last few
days had hardly helped. But Phynis blinked several times, rubbing at her eyes
as she wondered if she was still asleep at the sight a beautiful, naked woman
walking through the middle of the camp. The aches and pains through her body
told Phynis that she was awake though, which made the situation almost more
surreal. Even more oddly, the woman looked somewhat elven, but not at all like a
native of the region. Phynis had seen elves from other regions, and they had
pale skin quite at odds with the darker brown or gold of dusk and dawn elves.

Stepping
up next to Desa, Phynis spoke softly, watching the chaos as the soldiers seemed
almost paralyzed as to what to do with a woman ignoring them. “What’s going
on?”

“I
can’t say I’m entirely certain. From what I’ve heard, I guess the dryad just
walked through the perimeter, ignoring the guard’s challenges.” Desa replied
softly, a concerned look on her face.

“Dryad?
So there actually was a dryad?” Phynis blinked then smiled. “I want a closer
look!”

“Highness…”
Desa started to protest, but sighed as she looked Phynis in the eyes. Shaking
her head, she conceded softly. “Fine, My Lady. Just keep your distance?
Please?”

“That’s
fine, I just want to see her.” Phynis replied, smiling in faint triumph. This
must be the dryad who the prisoner claimed could alter Kelvanis’s slave brands,
and that made her curious and hopeful.

The
two moved closer to where Lily was being kept, even as more guards surrounded
the dryad and prisoner. Phynis blinked in surprise as she got a closer look at
the woman with the slight wooden pattern to her skin. She was quite different
from most of the dryads she’d seen before. Most of the ones she’d seen were
shades of brown, and far less curvaceous. And most of them wore clothing, even
if it was mostly leaves. The thing that struck her as strangest though was the
lack of any form of concern on the woman’s face. Most dryads were shy and likely
to hide rather than meeting a large group, and this one didn’t even seem to
care that she was surrounded.

Phynis
watched in fascination as the dryad leaned over the prisoner and touched the
rope with a single finger. There was the faintest glow, and in an instant the
hemp rope unraveled and fell to pieces around Lily, and Phynis heard a faint
swear word escape Desa’s lips. A moment later the gag fell apart as well, and
Lily spat out the fragments of the rope before taking the dryad’s hand and
letting her help the elf to her feet.

“T-thank
you, Sistina.” The young elf spoke shyly as she looked at the ground in
embarrassment, and Phynis blinked in surprise as the dryad smiled for a moment.
The smile lit up the dryad’s face like a beacon, and she felt somewhat sad when
it was gone so suddenly.

Crooking
a finger at Lily, the dryad turned and started walking back the way she’d come
from. Phynis managed to resist letting her jaw drop at watching a dryad simply
ignore nearly thirty soldiers surrounding her when all of them armed! There
were even two mages waiting, though there was something odd about their
expressions.

“Stop!
Where do you think you’re going, after barging into our camp?” Vendis demanded
angrily, stepping into the dryad’s path and planting her feet firmly.

For
the first time the dryad actually stopped and looked at Vendis, and she didn’t
look terribly impressed. Glancing at Vendis and the rest of her guards, she
finally pointed at herself, then at Lily. Taking Lily’s hand, the fey pointed
past Vendis. Finally she gave Vendis a patronizing look and gestured for Vendis
to move the gesture looking more like an adult trying to chivvy a child out of
the way.

“How
dare you...” Vendis growled, her eyes darkening as she put a hand on her sword’s
hilt, and took a stance.

“Wait,
Captain.” Phynis almost surprised herself as she spoke, taking a step forward.
At her words everyone’s eyes focused on her, as at this point just about
everyone was awake. Those watching her included the two intruders, though while
Lily looked anxious, the dryad seemed decidedly unimpressed.

“Y-Phynis,
why are you interrupting? She broke into our camp, freed our prisoner, and
wants to just leave as though she did nothing wrong.” Vendis asked, her eyes
narrowed. “Can we really let her get away with that?”

“I
just want to ask Miss Dryad why she decided to intrude. Or if she means us any
harm. We don’t want to attract too much attention to begin with, and if she and
Lily aren’t a threat, it’ll be safer to let them go.” Phynis replied calmly,
then turned to the dryad. “Miss Sistina, was it? May I ask why you intruded?”

Looking
at Phynis for a moment, the dryad pointed at Lily again and made a walking
gesture with two fingers. She pointed at the sky and slowly moved her finger to
point behind the mountains. Finally she pointed at herself, she crossed her
arms and tapped her foot slowly, as if waiting impatiently.

Phynis
blinked, considering before asking hesitantly. “She was out past nightfall, so
you came looking for her?”

The
dryad nodded, then reached over and gently ruffled Lily’s hair, prompting a
soft squeak of protest.

“And
do you mean to harm us?” Phynis asked softly, ready to jump backward, just in
case. She didn’t think the dryad intended to hurt her, but you never knew for
certain.

The
dryad gave Phynis a condescending look and simply sniffed, shaking her head,
giving a dismissive gesture.

“Well,
I suppose that’s a good thing. But I have questions for you. Lily claimed that
you could do things that seem quite-” Vendis began to ask her question, only to
stop as the dryad made a sharp, cutting gesture with her right hand. The ground
quivered at the gesture, and the dryad’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

She
pointed at Vendis, at herself, and then very firmly at Lily. Then she gestured
into the forest and made a walking gesture again.

“Umm...what
do you mean by that?” Phynis asked after a moment of trying to puzzle out the
meaning of the gestures.

“She’s
saying that if you want to ask questions, you’ll have to come to our home.
She’s annoyed.” Lily interjected hesitantly, glancing at the dryad and hiding
behind her, her voice growing quieter. “Very annoyed.”

The
dryad nodded, tapping her foot slowly, and Phynis noticed that the two mages
had grown somewhat pale, and seemed very nervous. That couldn’t be good, and
Vendis seemed upset, so Phynis made a snap decision to intercede.

“Very
well. May we send someone to find out where you live, and come by in the
morning?” Phynis asked quickly, meeting Vendis’ angry gaze and shaking her head
slightly.

The
captain frowned, but didn’t outright object this time. Fortunately the dryad
nodded her agreement, gesturing for the soldiers to get out of her way.

“Vendis?
Please assign two people to get directions for us?” Phynis asked politely,
watching the dryad in growing concern.

The
guards quickly stepped out of the way of the two women, and at Vendis’ command
a pair of the night watch started after the two as they left. Vendis approached
a few moments later, asking quietly, her voice holding a faint quiver of
suppressed anger. “Your Highness? May I ask why you let them go?”

“Why
don’t you ask your mages?” Desa asked softly, a frown on her face. “Though I
can probably tell you why they’re worried.”

“Oh?
Then what is it?” Vendis asked with impatience. “She’s just a dryad.”

“Because
she didn’t say a single word the entire time. She didn’t make a gesture, save
when she interrupted you and that wasn’t any part of spellcasting I’ve seen.
And in spite of that she destroyed the ropes with a touch. That I might
possibly ascribe to her being a dryad, but she also made the earth shake with a
single gesture. No magic user I know of can cast spells without using words or
gestures. And ignoring either requires significant degrees of training.” Desa
explained grimly. As Desa spoke, it helped the oddities of the encounter
finally fall into place for Phynis. But her guard captain kept going. “And the
other part is the shroud of mana that I could feel around her. That dryad was
exuding an amount of mana that’s simply...unbelievable. I’ve never seen anyone
or anything with that much magic, and she seemed to not even care. In
the situation we’re in, we can’t afford to offend someone with that much
potential.”

“Oh.
I...didn’t notice almost any of that.” Vendis’ anger slowly faded as she
considered what Desa had said. And just as slowly, her face paled a little. “I
hope I didn’t ruin our chances of negotiating with her.”

“So
do I.” Desa agreed, her voice soft, and her eyes worried.

Phynis,
on the other hand, frowned as she thought about the dryad Lily had called
Sistina. She had seemed more annoyed about Lily being out late than anything
else. Thinking about it, the woman had still agreed to meet with them in spite
of everything. So she smiled slightly, shrugging as she spoke. “I think we’ll
be fine.”

Chapter 6

“She
lives in a cave?” Phynis asked incredulously, staring at the unassuming cavern
entrance for a moment, then looking at the soldiers who’d guided them there. “A
dryad lives in a cave?”

“This
is where they brought us last night.” The guide in front, a woman named Alaina,
replied in an almost defensive tone. The guard hesitated, then continued. “Lily
said she’d come meet us this morning to be a guide. We waited for half an hour
to see if it was a ruse, but they didn’t come back outside.”

“Hmm.
This is...odd, to say the least.” She frowned, looking at Vendis and Desa. They
were accompanied by four soldiers in addition to the two guides from the
previous night, none of whom had been with her when she’d been captured. That
way if this was a trap, the seven who hadn’t been branded could easily
overpower her and Desa if they were given orders. “What do you think we should
do at this point? It’s half of an hour before dawn, correct?”

“Close
to that. I don’t like the idea of staying here for too long, since we aren’t
certain when pursuers will come after us. I’d suggest waiting until a
quarter-hour after dawn at most.” Vendis replied, warily watching the cave.
“I’d recommend going inside, but I don’t trust caves. They can be nasty.”

Desa
laughed softly, finding a convenient rock to sit on. “I entirely agree with you
there. Caves have a tendency to be unstable if they’re very large, and this is
part of the Godsrage Mountains, so who knows how bad this one would be?”

“Mmmhmm.
I hate caves. I had one almost bury me when I was a child. I can deal with them
if I have to, but if I don’t, I’d really rather avoid it.” Vendis added,
keeping a wary eye on the cave. “Besides, there could be a monster of some type
in there.”

“A
very good point.” Phynis admitted, finding a log to sit on herself. “I’d really
rather not get eaten by something large and scaly.”

Her
reply prompted smiles from the others, but they all settled down to wait. After
about ten minutes one of the guards perked up, looking toward the cave
expectantly, then nodded at Vendis. As the others stood, Phynis followed suit
and strained her ears for a moment. It took the princess a minute, but
eventually she managed to hear the faint sound of someone whistling a happy
tune.

It
took a few more minutes before a soft golden glow appeared in the depths of the
cavern just before Lily rounded the corner, holding what looked like a tree
branch that had twisted into a handle and descended to wrap around a golden orb
shining with light. She paused in apparent surprise for a moment on seeing them
before waving cheerfully.

“Hi!
Sorry for being late, I didn’t think you’d be here already.” Lily apologized as
she stepped closer. Phynis couldn’t help but notice that in spite of her
cheerful demeanor, she was watching the soldiers somewhat nervously.
Considering how obvious it was, Lily was either a masterful actor, or was
unused to hiding her feelings.

“It’s
perfectly fine. May I ask why you’re living in a cave? I've never heard of
dryads living in caves before.” Phynis replied, brushing a few bits of bark off
her pants. She frowned down at them, noticing that they were starting to get
rather dirty and worn. It was especially annoying since Lily had almost
perfectly clean and well-made clothing. But she suppressed the irritation,
looking up again as Lily responded.

“Honestly?
I have no idea. I met her down here when I was running from the Enforcer.” Lily
replied with a shrug and a sad smile. “She saved me when the Enforcer chased me
into the tunnels. He got close enough he ordered me to stand still and to not
resist. That’s when she stepped out of her tree. I think he intended to take
her as a slave, but when he attacked she beheaded him. I think I barely saw the
afterimage of her attack.”

“That...how
did she manage that?” Vendis asked, shock apparent on her face. “Enforcers are
extremely powerful.”

“I
told you, I don’t really know. Her tree just wrapped a frond around his neck
while he was watching her, and it...pulled.” Lily blinked, and suddenly went
slightly green. “It was pretty disgusting, come to think of it. But I was a
gardener, not a scholar or anything important. I don’t know much about dryads,
save that they’re bonded to trees. And it doesn’t help that she doesn’t talk much.”

“We
noticed.” Desa voice was dry. “Is she mute?”

“Sistina?
No, not at all.” Lily stopped and frowned, then shook her head. “I have a
mental link of sorts to her, as a side effect of what she did, and I can tell
what she’s feeling most of the time. And she seems to have trouble with words
for some reason.”

“Shouldn’t
we get on with the meeting? We do have something of a schedule to meet, and it
won’t be long before the caravan is found.” Vendis reminded Phynis somewhat
pointedly.

“Sorry
about that, Vendis. I got carried away by my curiosity.” Phynis apologized,
then looked at their guide. “Could you lead the way, Lily?”

“Of
course! Just don’t let me get too far ahead of you. This place is like a maze
inside. I’m honestly stunned I managed to accidentally make it into the cavern
where Sistina lives.” Lily replied, turning to lead the way inside.

One
of the soldiers followed Lily most closely as they started into the cavern,
Alaina taking the rear guard. Aside from the ground being more level than in
most caverns Phynis had seen, it seemed to be normal enough at first. After a
short distance the tunnel split into numerous paths, after which things grew
more interesting. Leading the way down a series of branching tunnels, Lily
showed them into a larger cavern that was filled with golden light. The cave
wasn’t enormous, but Phynis gasped as she gazed on a small chamber filled with
vegetation. It was mostly occupied flowers and bushes, but even a tree was
flourishing in what should have been a dark, dank cave. Phynis looked up to see
still more plants hanging from the ceiling like green drapes, and a large
golden crystal set into the ceiling provided the warm light.

“What
is this?” She asked after a moment of being awestruck, turning her gaze to
Lily.

Lily
had stopped and was watching them in faint bemusement. At the question the dawn
elf shrugged and answered simply. “It’s one of the other caves. I don’t know
why everything grows so well down here, but it does. I think Sistina encourages
the plants to grow, and that she somehow puts up the lights. I’m not sure,
though, since I’ve never seen her come out this far. Aside from last night, I
mean.”

“...The
air is also rich with mana. I’m not sure why just yet, but I have some thoughts
as to what is going on.” Desa murmured, looking around with obvious surprise of
her own. “This is very unusual indeed. But it explains how a dryad could be
living in a cavern, I suppose.”

“Perhaps
so. I still find it more than a little strange.” Vendis replied, looking at
some of the bushes closely. “Shall we continue?”

“This
way. It’ll be a ways yet.” Lily warned and led the way through five more small
chambers, each similar to the first one they’d reached. The attached tunnels
almost began to blur together, and it was right around the time that Phynis
worried that they were lost that she realized that the perfume of flowers had
grown far more potent than before.

But
when they stepped into the verdant, almost indescribably huge cavern and saw
the willow tree towering over everything else, Phynis gasped aloud. But it was
Vendis that spoke words for her.

“Dear
goddess, what is this place?” The captain murmured softly.

Sistina’s
body was sitting cross-legged among her roots, with hands in her lap and eyes
closed. But she wasn’t focusing on her body at the moment, and was instead
thinking and trying to remember more clearly. The sight of the prettiest elf
the night before had brought to mind a half-remembered face, and she was trying
to place the faint memory.

She
didn’t miss the fact that Lily was leading some of the other elves through the
tunnels toward her, though. And she definitely didn’t miss that among them was
the elf whose appearance had sparked the memory. So her attention slowly
focused on the elves, and particularly on the woman in question. The nearest
other woman had a heightened aura of mana surrounding her that indicated she
was a magic user of some kind, and the two of them both had the aura Sistina
associated with the brand which Lily had borne when she first arrived. That one
had changed slightly after she claimed it, but it wasn’t so different that she
missed that these brands felt stronger and more potent than Lily’s had been.

The
elves were also physically quite different from Lily. Lily was actually
slightly shorter than even the smallest of this group, and where she had pale
skin with a slight golden tinge, these had light brown skin, and their hair was
generally a shade of white or gray in the case of all but one of them. That was
the woman Sistina had focused on as well, and her hair was actually a pale pink
that fell to the middle of her back. But when Sistina focused still more of her
attention on the elven woman, she realized that the pink was from some sort of
plant-based dye, and the roots of the elf’s hair were coming in silver.

But
it was the finely boned face of the elf and her brilliant blue eyes that made
Sistina’s memory strain so much. The face was just somehow so incredibly
familiar.

The
group ground to a halt as they gawked at her cavern for a long minute before
they finally started toward Sistina herself. Lily took a moment to hang her
lantern on a peg near the tunnel entrance before taking the lead. The obvious
shock on the elves faces was almost amusing, and Sistina noticed with some
curiosity that the elven woman with the magical aura seemed even more shocked
than the others.

But
it was just as they were approaching her tree that the memory suddenly snapped
into place, as she realized what the woman’s face reminded her of. The young
woman’s face was suddenly superimposed over the memory of a young elven woman
with pale skin looking down at her with a smile on her face. A memory of
Sistina Constella.

As
they stepped close to the massive tree, Phynis asked softly, gazing upward in
astonishment. “What type of tree is this? I’ve never seen anything like it. And
what are those lights?”

Focusing
first on the glowing specks of light seemingly coating the tree, it took Phynis
a moment to realize they were also floating around the tree. It took a few
seconds before she spotted what looked like tiny berries hanging from some of
the upper branches, that on second glance looked like crimson jewels of some
type. But sitting beneath the tree’s canopy, her legs crossed and a serene
expression on her face, was Sistina.

“I
have no idea. I thought it was a weeping willow at first, but the bark and
lights...I just don’t know.” Vendis took a moment to respond, looking slightly
shaken as she looked at the dryad warily.

“If
I’m not mistaking things, it actually is a weeping willow. Just enhanced
by mana to its current form. So much mana…” Desa’s voice was filled with awe,
and Phynis looked at her in surprise. The look of utter amazement on Desa’s
face was something she’d never seen on her loyal guard before, which just
heightened her own surprise.

At
that moment Sistina’s eyes snapped open, focusing on Phynis, and the dryad
suddenly spoke, the air throughout the cavern growing still as a single word
echoed like thunder. “Constella.”

The
word reverberated through the air and Phynis’ mind, making her freeze in place
for a moment. The sheer power of the word was astonishing, and Phynis felt like
a whole world of meaning was infused into the word. And yet the dryad’s voice
had no malice in it, there was just a sense of...happiness. But no one knew how
to respond, though the guards tensed and Vendis had a hand on her sword again.

Phynis
finally managed to react after a few moments, her voice trembling as she spoke.
“H-how did you know?”

Lily
looked between the two in obvious confusion, seeming even more dazed than the
rest of them. Sistina stood smoothly, tapping her own chest once before
speaking again, the power fortunately missing from her voice this time. “Old.”

Tapping
the side of her head, Sistina added. “Remembered.”

“What
do you mean?” Phynis asked, still stunned by the power, and that the dryad had
known her family name. Her guards closed around her warily, watching Sistina.
Phynis couldn’t help but notice that Sistina didn’t seemed concerned about
their actions at all, and was simply watching Phynis closely.

“Why
are you so shocked? What’s the meaning of Constella?” Lily finally shook off
her own daze and asked, somewhat plaintively.

Phynis
hesitated, then admitted the truth to the younger woman. “My name is Phynis
Constella. Crown Princess of Sifaren.”

Lily’s
face went pale as she realized the implications of what had just been said, and
her jaw dropped.

“Y-you’re...oh
my goddess! I’m so sorry! I didn’t, umm, I didn’t realize…” Lily stammered,
flustered.

Before
anyone could respond with more than smiles at the young woman’s earnest
reaction, Sistina stepped toward the young dawn elf. She put a hand on Lily’s
shoulder and smiled gently. The dryad made a show of breathing in slowly,
holding it, and then slowly letting it out. Lily copied her, and after a minute
recovered enough to blush and look at Phynis, who gave her a smile. Sistina
smiled again, and gestured for the others to follow her around the tree.

“It’s
fine, Lily. You aren’t from Sifaren, and I didn’t say.” Phynis told the elf
gently as she followed Sistina around the tree to just in front of the tomb. It
was odd, she realized as the tomb looked almost entirely untouched by time.
Finally she looked at the dryad and asked. “What did you want to show me?”

Sistina
simply pointed at the front of the tomb. Stepping close to it, Phynis frowned
as she looked at the words carved into the stone. It was old script, predating
the Godsrage, and it took her a minute to decipher. She slowly read the text
aloud as she translated it, her voice faltering as she progressed. “Here lies
our Matriarch and Marquess. May her rest be easy and eternal, lest she chooses
to enter the cycle of reincarnation once more. In loving memory of
Sistina...Constella. 374 ED.”

“That...that…”
Vendis’ eyes went huge, as did those of everyone else present as they realized
the implications. The captain’s eyes turned to Lily as she asked, shocked.
“You...did you know about this?”

“N-no!
I couldn’t read it! I couldn’t understand it! I’m a gardener, not a sage.” Lily
protested vehemently. “I’m not even sure what the big deal is.”

Phynis
ignored them, her mind dazed as she mentally ran in circles. This tomb was
nearly ten thousand years old. It predated the Godsrage by over four
millennia, if the date was right. Legends said that where the Godsrage
Mountains now stood had once been the domain of elven kingdom of Everium, a
forest kingdom that was verdant and powerful. But the Godsrage had destroyed
the nation and the survivors, changed by the immense magic of the war of gods,
had founded the nations that became Sifaren and Yisara.

Looking
at Sistina, many thoughts ran through Phynis’ head, and then she reached out
with trembling fingers to caress the name carved in stone. Her voice was soft,
trembling with hope and sorrow as she looked at the dryad. “Are you...this
Sistina?”

A
sense of disappointment pressed down on Phynis as the dryad shook her head. For
a moment she had thought that perhaps this might be her own ancestor reborn,
but that was perhaps too much to hope for. So after a moment she asked. “Did
you know her?”

Sistina
nodded, stepping toward Phynis and reaching out to gently stroke a finger along
her cheek. She ignored the gasp of shock from Vendis, but Phynis didn’t
respond, instead focusing on the warm, soft skin of the dryad’s caress. And
Sistina spoke softly, gently. “Friend.”

The
dryad pulled away and touched the tomb gently, then nodded and spoke a final,
firm word. “Guardian.”

“Oh.”
Phynis was stunned, and looked at the tomb, then at Vendis, and said. “Do you
think...this is the lost capital of Everium? Part of it, I mean?”

“I…”
Vendis paused, looking around the chamber. The cavern had only a single other
intact structure, a house near some fields, but they could see more buildings
toward the edge. Finally the soldier admitted. “I think it might be. If one of
your ancestors was buried here, it seems likely.”

Turning
back to Sistina, Phynis hesitated before asking. “Sistina, can you break the
slave brands?”

The
dryad shook her head, and then wiggled her hand back and forth. Lily spoke up
hesitantly. “I’m pretty sure she means not exactly. She’s answering you a lot
better than she did me, though.”

“Well,
do you know how to break them?” Phynis pressed, and her heart rose as the dryad
nodded. Then she pointed at Phynis and shook her head, a sad look in her eyes.

Phynis
hesitated, then looked at Vendis. “Captain, I think we have to stay here for at
least a little while and find out what we can from Sistina. She might be able
to help us.”

“You’re
right. You’re definitely right. But we also can’t have everyone out in the
open.” The captain replied after a moment, frowning to herself. “And we can’t
split up, not with the mountains ahead of us. I just don’t have the soldiers to
keep two groups safe, Your Highness.”

“Sistina?
May we bring our group inside? It looks like there’s enough plants we might be
able to eat that while we’re here.” Desa asked, glancing out across the cavern
speculatively.

Sistina
nodded, then pointed to Lily. The younger elf blinked, then spoke up
hesitantly. “I don’t know where everyone would stay, but near the house I live
in I’ve got an entire field of vegetables and fruit. It’s more than enough to
feed everyone for a few weeks if need be, and it grows really fast. I think
with help I could grow enough to feed everyone for even longer than that.”

“Right.
Then let’s go get the others inside, where it’s fairly safe, and we can see
what we can learn.” Vendis decided, nodding and smiling hesitantly. Turning to
Sistina, the captain bowed her head and apologized. “Sistina, I’m sorry for
being difficult. It’s just that I’ve been charged with protecting Her Highness,
and I feared that this might be a trap.”

“Forgiven.”
Sistina replied simply, and Phynis saw some of Vendis’ tension ease.

But
when she looked at the tomb again, Phynis was startled to see the gentle smile
on Sistina’s face. The dryad was smiling at the tomb, and something about the
smile...it felt like there was far more emotion in the dryad’s smile than there
had been before.

Chapter 7

It
took a while to get everyone settled into the cavern. Phynis could have almost
sworn that some of the buildings near the edges of the cavern had moved while
they’d been retrieving the others, and also seemed more intact than before.

She
had to admit that watching the stunned faces of the other rescued women as they
entered the cavern had been quite entertaining in its own right. Some of the
other women seemed hesitant about staying in the caves for a little while
rather than furthering the escape, but no one had outright objected.
Fortunately they at least had a defensible series of tunnels and there was
plenty of food and other supplies.

About
nightfall Phynis watched in fascination as the glowing orbs on the ceiling
slowly dimmed and the crystal patch on the cavern roof grew darker as well.
Watching it for a minute, she asked Lily as the dawn elf was leading the way
toward Sistina’s tree again. “Is that light from outside?”

Lily
paused, looking up at the crystal and then nodded. “I’m pretty sure it is. I
can’t be certain, of course, but Sistina seemed to indicate so over the winter.”

“That’s
impressive.” Phynis admired it for a moment, but with Desa behind her, she
didn’t feel she could spend the time to properly appreciate the sight. So she
instead she continued onward toward the tree. It felt strange doing so with the
tomb there, for some reason. She’d felt it was odd before, but now that she
knew whose tomb it was, approaching Sistina felt like it was somehow wrong.
After a few moments she asked. “So how did she change your brand? What did it
feel like, and what orders has she given you?”

“Umm,
she just touched it, actually. She touched it for a few minutes while it slowly
changed colors, and it felt warm, comfortable.” Lily shrugged, smiling a little
as she looked back at Phynis. “And orders? None. All the previous ones just...ended,
and I was free. She has never given me an order. Indicate she wanted something
done, sure, but I chose to stay. I probably would never make it back to Yisara
on my own if I tried leaving anyway.”

“You
could come with us. It would be a long trip if you took the long way, but I bet
you could make it around the mountains eventually.” Phynis offered, but paused
for a moment, shrugging as she admitted. “But you might already in a better
state than most of the others who’ve been branded. A lot of them live in fear
of being given an order by someone with a command crest without anyone else
noticing. Or of being turned against the nation. And still other people
mistreat those who’ve been branded, feeling that they can’t trust them.
It’s...pretty bad, honestly.”

“That’s
horrible.” Lily exclaimed, her eyes going wide. She hesitated before admitting.
“I really didn’t think before running. I was given a chance, so I just took it
to run as far and fast as I could.”

“I
can understand that. I can’t imagine many people wouldn’t run if given the
opportunity.” Phynis agreed, before asking again. “So are you going to come
with us?”

“I
don’t know. I actually like it here. Oh, I get lonely sometimes, and it isn’t
like I can have real conversations with Sistina, but…” Lily hesitated, then
sighed, looking at the ground. “I was barely more than a normal village girl
before I was kidnapped. I was never going to be important, not like anyone
else. When I was kidnapped, though, you always hear tales of those who end up
in some dark castle or such, in the lap of luxury or serving villains, and able
to make a difference, or who are rescued by knights in shining armor. I admit
that a faint part of me dreamed of that happening. Instead I ended up as a
groundskeeper in a noble’s garden. I slept in the shed, and was occasionally
the Lady’s distraction. It was nothing like my dreams, and I think I would have
eventually accepted it if she hadn’t accidentally given me the wrong order and
let me run away. Here? Here I might have to work hard on occasion, but it’s
actually more luxurious than the conditions I would have lived in back in
Yisara or that shed.”

“That’s…”
Phynis paused, trying to think of how to respond to Lily’s explanation. She
felt a slight bit of annoyance at the thought the woman had dreamed of being
some kind of heroine as she’d been kidnapped, but that wasn’t rational of her.
Lily wasn’t a noble, or anyone important, she was just an average girl. So in
that sort of situation, why shouldn’t she dream? And now, why not live
somewhere isolated, where life was slightly better for her?

But
they reached the tree before she could make a decision about what to say.
Sistina was sitting where she’d first seen her the previous time. Fortunately,
this time she opened her eyes at a more leisurely pace and she didn’t speak in
that thunderous tone. Instead she tilted her head questioningly, even though
her face remained relatively impassive. Phynis actually found the lack of
facial expressions most of the time a little creepy, if she were being honest
with herself. And yet the beauty of the dryad was somehow captivating, drawing
the eye of all others in the area.

“Hello,
Sistina. I was hoping you could show or tell me how to break the brand?” Phynis
asked the dryad hopefully.

Sistina
nodded and stood. Motioning for the three of them to follow her, she walked
toward the tunnel leading deeper into the mountainside. Lily grabbed one of the
strange lanterns from a peg near the tunnel. Sistina pushed aside some vines
forming a curtain over the tunnel and started down a path that was rockier than
the caves that the elves had followed to reach her cavern before, and this time
they were going downward. They passed two junctions after a few minutes, one of
which was extremely narrow, to the point that Phynis wasn’t certain anyone who
was an adult could follow the path down that direction. But at a third junction
Sistina turned off the main cavern path, pausing and helping each of them down
some rough stone steps. This was far rougher than the others areas Phynis had
walked over, though.

Several
times she opened her mouth to ask where they were going, but each time she shut
her mouth again. Finally she asked Lily. “Lily? Have you been down here
before?”

“Nope.
I don’t go into the tunnels that go deeper into the mountainside.” The dawn elf
replied, her voice a touch hesitant. “I don’t like the dark as much, and when I
wanted to get out of the cavern, I wanted to feel the wind on my face.”

“I
can agree there. It’s difficult, feeling the mountain’s weight above you.” Desa
spoke softly, her voice echoing in the tunnel.

All
of them were somewhat surprised, though, when Sistina paused and held a finger
to her mouth, shaking her head. She pointed ahead of them, and Phynis strained
her eyes for a moment before seeing a soft blue light from ahead, almost
drowned out by the lantern.

After
everyone grew quiet, the dryad slowly approached the end of the hallway,
beckoning them along when they hesitated. When Sistina turned the corner, she
stopped and bowed deeply holding the pose as they caught up. Phynis turned the
corner herself and gasped in shock.

This
chamber was even more startling than the one in which Sistina’s tree stood, if
only because it was much more obvious that this cave had been deliberately
protected from the violence that had befallen the other structures. The cave
was a near-perfect sphere, with the bottom quarter of the sphere relatively
flat, and sigils were set into the walls. Phynis was no expert on such matters,
but the sigils seemed to be runes of protection. In the center of the chamber
was an elegantly designed shrine or temple. It was on the small side for a
temple, but the building was beautifully crafted of white marble and glowing
blue orbs were set into the four small spires that anchored each corner of the
building. All around the temple was a broad, carefully laid out pool, almost a
moat, filled with pristine, glowing water. From where they stood they were
almost directly in front of the temple, where a bridge crossed the pool in a
gentle marble arch. Standing midway between them and the temple was a fountain,
still functioning even after all these years, at the center of which was a
statue of an elegant woman in flowing robes arms outstretched toward those
coming closer and a gentle smile on her face.

“Is
that a temple of Navir?” Phynis whispered to Desa, stunned at seeing a temple
to the goddess of life and water down here. At Desa’s nod she swallowed. “It’s
so...different from what I expected. So ancient…”

Slowly
each of them bowed to the temple, much as Sistina had. Sistina eventually
straightened and stepped forward, stopping respectfully just in front of the
bridge. Phynis followed, her eyes widening as she felt that she’d just stepped
onto holy ground.

Lily
let out a yelp of shock as the water of the fountain swirled and formed into a
blue-skinned man, his lower body formed of water and his hair midnight blue
that fell down his back, He was frowning at them, and had watery orbs for eyes,
but his attention seemed fixed on Sistina.

“A
water lord!” Desa gasped, jumping back slightly as she saw the powerful water
elemental. Phynis stiffened slightly, but didn’t move. If the being was what
Desa had said it was, it could easily defeat her and Desa with her guard’s
magic sealed way. Phynis slightly regretted coming without any other guards,
but the elemental didn’t seem hostile. Not yet, at least.

“Intriguing.”
The elemental lord spoke at last in a deep voice, tilting his head as he
examined Sistina. After a moment he glanced at the rest of them and smiled
slightly.

“Lord
Elemental, I greet you in the name of the Sifaren Kingdom.” Phynis spoke
softly, giving the best curtsey she could manage while wearing a pair of
trousers.

“And
I greet you, child of the Everium Kingdom.” He spoke gravely, nodding to them.
“While no priest or priestess is in attendance, as your guide’s intentions are
benign I may allow you access to the temple.”

“Umm...thank
you?” Desa replied in surprise, blinking. “May I ask what you meant by your
initial comment?”

“Your
guide is...interesting. Ancient enough that I wonder that she still exists, and
yet her memories have been scattered, as if melted into the very seas.” He
replied with a slight nod, then paused, looking at Sistina and asking. “May I
continue? They are your secrets to keep if you wish to do so.”

She
nodded and made a dismissive gesture, and he laughed, shaking his head.
“Intriguing indeed. She was imprisoned in a soul gem so long ago that I am
uncertain as to what happened. Without being able to escape, with her memories
unraveling, she stopped thinking in words. She thinks in concepts and images,
which I can only just read myself. But she intends to show you what it is that
she knows. It isn’t all she knew, perhaps, but piecing together her memories
will be the work of years at best.”

“Oh.
Oh!” Desa’s eyes grew bright with enlightenment. “She’s not a dryad, she’s a
dungeon! That explains her magic!”

“A
what?” Lily’s confusion was obvious as she asked. “How can a person be a
dungeon?”

“She
is not a dungeon. The proper term is a genius loci.” The elemental corrected
with a frown, shaking his head. “She is effectively the spirit of a place, and
her domain has been slowly expanding. Those which you call dungeons are genius
loci as well, but they are often malevolent in nature. In order to gain power
more quickly they will create monsters, treasures, and other things within
themselves, and they feed on the mana which is released when creatures die. She
does not do any of that. She draws power from that which lives inside her.
Every plant, every animal, and every speck of moss grants her a tithe of its
power. It isn’t as swift of growth as the methods used by dungeons, but it is
far more benign in nature. She is the one who opened the pathway here for you,
and it took a great deal of her time and power to manage.”

Lily’s
eyes went wide and she looked at Sistina, who shook her head slightly. Giving
the elemental a slight nod, she walked past him toward the temple.

“That
explains much.” Phynis murmured, watching Sistina walk forward, and shook her
head again as Lily followed the dryad. “It definitely explains all the plants.”

“Perhaps,
but my explanation appears to have somewhat annoyed her, so I suggest that you
follow her.” The elemental told them, smiling in amusement. “She wants to show
you what she came here to address.”

“Of
course. Thank you, Lord Elemental.” Phynis bowed her head toward him, and
hesitated a moment to ask. “Is there anything you would ask of me?”

“If
you would ask any priests or priestesses of My Lady would come to attend her
temple again, it would be appreciated. The time since this place was buried has
been slow to pass without the visits of worshipers.” He told her, as he slowly
sank back into the pool and vanished without a trace.

“I
will see what I can do.” She promised, and then hurried after the dryad. Even
though she knew that Sistina wasn’t actually a dryad, that was what she thought
of her as. The doors were open before Phynis, revealing a spotless temple
foyer, with inscriptions in elven script even older than that which had been on
the tomb. She could still read some of the prayers, though, and Phynis couldn’t
help but wonder if the worship of Navir had changed in the thousands of years
since this temple was built. So very much had been lost in the Godsrage, and
intact buildings such as this were almost unheard of.

Sistina
paused, then pointed at where Lily’s abdomen, where the brand was located.
Making a gesture like breaking a branch, she pointed at the floor, and then
clasped her hands as if praying. She looked at Lily expectantly, and the elf
considered a moment before venturing uncertainly. “Umm...praying in a church
can break it?”

Sighing,
Sistina shook her head and gestured around her, raising an eyebrow. Desa was
the one who tried to interpret next. “Holy ground?”

Sistina
nodded, then pointed at the font of holy water near the altar and made another
praying gesture before making a pouring gesture. This time Phynis put it
together first, though. “Holy water! But didn’t you say it wouldn’t work on
m-Lily?”

Sistina
nodded twice, pointed at the brand, then pointed directly up. She slowly
rotated her arm toward one side of the temple, then pointed at the other side
and slowly brought it to go straight up again. Phynis frowned and nodded
slowly, a foul sense of disappointment welled up inside her. “So it has to be
done within a day of the branding?”

Nodding
yet again, the dryad shrugged almost apologetically. Desa asked after a moment,
her voice filled with mixed feelings. “Is there any other way to break it?”

As
the dryad nodded Desa’s face filled with hope for a moment, and then it
darkened as she then tapped her temple and shook her head. Phynis sighed as she
looked down. “You don’t remember how to break it.”

There
was silence in the chamber for a minute, before Lily asked. “Is there any way
to find out, without your memories?”

Sistina
paused, considering, then nodded, shrugging as she spoke a single word again.
“Library.”

Phynis
was surprised for a moment, considering the situation carefully this time
before she asked anything. If it was easy, Sistina probably would have taken
them there first. So she asked quietly. “Can we get to it?”

Shaking
her head, the dryad led the way out of the temple again, pausing to bow to the
statue again, then tapped the stone wall of the cavern, pointing as if through
it. Desa nodded at that point. “It’s blocked off. This temple was too, though,
so could you unearth it?”

Sistina
considered a moment before nodding. She made the same gesture as before, and
spoke a word in explanation. “Moon.”

“Ah,
a full month? That is…” Phynis hesitated again, looking at her guard, and then
sighed. “Let’s go back and talk to Captain Vendis about this. We can’t afford
to wait that long, I don’t think our escape will have gone unnoticed, and I’m
certain that Kelvanis will have dispatched soldiers after us by this point.”

Desa
nodded, and smiled at Sistina as she bowed deeply. “Thank you, Sistina. Even
that little information will help immensely.”

The
dryad nodded, and began leading the way back to her cavern once more. Phynis
couldn’t help but notice that the stone seemed slightly smoother than before.

Chapter 8

Phynis
was sitting around a small campfire with Desa, Vendis, and Lieutenant Talphan,
who was Vendis’ second in command. It was strange having a fire inside of a
cave, even as massive as this one was, but the warm food had done quite a bit
to raise the spirits of the escapees.

“At
least we know that if we can get those who’ve been branded to holy ground fast
enough, it can be removed.” Vendis spoke at last, letting out a soft sigh as
she shook her head. “Getting them to holy ground or getting them holy water
within a day, though...that will be difficult. Hopefully it’ll become standard
issue in the army once we report in.”

“I
definitely will recommend it to Her Majesty, and hope it works out. But every
piece of information helps us come closer to a solution. If this saves even a
handful of people, I think it was worth the delay.” Phynis replied with a
slight, sad smile. “I can’t say I didn’t wish it could help me, but at least
it’s something.”

“Which
brings to mind the other two options you told us about.” Talphan spoke softly,
seeming troubled as he rubbed at the back of his head. “The library, which
isn’t guaranteed to have the information we need, and which won’t be available
for a full lunar cycle, or her claiming the brands, freeing people of the
control of the slavers but rendering them potentially vulnerable to the dryad in
turn.”

“We
can’t wait long enough for the library. We simply can’t afford that much time.”
Vendis refused, shaking her head. “As much as I want to find a solution, that
long of a wait will give plenty of time for Kelvanis’ army to comb over the area
and find us. Even if they manage to miss our trail, the chances of us getting
away safely would drop dramatically as well.”

“Beyond
that, if we wait too long, your superiors might think you were caught, and the
escort on the other side of the mountains might leave.” Desa added firmly.
“That would render us even more vulnerable when trying to get the princess back
to the capital, and the army might risk sending additional forces into
Kelvanis.”

“Unfortunately
true.” Talphan agreed with the others reluctantly. “I don’t think we can afford
to leave any soldiers here, either.”

“Mmm...I
don’t like leaving without the information, but I understand why we can’t.”
Phynis nodded unhappily. She frowned, debating before asking. “What about the
other option? I find myself tempted. At least it would remove the chance of
Kelvanis managing to control me at a later date.”

“That
is...an immense risk.” Desa hesitated, then sighed. “Though I admit I feel much
the same. The problem is that you are the heir, and that we have no idea how
the influence of a genius loci has affected Lily. If we had time, I’d say we
should get someone else that we could keep an eye on for a while before making
a decision. As it is, I think we should instead ask for a volunteer whose
behavior we can watch. If nothing else, we can always come back. In fact I
think we should come back with some researchers for the library at the least.
There was so much knowledge lost in the Godsrage that even if they can’t find a
way to break the brands, we might find another way to help protect ourselves.”

“I
don’t know about that. The idea of being subject to any of their-” Phynis began
to argue, feeling rather defensive about the idea of freeing herself from the
slavers potential command, only to be interrupted by Desa again.

“No,
Phynis! You’re the crown princess, and our charge! No matter how friendly
Sistina may seem, and I admit she seems relatively benign, we can’t afford to
have rescued you from the forces of Kelvanis, only to have you fall under the
influence of someone else whose motivations are entirely unknown!” Desa’s voice
was relentless, and almost harsh as she stopped, glaring at Phynis for a moment
before relaxing slightly and sighing. “I know it isn’t what you want to hear,
but it’s just too dangerous. At least right now, we can’t afford to risk it.”

“I
agree. I don’t have as much authority on the matter as Captain Desa, but I’m
still in charge of the rescue operation.” Vendis said a moment later,
exchanging looks with Desa. “I just can’t allow you to do so without proof that
it’ll be better than simply taking you back to the capital.”

“I...but…”
Phynis began, hesitating as she looked between them. Their united front,
though, made her sigh and nod. “Fine, then. But who do we ask to take the
risk?”

“The
selfish part of me wants to volunteer, because my magic is utterly useless
locked away. But by the same token, I’m also the most dangerous person to have
potentially go rogue.” Desa’s voice turned wry as she shook her head. “But we
need someone we all know well, so maybe ask one of my subordinates?”

Phynis
frowned to herself, humming as she thought about who would be best to ask. She
didn’t know all of her guards that well. Desa had been with her for years, but
it was true that Desa would be incredibly deadly if she somehow got turned
against them. It didn’t make her any happier about being denied an opportunity
to escape the full bindings of the brand, though.

“That
seems reasonable. Are you certain that you’d be able to figure it out if one of
them was influenced in some way? It won’t do us any good if we can’t tell that
something’s wrong.” Vendis asked, holding her cup of tea in both hands as her
thumb ran back and forth on the cup’s rim.

“Mmm...most
likely. I’m not sure, really.” Desa admitted, shaking her head. “I’d like to
think I could, especially if it’s someone I know well. Evrial would be the best
in this case, if she agreed to give it a try. I know her the best of my
subordinates.”

“If
not her, then you do it, Desa.” Phynis finally interjected. At their looks of
surprise she shrugged and continued. “You’re the one who I know best. We’ve
been together for what...fifteen years? Not a century or more, like my mother
and her own guards, but a long enough time to get to know one another quite
well.”

“I’m
not certain on that, but a fair point.” Desa conceded. Looking at Talphan and
Vendis, she quirked an eyebrow. “Your opinions? I mean, I’m not unbiased by any
stretch of the imagination.”

“Umm…”
Talphan seemed a little startled, then frowned for a moment. Finally he
shrugged and nodded. “It seems fair to me. If it works, we at least get back a
member of the Royal Guard, and potentially one of the more powerful
spellcasters of the kingdom. If it doesn’t work...well, I’m fairly sure we’d be
able to notice in time.”

Vendis
seemed indecisive for a minute, but finally she sighed and nodded. “I suppose I
agree. I am not happy with all of this, but that’s no fault of yours.”

“Alright.
So...when should we leave?” Phynis asked, growing hesitant again as she
shrugged gently. “I know I want to stay, but we need to get moving before
pursuers get too close, correct?”

“Mmmhmm.
Probably tomorrow morning, honestly.” Vendis told them, frowning before she
looked at Desa. “Sorry, Desa, but that means that you and your guards need to
figure out who’ll be the volunteer rather quickly.”

“As
you say. I’ll go speak to them now.” Desa sighed and got to her feet, smiling
thinly. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

Sistina
knew all about the discussion. She didn’t much care about it, save the faint
notion that if she did claim some more of the brands, she likely would get a fair
amount of mana from whomever she claimed. On the other hand, she didn’t know if
that would continue to be the case if they left her domain. For all she knew
the flow of mana would slowly come to a stop when they’d been gone for very
long. Lily had never gone far for long, so she had no way of knowing what
effect leaving for a time would have on the link.

She
also noticed when Desa’s discussion with Evrial led to the reluctant guard
declining to volunteer, and leaving Desa to approach Sistina. That amused
Sistina in an odd way, and as the elven woman approached she opened her eyes to
look at her thoughtfully.

The
dusk elf looked nervous, but Sistina simply tilted her head and patiently
waited for the woman to speak to her. Certainly, she knew why Desa was here,
but unless the woman asked, Sistina wouldn’t touch her. It was simple courtesy
to let her make her own decision. Besides, she might even change her mind.

“Sistina,
I…” Desa stopped, pausing, then ruefully laughed and shook her head, her voice
turning to a soft murmur. “I wanted this, but now that I’m here, I’m not sure
how to approach the subject.”

Sistina
found it somewhat entertaining to watch Desa lose her composure. The guard was
so reserved most of the time that Sistina had observed her that it was
fascinating in its own way. So Sistina watched, and waited patiently for Desa
to speak.

“You’re
a genius loci, right? So you know why I’m here.” Desa finally asked. When
Sistina nodded, Desa swallowed and looked down, putting a hand over her
stomach, where the brand pulsed in Sistina’s senses. After a few moments she
spoke again. “Then...would you try to change my brand? Mine is different from
Lily’s. It’s designed for mages. It seals my magic, and I can only cast spells
if I’m given explicit permission to do so. I don’t know if you can undo any of
that, but it would be wonderful if you could. It’s almost like I lost a limb.”

Sistina
considered the entire statement, trying to figure out how to reply, and shrugged.
Reaching down she made a dot in the dirt, then indicated her tree. Then she
drew a circle around it, as far as the roots allowed. Waggling her hand back
and forth, she shrugged again.

“I’m
guessing that was a maybe, within a certain area?” Desa ventured, and Sistina
nodded. “But you’ll do it?”

Nodding,
Sistina gestured the elven woman forward, then to sit down. Then she waited
patiently for Desa to follow the directions. Gesturing, she indicated that the
elf’s clothing needed to be moved out of the way. She wasn’t going to push
Desa, so she waited while the elf hesitated for a moment, then finally eased up
her shirt and pushed down her pants slightly. Sistina leaned forward in
interest as the brand was revealed, showing a symbol that was rather different
than the one Lily had borne.

Lily’s
brand was fairly simple in overall design, and the magic didn’t reach too
deeply into her body or spirit. The brand was simple and direct, but powerful
in spite of that.

This
brand had the same core design to it, but was more elegantly curved more like
the sort of thing one would expect to see from a church or angelic
organization. It was also inscribed in silver that contrasted well with Desa’s
pale brown skin. And the depth didn’t stop there. Sistina could sense the
multiple magical layers to the crest, delving deep into Desa’s body. Internally
she shook her head, considering the problem before her. This would be
difficult, and it might not work right even if she could manage it. Still, it
was worth the attempt.

Laying
a finger at the very core of the crest, Sistina concentrated her mana and let
it flow into the matrices of the brand. She ‘heard’ Desa gasp, but she didn’t
respond as her mind instead focused on exploring the brand...and a faint sense
of having done this before washed over her. This was different than Lily’s
brand, and so familiar that Sistina ached to stop and examine the memories that
this was stimulating. But she didn’t have the hours or days to spend
contemplating the memories and trying to piece them together, so she
regretfully let the sensation pass. Instead she slowly mapped out the brand,
and found that Desa had actually understated the power of the brand.

It
was designed to negate spellcasting except if Desa was given specific orders to
allow a given spell, trapping the magic in Desa’s body. And that magic was
there, available to punish or harm Desa at an order, or even to allow others to
draw on Desa’s mana reserves if they knew how to use the brand. But in spite of
the complexity, the brand was just within her ability to claim, Sistina
thought. But it would take more contemplation of the design before she was
willing to believe that she could claim one easily.

But
claim it she could, though it took a great deal of time. It took her nearly an hour
to overwrite every bit of the brand, with Desa occasionally shifting slightly
but not able to move due to the magic of the brand. And when she finished,
Sistina felt a flood of mana surge through the link that the brand forged
between her and Desa. Desa let out a soft whimper, followed by a sigh of relief
as Sistina examined her work.

The
brand was threaded with hints of gold and green this time, evidence that she
hadn’t been able to simply overwhelm its structure like she had Lily’s. But it
was done, and she nodded at Desa, willing the woman to be able to cast spells.
She hoped it would be permanent, but she wasn’t certain that it would have any
effect at all.

“Oh,
Goddess above, that feels...oh…” Desa shuddered, and smiled in ecstasy as she
leaned backward. For a long minute she didn’t do anything, and then finally
grinned broadly, almost lunging forward to hug a very startled Sistina. Sistina
didn’t know how to react as Desa hugged her tightly for a long minute, her
voice ecstatic. “Thank you so much! I can feel my magic flowing again, instead
of...congealing inside me! If this works...I promise, I’ll do whatever I can to
repay you for it.”

Bemused,
Sistina shook her head and made a gesture to shoo the elf away. It was almost
unfair to consider the woman owing her, when the mana she’d received was more
than enough of a payment.

“No,
I will owe you.” Desa promised, but got to her feet. “But as late as it
is, I do need to sleep. I’m afraid we’re leaving in the morning, so I need the
rest. Good night, Sistina. And thank you again.”

Sistina
watched her go, then shook her head again. The experience had certainly given
her more odd emotions and sensations to contemplate. And when they left, it
would give her plenty of time to think them over.

Chapter 9

“You
know...it kind of makes...me feel weird, the idea that there’s a forest under
the mountainside.” Phynis huffed as she hiked up the side of the mountain the
next morning. She glanced back once toward where they’d left Sistina’s cavern
behind, but didn’t see any sign of Lily. She must have gone back inside after
seeing them off.

Phynis
was near the middle of the group as they hiked into the Godsrage Mountains once
again. To the left of their route the mountains pierced high into the sky,
taller than any other mountain range in the world and jagged beyond belief.
She’d heard that dragons, giants, and strange other creatures lived there, like
a type of phoenix that were creatures of frost rather than flame. Fortunately
they were avoiding the heart of the mountain range, but even the areas they
were delving into were dangerous.

“It’s
definitely one of the stranger things I’ve seen.” Desa agreed, seeming much
more like her cheerful self than she had been the previous few days. Phynis
hadn’t realized just how hard the loss of her magic had hit Desa until she’d
seen how incredibly happy she’d been that morning. She was still keeping an eye
on her friend, but she wasn’t too worried about undue influence at this point.
She doubted that Sistina would hurt them. Desa continued after a moment. “I
actually hope we can come back at some point. For me, the possibility of
learning some of the magic of Everium is extremely enticing, and there’s so
much mana in the air down there that it makes spellcasting easier. I’m just hoping
that Sistina was wrong, and that I don’t lose my ability to use magic when I’m
far away from her territory.”

“Well,
we’ll find out soon enough.” Phynis began, then took a moment to catch her
breath as they wound their way up the mountainside. After a minute she added.
“I’m going to speak to...mother, and see what we can do. Even if we don’t send
people...to do what you did...we need researchers there...and a garrison…”

“True
enough. Save your breath, princess. We’ve got a long day ahead of us.” Desa advised
her.

None
of the elves noticed Sistina up on the mountainside above them, she noticed.
They really should have been looking up, but she didn’t really blame them. She
was rather far away at the moment. She looked around from her high perch, not
far from a long, winding cave that she’d followed to the upper mountainside.
She’d have to block this route, just in case the pursuers that the princess’s
guards mentioned discovered it.

As
it was, Sistina had decided that she liked her namesake’s descendant. The rest
of Phynis’ family she wasn’t certain about, but Phynis was worth protecting.
And as such, she would take measures to ensure that the group got away safely.
Opening her hand, she looked at the half-dozen bead-like rubies that she’d
taken from her branches. Each was charged with a large amount of mana,
including almost everything she’d received from Desa and absorbed over the past
week. And all of that power was focused into a simple spell. Looking at the
mountainside with an eye for fracture points, she shook her head in annoyance.
This would take her a while.

It
took a few hours, but she finally found a first point to place a bead gently
behind several rocks. Nothing would find the spot easily, but she buried it
just to be safe and smoothed the dirt to hide it, then moved on to find a
second spot.

It
took her most of the day, as she found three spots on this side of the ravine,
and another three on the other side of the ravine as well. And then, her job
done, she went back to her tree, satisfied with her preparations.

“Sistina?”
Lily asked, watching her pot of boiling beans intently. “Are you actually a...I
can’t remember the term they used. A dungeon, since I forgot the other word?”

Sistina
paused, blinking as she looked up at Lily for a moment, considering the young
woman. She must be lonely, she realized, after having company for a single day
after months of being alone with Sistina. The dryad had no illusions about how
good of company she was. Her preference was for things to change gradually, and
she carefully considered everything before making a decision. Mortals like
elves, though, were much more frantic throughout their lives. She thought it
was likely a product of both how long she lived and that she was also a tree
now. But that didn’t change the fact that Lily seemed lonely.

But
Sistina got up and moved silently next to Lily and sat next to the young elf.
Lily looked at her in confusion as Sistina hugged her gently with one arm,
giving a gentle nod.

“Ah.
Then, would you hurt me?” Lily looked at her pleadingly, leaning into Sistina’s
side.

The
dryad smiled at that, shaking her head. She had no intention of ever hurting
Lily. Unless the elf attacked her first, at least, which she didn’t think was
likely.

Some
of the tension in Lily’s shoulders vanished, but she looked at the pot, chewing
her lip before she asked softly. “And...and the slavers? Kelvanis’ army, I
mean. Will they hurt me again? Or you?”

Sistina
smiled thinly, this time her gaze hardening, and her voice was soft but firm.
“Never.”

Chapter 10

“Captain,
the trail for the elven group split again.” One of the scouts reported to
Captain Marath politely, his fist over his heart as he knelt before her. “They
appear to have spent a day in a cave complex before continuing up the valley to
the north-west. It appears we’re about a day behind them at this time,
according to Lieutenant Jacobs. The lieutenant commanded the primary platoon to
continue following their main trail, and wished for me to inquire if you wish
for a platoon to investigate the caverns.”

Captain
Marigold Marath frowned at the report in displeasure, her eyes narrowing
slightly as she looked at the jagged mountains surrounding them. Hailing from
the regions of Kelvanis dominated by plains and forests, she’d never liked the
mountains much, and the Godsrage Mountains were worse than most. On the other
hand, escaped slaves were even worse, so she persisted through the irritation
of them. And the information the scout had brought was important enough, as it
was evidence they were gaining on the escapees. If the escaped slaves had been
seasoned soldiers or travelers, they might have actually gotten away with their
initial lead.

“Did
they leave anyone in the caves?” She asked, thinking as to why they would have
stayed here for a day. They could be overconfident about getting away, but that
didn’t seem reasonable to her. Whoever had commanded the raid thus far had
proven rather cautious, and she couldn’t see them changing that at this point.

“We
aren’t certain, ma’am. There are more than sixty of them, so they might have
left a few behind without us noticing.” The scout admitted.

“Then
send a platoon in. Sven! Your squad is to support the scouts in investigating
the caverns.” Marath ordered one of her more reliable sergeants, then looked at
the scout again. “Find where they stayed and see if there’s any sign of people
left behind. If there aren’t, get your asses out of there and follow us. We’re
going to try to make up more time on these miscreants.”

“Yes
ma’am!” They chorused and saluted, before each of the groups began to move in
turn.

It
was fuzzy, looking out of the caves at the valley, but Sistina could see the
group of soldiers moving through the valley at least a little. It wasn’t in her
domain, though, and her body was inside, so the visuals were the best she could
manage. She had to admit that there seemed to be a lot of them. More than
double the numbers of the elves that had passed through, at least.

A
few of them had poked their heads into the tunnels, revealing themselves to be
humans with tanned skin and weathered armor and weapons. None of them had slave
brands, but one of them, in slightly nicer equipment that bore some magic,
seemed to have one of the command sigils she’d once seen on the Enforcer that
had chased Lily into her cavern. They’d left after glancing around, but after a
short time she saw some of them coming toward the entrance.

Lily
was safely occupied with the gardens around her house, so she wasn’t in any
danger at the moment. Sistina would have to stop her if she chose this moment
for a hunting trip, but that didn’t seem likely. With any luck she’d never know
there was a problem at all.

So
Sistina mentally reached out to the variety of plants and animals she’d been
preparing over the winter and woke them up. When Desa had called her a dungeon
she wasn’t entirely wrong, after all. Sistina simply thought of what she’d done
as precautions to defend herself and Lily.

Sistina
preferred to sustain herself off ambient mana from her plants and animals. But
that didn’t mean she was a picky eater. If some evil slavers happened to offer
themselves to her, who was she to refuse?

Private
Benjamin Tailor blinked in surprise as he saw the light coming from ahead, and
murmured softly. “What do you think that is?”

“Don’t
ask me.” Linda Smith muttered, sniffing. His partner definitely had a better
nose than he did. “This place is strange. I smell plants everywhere.”

“True
enough.” He sighed, pausing as he came around a corner and saw a larger cave,
mostly obscured by a curtain of vines over the entrance. He pointed and shook his
head. “Well, that’s why you smell plants. I wonder if there’s an exit to the
caverns in here?”

“Hmm...that
could be bad. What if the others are following a false trail?” Linda asked,
growing concerned. “Let’s go take a look. If anything looks suspicious we call
for help.”

“Yeah.
I’ll take point.” He replied, leading the way forward. He drew his sword and
listened for a moment at the curtain. He couldn’t hear anything but the soft
burbling of water, so he pushed the vines aside with his sword and stepped into
the room.

The
room was lit by a large glowing orb on the ceiling, but the ground was largely
dirt covered with plants, he noticed, and he took a few steps forward, shaking
his head as he looked at the bushes and the small tree in bemusement. He could
see another tunnel, though, so he took a step forward as he spoke. “Nope, no
exit that I can see, but damn, this is impressi-”

“Help!”
Linda shrieked from behind him suddenly, and he spun around. For an instant he
froze in surprise.

Linda
was tangled in the vines, which were moving and wrapping around her body. As he
watched she lost her grip on her sword and it fell to the ground. She was being
pulled upward surprisingly quickly, and his gaze darted upward, to where he saw
a huge, bulbous plant nearly eight feet long and six wide hidden in a recess
above and behind the entrance. The vines were all protruding from what looked
almost like the closed bud of a flower, if a bud was as huge as the plant was.
Benjamin shook off his shock and charged toward her, intending to cut the vines
as he wished for a machete instead of a short sword. “Hold on! I’ll-”

As
Benjamin charged forward, Linda’s gaze lowered to him, and her eyes went huge
as she shouted. “Ben, no!”

But
at that moment his foot came down on a surface that yielded ever so slightly
more than the rest of the cavern floor. The man barely saw the two surfaces on
either side of him snap upward as the gigantic venus flytrap crushed him.

“What
was that?” One of the soldiers asked uneasily as he stood at an intersection in
the tunnels.

“What
was what?” Sergeant Sven Graves asked irritably.

“I
thought I heard a scream down that way.” The man said, pointing down the
corridor to their right.

Sven
frowned, listening closely, and though he heard some sort of commotion, he
couldn’t tell what it was. Finally he replied. “Well I’m hearing something.
Weapons ready, men. I don’t want to be caught unawares.”

The
ranged half of the squad was halfway through winching back their crossbows when
they heard screams echo down the central corridor, followed by a deep roar that
resounded in the tunnels painfully. Swearing, Sven turned to the tunnel in
question, his longsword out and ready.

A
moment later two scouts came sprinting down the corridor, yelling. “Run! Bear!
Huge bear!”

Sven
gawked at the two scouts for a moment, then snorted in derision at their cowardice.
“Lads, bear for dinner! Prepare for battle!”

“No,
you don’t-” One of them shouted as they ran by, and at that moment a bear came
around the corner, causing Sven’s jaw to drop in sheer astonishment.

The
bear was half again the size of any bear he’d seen, and if it stood up it would
stand nearly fifteen feet tall! The pile of ursine fury was charging down the
hallway with slate-gray hair, fury in its eyes. Sven rapidly stepped back and
ordered. “Fire!”

A
flurry of hurried crossbow shots flew down the corridor at the bear, slamming
into its flesh and driving almost to the fletching into its shoulders. The bear
barely seemed to notice the attacks and powered through them and into the squad
before they could fully get into formation. And the impact of the bear
shattered their lines like the wrath of an angry god.

Sven
drew his sword and stepped forward, snarling as he hacked at the bear’s head,
trying to kill the damned thing. That was when the bear reared back on its hind
legs, and even as he backpedaled, he saw one of the archers begin following the
scouts as they fled. But before he could even begin to yell at the coward, one
of those massive paws came at his head from the side.

The
intruders weren’t getting far, Sistina noted with distinct satisfaction. A few
of them had been trapped in pitcher plants and her hanging vine traps, which
would help with a few ideas she had in mind. She wouldn’t torture them, but she
also wasn’t averse to using their intrusion to help her figure out a few better
defenses.

The
rest were being dealt with by her bigger, stronger, and tougher bears and
wolves. Maybe a dozen of them were going to escape in the end, so she instead
turned her attention to outside.

It
wasn’t easy to see, but she thought that the formation of troops was in about
the best position she could hope for. She wouldn’t get all of them, but that
wasn’t the point of her trap. The point was to stop them. So she reached out to
the beads she’d set up along the mountainsides.

With
a mental trigger, each of those beads exploded as they emitted a sharp spike of
energy into the mountainside, into those fractures that she’d been looking for.
The stone shattered, shifted, and began to slide as she watched patiently. This
should be impressive.

One
of the scouts heard a sharp report, and then the multiple popping sounds from
up the mountainsides, and the older man went pale as he looked uphill,
muttering. “Oh, shit.”

“Martin?”
One of the others asked.

“Move!
Run! Rockslide!” The scout yelled, charging forward in a desperate attempt to get
clear. Glancing backward, he saw, horrified, that the slide was coming from
both sides of the ravine!

He
was toward the front of the group, but the main force of Captain Marath’s
soldiers was solidly in the middle of the slide zone of the rockslide. The last
stragglers of the force, as well as its vanguard, might be able to get clear,
but the people in the center wouldn’t have much of a chance at all.

Martin
charged out of the slide zone, then turned, along with a few others, and
watched in horror as the rockslide overran over a hundred men and women. The
echoing roar of rolling stone slowly came to a halt, and was replaced by a few
moans and the sounds of the injured and dying who were still there.

Without
instructions the group started back into the field of broken stone to try and
render aid to their fellow soldiers, but more than one of them flinched when
the occasionally stone broke loose up above and bounced down the mountainside.

The
slavers wouldn’t be pursuing Princess Phynis’ group anymore, Sistina decided in
satisfaction. Out of their group, no more than twenty of them were uninjured,
and there were nearly half again that number who were injured or crippled.

She
could unleash her bears and wolves on the group and wipe them out entirely if
she wanted to, but she was hesitant to go quite that far. Thus far her actions
had been primarily defensive in nature, and she wasn’t entirely happy with the
thought of going out of her way to kill them. So instead she watched as the
soldiers slowly limped away, and went back to contemplating what to do with her
seven prisoners.

Chapter 11

“I
have to say, I’m relieved we haven’t seen any sign of a pursuit.” Vendis said,
looking at the mountains behind her wearily. “Though part of me is even more
worried because of it.”

“Isn’t
that a good thing?” Phynis asked, feeling much better than she had at the start
of the trip. “Why are you worried?”

“Because
if we haven’t seen them, there’s a possibility that they’re there, but have
just evaded our own sentries.” Desa replied calmly, pulling her cloak closer
around herself. Phynis was slightly envious of her, since there seemed to be no
major ill effects from her brand’s alteration. Admittedly, her magical power
seemed to be somewhat constrained after a day or so, but from what Desa said,
it didn’t seem to be reducing in strength anymore, so she was almost as
powerful as before they were captured again.

They
were only about halfway through the mountains, and it was more dangerous than
Phynis had expected. Earlier in the day they’d encountered a nest of strange
centipede-like creatures the size of a man which could spit a flesh-eating
acid. They’d almost lost a couple of soldiers to the foul beasts before wiping
them out. Fortunately the healers had helped the injured, so hadn’t actually
lost anyone, but it’d been close. There’d also been an encounter with a group
of extremely aggressive raptors, but the avians had left them alone after
losing a few of their number.

The
most fortunate thing, though, was that most of the women were finally getting
used to the hiking, so they were making better time than before. They still
weren’t moving incredibly fast, but they were also trying to follow a winding,
slightly less dangerous path through a mountain range known for its danger.

“Mmm...I
suppose. Do you think it’s likely?” Phynis asked, looking at Vendis nervously.
“That we haven’t spotted them, I mean.”

“Likely?
No. They would be more concerned with catching us, not staying hidden. But it’s
still something I have to take into account.” Vendis replied, taking a sip from
her hip flask and shaking her head. “I’m nervous when I don’t know where my
enemies are.”

“So,
let me see if I have all of this right. You followed the tracks of a group of
approximately sixty to seventy individuals to a series of ravines leading into
the Godsrage Mountains, where they seemed to stay in a cavern complex for the
night. So Captain Marath ordered a small group to scout the caves for hidden
individuals while she pursued the larger group.” Adjudicator Jared spoke
softly, his hands folded on the desk of his office as the sun started to sink
beyond the horizon behind him. Without the trace of a smile, he watched the two
lieutenants and an older scout squirm slightly on the other side of the desk. “The
caverns apparently were the lair of a fair amount of plants that shouldn’t have
been able to live there, as well as a hostile pack of wolves and a few cave
bears, so you suspect it was an intentional ambush. Outside, the elves must
have set magical charges that caused a rockslide when you reached far enough up
the ravine. The rockslide crushed a large portion of your forces, and has
crippled Captain Marath. Left with only twenty-two able-bodied soldiers, and
with another thirty wounded, you chose to retreat here. Is that all correct?”

“Y-yes,
Adjudicator.” The army lieutenant, a man named Gareth, replied nervously. “I
made the final decision to do so. From all evidence the elven force managed to
destroy a force of twenty guards in their initial strike. I believed it
unlikely that we could overtake and defeat their force after taking so many
losses. I will take full responsibility for what happened.”

The
scout lieutenant opened his mouth to speak, but Jared raised his hand calmly,
shaking his head for a moment before speaking, his tone level. “No, you won’t.
Your opponent is obviously much more skilled than we anticipated. Not only did
the elven commander masterfully ambush the caravan with no apparent losses,
they also led you into not only one, but two ambushes that didn’t risk a single
life of their own. I must say that I’m impressed they managed to do so well. As
far as I’m concerned, there was nothing any of you could have done given the
situation. I imagine that you might have done things differently in hindsight,
but Captain Mareth made the decisions that led you into them. I will not
censure you for following legitimate orders. My only command is that each of
you consider what happened extensively, and endeavor to learn from it.”

“Yes,
My Lord.” Each of them murmured, saluting him and half bowing.

“Acting
Captain Gareth. You are in charge of reconstituting your company for the time
being.” Jared told the startled man, smiling at him slightly. “You are to keep
track of the status of the injured and inform me if any more succumb to their
wounds. You are also to arrange appropriate attention from the healers for all
the injured. Captain Mareth will require at least four months of treatment, so
you will also be required to select new soldiers from recruits and get them
settled. I expect you to have the company in basic order by the time she
returns and you take your place as her new second in command.”

“Sir!”
Gareth’s back straightened a little more as he was given new responsibilities.

“Dismissed,
Acting Captain.” Jared waited until Gareth had left before turning his
attention to Lieutenant Kendrick. “Now, Lieutenant Kendrick, did you see
anything beforehand to suggest this...deplorable outcome might have been
avoided?”

“I’m
afraid not, sir. I didn’t see any signs of them moving off the trail to set the
traps at all, so I’m afraid that in the same situation we’d have walked into it
anyway.” Kendrick replied ruefully, shaking his head. “Those rockslides were
extensive, sir. We would have lost even more people if Martin, here, hadn’t
warned us to run immediately.”

“How
did you know to tell them to run, Martin?” Jared asked curiously, eying the
man, who shifted uncomfortably, his hands wringing his cap and his eyes almost
involuntarily darting to Topaz, who was standing behind Jared and to his right.

“I...I
was a hunter in the Serpentspine before I joined up, Adjudicator.” Martin
managed after a moment, gulping. “I’ve seen rockslides before, and that was one
of the worst I’ve seen before. The sounds that precede it just sound like pops,
but it’s the sound of stone shattering, sir.”

“I
see. Well, you did good work out there. Give Martin a standard bonus for
excellent service, lieutenant, in addition to the same for all the surviving scouts.”
Jared told Kendrick with a slight smile. “Keep it quiet, hmm? We both know that
your people were the ones doing the real work when tracking.”

“Yes,
sir!” Kendrick also stood straighter, and then continued quickly. “But there
was one thing I wanted to show you. One of my men found a few items in the
caves that he initially thought were just odd rocks, but I saw them and thought
they might be of interest to you.”

“Oh?”
Jared asked, and Kendrick pulled a cloth out of his pouch and unfolded it,
revealing several stone shards, as well as a crystal one. Jared gestured to the
desk, and Kendrick set them down so Jared could examine them more closely.

Looking
carefully at the fragments, Jared narrowed his eyes slightly. The shards seemed
mostly normal, but there were worn grooves that looked like writing on one, and
what appeared to be painting on others, but it was the last one which made his
eyes go wide. The layered, crystalline glass was something that didn’t occur
naturally, and this was obviously a piece of a solid orb! He smiled broadly as
he spoke, excitement running through him. “Interesting!”

Topaz
hated Adjudicator Jared Falgrave. She also loved him, in a horrible sort of
way. The past week had been an exquisite torture for her. Jared was polite, and
never deliberately hurt her. He also didn’t care about her feelings at all, and
she saw that he treated slaves as though they were normal class of society. He
didn’t really care about them at all, even though he had ensured that she would
be well-treated.

He
also ordered her into his bed every night. That was part of why she loved and
hated him. She could feel something within her mind, twisting her slowly into
something different. Someone who she wasn’t. Time after time, she’d tried to
remember her original name. To remember whom she was. But his order
was...pervasive. At first she’d been able to remember it, by thinking back to
her parents calling for her when she was young. But the previous day, when she
thought back, the only name she recalled them calling out was Topaz, and that
wasn’t what it was supposed to be. She knew that it wasn’t, and yet her
certainty was starting to waver.

She
also possessed skills that she had never learned before. Once Jared had asked
her to make him a cup of hot chocolate, and despite never having made it before
in her life, she’d instinctively known exactly how to make it. It also applied
to more...carnal skills, which she was starting to enjoy in spite of her
initial revulsion. Though part of that was due to what he’d done to her body.

Over
the last few days her body had changed. She’d almost fallen several times as
her hips slowly widened, even as her waist narrowed. Her bust had swollen as
well, to a point that she thought few elves could rival it naturally, and her
already golden hair had taken a more gem-like hue. Even her eyes hadn’t
remained untouched as they changed to the color of topazes, and her facial
features shifted to make her more...perfect to his eyes. He’d seemed all too
pleased with himself, especially since her skin cleared up and her calluses
vanished like they’d never existed. And worst of all, all of her senses were
more acute than they had been, which she had not appreciated the day she trod
on a rock brought in by his boots.

But
worst of all was the humiliating clothing she was forced to wear. Apparently
slaves were expected to go about their daily business with their brand exposed
at all times, weather permitting. The nobility took it a step further, often
making their slaves wear even less. Jared couldn’t allow himself to be
upstaged, which was why her clothing would barely be considered underwear back
in Yisara. The halter-top was tiny and made of thin white silk, while the lower
part...she didn’t care to consider how little it covered. She was almost
furious when Jared had told her he was having a gold collar, bracelets, and anklets
that all matched made, each set with topazes. Though even there, she was
finding it hard to keep her rage at her circumstances and enslavement. She
could manage to fear the brainwashing, at least. But she was uncomfortably
certain that it was far too late for that fear.

She
was both uncomfortable and aroused as the three soldiers ogled her while making
their reports. But she didn’t react, as Jared expected her to. All disobeying
got was an order that sliced away at her few remaining freedoms. She barely
glanced at the objects, then continued staring at the wall, watching the light
slowly change from yellow to red as the sun set.

But
then Jared spoke to her. “Topaz, what do you make of these?”

Topaz
froze for a moment in surprise, then walked over and looked at the objects,
examining them for a moment. She didn’t want to answer, yet she knew that he
would order her to answer if he had to. Since he’d ordered her early on to
never lie to him, it made misleading him incredibly difficult. But not
impossible.

“The
glass is from a process lost before the Godsrage, commonly used by the ancient
kingdoms for enchanting. The fragments appear to be from pottery dating to the
same era. The script appears to be old elven, though there is not enough for me
to determine what it might say.” She told him, keeping her voice calm as
possible.

“That’s
what I thought.” He seemed satisfied with her reply, to Topaz’s relief, and
turned back to the men. “Thank you, lieutenant. This could be very promising
indeed. I will have to consider what to do with the information.”

“Thank
you, sir.” They spoke, and then slowly left.

Topaz
felt her relief grow, as she considered what she hadn’t told him. That glass
had been primarily used in the old elven capitals, as part of the lights for
the richest cities of the kingdoms. It was a small victory, but every one of
them gave her hope.

Chapter 12

Looking
over the edge of the ridge carefully, Serel examined the mountain valley with a
critical eye. It had taken quite a bit of time to spot the variety of ancient
wardstones around the valley, as they had managed to guide Serel’s scouts
around the valley at first. They had to help greatly in keeping out the variety
of monsters that inhabited the mountains. Wardstones were old magic, of a type
that had been lost in the Godsrage and thus irreplaceable, and yet one of the
soldiers had had the temerity to suggest destroying one, to open the temple to
an attack which might weaken their defenses. Fortunately no one else had
thought it was a good idea, as their greatest advantage at the moment was
surprise. It was also a good sign that the wards didn’t contain any spells to
warn when people crossed the barrier, which removed one of Serel’s greatest
concerns.

The
valley itself wasn’t large and most of the usable ground was taken up by fields
of crops, obviously tilled as early as the ground was ready in the spring. The
growing season had to be short up here. But the main concern to Serel was the
temple itself. The structure was an imposing edifice of granite, and at first
glance she would have thought that the central tower was more of a military
keep than a temple. But attached to the tower was a large chapel and several
more outbuildings, as well as a relatively fragile-looking wall surrounding the
entire compound. It wasn’t terribly secure from what she could see, but the
appearance of any church could be deceiving due to the variety of spells they
could cast.

But
this was also a very strange place for the church of Medaea to maintain a
temple. Medaea was the goddess of healing, purity, and the sun, after all, not
secrecy and hiding. And a temple that was kept secret, with the church not
telling anyone where it was? That made it very interesting indeed. But as the
priesthood was well-known for only accepting virgin women to its order while
tending toward the more beautiful members, plus being a primarily elven faith,
made the temple a potential goldmine for Kelvanis. But the question was, why
were even her orders kept secret until now, and why had nine other Enforcers
been sent with her? Likely as not she could have dealt with the temple properly
with a single army company and herself. It was a mystery to Serel, and she
hoped her orders would shed light on the reasons.

Moving
back down the mountain, she hiked a mile before she reached the small camp
where her force was set up. Two dozen elite Kelvanis soldiers were camped
there, while the other nine Enforcers watched her calmly. She looked at the
soldiers and picked one, pointing at the man. “You. Take your partner and go to
the ridgeline. Keep watch on the inhabitants, count how many come in and out of
the gates. Don’t be seen or enter the valley.”

“Yes,
High Enforcer.” The man replied instantly, and went to rouse his partner from
their tent to get moving.

Serel
eyed the large number of mules they’d brought with to carry the heavy equipment
they’d been assigned, then nodded to herself. Looking at the Enforcers, she
smiled thinly. “We have seen the temple. Now I get to find out what this is all
about. I will inform you shortly of what I’m allowed to.”

“Right,
Serel.” One of them replied laconically, grinning slightly, and prompting a
thin smile of her own. She appreciated other Enforcers. They were competent.
Few others could meet her standards.

Going
to her tent, she pushed aside the flap and sat at the mobile desk, pulling out
the thick packet containing her orders. Undoing the sealskin wrapping, she
tossed it on the desk and studied the envelope, her fingers now trembling. The
envelope was sealed with purple wax, and the elaborately designed three-pointed
sigil was that of the Archon himself. She took a deep breath before breaking
it, and feeling His magic wash through her. It was hot, heady, and dangerous,
more powerful than what she could command by far. Not having been burnt to
ashes, she relaxed slightly and pulled out the first sheet, opening it to read
the contents.

High
Enforcer Serel,

Knowing
your personality, I am certain that you are uncertain and annoyed as to what all
the secrecy surrounding your mission is about. I assure you, this is of the
highest importance to Kelvanis. Your success may propel us to the greatest
heights of power imaginable, while failure may lead to utter disaster for the
entire nation. But most importantly, none may know of this until after
we are completely done. Full orders on how to proceed will be covered in
individual sections, but what is written here may only be shared with your
Enforcers, and only if you believe they need to know. I have enclosed as much
information as I can, though I am uncertain how much of it is actually
necessary. All precautions must be taken, even if they prove unnecessary.

It
is well known that after the Godsrage, the gods largely retreated from the
world, with them only extending their grace via powers granted to faithful
worshipers. Only those deities which were relatively weak were able to continue
taking direct action, and even those could be killed if powerful enough forces
confronted them, beings such as demigods and lords of the pit. What is not
known is that Medaea, one of the most powerful of these beings, was so grieved
by the battles that she chose to lay down to sleep eternally in the
manifestation of the deities mistakes, the Godsrage Mountains. She sleeps
deeply within the temple upon which you laid your eyes, Serel, and if
you perform your task correctly, we can claim her as the most powerful slave in
the world, and take her as our national guardian. Such a task will take a
decade once she is here in the capital, but it cannot be done unless you
perform your task first. I have full faith in you, but know this, if you make
but a single mistake, it could lead to her waking and destroying all of you.
Tread cautiously.

Contained
in your supplies are pendants that, when charged with mana, will hide you from
Her divine attention, as well as the lesser wards of Her servants. If a
conscious being is directly monitoring the area they can sense the gaps they
create, but She is not conscious. You also have been supplied with a
significant supply of Dreamless Dark, which I’m certain you can use to capture
the priestesses with little trouble. More importantly, you must not kill any of
the priestesses in your assault, and one must remain on the temple grounds at
all times until you have captured Her, or She may notice that her body is
unattended. This is not a certainty that she might notice, but no possibility
can be neglected. Similarly, as your mundane soldiers cannot shield themselves,
they must remain outside of the temple until She has been captured, nor can you
properly desecrate the altars. I’m certain this will make things more difficult
for you, but there is little that can be done.

The
steps required to capture Her are listed within the additional orders I’ve left
for you. I have attempted to make them as direct as possible, but be warned
that each of the stages must be done at least one day apart, else She
wake. I do not wish to lose you to such an occurrence, nor Her. Finally, on
exiting the temple, you must make certain it appears that nothing happened to
it in order to delay arousing the suspicion of others. If the soldiers must be
eliminated, so be it. For the priestesses, I have included an order with my
Command imbedded that will allow you to force them to never speak of what has
occurred there, unless by My direct order.

By
My Own Hand,

Archon
Ulvian Sorvos

P.S.
Not even Adjudicator Falgrave knows of what your precise assignment is. If he
made any requests that seem reasonable, carry them out. He is among the most
loyal and reliable Adjudicators in the kingdom, and he will not pry when you
tell him that you cannot inform him of what happened.

The
information written was stunning, and Serel sat back to mentally work through
it, her mind in a daze. A goddess was sleeping beneath the temple? The
shocking, horrifying arrogance of the Archon’s plan made Serel almost recoil in
terror. It shook her, and she doubted that such an ambition could be made to
work. A goddess couldn’t simply be enslaved. Could they?

She
knew how powerful the Archon was, though. How meticulous he was about building
his alliances, and not breaking them unless there was no other choice. He would
never attempt something which he believed had no chance of success.

So
as she tapped her lower lip, she finally nodded, murmuring. “Well, if he thinks
I can manage it…”

Setting
aside the letter, she began to read the other instructions, wanting the full
picture before she began building her plans.

Chapter 13

“Are
you certain that you can get in and out without being seen, James?” Serel asked
him, her arms crossed as she watched the other Enforcer prepare for his task.

“Easy
as pie.” He drawled, the handsome, brown-haired man replied, then held up the
crystal pendant he was carrying. “Might take a load of mana to charge this and
go invisible, but I’ll get this into their food no problem. Only worry is that
they might bump into me when I follow them through a door, but don’t worry,
I’ll manage.”

The
other Enforcer had been tasked to deliver the dreamless dark to the kitchens of
the temple. Dreamless dark was a refined version of dreamer’s aide, a common
drug that allowed those who used it to fall asleep more easily. On the other
hand, dreamless dark was designed to not take effect until the user was ready
to sleep, and when it did it would cause them to fall into an incredibly deep
slumber from which they wouldn’t wake for ten to twelve hours. It was perfect
for their task since the priestesses didn’t seem to have anyone keep a night
watch, assuming they could get it into the primary food supply.

Even
so it would be difficult. She had a large number of mana stones and crystals
available, but most of those would be needed for Medaea, so she didn’t dare use
too many of them. The important thing was to take down the priestesses and turn
as many as possible to their service. She snorted to herself as she recalled
the Archon’s postscript and the request that Adjudicator Jared had made. He’d
asked a half dozen beautiful priestesses, including the High Priestess. While
she thought it somewhat ridiculous, she should be able to manage easily managed
the request with the numbers of priestesses in the temple. What did he want, a
priestess for each day of the week? It made her respect for the Adjudicator dim
somewhat.

She
shook her head, shaking off the thoughts and smiled at James. “Good. We’ll be
waiting for you. Findley will save you lunch.”

“Hey!”
Findley protested, to the laughs of the others.

“Sounds
good.” James chuckled and nodded, pulling on his gloves, then grinned. “See ya
later!”

He
slipped out of the camp, and they all settled in to wait, confident that he’d
do his part.

James
slipped through the open gate without a problem, admiring the rear of a
priestess as she cranked the handle to pull a bucket of water out of the well.
He had to admit that this place was home to some of the most beautiful elves
he’d had the pleasure to see, even if the ones so far were in garb more
designed for farmers. Most of them thus far had been dawn elves, but the
occasional dusk elf could be seen here and there as well.

He
looked around, then sniffed, trying to locate the kitchens for the temple.
Wincing, he moved away from the compost heap before trying again. They thought
there were about seventy priestesses here, but they couldn’t be certain.
Finally, though, he caught a hint of food, and started following it to a
building near the main keep. Ironically enough, it was near the compost heap
that he’d been avoiding.

The
place did look more like a temple now that he was closer, at least. The walls
were covered in engravings of various angels, and other scenes he was certain
were important to their faith. He was more interested in getting past the lady
opening the door to throw out a bucket of compost.

Slipping
past her, he found himself in a large, busy kitchen. A half-dozen women were
going about their own tasks in the kitchen, and he had to pause in an out of
the way corner to decide how to go about adding his little addition to their
meal. He was tempted to mix it into the flour, but seeing the large pots of
soup simmering on an iron stove, he smiled to himself. None of them were
covered at the moment, either.

He
slipped forward past the woman chopping vegetables next to the stove, and
carefully poured a generous amount of the powder into each of the four pots. He
only barely avoided being bumped into as he darted out of her way, then headed
for the baker as well. He couldn’t guarantee that everyone in the temple would
eat the same thing, and he wanted to be sure to dose everyone.

“High
Priestess? I’m here with your dinner.” The voice broke High Priestess Visna out
of her meditation, and she took a moment before opening her eyes and looking up
at her visitor.

“Thank
you, Antessa.” Visna replied after a moment, giving the other priestess a
smile. “My apologies. I have been having odd premonitions of late. I worry that
our newest priestess hasn’t arrived yet. It is possible that she fell along the
path to the temple, which would be quite unfortunate.”

The
other priestess set the tray of food on Visna’s table and nodded, sighing and
shaking her head. The fare was a simple bowl of soup, slice of bread, green
salad, and a mug of tea, from the smell of it. Antessa shrugged and replied.
“Well, we don’t get much news up here, so I can’t say as I’m surprised. It’s
possible she’s helping people, giving healing as is our creed. What was her
name again?”

“Diana,
I believe.” Visna told her, shrugging before slowly climbing to her feet,
wincing. “Oof. Perhaps I was sitting for a little too long this time.”

“Sitting
on a bare stone floor will do that to you, High Priestess. Even if it is almost
summer.” Antessa grinned gently at her, pulling out the chair for Visna. “Would
you like anything else?”

“No
thank you, Antessa. Go get your own dinner, hmm?” Visna smiled in thanks as she
sat down again, this time in a more comfortable chair, though. “I’ll be fine
for now.”

“Of
course. I’ll be back in an hour for your tray.” Antessa promised, leaving the
room and closing the door softly.

Visna
chuckled softly and started to eat at a leisurely pace. There wasn’t much to do
this far up the mountains anyway. She didn’t have to hurry.

The
temple had been dark for an hour when Serel nodded to the others and moved
toward the structure silently. They all knew what to do.

The
gate was barred, but an enchanted blade cut through the bar easily, dropping it
to the ground with a loud clatter. It was more noise than she would prefer, but
Serel wanted to hurry. Fortunately there wasn’t an immediate response, and
Serel waited as two of the other Enforcers checked for the two gatekeepers in
the gatehouse. As they exited the gatehouse, nodding, she nodded in approval
and gestured to the others to spread out. She personally checked the chapel,
opening it and glancing around the interior. The beautiful building was lined
with stained glass that depicted Medaea’s deeds, with a large marble altar in
front of the pews as well as small shrines along the sides of the chapel. She
quickly walked through, noticing a hidden door on the wall near the altar,
which she quickly investigated. Inside she found nothing but a small fitting
room filled with robes and other tools of the faith, she quickly retreated
outside. There was an interior door that led into the main keep, but first they
needed to clear the other buildings.

They
went through the dormitory in a blur, and only one woman was awake when they
came through, and the elf was bleary-eyed from staying up late, reading some
book or another. She’d looked up in surprise, and had only managed a yelp of
shock before Findley knocked her out cold. All of the others were in deep,
dreamless sleep, so they moved on to the keep.

This
was where the higher ranking priestesses stayed, but Serel paused in the main
library, studying an ornate panel. It wasn’t hard to see the signs of another
secret passage, but this one seemed different. If her senses weren’t betraying
her, it was heavily trapped. She debated, then set it aside for the moment. She
could get the priestesses to tell her how to safely open the passage later.

It
was oddly anti-climactic, though, as none of the other priestesses had been
awake along the way, all of them curled up in their beds and unknowing of the
fate which was descending upon them.

Finally
they came to the top of the tower, though, where a single set of quarters lay
before them. The door was locked as well, but Serel calmly pulled out a set of
lockpicks and unlocked the simple device in short order. She actually paused at
the sight of the room, mildly impressed at how simply furnished the room was.

Most
of the powerful clergy she’d seen tended to have overly elaborate rooms,
priceless artifacts, and all the luxuries they could manage to fit into their
chambers. This had none of those, though. It was simple, with a small bookcase
of holy texts, a table, a few rugs, and a bed. And in the bed, sleeping deeply,
was a final dawn elf. She was beautiful enough, with crimson hair and pale skin.
But as soon as she stepped forward, Serel paused, looking at the ring sitting
on the sideboard.

The
elaborate ring was the ring of the Archpriestess. Which should not have been
here, to her knowledge. The Archpriestess was in the high temple of Medaea in
Yisara, not here in the mountains. At least, that’s what all the information on
the church of Medaea told her.

Well,
whatever the case she would find out soon enough. She grabbed the woman first, planning
to enslave the woman first. Keeping all but one of the priestesses off the
grounds of the temple for a full day would be a bit difficult, but it was less
difficult than taking the place to begin with. It wasn’t a bad start to her
plans, but the hard part was still ahead of them.

Chapter 14

White-hot
pain woke Visna, and she screamed, trying to roll out of bed as she opened her
eyes in confusion. More accurately, she tried and failed at everything but
opening her eyes.

Her
mouth was filled by something that tasted of leather, and she couldn’t see. She
could hear voices chanting something, but her ears were plugged, like they
filled with earwax. The air was cool against her skin, and she couldn’t move.
Her back was pressing against something soft, but hard leather bound her wrists
and ankles. But the all-encompassing pain was coming from just below her navel.

She
writhed, but the large patch of white-hot heat didn’t ease or move away from
her body at her efforts. She reached out to Medaea in a panic, but something
was terribly, horribly wrong. The connection was tenuous like she’d never felt
it before, like something was interfering with her connection to her goddess.

That
was when she felt the magic begin to spreading in the midst of the scorching
heat. It was like ink-black threads of pure darkness seeping through her veins,
twisting through her as they searched for something. It made her hiss in pain
as they spread darkness through her body, anchoring themselves as they moved.
One of them finally found the entrance into the core of her magic at the base
of her spine, and a spike of white-hot pain nearly made her pass out again.

The
threads found their way inside one after another, connecting to the core of her
power, wrapping around her mind and tying her down tightly. She hissed as her
connection to her goddess was strangled by those threads, growing tenuous to
the point that it almost broke. And then it slowly spread outward, her skin
tingling as the dark energy radiated through her, across every inch of her skin
in an agonizingly slow wave. Something buried itself deep inside her, and
slowly the heat from her groin faded from that white-hot sensation.

Collapsing
backward with a whimper into the gag, Visna wondered what had happened to her.
She felt cold metal against her groin now, and after a moment it was pulled
away. Muffled voices could be heard, no longer chanting, and she realized in
horror that she her magic felt like it was sealed away. It was dormant somehow,
out of reach of her mental command. She struggled as hands untied her, and then
a robe thrust roughly over her head before whomever it was chained her hands
and legs together and dragged her off.

She
was chained to a wooden post of some kind, and she waited anxiously for a
little while, wondering what was going on. But with her hearing almost entirely
negated and unable to see or speak, she couldn’t do much. After a few minutes
she felt a strange, fuzzy sensation creeping over her, and she fell asleep in
spite of herself.

One
of the only problems with branding the new slaves while they were under the
effect of dreamless dark was that the pain woke them without fail, Serel
reflected as the latest priestess woke, thrashing against her restraints while
the five Enforcers chanted. Serel was pressing the branding iron firmly against
the woman’s lower body herself. Having to shave all of them was annoying as
well, but at least the process of branding them dealt with that issue
permanently.

The
process also took a fair amount of mana to manage, but they were getting
through the priestesses at a fair pace. The groundskeeper who’d been left on
the grounds, tied up and guarded by an Enforcer, would be the last one to be
branded on the morrow. Fortunately, though, she’d made certain to have the
highest ranking priestesses separated out. All of them had been dealt with
first, and once branded they were utterly harmless. So long as no one made the
mistake of letting them back on holy ground within a day, that is. Or if anyone
had holy water, she supposed, but all of that should be back in the temple.

She
watched the gold lines play over their current subject’s skin and smiled as she
saw that she was almost done. This had been a long night.

Visna
woke with a start as she felt someone grab her head, and then something was
pulling at the wax in her right ear. She winced as the wax came free with a
pop, and all of a sudden it was too loud for her as she winced and felt air
flowing freely through her ear again. The process repeated with her left ear,
and she was left alone for a moment, though she heard the sounds of footsteps
in front of her.

Finally
a female voice spoke, her intonation almost harsh. “You are now a slave of
Kelvanis. You are forbidden from trying to betray us, and those of your faith
who you do not know are already slaves must be misled into believing nothing
out of the ordinary has happened to you. You are required to answer my questions
fully and honestly, and not attempt to escape.”

Visna’s
eyes went huge as the most horrible possibility she could imagine came true.
Terror shot through her body as she realized that the incredible pain the night
before must have been her being branded by the speaker. She tried to resist the
commands as they washed through her, but they were orders without form or
substance as of yet. Unless she actively pitted herself against it in a
specific instance, she couldn’t tell whether she could beat it or not. A faint
part of her mind doubted it, with the way her magic had been utterly
subjugated.

Hands
slowly removed the blindfold, and Visna saw the human Enforcer for the first
time. The black-haired woman was surprisingly normal looking, aside from the tattoo
on her cheek, but her eyes were hard and her expression severe. Then she added,
removing the gag. “I am High Enforcer Serel. You will treat me with respect and
without any outbursts.”

“W-what
do you want?” Visna asked, her voice breaking from the way she’d been gagged
all night, her muscles sore as well.

“What’s
your position in the Church of Medaea? Why do you have the ring of the
Archpriestess?” Serel asked, and Visna’s eyes went wide, and she resisted the
sudden, overwhelming impulse to answer.

“I…”
Visna’s willpower held out for a few seconds, and then she spoke, angry with
herself and the woman in front of her, but unable to stop herself from
speaking. “I’m the Archpriestess. The one in the capital is...is in charge of
the public ceremonies...and dealing with the bureaucracy of the church.”

“I
see. Interesting.” Serel looked her over for a moment, then smiled thinly. “You
are forbidden from trying to pass on your mantle of authority. Now then, I want
you to tell me all about the priestesses and any others that might live in your
temple here, save for the one who has slept for over a thousand years. We’ll
discuss her later.”

Visna’s
eyes went wide at the evidence that someone knew about the hidden shrine
beneath the temple, and that her goddess was down there. She was terrified, but
she couldn’t help herself as she began to speak in spite of the aches and pains
of her body.

For
whatever reason Serel untied Visna and the other priestesses, then let them talk
among themselves after giving all of them orders not to try to harm one another
or enter the temple. And Visna found that the faith of many of her sisters had
been shaken by the attack, which she couldn’t honestly blame them for. But one
of the priesthood was left inside the temple, which made her think that these
raiders knew far more about the temple’s safeguards than they should. It wasn’t
certain that Medaea would wake if all of them left the grounds, but it might
have caused the goddess to stir.

On
the other hand, the leering of the soldiers that accompanied Serel and her
Enforcers was extremely uncomfortable for all of them. At least Serel kept them
well away from her priestesses, which was the only saving grace of their
situation so far.

But
they were all kept outside until the next morning, when they were allowed back
inside and ordered to go about their normal tasks. The exception was Visna, who
had the painful experience of watching the last priestess get carried out of
the temple complex, tears streaming down her face in confusion. She couldn’t do
anything for the gagged woman, and she knew that soon Annette would be branded
as well.

Once
she was finished arranging the branding, Serel turned to Visna and asked
bluntly. “What traps or safeguards are there within the temple?”

“The
grounds are warded to detect those of powerful evil intent.” Visna spoke
bitterly, thinking about how that hadn’t helped. “There are wards to prevent
scrying as well. An angel will be summoned to the defense of the chapel should
it be desecrated. And the entrance into the sub-basement shrine is trapped with
numerous traps in layers, that go off if the Archpriestess doesn’t open the
doors with her ring in hand.”

“I
see. Go get your ring and meet me at the entrance to this sub-basement shrine.
Do not enter or attempt to do anything untoward to the entrance.” Serel smiled
thinly. “I need to get changed.”

Visna
reluctantly began the climb to her room. Fortunately, the Enforcer hadn’t said
she couldn’t change herself. Visna felt desperately in need of a bath, but she
doubted that even a bath would help wash away how dirty she felt. Eventually
she reached her room and oddly, found her ring exactly where she’d left it.

She
didn’t take it up immediately, and instead stripped off the robe so she could
finally examine the brand herself. She looked down at it, and found her fingers
trembling as she gently touched a flowing, elaborate pattern of gold, with what
looked like a spot for a vertical eye to fit at its heart. It was startlingly
pretty for such an evil sigil. It wasn’t burnt into her skin, and it wasn’t
actually a brand. It was somehow like it was part of her skin, and she could
feel ever so faintly, an immensely complicated, resilient structure to it. A
structure which she had no idea how to damage.

Growling
to herself, she found that she couldn’t actually swear and make a scene about
what had happened, even now that she was in private. It was obvious that
Serel’s previous orders were taking precedence, she realized, and finally she
sighed and went to work getting dressed while she internally fumed. She put on
one of her nicer robes and undergarments, then took her ring and headed
downstairs toward the library when she wasn’t able to delay any longer.

Serel
wasn’t waiting for her yet, somewhat to Visna’s surprise. One of the other
priestesses was tending the library with an unhappy expression on her face, but
there was nothing she could do about that either. So she waited as patiently as
she could. It was about another ten minutes before Serel stepped into the room,
and for a moment it was all Visna could do to keep from gawking at her.

The
other woman was wearing what looked like mummy wrappings. They covered every
inch of her skin and hair, leaving only her eyes exposed. The wrappings were
all inscribed with hundreds of tiny black runes along their length that Visna
wasn’t certain of the purpose of. It was so tightly wrapped around the woman’s
body that it was obvious that she couldn’t be wearing anything beneath it.

“What…?”
Visna began, only to be stopped by Serel’s glare.

“Enough.
Open the entrance properly.” Serel spoke harshly, obviously unhappy with
something. “And do nothing to warn those within, or to impede my entry.”

“As
you wish.” Visna sighed, and turned to look at the elaborate carvings that hid
the staircase downward. Holding out her finger with the ring, she pressed it
against a tiny divot in the carving, murmuring. “My Lady Shines in the
Darkness. Let Me Descend to Revere True Light.”

At
the password the carvings shone, and then slowly slid to the side, revealing a
stairwell. She nodded, swallowing. “There it is. There aren’t any other traps
on the way.”

“Fine.
Best to get this over with.” Serel murmured in irritation. “This outfit is
abominable.”

Serel
headed down, and after a moment of hesitation Visna followed her. She wasn’t
sure she’d ever have a chance to see her goddess again, and if her Lady woke
and smote Serel she’d prefer to be there to see it happen.

The
staircase descended nearly a hundred feet into the mountainside, and was
obviously ancient from the wear on the stones even though it well-maintained.
As they approached the bottom, the stone grew smoother and almost shone with
internal light, while a golden light grew below them.

Stepping
into the primary chamber was as absolutely amazing to Visna as always, and she
felt her connection to Medaea strengthen slightly in spite of how tenuous it
was. She tried to cry out to her goddess, but it felt like there was glass wall
between them. The chamber was broad and looked to have been excavated without a
single tool somehow, with all of the surfaces almost mirror smooth to look at.
Opposite of where they entered, there was a single alcove in the southern wall,
and a large upraised stone bier stood in the center of the room. Sitting in the
alcove was a suit of full plate armor, elaborately worked in silver and gold to
fit the curves of a woman like ornamental armor, along with a greatsword in a
crimson sheathe.

On
the bier was Medaea herself. A statuesque elven woman with sunlight-blond hair,
she was glowing faintly from within like the sun itself, and the armor was
obviously made to follow her generous body. The broad, white-feathered wings on
her back pressed firmly against the stone, and she was dressed in what looked
like a thin bathrobe. She was the most beautiful woman that Visna had ever
seen, and even though she was sleeping, her divine power rolled off her in
waves at every breath she took.

Serel
stopped, watching her for a long minute. Visna wasn’t certain if she was
watching in fascination or for some other purpose. She simply stood behind the
Enforcer, her heart sinking as Medaea didn’t respond to their presence. But
when Serel turned to leave, Visna glanced back at her goddess, and whispered
sorrowfully, a single tear trickling down her cheek as she nearly succumbed to
despair. “I’m sorry, my goddess.”

Chapter 15

Sistina
made certain that her captives died peacefully while they slept. There were
four women and three men among their number, and she actually felt faintly bad
about killing them as they had been so outmatched. But she wasn’t comfortable
with any of the other options available to her. She could have enslaved them
like their nation had enslaved Desa and Lily, but she wasn’t comfortable with that
at the moment. The only option she felt was reasonable was to simply let them
die peacefully.

However,
she also took care to examine their bodies closely as she let them die,
carefully breaking them down to figure out how their bodies worked. And as she
did she realized just how badly designed her own body was when she compared
what she saw to the samples of a few elves that she’d gotten from Phynis’
group.

Sistina’s
body was outwardly anatomically correct, and with her mana coursing through it,
it would even feel correct to others, but that was more of an illusion. Her
body was little more than a solid chunk of wood and sap which was made to feel
right by her mana. She had no internal organs and no nervous system, and it
irritated her to realize how wrong it actually was. It bothered her more than
she had ever expected for it to be incorrect.

So
while Lily worked on getting the gardens back into order, she merged her body
back into her tree and started experimenting. Part of the reason Lily was so
distracted was that they’d also supplied the elves with a large amount of food,
which left gaps in the plants which she was trying to repair.

Sistina
found her project was rather difficult. Trying to mimic the body of an elf or
human wasn’t easy for a being that was primarily plant. It took her several
tries just to get a start, and trying to make a plant form skin like what she
wanted was difficult. But little by little, she managed to work out a basic
skeletal system, then the organs as well, using the elven material she had as a
basis.

It
took her a while, but she persevered.

It
was about two weeks later that she stepped out of her tree again, blinking as
the colors, sensations, and...well, seemingly everything was more vibrant. It
was a distinct difference that she’d never expected, and Sistina blinked slowly
as she looked around her cave. But it was with her new senses that she suddenly
realized why everyone was wearing clothing. She’d have to make some for this
body quite soon, lest she grow uncomfortable in the cold or when she stepped on
a sharp rock.

But
she slowly started to walk through the trees and bushes, looking on the
vegetation with new eyes, eyes that could see the beauty differently. It was a
new perspective, as it were. And it fascinated her more than she could ever
express, even if she had full command of words again.

Returning
to her tree she prepared to make more clothing for her body. At the same time a
small part of her attention was focused on slowly excavating the buried library
as she’d promised. Yet another part of her was cultivating new plants, using
what she’d learned from merging the designs of plant and humans and elves,
starting to try to create more guardians for her caverns.

She
doubted that the kingdom of Kelvanis would leave her alone in the long run,
especially if the elves came back. If they did she intended to be ready for
them.

Chapter 16

“I
think that I hate mountains.” Phynis stated grimly, suppressing a moan as she
sat down in the carriage. The soft cushions were absolutely wonderful when
compared to the hard stones and thin bedrolls of the mountainsides.

“You
don’t hate mountains, you hate hiking through rugged, trackless mountains
filled with monsters, Your Highness.” Desa corrected as she stepped in after
the princess.

“Fair
point I suppose. Those harpies were a menace.” Phynis shuddered at the memory
of the creatures, and the hypnotic songs of the feathered menaces that had
managed to draw several of the others over the edge of a cliff to their deaths
before they’d been driven off.

“Well,
the harpies shouldn’t have been there at all.” Vendis interjected with a heavy
sigh, closing the door for them and looking in from outside. “A company was
supposed to clear out that entire area for us before we got that far. They
didn’t, and we paid the price. Believe me, Commandant Reems got a piece of my
mind for that foolish stunt.”

“Ah.
Well, it explains a little of the difficulties at least.” Phynis shook her
head. “How soon do you think we’re going to leave?”

“At
the rate his troops are preparing, I’d guess about half of an hour.” Vendis
replied thoughtfully, glancing around the courtyard of the fort at the soldiers
forming up for their escort. “Fortunately his soldiers seem competent enough,
even if their readiness isn’t what it should be. And the commandant is nothing
if not loyal. That’s important too.”

“Indeed.
I’ll let you return to your duties, Captain. Thank you for keeping me safe this
far. Don’t stray too far, though. I want to be able to tell my mother of the
excellent job you did when we reach Vara’Sel.” Phynis told her, smiling again
she sat back in her seat as she tried to get comfortable.

“Of
course, Your Highness.” Vendis smiled slightly, exchanging nods with Desa
before pulling away to ride herd on her own soldiers.

It
was a few minutes before Phynis asked. “How long do you think it’ll take us to
reach the capital from here, Desa?”

“Three
to four days, weather permitting.” Desa told her with a slight shrug. “The
roads in this part of the kingdom are somewhat more run down since they deal
with so much less traffic, but it should be much safer here since we’re so far
from the front lines.”

“True
enough, I suppose. I’m going to try to nap until we leave.” Phynis yawned, then
smiled at Desa calmly. “I’m looking forward to being home.”

“I
think we all are.” Desa said softly as Phynis closed her eyes, and the princess
somehow missed the hint of worry in Desa’s eyes.

Desa
was growing concerned. Not about her own mind or body, since everyone agreed so
far that she hadn’t changed since Sistina had altered her slave brand. No, she
was worried about Princess Phynis.

At
first Phynis had seemed perfectly normal, though she’d been obviously shocked and
distressed due to being branded. And some of her carelessness afterward could
be attributed to distraction resulting from her distress. But then things had
grown more concerning, and slowly more obvious to Desa.

Phynis
was growing more careless about details regarding her security, and missing
things that she wouldn’t have missed before their capture. Instead of being
proactive about her safety, she was leaving it to others. She also wasn’t
talking about political consequences of actions, as if she hadn’t even
considered them yet. That didn’t make any sense to Desa, as she’d known Phynis
for most of her life. She was becoming more and more passive, and she’d noticed
that Phynis hadn’t asked one of the questions that Desa had been asking herself
ever since they were ambushed.

How
had Kelvanis known which route they were taking back home from Galthor? There
were five commonly used roads that could be used to head to the capital, and
they’d chosen which one they were going to use that morning entirely at random,
using a set of playing dice. Yet the ambushing force had been in heavily
prepared positions with overwhelming numbers, and in possession of several
items specifically designed to negate her own magic.

All
of those factors led Desa to believe that someone had leaked their route to the
attackers. While their visit hadn’t been entirely secret, there were also very
few people who could have leaked their route in time for such an ambush to go
off. And all of them were high ranking, with significant political connections.

She
watched Phynis sleep with a slight frown, then sighed and shook her head. There
wasn’t much she could do at the moment. All she could do was talk about it with
Her Majesty later on. And speaking of Phynis’ mental change would be an unwelcome
part of that conversation.

Phynis
and her escort passed numerous small towns in the forest kingdom on their way
to the capital. Compared to the one human fortress-city that she’d seen, these
were very different towns and cities. Most of the towns were almost hidden,
with a small stronghold at their heart for those who couldn’t flee to hold out
against attacks. Unfortunately, Desa realized with more than a little sadness
that she saw more defensive towers and even walls here and there than had
existed before their conflict with Kelvanis had started a decade before.

The
cities were far smaller, too, and they stayed at a few heavily guarded manors
along the way. She wasn’t entirely happy with their escort’s competence, as it
took them five days to reach the capital, but at last it came into sight.

Vara’Sel
was considered the jewel of Sifaren and was built on the ruins of one of the
ancient cities of Everium. It was said that many unknown enchantments improved
the health and wellbeing of the inhabitants, while the ancient sewer system
still functioned flawlessly, making it one of the cleanest cities in the known
world. Dozens of mage towers dotted the neighborhoods just inside of the white
stone walls that enclosed the city, while large areas of gardens and glades
allowed nature to grow even in the heavily settled region.

“Almost
there.” Desa spoke happily, her back straightening as she saw the walls of the
palace come into sight, gleaming in the afternoon light. “It’ll be good to be
home again.”

“Agreed.
That trip was not nearly as fun as I had hoped it would be.” Phynis told her,
sitting up as she looked at the palace, and then gave a wan smile to Desa. “And
honestly, I’m not looking forward to seeing mother too much at the moment.”

“What?
Why?” Desa blinked in surprise, then her eyes narrowed. “You almost look like
you have something untoward planned, Highness.”

“You
always call me that when you’re annoyed with me.” Phynis replied, smiling a
little, but Desa saw her hands trembling slightly.

“Princess…”
Desa sighed, then shook her head. “What are you planning?”

“I’m
going to ask mother to make Zanath crown prince.” Phynis spoke softly, clasping
her hands in front of her. “I’m...compromised. Even if we went back and got
Sistina to change my brand, it would still exist. I could still be potentially
commanded by someone not of the kingdom. I know that I was destined to rule
from birth, but unless it can be fixed, I must ask her to set me aside as
heir.”

“Phynis,
that’s…” Desa almost choked, her eyes widening as Phynis explained herself. “Is
this what’s been distracting you this entire trip back?”

“Was
it really that obvious? I was trying not to worry you or the others, but I
just...I didn’t know how to say it. How to explain what was going through my
head.” Phynis shook her head, lowering her face toward her lap. “I want to rule
Sifaren and to take mother’s place. It was what I was raised for, and what all
my training was for. But unless we can break the brands permanently, I can’t
trust myself in such a position of power. If even a single person who could
command slaves got too close to me, I could be turned against the kingdom. It’s
just not fair to the citizens to risk having a monarch who could be subverted
so easily.”

“I
understand. Your feelings are admirable, Phynis. I just hope that we can find a
way to break it given time. And that your mother is understanding as well.”
Desa replied with a gentle smile, reaching out to squeeze the princess’ knee
gently.

“Thanks.
I hope so, too.” Phynis smiled nervously at Desa, then turned her attention
back to the serene view as they traveled still closer to the city.

“Oh,
Phynis, how did you ever manage to get into so much trouble?” Queen Calath Constella’s
voice was soft as she rushed forward and hugged her daughter. “You never
worried me like this as a girl.”

“It’s
not like I did it on purpose.” Phynis protested weakly, hugging her mother
tightly and taking the moment to close her eyes and relax, free from danger.
But the moment passed she opened them to look at her mother, and a tiny spike
of concern grew as well.

The
queen looked tired. Oh, she was still young and beautiful looking, as elves
didn’t really physically age as they grew older, so she looked much like Phynis
herself, but there was something about the set of her shoulders and the
slightly more numerous lines around her eyes that betrayed increased anxiety
and stress.

“Perhaps
not, but even so, let’s have a look at you. Are you well, considering? I’ve
only heard a little of what happened, but I couldn’t wait on seeing you.” Queen
Calath said, stepping back and looking Phynis over critically.

They
were meeting in the private wing of the palace where the royal family lived.
There weren’t any others nearby, and the plaster walls with their fine
paintings were like old friends to Phynis. The familiar surroundings of the
other sculptures, furnishings, and personal mementoes made her feel more at
ease than she had for weeks. She felt her tension slowly easing, almost melting
away as she nodded.

“I’m...reasonably
well, I think. Physically they didn’t touch me at all, aside from the brand.
Mentally, I’m more than a little shaken.” Phynis admitted, shaking her head.
“They came so incredibly close to getting me back to Westgate, and once there,
they probably would have just teleported me to their capital. I’m somewhat
frightened to think of what would have happened at that point.”

“I
don’t blame you for being shaken. I know that I certainly would be, if I’d been
in your place. As soon as I heard that you’d vanished, I ordered our spies to
investigate, and for the army to prepare a potential rescue.” The queen smiled
sadly and shook her head. “Why don’t you sit down? I want to hear how you got
captured in your own words. We want to compare notes between you and your
guards, and see if we can’t figure out how it happened.”

“Sure.
But first, how are you? Has anything really changed?” Phynis asked, taking a
seat on a nearby sofa, feeling weary but less averse to explaining herself than
she’d expected.

“The
court is filled with defeatists, overconfident pricks who think the raids
aren’t worth concerning ourselves with, and warmongers who have no clue what
position we’re in.” The queen spoke bitingly, shaking her head in disgust. “So
no, nothing’s changed. The only fortunate thing to come of all of this was that
the raids eased up after your capture, but that’s a minor blessing, considering
that we almost lost you.”

“There
has to be a silver lining to the clouds somewhere.” Phynis sighed, shaking her
head. “Now, you were asking about how I was captured. I’m trying to think of
how to explain.”

She
paused for a long moment, then sighed, shaking her head. “We went to Galthor to
perform inspections on the garrison and defenses there, as you know. All of
that went well. I’m impressed at the precautions that Baron Galthor built into
the fortress, though I fear he may have to adjust some of them since we were
captured. I don’t know if any of the others spoke of what we saw there, but I
wasn’t asked about the defenses.”

“We
left in the early morning. Desa chose the route from five possible by rolling a
die, and we headed out along the eastern trail. It seemed to go well for most
of the day, but just as we were preparing to make camp for the night, the
ambush hit.” Phynis hesitated, then bowed her head slightly. “I don’t remember
much. A spell hit me early on which left me dazed, but I vaguely remember the
combat. There were two dozen of them, and three mages who exchanged blasts with
Desa. I think she was weakened or something along those lines. There were at
least five attackers for each of my guards and then some, most of which came
after me. They had a sack over my head before I recovered from the spell, and
they tied me up and quickly headed south for Grayhold. There they...branded me
first, then I was given a private room and servants to keep me comfortable
while they prepared to transfer me to Westgate.”

“I
see. That makes me wonder about the situation. Do you think that Captain Desa
could have...?” The queen began to ask, and Phynis took a moment before she
realized what her mother was asking.

“No!
Of course not!” Phynis protested hotly. “She was captured, branded, and raped!
Plus her magic was sealed away, and you know how important her magic is to her!
There is no way in the Hells she would have given me up!”

“Calmly,
Phynis. We have to examine every possibility.” Queen Calath calmed her, smiling
slightly as she shook her head. “I didn’t think she would either, but I had to
ask. Your reaction tells me much, though, and we’ll see what the reports can
reveal. Now then. Tell me about this Sistina you met if you would?”

Captain
Desa went to a knee and bowed her head as she spoke, somewhat nervously.
“Greetings, Your Majesty.”

“Rise,
Captain.” In her full royal regalia Queen Calath was intimidating, even if Desa
had met her in private before. There was no smile on Calath’s face at the
moment, and her eyes were hard.

Desa
rose and took a parade rest stance, not even glancing at the two guards behind
Her Majesty’s chair, and trying to ignore the other two behind her. She stood
there and waited for the queen to speak as her monarch studied her with
narrowed eyes. And slowly the butterflies in her stomach grew still more active
as several minutes passed without the queen speaking. It was almost a relief
when the silence was finally broken.

“How
were you captured, Captain? You’re a master ranked ice mage. You should have
been able to take out fifty soldiers attacking with a single powerful spell.”
The queen’s question was blunt, and the anger in her eyes couldn’t be feigned.

“The
opposition used a mana dispersal chime as part of their opening assault.
Moments later their mages activated restriction wards all around the area,
severely weakening my magic. I attempted to counter attack, but was facing what
I believe were two adepts and a master mage, all of whom were drawing on mana
stones.” Desa reported, then hesitated before admitting. “While they were
fighting me, one of the soldiers managed to hit me with an ensorcelled dart
which knocked me unconscious. I believe they were well-prepared for our party
in particular.”

“I
see. And what happened to you after your capture?” Queen Calath’s eyes hadn’t
softened at all, and Desa swallowed hard at the response.

“I
was kept unconscious until they branded me with the slave crest, Your Majesty.”
Desa explained, then closed her eyes, swallowing again before continuing. “Then
they...took me and the other guards and gave us to the orcs for two days. We
were allowed a day of recovery before they set out for Westgate.”

The
words finally caused a flicker of shock to run across the queen’s face, and
after a moment she spoke. “Princess Phynis didn’t report that aspect, Captain.
Why not?”

“Because
we didn’t tell her, Your Majesty. She was anxious enough, without knowing
about...that.” Desa explained, shuddering even as she shook her head.

“Very
well. Now then, why did you volunteer to undergo this...process with the entity
known as Sistina?” The queen moved on, to Desa’s immense relief.

“Because
after what had happened, I knew that I was utterly helpless with my magic
sealed. I’m a modest swordswoman at best, and Private Evrial chose not to
volunteer for the ritual. We were leaving in the morning, and the ritual could
be used to free me from influence of other orders permanently, at least in
theory. And last of all, I wanted to be able to defend myself if we were caught
again, Your Majesty.” Desa told her, shrugging slightly. “And since the others
were more hesitant than I was, I thought that someone had to do it. If no one
was willing to attempt the process, we have no way of knowing whether Sistina’s
solution would be able to help. No one has mentioned noticing any problems with
my behavior as of yet, and I’m only slightly less powerful than I was before.”

“Hmm…”
The queen looked at her for a long moment, then nodded. “Now, how do you think
that this whole incident came about?”

“That
is a...complicated answer, but I’ll tell you as best as I can.” Desa replied
after a moment, taking a deep breath. “There are six people who I told what
route we were taking back here before we’d left the city, Your Majesty. Myself
and Princess Phynis, of course. Then there’s Captain Varthal Ansov, of the city
guard of Galthor. Baron Galthor also knew, of course, as did Duchess Elina, and
General Fairbrook. Our route had to have been leaked by one of those six, and I
cannot imagine that it was myself or Her Highness. So it has to be one of those
four.”

“Indeed.
An excellent assessment, Captain Desa.” Queen Calath finally smiled with a hint
of warmth, shaking her head. “And I’m glad that your head for threats hasn’t
dulled too much. I didn’t really suspect you, but it’s best to be certain. Oh,
we can’t fully trust any of you to guard Phynis on your own for a while, and
we’ll have to keep a close eye on you, but I don’t really believe that you’re a
traitor in any way. And besides, Phynis would be upset to lose your company,
and I can’t say that I blame her. I’m sorry to hear about your treatment,
though. I won’t tell Phynis.”

“Thank
you, Your Majesty.” Relief flooded Desa, and she took a deep breath as the
queen got up and walked to where she could look out over the castle gardens.
“What do you wish of me, then?”

“Please
be honest with me, Desa. Is Sistina a threat?” Queen Calath asked, glancing
over her shoulder at Desa.

“Ahh...doubtful,
Your Majesty?” Desa blinked in shock. That was the last question she expected
to be asked just now. “She’s a genius loci.”

“And
why is that a factor in this? She obviously possesses the ruins of some part of
Everium’s capital.” The queen challenged, not turning around this time.

“Because
a genius loci, while they can expand, find it difficult to grow beyond a
certain point. Their territory appears to be restricted to an approximately
spherical area around their...core, for lack of a better term, and every expansion
takes enormously more magical power than before. I have never heard of any of
them managing to grow more than ten to fifteen miles across, and that includes
the much-rumored dungeon called the Road to Hell.” Desa told her after a moment
of thought. “Now, that doesn’t mean that inside her domain she can’t be
incredibly deadly, but she didn’t hurt any of us, and actually helped us with
no reason to do so. I don’t think she’s a threat.”

“Fair
enough. Did Phynis tell you that she wishes to be set aside as Crown Princess
in favor of Zanath?” The queen shocked Desa again, as she felt quite
off-balance by this point.

“Yes,
she did. She said she was a liability, approximately, so long as she is
branded.” Desa managed to say, hesitant now. “She said more, but that is what
it amounted to.”

“Indeed.”
Turning back, Queen Calath smiled again, thinly. “Now, Captain, why would each
of the people you told about your route betray you?”

“Umm...Captain
Varthal probably wouldn’t. He’s a career guard, and has worked his way up the
ranks for nearly a century. By the same token, though, he has no noble
ancestry, and he’s likely about reached the limit of how high he can climb in
the ranks. An appropriate reward from Kelvanis might be able to tempt him, no
matter how honorable he might seem to be.” Desa’s mind raced, and she spoke as
fast as she could, knowing that Her Majesty had a tendency to try to get
instinctive responses out of people. “Baron Galthor’s son was courting the
princess during parties while she was there, and had difficulties taking no for
an answer. It’s possible that he overheard which route we were taking and chose
to take some form of revenge. I can’t imagine the baron doing it, as he’s lost
so much territory and people to Kelvanis, but with the reduced attacks I’ve
heard about, it’s possible that he cut a deal with them. I hate to even
consider it, but it is possible.”

“Duchess
Elina is courting Zanath, who is the heir after the Princess even if you don’t
set her aside. Zanath seemed to be receptive the last I had heard, so it’s
possible that the duchess wishes to be queen after you.” Desa took a deep
breath before continuing on to the last of the suspects. “And General Fairbrook
has been courting the Princess for at least four years that I am aware of. Just
like Baron Galthor’s son, it’s possible that he finally ran out of patience and
decided to try something stupid. It’s also possible that he intended to try for
a daring rescue, but circumstances went against him.”

“Again,
an excellent assessment. Your only mistake is that the General has been asking
me for Phynis’ betrothal for the past decade.” Queen Calath smiled thinly. “So
here’s your task, Captain Desa. When you aren’t with Phynis, you are to try and
figure out which of them betrayed you. I’ll have investigators as well, but you
might just shake them up since you were one of those targeted.”

Desa
swallowed as the blood drained from her face at the thought of the task before
her.

Chapter 17

The
outfit didn’t itch nearly as badly this time, but Serel was still less than
thrilled with how it stuck to her body. The thing chafed, too. On the other
hand, at least this time she wasn’t the only one having to deal with the
annoyance of the outfit.

Some
of the other Enforcers had grumbled about the outfits, and a few had been
sloppy about putting them on at first. They’d changed their minds when she’d
pointed out to them that if they didn’t have them on correctly, the goddess
would wake up and kill all of them. That had solved their resistance quickly enough,
and now her worries were focused on Medaea herself. Subduing a goddess
shouldn’t be as simple as what she’d been ordered to do, but a deity also
wouldn’t normally be sleeping indefinitely where someone could reach them.

There
were seven of them this time, and Serel had already ordered the high priestess
to stay outside, which had only made the woman even more unhappy with her
situation. The woman would likely consider attempting suicide if she knew what
was planned for her, though.

“Everyone
is clear on the location that they’ve been assigned?” Serel asked softly,
pausing in the stairwell heading downward.

“Yup.”
One of them muttered softly.

Another
chuckled before she spoke. “Of course. I see what you meant about this outfit
after your trip. It’s horrible.”

As
the others agreed with the statement, Serel smiled thinly under the tight
wrappings of her outfit, then continued. “Good. Now, remember, we have to press
our gems against her body at the same time, and once you feel them start being
absorbed, pull away immediately.”

“What
happens if we aren’t quick enough?” Adam asked curiously. “I’m going to try to
be fast enough, of course, but do we know?”

“I’m
not sure. The Archon didn’t say in his notes, and I personally don’t want to
find out.” Serel replied tartly, frowning.

“Alright,
I was just curious.” Adam murmured, shaking his head in amusement.

“Any
other questions? The only time I’ll speak after this is to say when to use the
gems.” She asked. When none of them spoke up she nodded and ordered grimly. “Let’s
get this done.”

She
went the rest of the way downstairs, annoyed at how long the trip was, but
unwilling to complain to the others about such a petty frustration. And when
they finally reached the room, she winced as one of the others behind her gasped
at the shockwaves of power being emitted by the goddess. The Enforcer’s
surprise wasn’t surprising to her, considering how overwhelming the power was,
but it definitely made her tense up. They couldn’t make any mistakes on their
attempt, and even the slightest noise worried Serel.

Fortunately,
Medaea didn’t seem to have noticed the gasp. She was slowly breathing in and
out, deep in her slumber. Serel really couldn’t understand why the goddess had
been sleeping for so long, but that was what she was doing. And that was
extremely fortunate, given that Serel could hardly breathe in the power she was
exuding while simply asleep.

Stepping
into the room, she took a deep breath, gesturing for the others to stay back as
she stepped up next to the goddess. The deity didn’t react, but the power
flowing off of her grew denser, causing Serel’s breath  to catch for a
moment. Reaching out, she almost trembled as she carefully tugged at the
loosely tied sash around Medaea’s waist that held her robe shut. The robe had
to have been here as long as the goddess herself, yet it seemed like it was in
perfect condition as well. Serel had to wonder if the silky material was deific
in origin or simply preserved by the goddess’ presence. Under the steady pull
of her hand the sash came loose ever so slowly, almost as if it had been tied
only a few minutes before. Then the sash came untied and slid to either side of
the goddess, taking the robe almost far enough apart as it showed a few
tantalizing inches of flawless skin, but not quite enough for the job in store
for them. Taking another breath, Serel inched the robe to either side
carefully, feeling relief when it slid easily and didn’t seem to disturb Medaea
at all.

And
even better, she saw no pubic hair, which should make the step after this one
much easier. She stepped back and took several more breaths, then gestured the
others in nervously. This could go very badly, and she was trying not to lose
her nerve. The others came into the room and approached to take up their
positions while she slowly stepped around to near Medaea’s head, producing the
gem which she’d assigned herself.

The
gem was a spindle, like most mindshards, but this one was unusual in that it was
a deep amethyst color, where most were clear. But most potential slaves only
got these shards after they were already branded, and even then having a single
one implanted was rare. Looking at her six companions, each carrying a
different gemstone, all of them amethysts of various forms, she supposed she
shouldn’t be surprised that it was going to take all of them to at least
partially control a goddess.

She
prepared herself, looking at the others, and stepped forward, holding out the
spindle near the crown of Medaea’s head. Oval gems were held near her forehead,
top of the breastbone in her cleavage, navel, and where the slave crest would
sit, while more faceted jewels were near her throat and solar plexus. All of
the other Enforcers seemed to be having trouble breathing, and Serel took a
deep breath before nodding and whispering. “Now.”

Serel
pressed the gem against the crown of Medaea’s head at the same time as the
others, and her eyes went huge as she felt a sudden heat and pressure bear down
on her. It was immense, almost suffocating and like the charge in the air when
lightning was about to strike. From the tension of the other Enforcers, Serel
was fairly sure that they felt something similar as well, and she tensed to
pull away as quickly as she could.

Medaea’s
breathing hitched for a moment as she let out a soft gasp. The goddess’ finger
twitched ever so slightly and fear coursed through Serel. Had they failed? Were
they about to be utterly destroyed?

The
moment she felt the gemstone grow warm and start to sink into the goddess’s
skull, Serel pulled back her hand, gasping as the sense of a charge vanished
with a faint pop. All of the others pulled back as well...but James, who was
pressing the jewel against the deity’s lower body, wasn’t quite fast enough.

James
didn’t even have time to scream. His body and clothing suddenly lit up like a
small sun had appeared within him. An instant later he vanished in a sudden
haze of ashes that glowed as they disintegrated as well.

Everyone
froze as Medaea stirred more, and Serel’s eyes were fixed on the golden-haired
goddess’s eyelids as they twitched several times. The jewels slowly melted into
her body, the oval ones remaining exposed as strange adornments...and then
Medaea slowly relaxed again, settling back into her sleep.

Motioning
the others out, they were almost at the top of the stairs before Adam let out a
nervous laugh and spoke. “Well, now we know why we had to pull away so
quickly.”

“Please
stop pacing so much.” Serel said, annoyed as she glanced up at the high
priestess. She didn’t make it an order, since too many orders could eventually
have unanticipated consequences.

The
dawn elf stopped pacing, glaring at Serel for a moment, then sighed and asked.
“Enforcer, may I ask a question?”

“You
just did.” Serel replied mildly, taking another sip of wine as she studied the
book on magic she’d found in the library. It was quite interesting, even if she
had a few difficulties with the language. While she could speak and understand
elven fairly well, reading it was fairly difficult, and she continued to speak.
“You may ask others, though. I likely will not answer them, but you may ask.”

“Thank
you.” Visna paused for another moment, then finally asked. “What are you doing
in the shrine downstairs?”

Serel
glanced up at the elf then went back her book, ignoring the question. That
wasn’t something she was going to tell the high priestess, no matter what
happened. Instead she turned the page, continuing her study of their healing
art. It was a different style of magic than was described in most of the texts
back in Kelvanis, and Serel thought it might also be easier to understand and
utilize.

“Fine.
May I at least ask what’s going to happen to my fellow priestesses and I?”
Visna asked, frustration in her voice.

“Most
of your number are going to be instructed to stay here and do what’s needed to
keep up the illusion that nothing untoward has happened here.” Serel spoke
unhurriedly, looking up and smiling thinly. “Unfortunately for you, my initial
instructions were to bring the high priestess and five ranking priestesses back
with me. I don’t know what is planned for you, but given your rank your
situation may or may not improve.”

“...And
how soon will that happen?” Visna asked, her tone growing more bitter as she
looked at the floor of the room.

“That
depends. If things go well, we’ll leave within the week.” Serel paused and
shook her head. “If things do not go well, you’ll have the pleasure of seeing
all of us die. Though likely as not another force will arrive and take all of you
away in any case.”

“I
don’t take pleasure in death. All life has meaning to it. Even if I hate you, I
wouldn’t take pleasure in your death.” Visna replied caustically, causing Serel
to pause and look up at her thoughtfully.

“...I
suppose. I find that strange.” Serel shrugged and shook her head. “But I am now
studying. I will not answer further questions.”

The
room grew silent as Visna looked out the window and Serel read the book,
vaguely thoughtful in spite of herself, pondering Visna’s words.

“Do
you think this part is going to be as dangerous as implanting the gems?” Vivian
asked as the two women got dressed in the outfits designed to hide them from
Medaea’s senses.

“It
shouldn’t be. According to my notes, the gems are connected to all of her
primary sensory centers, and they should keep her from realizing what is
happening, though her body may involuntarily react.” Serel replied, shaking her
head slightly. “It will still be dangerous, and the notes point out that a
violation of her specific precepts might possibly wake her, so we need to be
cautious. Our task is to brand her, though that is going to be difficult in its
own right.”

“How
is it even supposed to work? You said that this ritual we’re going to be
maintaining for a day, so doesn’t that mean that the holy ground will destroy
the brand almost immediately afterward?” Farin interjected her own inquiry as
she adjusted her arm coverings.

“That’s
why we are taking a day to do it. The brand can be broken by holy ground or
holy water, yes, but that only happens once the ritual ends.” Serel shook her
head as she continued, sighing. “In this case the ritual will technically be
done in less than ten minutes, as normal. However, we’re going to keep the
ritual going for a full day so that the day has passed before the ritual ends.
That way it can’t be broken by holy ground. It’s going to take an immense
amount of mana, though, which is why the Archon sent all of the mana stones he
did with us.”

“Oh.”
Farin digested the thought for a moment, then smiled. “That’s a clever way to
get past the holy ground. Expensive, but worthwhile in this particular case.”

“Assuming
we succeed. I’m guessing this is why you’re having us rotate who speaks the
ritual lines every repetition, and that we rotate participants every hour?” Vivian
commented, tilting her head slightly as she finished wrapping her arms, with
only her face next.

“Quite.
This is going to be long and tedious. Try not to get us all killed. I’d be very
put out.” Serel replied with a slight grin.

“Right.”
Vivian murmured with a nod.

Farin
just grinned and shook her head, teasing. “Don’t plan on it.”

Most
of the equipment she’d been given for this mission were simple and elegant,
like the poison and gems, Serel reflected. They were carefully designed to
carry out their purpose with minimal effort.

The
heavy steel framework that they’d assembled around Medaea was the opposite of
that. The piping was obviously designed to be heavy, and it sat wide of either
side of the bier the goddess laid on. Getting the parts down the stairs and
assembling them had been a pain in the ass, particularly in the clothing they
had to wear to avoid her attention. The two pieces attached to the frame were
even simpler. A padded bar was designed to go across the goddess’s shoulders
and was attached to the frame by bars and springs that would push her back down
if she tried to move, while a similar one was across her hips, though that one
also had the elaborate branding iron set into it as well. And all across the
frame were dozens of sockets for the mana stones she’d been supplied with for
the project.

The
last of the stones were in place, and she took a deep breath as the bars
settled against Medaea’s skin, the branding iron pressing around the gem that
had perfectly fused into the deity’s skin. Fortunately Medaea didn’t stir at
all, her breathing coming soft and slow.

Smiling
slightly, Serel took a deep breath, nodding to the others as they took their
positions, and then she began to speak the words of the ritual. The words were
guttural and deep in the echoing chamber, and the branding iron began to slowly
glow with a violet light.

Everyone
flinched as the goddess shuddered, then convulsed slightly, pressing up against
the springs, which quickly pushed her downward again with soft creaking sounds.
They had no illusions about what would happen if there were a harsh reaction
from the goddess. The springs and framework would be less than useless if that
were the case, but it was mostly there to keep her from moving so much that the
branding iron was in the wrong place.

Serel
continued speaking, her voice not hitching as she watched the deity, hoping
that she wasn’t about to die here.

It
had been an exhausting day. Hour after hour of rotating through who was
speaking the ritual’s words, and the occasional other Enforcer coming down to
replace one of the five who were participating. When one left, they would have
three hours to eat, drink, and rest before they had to return down and do it
again.

But
Serel knew, no matter how grungy and tired they were, that they were near the
end of the ritual. They’d cycled through twenty-four times, so as soon as the
next Enforcer came down and gave her the nod that it had been at least
twenty-four hours since they started, they could go through the final stages of
the ritual one last time, and they’d be done.

She
almost missed it when one of the others appeared in the stairwell in spite of
herself. Exhaustion and habit had long since taken hold of her, and she spoke
the words habitually as her turn came. It was only then that she noticed Adam
in the doorway, gesturing to her. Her heart surged with joy as she realized
that they were almost done, and she almost screwed up one of the words of the
chant from the distraction, which wrenched her attention back to what she was
doing.

They
went through the final words, the mana pulsing around them one last time, and
then with a gesture, Serel brought the ritual to an end. The next person nearly
started out of habit, but didn’t get far enough as she gave him a look, shaking
her head. And she slowly stepped toward the frame, the mana stones on it almost
all dark and empty, as Medaea slowly settled down again. Reaching forward,
Serel noticed her hands were trembling as she undid the bolt holding the
branding iron in place, and then carefully removed it.

Her
breath caught as she saw the beautiful, perfectly formed crest inscribed into
Medaea’s skin. It was a deep, rich purple, unlike any other brand she’d seen
before, and of a far more complex design as well. She slowly smiled, then
circled around to near the goddess’s head.

Licking
her chapped lips, Serel barely noticed her outfit as she spoke softly. “I order
you to continue sleeping until ordered otherwise. Sleep deeply, and do not take
notice of being moved or intrusions into your domain.”

Medaea
sighed and seemed to settle even deeper into sleep at the order. Serel
hesitated, but decided that now was the time to test whether or not it had
worked. So she reached up and unwrapped the bindings around her head, breathing
the open air for the first time down here as the other Enforcers tensed. When
the deity didn’t respond, she unwrapped her right hand, and reached out to
touch the deity’s skin gently.

There
was a shock, like when one had built up static electricity, but it didn’t hurt
Serel even though she jumped slightly. But the deity’s skin was warm and
smooth, soft like nothing Serel had touched before. She sighed slightly, then
looked at the others and nodded. “Take down the frame. We’ll come down tomorrow
to put her in her casket to transport her.”

“Yes,
ma’am.” Adam spoke in hushed surprise, and Serel smiled broadly as she nodded
to herself.

With
Medaea subdued they would soon be able to move her out of the temple. She
thought that Adam would be tasked with arranging the capture of the angel who
was the temple chapel’s guardian. While not specifically part of her orders, it
would not be amiss to bring another prize to the Archon, should the regular
priestess brand work on the angel. If it didn’t, she could always have the
angel killed.

Serel
hummed happily to herself as she climbed the stairs, a spring to her step as
she headed for the bed she’d claimed for her own to rest for at least six
hours. Six hours would be lovely.

Chapter 18

Sistina’s
attention was drawn away from experimenting with combining the mana from her
nodes when she noticed a group of four dozen humans, a few half-elves, and
about two dozen elves that had just come into sight outside. They were
well-armed, and had dozens of what had to be horses. Sistina hadn’t remembered
what horses were until just a moment before, but the sight of them had brought
the memory of them back. The group stopped a decent distance from the front
cavern and began to set up camp, causing her to frown internally. She couldn’t
properly sense them from this distance, but she thought that most of the ones
doing the labor were the elves, though a few humans were doing so as well. Were
these people from Kelvanis? Either way, she thought that this could very well
be the start of an invasion. So she opened her eyes and headed over to where
Lily was working on her soup for dinner.

She’d
made herself clothing after adjusting her body, which had actually been simpler
than making clothing for Lily since she was perfectly aware of her own body’s
shape. The same plant that she’d used before supplied the fabric, and she’d
chosen to go with simple green dyes to make her life easier. Besides, the tunic
and trousers matched colors of her leaves.

“Sistina?”
Lily looked up and blinked slightly. “Is something wrong?”

Considering
a moment, Sistina nodded and then pointed toward the entrance. “Intruders.”

Pointing
at Lily, she added. “Inside.”

“Ah,
you want me to stay inside because of intruders?” Lily obviously knew what she
meant, and was just checking to be certain, so Sistina nodded. The elf nodded
herself and smiled. “I can do that. Thanks for letting me know.”

Nodding
in return, Sistina gave Lily a faint smile and headed back toward her tree,
growing thoughtful as she went.

“Alright.
The camp’s set up, get organized for the night. We’ll test out the cave early
tomorrow morning.” Lord Evansly ordered his troops with a grin, patting one on
the shoulder.

It
usually took new members of his company by surprise that their commanding
officer was a dusk elf, and that he tended to get along so well with his
troops, but they usually got over it in short order. The slaves, on the other
hand, tended to hate his guts since he was a filthy traitor in their eyes.

Evansly
preferred to think of himself as being an opportunist who’d seen the way the
winds were blowing a bit over a decade ago. He actually felt bad about what
he’d had to do to get a position with Kelvanis, but his wife had finally
forgiven him for sacking her hometown almost six months before, and not a
moment too soon from his point of view. Besides, she never would have been as
wealthy as she was now.

Evansly
knew it was a combination of his knowledge of elves, his loyalty to Kelvanis,
and the loyalty of his troops that had caused the Adjudicator to choose him for
this job. If he performed well, why, he might even get promoted to rule over a
city or fortress. That would allow him to stay home much more, which would be a
wonderful change of pace. He’d like the chance to settle down and raise a
family.

With
that in mind, he looked at the cavern entrance with a smile on his face. It was
oddly regularly shaped for a cave entrance in his opinion, but he shrugged,
ordering. “Set a full squad to watch the cave entrance, half with boar spears.
That should hold off the bears if they come out.”

Unlike
the previous scouts, he was prepared.

Sistina’s
internal frown grew as a group from outside ventured into her cave. There were
three slaves with them, two elves and a human, and they currently had one of
the elves twenty paces ahead of them testing the floor and ceiling cautiously
while the group behind them was armed with long spears with cross-bars, heavy
crossbows, and enchanted bolts. There were a few other enchanted items on them,
but she couldn’t examine them properly when they were in the intruder’s
satchels.

It
looked like the elf in front was intended to set off traps, which annoyed her.
Especially since the one in front was a slave, and she’d rather not kill
slaves. It wasn’t as if a slave would be volunteering to set off traps, and
they were worth much more to her alive.

She
debated as they made slow progress down the hallways, trying to decide what to
do. Finally, mentally sighing, she reached out to the most deadly of the
plant-like traps and forced them to go dormant. She’d drop the slaves into
pitcher plants or the like and deal with them later. The bigger problem were
the armed soldiers. But those she wouldn’t have too much of a problem with, if
she handled them right.

Fredrick
made sure to keep the slave in sight as they rounded another corner. The light
from ahead was suspicious, but at least Ilmas was taking care to check the
floor and walls in front of him before he kept moving, making sure any traps
were out of the way. While he didn’t want the slave to die, Fredrick would far
rather Ilmas set off a trap than being caught in one himself.

It
couldn’t be fun being a male elf, particularly one that wasn’t particularly
handsome, skilled, or suited to the gladiatorial arenas, Fredrick reflected.
People like Ilmas either ended up as laborers, were recruited into the slave
legions, or ended up as glorified trap-finders like the poor man was now. Some
women ended up in the same situation, but most of them ended up being shipped
off to the orcs if they wouldn’t fetch a good price. But his train of thought
cut off as Ilmas stopped and called back softly.

“I
see an opening ahead, it’s half-covered by vines, and I can see both light and
plants inside.” Ilmas reported dutifully, tension in his voice.

“Move
cautiously.” Sergeant Helm ordered, checking his crossbow again. “I’d prefer
that we not have to replace you, Ilmas.”

“Agreed,
Sergeant.” Ilmas murmured fervently, drawing his dagger before he continued
around a corner, with the other group following him.

The
light was bright and warm, like the sun, Fredrick noticed, but his eyes
narrowed as he realized it was like the light was coming from high noon, not
from the angle of mid-morning like it was outside. Glancing at the Sergeant, he
murmured. “The light, sir? Wrong angle.”

“Good
catch, Fred.” Sergeant Helm replied softly, then called out. “Ilmas! Where’s
the light coming from?”

“Umm...some
sort of orb in the ceiling. Too bright to look straight at, so I can’t tell you
much.” Ilmas replied after a moment, then looked down, blinking as he swore.
“Damn. That makes it hard to see. Can I stop for a second to get my sight
back?”

“Go
ahead.” The sergeant told him, then glanced at the others. “Anyone know what
that is?”

“Some
of the old legends say that the elven cities before the Godsrage used magical
orbs to light the cities at night.” The other elf, Sina, offered, shrugging. “I
don’t know any details, though, since they’re just legends.”

“Could
be true, though.” Daniel piped up from the back. “Not seeing anything back
here, Sergeant.”

“Hmm.
Well, we’ll report it when we’re out of here.” Helm decided, shrugging before
looking to the front. “Ilmas! You good to go yet?”

“I
suppose so. There’s a lot of plants in here, and the ground’s rough, so watch
your step.” The elf told them, and stepped into the chamber.

As
Fredrick stepped inside, he was stunned to see huge roses on a bush across the
way from him, and blinked in shock before asking. “Isn’t it early in the year
for roses?”

“We’re
inside, dumbass. If they can grow indoors, who’s to say they can’t bloom when
they want?” Sergeant Helm shot back, looking around. “I’m not seeing any animals,
but there’re two exits. Take a look at them, Ilmas.”

There
were bushes all over the chamber, and Fredrick was studying one to his left, a
large, nastily thorned one that was a massive tangle. It would be incredibly
unpleasant to fall into, he imagined. A sudden curse from the Sergeant tore his
eyes away from the bush and back to the front.

Ilmas
yelped as he suddenly fell through the floor before Fredrick’s eyes, and just
as the soldier tensed a scream came from behind him, causing him to spin around
and his eyes went huge with horror. Sina was getting yanked into the air by a
huge plant on the ceiling, and he gawked for a moment.

“Ambush!”
Sergeant Helm barked. “Fred, bush! Kill it!”

By
this point Fredrick was off balance, but he spun again, and gaped in shock as
the bush reared back, and revealed that it wasn’t rooted in place at all! It
had two gnarled trunk-like legs, a tangle of branches and thorns formed two
arms, and the top was crowned by a massive maw lined with thorns. Worst of all,
the thing was nearly eight feet tall!

He
stabbed his spear at the thing instinctively, but the leaf-bladed spear went
right through the creature without more than tickling it, and the bar caught in
the middle of its branches as it bit down at him! Stumbling backward, Fredrick
let go of the spear and gasped in pain as the ‘fangs’ of the monster plunged
into his right arm when he threw it up to shield his head from the creature.

Staggering
backward again, he blinked and gaped as he saw another of the monsters
attacking the sergeant, who was chopping at it furiously with his sword. Adams
was trying to assist the Sergeant, while Daniel was trying to rescue Sina as
she was yanked upward, almost out of reach.

“Retreat!”
The sergeant finally bellowed. “Go, go, go! Get out of here, I’ll take the rear
with Adams!”

Not
needing another word of encouragement, Fredrick fled from the giant plant whose
fangs were dripping with his blood, pain spiking through his arm with every
heartbeat. Daniel gave a last futile swipe before following him, and they all
were breathing hard as they ran for the entrance.

And
along the way, Fredrick couldn’t help but wonder what the hell the monster was.
He’d never heard of a creature like that before!

Sistina
smiled slightly as she watched the two thorn shamblers chase off the intruders.
They weren’t fast creatures, and they weren’t smart, either, but they were
tough and strong, though axes or fire would make short work of them. But they
had also surprised the intruders, which had helped deal with the problem.

She
turned her attention to the two elven slaves, though. One was in a pitcher
plant, and was half-asleep already, while the other was screaming as she was
being pulled upward into the hanging vine trap. She probably thought she was
about to die, and Sistina sighed as she started toward the entryway. She’d need
to grab them and get them out of there before the intruders regrouped and came
back. She didn’t want them being digested after all.

“Shit.
Living plants, glow-globes...I think I know what this is.” Evansly growled, his
eyes narrowing as he stared at the unassuming cave entrance which his first
scouting team had just escaped from.

“What
might that be, My Lord?” Lieutenant Tarys asked, her voice soft as she watched
one of the healers treating the injuries of the escapees. The plants had been
mildly venomous as well, which just made them more of a threat to any explorers.

“I’m
fairly certain that this is a dungeon.” Evansly told her grimly. “And that’s
going to make this a much harder task to complete. I don’t know that we can do
it with our current equipment. I thought we were prepared for this, but I was
expecting a cave with bears or the like, not a damned dungeon.”

Tarys
seemed to digest that for a moment before nodding. “I think I understand. I
don’t know much about dungeons, I’m afraid. Should I send a messenger back to
Westgate, My Lord?”

“Not
yet. I want to make a list of items we’ll need.” He shook his head and rubbed
his eyes, then smiled thinly. “Obviously, though, axes are going to be the
first on the list.”

“As
you say, My Lord.” Tarys bowed her head slightly, and then paused as they heard
a bear roar from deep inside the cave.

“This
is going to be more difficult than I thought.” Evansly sighed, shaking his
head.

Chapter 19

The
music and food at the party was excellent, the eternally glowing lanterns illuminated
everything well, and the swirling clusters of nobility were gaily dressed in
the best finery that Sifaren had to offer. It was also what Phynis considered a
waste of time and money, considering the forces that Kelvanis had arrayed
against them. But who was she to object? She wasn’t even the heir anymore.

“Your
Highness? May I have this dance?” Phynis’ dark thoughts were interrupted by a
handsome young man who she vaguely recognized. If she wasn’t mistaken, he was
the son of one of the northern earls. Slightly unusually for most of their
kind, his hair was a light, sandy brown that set off his amber eyes well. Even
more unusual was the fact his smile didn’t seem to be feigned, nor was there
any distrust in his eyes, unlike some other nobles.

“I’d
be delighted.” Phynis replied with a smile, giving him a polite nod as she took
his offered hand. Then she asked softly. “And whom might you be? I know we’ve
met in passing, but it’s slipped my mind due to recent events.”

“I’m
not surprised, Your Highness.” He chuckled in good humor, smiling back as he
led the way onto the dance floor. “I’m Reva Lucien, son of Earl Lucien.”

“Oh!
Aren’t you the warrior who traveled to Morak last year and won their national
tournament?” She asked, suddenly far more interested in the young man. He had
the good grace to blush as he nodded.

“Yes,
as a matter of fact. I didn’t realize that you’d heard of me.” Reva replied
with a downcast gaze, obviously somewhat embarrassed. “I actually was simply
hoping to hone my skills in that tournament, and I certainly didn’t expect to
win. And I didn’t expect word to get back here, either.”

“Well,
whether you expected it or not, you won. And once you did, is it any wonder
that word spread? Morak is famous for its love of swordplay, and that you won
even a tournament not for knights is incredible.” Phynis smiled and shook her
head slightly, dancing to the lively music with marked skill. She noted that he
followed with impressive skill of his own. “What brought you to the capital? I
don’t remember you coming to court often.”

“I’m
here with my father. We’ve recruited a company of knights and soldiers to help
patrol the border, and try to help hold off Kelvanis. It’ll get me experience
and help keep the kingdom safe at the same time.” He grinned slightly, a faint
bit of humility that she didn’t think was false to his eyes. “I think of it as
gaining multiple benefits at once.”

“Well
I personally find that to be an admirable motivation.” Phynis told him with a
smile of her own, warming to the young man even more. “I’m glad to hear that
your earldom is contributing as well. Some of the northern realms are much more
sanguine than your own.”

“Thank
you for your compliment, Your Highness. And I must convey my condolences as to
your recent captivity.” Reva apologized softly, and hesitated before adding. “I
must say that I was distressed to hear that you had stepped aside in favor of
Prince Zanath. I’ve always heard that you would be an excellent ruler when Her
Majesty stepped down.”

Well,
that put a sudden damper on her mood, and she sighed slightly before nodding.
“It was an unpleasant experience, and an even more unpleasant decision. But it
had to be done, and I asked Her Majesty’s permission first.”

“I
see. I didn’t mean to complain or pry, I just…” Reva paused as the song came to
an end, and chuckling wryly as he saw several others hovering nearby. “I see
that my number is up. My apologies, Your Highness.”

“It
was a pleasure, Reva.” Phynis told him, and let go of his hand before turning
to see who approached her first.

Somewhat
to her surprise, the first one to move wasn’t one of the three she’d seen
waiting in the wings, but a young woman who’d been part of the nearest couple,
a short, spunky young woman who, if she remembered right, was Lisa Vanath,
third daughter of Duke Vanath. Unusually for most dusk elves, her hair was
naturally black, and she looked up at Phynis challengingly. “May I have this
dance, Your Highness?”

“Certainly.
Lisa Vanath, yes?” Phynis smiled slightly as the young woman nodded, taking her
hand confidently.

“Indeed!”
The young woman had an oddly predatory gleam in her eye, and suddenly Phynis
felt a little less certain of her safety with the young woman.

“That
was a lovely dance, Your Highness.” General Chavin Fairbrook bowed slightly as
he smiled at Phynis. “I would love another, if you wouldn’t mind?”

Phynis
smiled in return but shook her head at the older general. “While I wouldn’t
normally mind, I’m finding myself a bit exhausted by the dances. I must excuse
myself to gather my breath again, General.”

“Certainly,
Your Highness. Take all the time you need.” He smiled more broadly as he asked.
“Would you like me to bring you anything?”

“Well,
a drink...ah, my apologies, it appears that I have a plate waiting for me.”
Phynis found herself distracted as she spotted Desa in a corner, unobtrusively
holding up a plate of food and a glass of wine meaningfully.

“Oh?
Ah, I see! Well enjoy your food, Your Highness.” He told her with a bow, then
slowly backed away.

Politely
refusing several other invitations to dance, Phynis wound her way through the
crowd to where Desa was waiting for her. As Desa wordlessly offered her the
glass, Phynis sighed in appreciation. “Thank you, Desa. You’re a lifesaver.”

“You’re
welcome, Your Highness.” Desa spoke dryly as she glanced across the room. “You aren’t
quite as popular as your brother, but I notice that more people have screwed up
their courage than before you stepped down. Many of them were too scared to
approach the heir apparent.”

“Quite.
Did you see Lisa Vanath? I swear the girl was propositioning me!” Phynis
commented, taking a sip of the wine before nibbling on a few of the smaller
items. At the memory she shook her head.

“She
probably was at that.” Desa murmured, prompting Phynis to almost choke on the
bite of sandwich she’d been about to swallow.

“Say
what?” She demanded, looking at Desa in shock. Desa simply gave her an amused
look.

“Don’t
you know? Lisa’s not set to inherit almost anything, so she’s been prowling
about for anyone who might increase her status. She doesn’t have enough of a dowry
to tempt most of the heirs, so she hasn’t tried for you before, but now?” Desa
shrugged and smiled. “I’ve heard that she has even looser morals than most of
her family does. Don’t they have nymph heritage or such?”

“Yes,
they do, but that’s a little...extreme, even for them.” Phynis paused in shock,
then shook her head. “What about Reva Lucien? Is there anything I haven’t heard
about him?”

“Everything
I’ve heard about him is that he’s an honorable, straightforward knight in most
respects, and he’s as politically motivated as your average rock.” Desa smirked
slightly. “Why, interested in him now that you just might be able to marry for
non-political reasons?”

“What?
No!” Phynis protested, blushing slightly at the accusation. “I mean, he’s
handsome and all, I was just curious about him. And I’m too young to be
thinking about marriage.”

“Pfft.
You’re never too young to think about marriage.” Desa retorted softly, shaking
her head.

“And
have you thought about it? I thought that your life was the Royal Guard.”
Phynis asked with a faint hint of malevolence, starting to pick at her food
again.

“If
I found the right man or woman, I might. I haven’t met anyone who I liked that
way, though.” Desa spoke absently, shrugging. “And now I’d be hesitant to let
anyone close. I can’t trust quite as easily anymore, I don’t think.”

The
comment put a damper on Phynis’ mood, and the food suddenly began to taste less
appetizing. And after a moment Phynis spoke softly. “You know, you might be
right.”

Desa
was getting a headache. Instead of reducing suspects, she was starting to form
new ones.

Reva
Lucien was broadly admired, as she had told Phynis, and his reputation was
solid, but that could be a front. He’d been in Morak, which bordered Kelvanis.
Most of the warrior nation’s attention was generally focused on the orcs in the
Bloodcrag Wastes, which meant it wasn’t out of reason that a sufficiently
ambitious lordling might have slipped across the border and struck a bargain.
The very idea almost gave her ulcers.

Lisa
Vanath didn’t seem likely, since she hadn’t been after Phynis before. On the
other hand, everything she’d heard about the girl made her think the young
‘lady’ was a manipulative, dangerous woman. She definitely didn’t head the list
of prospects, but she was a possibility.

General
Fairbrook’s attitude toward Phynis, on the other hand, hadn’t changed in the
slightest, much to Desa’s surprise. He’d long been courting Phynis, as a two
decade difference in age wasn’t unusual at all for elves, and he’d treated
Phynis with great respect and care. Desa found herself grudgingly approving of
that, since there had been subtle but noticed snubs by those in power toward
her princess all evening.

Such
as the snub by Duchess Elina. The pretty, century-old duchess was a bit old for
Zanath, who was a quarter of her age, but her wealth and power was undeniable.
And while Phynis seemed to have not noticed, Desa had spotted her give several
extremely pleased glances in the direction of Phynis while Elina hung on
Zanath’s arm. Desa was fairly certain that even if the duchess wasn’t behind
Phynis’ ambush, she wasn’t upset by it in the slightest.

The
only suspects who weren’t here were Baron Galthor and his son Farren. Both were
still in their barony, which wasn’t surprising given how often it was raided by
Kelvanis. They rarely came to the parties, which made it hard for her to judge
how likely their involvement was.

“Well,
back to the dance floor. Ask the maids to have a hot bath ready afterward?”
Phynis asked as she finally set her plate and glass aside, giving Desa a
pleading look.

“Of
course, Your Highness.” Desa replied with a gentle smile at her charge’s
antics.

As
she watched the princess go out onto the dance floor with one of her many
admirers, Desa felt the throbbing hint of a headache growing slowly.

Chapter 20

“A
dungeon?” Jared asked, his voice slightly incredulous. “The cave system is a
dungeon?”

“That’s
the best guess that the exploration party sent back, Adjudicator.” Acting
Captain Gareth confirmed, frowning as he looked at his notes. “The first party
that Captain Evansly sent in was well prepared for animals and traps, but
encountered a chamber filled with plants, several of which proved to be hostile
in their own right. The weapons they had selected were designed to deal with
charging bears and the like, which meant they were minimally effective against
the attacking plants and forced a retreat after having lost most of their slave
trapfinders.”

“Evansly
reports that he intended to send for alternate weapons at this point, but that
at the request of one Sergeant Buchold, he agreed to send another expedition
down a different cavern path, accompanied by a fire mage.” Gareth hesitated a
moment, then sighed before continuing. “The second group made more progress,
with the mage destroying a number of plants and other hazards before they
encountered one of the cave bears. Sergeant Buchold was slain during the battle
and they also retreated, but with the corpse of the bear and several of the
plants.”

“Examination
of the corpses showed evidence of rapid, forced mutation. This confirmed the
suspicion of Captain Evansly’s that it was a dungeon, though there is no evidence
of particular valuables as of yet.” Gareth finally finished, then put his
notepad in his belt pouch. “That’s what we know at the moment. Captain Evansly
has requested additional equipment for delving into a dungeon as well.”

“You
can skip his list for the moment. This is going to make the exploration quite a
bit more of a headache.” Jared replied with a frown, shaking his head slowly.
“One minute while I think about this, please.”

A
dungeon wasn’t something like slavery or raiding a temple, where you could just
sweep its existence under the rug. A dungeon was always an area of powerful
magic, treasures, and other wealth. If not handled properly, one could cause
war between nations wanting its riches, and as powerful as Kelvanis was, it
couldn’t fight all of its neighbors at once. Worse, adventurers who sought out
dungeons would inevitably show up within days or weeks, no matter how quiet
they tried to keep word of the damned place. And if they tried to stop them or
mistreated them...he shuddered to think of the potential consequences.
Adventurers were far too powerful to offend in most cases, and all of them were
eccentric.

No,
he couldn’t make a decision about this on his own. He needed to go to higher
authority for guidance, so he sighed and shook his head. “Go back to your
duties for the moment. I’m going to speak with the Archon about this.”

“Sir?”
Gareth’s eyes went huge and he almost squeaked in shock.

“A
dungeon isn’t something I dare to make decisions about on my own. I need to
speak with Him. So go on. You’re dismissed.” Jared replied calmly, even as a
hint of nervousness coursed through him. The Archon was usually personable and
reasonable, but he hadn’t made Kelvanis into a superpower by being nice to
everyone. And that meant that if Jared mishandled his duties, he could easily
end up a slave himself.

“Yes,
sir!” The man quickly saluted and left, and Jared waited for a minute before
standing and straightening his fine suit, taking a deep breath.

Approaching
the full-length mirror on one wall, he carefully studied himself and took a
deep breath before speaking firmly. “Adjudicator Jared Falgrave requests an
audience with the Archon.”

The
mirror began to glow faintly blue, and he waited patiently, not willing to show
the slightest amount of disrespect. The Archon was not a man to displease or
disappoint, though he was at least willing to overlook honest mistakes when the
offender was wise enough to admit to them.

Jared
was waiting that way for ten minutes before his image in the mirror abruptly
vanished, replaced by the Archon himself. The Archon was a tall man, with
shoulder-length black hair and modestly handsome features, as well as deep blue
eyes. He was lean but strong-looking, and Jared admired the way his superior
pulled off the deep purple robes that he wore without looking silly. The man
was practically ageless in spite of being nearly a hundred years old, and he
looked at Jared with a smile.

“Ah,
Jared! It’s a pleasure to hear from you.” The Archon boomed in a deep, friendly
voice. “Dare I hope that you’re bringing word of Serel’s task?”

“I
am afraid not, Archon. Another problem came up that I felt I couldn’t make a
proper decision on without your guidance.” Jared apologized, bowing his head
slightly. “However, I did receive a messenger from High Enforcer Serel, stating
she expects to be back within the week.”

“Excellent!
I had wondered about the timing, but your news is most heartening.” The Archon
smiled broadly and crossed his hands in front of him. “Now, what is this
problem you speak of?”

“I’m
not certain if you have seen it, but when Princess Phynis escaped a cavern
system was discovered. Within the caverns were fragments of old elven artifacts
which I believed indicated there might be relics from before the Godsrage as
well, so I sent an expedition to investigate the caverns not long ago.” Jared
replied, pausing to see if the Archon had anything to say about it.

“I
had not seen that as of yet. There are so many reports, I only generally get
the ones that are of particular importance, and the Princess isn’t a priority,
no matter how valuable she may be.” The Archon mused, but his eyes focused on
Jared’s. “But I presume that something has changed. Otherwise you, of all my
Adjudicators, wouldn’t be contacting me directly.”

“You
would be quite correct, Archon. The investigation found evidence that the
caverns are a dungeon.” Jared replied simply. “How old, I don’t know. It seems
to be primarily occupied by plants and animals at the moment, with some of the
plants able to move and attack. The animals are mutated and far more powerful
than normal, but the scouts have had difficulty investigating the caves. Beyond
that I do not know much. I intend to forward the full dispatches to you this
evening.”

“Please
do so. A dungeon, hmm? In the foothills of the Godsrage Mountains? Most
interesting indeed.” The Archon considered the matter, and a slow smile grew on
his face, then he nodded firmly, grinning broadly. “Actually, this is
excellent! Jared, you are to immediately begin construction on a town there.
Ensure that there are buildings for the full range of comforts for adventurers,
as well as the major equipment Kelvanis produces. Include a brothel as well as
an auction house. I wish it well staffed and guarded, but unlike most locations
inside our borders, we will allow anyone access to the town. Tax two percent of
their acquisitions inside the dungeon, and a tithe for the auction house. I’ll
consider further details, but we’ll also establish a temple there to revive the
injured or recently dead.”

“Ah,
yes, My Lord!” Jared replied reflexively as his mind tried to catch up, taken
aback by the sudden enthusiasm of the Archon. “May I ask why we’re doing this?”

“Publicity,
and if they auction off their finds at the town, we’ll have the first chance to
get them.” The Archon spoke without missing a beat, grinning. “It will also
draw more revenue to the kingdom, which also means more potential markets for
our slaves. Adventurers tend to be astonishingly selfish as a whole. I should
know, as I used to be one.”

“I
see. I’ll get to work at once, My Lord.” Jared acknowledged, bowing in spite of
his shock at the sudden change of priorities. He hadn’t expected such a rapid
response, or the particular revelation about the Archon’s past.

“Excellent!
Now, as it appears that was all you wished to speak to me about, I must go see
to other matters of state. Keep up the good work, Jared, and keep me informed!”
The Archon gave a jaunty wave, and the mirror’s glow faded back to his own
reflection again.

“Well,
that was certainly interesting.” Jared muttered, shaking his head, then gave
Topaz a wry smile. “I might have to move my base of operations to get that up
and running for a while, too.”

Topaz
gave him a look that was filled with complex emotions, as expected, but after a
moment spoke in her beautiful voice. “As you say, My Lord.”

He
sighed, shaking his head. She’d come around eventually. Personally, he was
looking forward to Serel’s return for another reason entirely. He couldn’t wait
to have an entire group of priestesses to try his experiments. But for now he
had work to do.

“Danny,
you know your knife is sharp, right?” Fredrick asked, his tone resigned.

Daniel
didn’t reply, simply slowly sharpening his dagger on the whetstone as he stared
at the entrance into the dungeon. The dungeon that had eaten Sina. The thought
of what must have happened to her filled his stomach with bile and hatred.

Before
he’d met Sina, he honestly hadn’t cared one way or another about slavery. The
only people who became slaves were severe debtors, criminals who would be
otherwise be sentenced to death or life in a labor camp, or foreigners. Sina
had changed that for him.

She
wasn’t beautiful, not for an elf. She was plain even by human standards, and
she wasn’t strong or skilled in any way. She was a farm girl with minimal
skills, so she’d been assigned to the military. To Daniel’s unit.

At
first he’d flirted with her because he thought it was amusing. But after a
while of interacting with the dusk elf his thoughts had begun to change. When
he had time and could get away, he’d talk with her about a host of subjects,
from her homeland to his childhood. They couldn’t afford to be seen together,
but he’d done what he could to make sure she and the other slaves were treated
at least a little better. After their talks had turned to trysts, he’d finally
started saving up to purchase her from the military. He couldn’t bear to see
her stay there for any longer than he had to, as little more than bait to draw
out opponents.

And
Daniel had saved every copper bit, everything he could scrimp and save for that
purpose. Some of the others had joked about how he didn’t show up at the
gambling nights anymore, and teased him about him spending his coin in the
brothels. They didn’t know what he was doing. He’d saved so much of what he
needed, and another month, just one more month, and he would have been able to
purchase her. To set her free, and court her in earnest.

Instead
he’d watched her get dragged up out of his reach by a plant, helpless to stop
it. Rage burned in his gut, and he vowed he’d avenge her. And as he thought,
the soft rasping sound of his blade against the whetstone continued.

Chapter 21

A
part of Sistina was annoyed that she’d taken the two slaves and let them live
in her caverns. Mostly it was Ilmas that she was annoyed with if she was being
honest with herself, which she should be. What would she gain by lying to
herself, anyway? But no matter how she thought about it, it still irritated
her.

The
two elves had relatively readily agreed to have her take their brands for her
own once Lily had explained what was going on. Sina had seemed a bit hesitant,
but she had agreed anyway, which was good enough for Sistina. And that was when
she’d learned that Ilmas produced perhaps two-thirds as much mana as Sina once
he’d been claimed. The difference was incredibly aggravating, and Sistina had
studied both of them in depth, trying to figure out what the difference between
them was.

Both
were healthy enough, though not exceptionally so. Neither had magical talent
either, which she suspected would increase the mana flow. Neither were terribly
exceptional in any way, so she simply couldn’t understand why a different set
of reproductive organs would cause such a marked difference between them. That
was the first tiny irritant that annoyed her, but she held herself back, telling
herself that it wasn’t his fault that he wasn’t as efficient of a mana source
as the two women were.

No,
the irritation truly came to the fore when Ilmas began flirting with Lily. It
hadn’t taken Sistina long to realize that what she was seeing was courting
behavior, and she didn’t worry too much about it, until she realized that
somehow the distraction from Sistina herself was slowly weakening Lily’s mental
link to her. But in spite of her sudden urge to interfere, Sistina had chosen
to simply sit back and let things happen.

She
might like Lily, and value her as a companion that had brought the first hints
of true thought back to Sistina, but she wasn’t going to actually control the
young woman’s life. Certainly, elves could live the better part of a thousand
years, but Sistina was a magically enhanced tree. She would likely not die for
thousands of years if not more, if she wasn’t killed. It wouldn’t be fair to
Lily to do that to her. No matter how much she wanted to strangle the young man
taking her devoted servant away from her.

So
Sistina turned her attention to Sina, who also confused her. The other elf
seemed oddly depressed much of the time, though she did seem to enjoy being
free. Sistina kept her distance though, concerned that if she tried to get
close to another person she’d only be setting herself up for more annoyance in
the future.

In
the meantime, the least she could do was get the three some better weapons.
Something about how the group outside was watching the cavern entrance made her
faintly nervous. She was also working on merging plants with what she’d learned
of humans before, since she was no longer confident that the animals and plants
could keep others out. The second group had startled her with how badly they’d
destroyed an entire sub-cavern of her domain.

That
fire mage had frightened her more than she cared to admit, even in the privacy
of her own mind.

“So
does Sistina usually leave you alone?” Ilmas asked Lily as they waited for the
bread to rise. The elven man was seeming much more relaxed than he had the
first day. “I haven’t seen more than hints of her since she changed my brand.”

“Hmm...actually,
this is a little unusual. She usually comes to see me once or twice a day.
Sometimes she even says a word or two.” Lily told him, musing as she looked
over toward Sistina’s tree. “She hasn’t talked to me for a day or two, but you
two are the first new company we’ve had in a few weeks. Sistina isn’t really
someone who strikes me as the type to come see us without a specific reason to
do so. I’m beginning to think she was just trying to help keep me sane before.”

“That’s
really kind of her. I was surprised that she would help us without any ulterior
motives.” Ilmas replied, his smile revealing bright white teeth that contrasted
well with his brown skin. It was surprisingly comfortable to Lily, who smiled
back almost in spite of herself, a warmth growing in her chest. “I had
half-expected something horrible to happen. Of course, if she’d wanted to do
that, she probably wouldn’t have pulled us out of the plants.”

“Mmm...I’m
not sure she didn’t have some reason other than rescuing you, to be honest. I
think that the brands...help her, somehow. Maybe they increase her power
somehow, without affecting us?” Lily guessed, shrugging. “Whatever the case,
she also doesn’t convert brands when the bearer doesn’t want her to, so I think
we can trust her.”

“Huh.
Oddly, that actually makes me feel a little better about everything. Knowing
that she actually does get something out of it makes me feel less like another
boot’s going to drop out of the sky and crush me like a bug.” Ilmas chuckled,
seeming relieved. “In my experience most people want something from you.
Worrying about what they’re after is almost worse than knowing.”

“Silly
man.” Lily smiled mischievously, and then leaned over and kissed him. He pulled
her into his arms, and she all but melted into his warmth as he held her, close
and secure.

She’d
never been happier, she thought dreamily, smiling as she broke off the kiss.

Sina
chewed on her lower lip as she looked at the entrance to the cavern. She missed
Daniel.

Oh,
she didn’t miss being one of the trap-springing slaves that the traitorous git
Evansly used for so many tasks. But Daniel? Polite, sweet Daniel? She missed
him fiercely, and was more than a little worried about how he might have
reacted to her disappearance. He probably thought she was dead, and she
couldn’t do anything to reassure him at all. She didn’t dare go outside, since
the soldiers would inevitably figure out that something was wrong with her
brand, and then where would she be?

Sistina
plopping onto the log next to her nearly made her jump out of her skin as Sina
yelped, then let out a breath of relief as she spoke. “Goddess, don’t do that!
You scared me.”

The
dryad shrugged in response, not seemingly overly worried. Then she offered Sina
what looked like a dagger in a simple wooden sheath. The hilt was leather, and
Sina blinked for a moment before looking up at Sistina, seeking confirmation.
“For me?”

At
the dryad’s nod, she took the dagger. The blade seemed oddly lightweight, which
caused her curiosity to stir more. Drawing the blade, she blinked as she saw a
wooden blade within, slightly curved and with an odd silver sheen to it. She
frowned at the blade tilting her head slightly in concern as she asked. “A
wooden blade? Is that going to work?”

Sistina
sighed, shaking her head as she grabbed a fallen branch. Reaching out with the
branch, she pressed it against the dagger’s edge, and to Sina’s shock it cut
through the inch-thick branch like a hot knife through butter.

“I...I
see.” Blinking at the knife, she finally smiled at Sistina. Her voice was soft
as she spoke. “Thank you, Sistina. It’s a lovely dagger, and I hope it will
help me.”

Sistina
simply nodded, patting Sina on the shoulder, and stood up to leave. Watching
her go, Sina thought for a moment, then sheathed the dagger, considering how
she was going to secure it to her belt.

At
least now she felt a little safer than she had before. And maybe, just maybe,
she might be able to convince Sistina not to hurt Daniel.

Not
many people really thought about looking down. For Sistina it was a little more
complicated, considering that to a certain extent she was able to ‘see’
everything within the area of her domain. Her primary goal when expanding her
domain had been to get through the caverns toward the outdoors, but as the area
was approximately a bubble centered on herself, she’d encompassed not just the
caverns in the mountain above, but also the areas far below her roots.

But
that didn’t really mean that she’d paid much attention to that area before
this. That tendency had changed after the fire mage, and she was carefully
combing through the dirt, stone, hidden caverns, and old buildings buried beneath
her in search of something that could help calm her anxiety. She really didn’t
like fire magic.

There
were a surprising amount of raw metals and gemstones buried down here, as well
as the ruins of the old capital as well. At first nothing caught her eye as
being useful, but about halfway through carefully examination she came across a
building that was relatively intact in spite of being fully buried. Most of the
intact buildings thus far had been either filled with rubble or in caverns like
her own. This one was intact despite the pressure of stone around it, and it
took her a minute to realize why she hadn’t noticed the rather large building
before.

As
she concentrated on it, Sistina began to see the streamers of magic running
through the structure of the building, extremely faint to her ‘sight’ and
trying to deflect her attention from the building. It took her some time to
determine that the structure was warded against magical sight or scrying, and
that was why seeing it was difficult for her. Curious, she tried to extend her
awareness inside the building, only to find it dark to her vision. With a
mental sigh she realized that she’d have to go in person to figure out what was
going on with the building. She couldn’t do that right now, so she set it aside
for the time being and continued her explorations.

Several
more warded buildings appeared as she kept delving, and Sistina got a certain
amount of sardonic amusement out of finding another temple protected by their
deity buried fairly deeply in the earth, but this one without a convenient
guardian. Passing it by, it was then that she stopped and her mental eyes began
to gleam.

Near
the very extremities of her perceptions below the earth was what appeared to be
a dwarven foundry, one that must have been down here before the city was
buried. Heat pervaded it, but it was surprisingly intact. And below it, just
outside of the reach of her senses, she felt a deep, pulsing heat, and the mana
in the stone was stronger there. A ley line node, just out of her reach? A
third one, she corrected herself, mentally looking back to the ones she’d
linked to back near her cavern. While they wouldn’t dramatically increase her
growth, they should help her magical affinities. A fire affinity would also aid
in defending her from fire, which seemed very beneficial at the moment.

And
the sheer depth that she had reached gave her other ideas for how to protect
herself as well. Why let those coming after her come straight through the
caverns? Why not make the hallways snake downward in a maze, and then add a
second maze coming back upward? Sistina felt a hint of contentment come over
her as she mentally began sketching out the way she’d want the tunnels to go,
figuring out how to best defend herself against assaults. And then she stopped,
feeling stupid as she opened her eyes.

Why
hadn’t she just gone to the library she’d been excavating and read up on what
dungeons did to defend themselves? At least it was an easy mistake to correct.
So Sistina headed down toward the library with the faintest sigh of
self-reproach.

Chapter 22

“Are
you sure you want to do this, Sis? I’m still not entirely comfortable with
taking your place in the line of succession.” Zanath asked Phynis, honest
concern on his face. They were in her sitting room, having a late-morning tea
as they spoke.

“What’s
the oath of House Constella?” Phynis asked in return.

“Temper
power with responsibility, be humble when needed, and protect your people with
all your ability.” He replied promptly, blushing slightly in embarrassment
before adding. “I’ve always thought you were better at it, to be honest.”

“Be
as that may, Zanath, I’m compromised. You have been training as my potential
replacement in the case of an accident to begin with, and I know you can do it.”
Phynis smiled at him, gently hitting him in the shoulder. “Besides, your
girlfriend seems absolutely delighted to hear about your new position. Even if
she has to step down as Duchess to marry you.”

“Elina
is certainly overly enthusiastic about the situation. It makes me a little
uncomfortable, to be honest.” Zanath admitted, shaking his head as he rubbed
his shoulder in mock pain. “I know she doesn’t hate you, but she loves the idea
of the status, I think.”

“Status
or no, you’re the heir now. Even if we find a way to remove the brands
permanently in the future, who’s to say that the nobility would be willing to
actually accept me back as the heir?” Phynis told him, growing more serious as
she shook her head. “No, by the time we figure anything out, it will probably
be too late for that. You should get used to the idea of being the King,
Zanath. I sincerely doubt that I have any chance of inheriting, even if the
brand vanished this very instant.”

“But
part of that’s just because they’re excluding you from the policy meetings and
such, like the one that’s coming up this afternoon.” He protested, scowling.
“It isn’t fair to you at all. You’ve been training for this for your entire
life!”

“Again,
it comes back to me being compromised. If I get captured again, they can order
me to tell them everything I know about the kingdom’s defenses.” Phynis
explained, sighing softly. “So the best defense is to make certain that I don’t
know anything about information that’s dangerous.”

“Oh,
I…” Zanath paused at the explanation, looking faintly startled before nodding
in understanding. “That does make more sense than what was initially explained
to me.”

“What
did they tell you?” Phynis asked, tilting her head in curiosity.

“That
they wanted to make a clean break, so that no one looked to you for decisions
instead of me.” He replied, obviously embarrassed.

“That’s
actually rather sensible of them, I think.” She mused, then shook her head and
laughed softly. “Not one of the reasons I thought of, actually.”

“Well,
I’m still not happy with it.” He muttered under his breath. After taking a deep
drink, he frowned and then asked. “So what are you going to do now?”

“I’m
not sure. I can’t do anything too sensitive for the same reasons I stepped
aside, which means I can’t do most administrative tasks either.” Phynis sighed
and frowned down into her teacup. “Later today I’m interviewing some of the
researchers we’re sending to that cave system. I’m thinking about taking up
fencing or studying magic as well, since I don’t have too many options.
Unfortunately my magical talent is barely average, and I’m not sure if the
brand will even allow me to use magic.”

“I
hope that the researchers can help you. I’m not going to count on taking the
throne until it happens, sis. You’re still the heir, in my mind.” Zanath told
her firmly, setting his jaw slightly.

“We’ll
see, little brother.” She chuckled at the statement, smiling at him happily.
“Do your best either way. We all hope that I’ll be able to get this fixed.
We’ll just have to wait and see.”

The
meeting with the various potential researchers had gone well, Phynis thought.
She smiled at the memory of the various men and women she’d met with. Choosing
just four to go to Sistina’s cavern had been somewhat difficult, but she
thought that the ones she’d suggested would do a good job, and wouldn’t panic
over being so close to Kelvanis. Hopefully her mother would approve of her
suggestions.

The
thought of her mother made Phynis frown for a moment. Queen Calath hadn’t made
time to meet with Phynis aside from the single meeting when they’d first
reached the castle, and every other encounter had been in public and
surprisingly brief. It made her uneasy, but Phynis supposed that what had
happened to her had likely caused a great deal of trouble that her mother was
having to deal with. So she firmly set the thought aside and tried to prepare
herself for sleep.

Phynis
hummed softly as she slowly brushed out her hair, trying to relax as she looked
in the mirror. The sun had set not long ago, and she knew she should be in bed
already, but she was a bit too restless at the moment. She’d been having
strange dreams that never seemed to stick in her mind of late, and Phynis would
rather delay them in a somewhat productive manner. She was wearing her
nightgown and her maid had left at her request not long before.

That
was part of why she started slightly when the front door to her chambers
opened, and Phynis frowned, calling out. “Felicia? Is that you?”

She
turned around as the doorway to her room opened, and her eyes went wide in
surprise as General Fairbrook stepped into the room. The general was in casual
clothing save for the sword at his side, and he had a confident smile on his
face. His voice was smooth as he spoke. “No, it’s me, Your Highness.”

“General?
What are you doing here? You should leave, now!” Phynis demanded, her pulse
quickening suddenly. He shouldn’t be in here alone, and he definitely shouldn’t
have been able to enter her rooms with an obvious weapon! She stood, tensing
herself to scream for help at the slightest provocation.

“I
don’t think so. Be quiet, Princess, and don’t do anything to try to leave.” He
spoke confidently, a smile on his face, and a ring on his right hand suddenly
flickered with blue light.

“Erk!”
Phynis choked slightly as her voice suddenly choked off just as she was about
to call for help. For a moment she didn’t realize what had happened. But then
her eyes went wide as she realized that he’d just commanded her via her slave
brand!

“I
must say, you being branded was a stroke of luck for me. I’ve wanted you for
years, Your Highness, and this was just...irresistible to me.” He chuckled
softly, smiling more broadly. “And I know enough about your condition to know
that if I play my hand right, you won’t be able to resist me on the morrow.
Lust for me, Princess, and let your body quicken.”

Phynis
backed away, unable to talk under his command, her tongue feeling swollen in
her mouth. But at his command the brand suddenly grew warm and heat began to
coil through her veins. As the pounding of her heartbeat began to almost
resound in her ears, Phynis felt her body obeying the general, and despair
flooded her. She couldn’t do anything as he approached, reaching over and
running a finger along her jaw line.

“Disrobe,
then lay down on the bed, Princess.” He spoke huskily, then kissed her
hungrily.

She
couldn’t resist, and her hands automatically rose toward the laces of her
nightgown.

Desa
paused and frowned as she crossed the hallway, looking down toward Phynis’
chambers. Normally there was only a single guard assigned to watch Phynis’ door
at night, but due to the kidnapping that had changed. Phynis’ standard guard
had been increased to two guards each night, with one guards being required to
be from among those guards who hadn’t accompanied her ill-fated trip to Galthor
and been branded with her. All of that had been decided with the agreement of
Her Majesty, Phynis, Desa, and the captain of the Royal Guard, Laila
Steelguard. Which was why she was concerned that she could only see a single
guard on duty and that it was Evrial.

Evrial
was one of the guards who’d been with them, and alarms were already going off
in Desa’s head. Evrial would never allow herself to disobey her orders after
what had happened. Changing her mind about checking a few records in the
library, Desa turned and headed down toward Phynis’ chambers.

Evrial
saluted as Desa approached, her voice firm and calm as she spoke, but there was
something about her eyes, almost like she was in pain. “Captain.”

“Evrial.
Who’s assigned here with you tonight?” Desa asked, suppressing the urge to jump
to conclusions as she tapped her sheaf of papers against her leg.

“Private
Skylark.” Evrial replied simply. “She had to use the restroom.”

“Really.
And you didn’t call for a relief for her?” Desa asked, her paranoia climbing
sharply since she knew this had been addressed.

“No,
we thought she would be back so soon that it wouldn’t be necessary.” Evrial
replied with that same look in her eyes. And with it, Desa’s feeling that
something was wrong grew to certainty.

“I
see. Well I need to check on Her Highness. Excuse me, Evrial.” Desa told her,
stepping toward the door, only to have Evrial block the way.

“Sorry,
Captain, but Her Highness left explicit instructions that she wasn’t to be
bothered until morning.” Evrial spoke firmly, one hand on her sword sheath.

“Indeed.
I was afraid of this.” Desa spoke softly, almost sadly as she took several
steps back, and then shook her head as she gathered her magic and spoke several
words, weaving the magic almost instantly to strike like a serpent.

Sheets
of ice wrapped around Evrial in a sudden surge that caught the warrior
off-guard, and she only managed to get her sword halfway out of its sheath
before the ice climbed upward, fully encasing everything but Evrial’s nose.
Oddly, the guard looked almost grateful, which meant that Desa’s suspicions of
what had happened were all but confirmed. Someone who could command slave
brands was here.

“I’m
sorry, Evrial, but I don’t have time for this.” Desa spoke sharply, quickly
unlocking the door with her own key. Now that she was inside, she heard the
faint sound of a man’s voice, and anger grew inside her. Almost instantly she
dropped the papers to the floor and rushed forward, opening the door to Phynis’
bedroom and stepping inside just in time.

Sitting
on the bed was Phynis, completely naked and with her legs spread. An anguished
expression was on the princess's face, even as her face was flushed bright
crimson. Her brand was different than those that Desa had seen on others, a
deep cobalt blue that was elaborate and stood out against Phynis’ skin. While
Desa had seen the brand before, never before had it been glowing with azure
light.

In
front of her, half-naked himself, was General Marcus Fairbrook. Seeing him
turning to look at Desa in surprise made her rage flare brightly. But in spite
of that she controlled herself as she hissed. “General. You do not belong here.
Explain yourself.”

“Captain
Desa Iceheart. What a surprise to see you. But I’m glad it’s you and not some
other guard.” He spoke, obviously regaining his confidence as he smiled and
ordered, his ring flickering with blue light. “On your knees, captain.”

Desa
felt something strange wash over her. It was like the command had substance, as
something foul touched the brand on her stomach and just flowed off, like a
raindrop bouncing off of a pane of glass. It didn’t take a genius to know what
it was that he’d just done, and her rage burst out full-bore as she hissed the
words to a spell.

A
dozen spears of ice appeared over her shoulders, and she spoke harshly. “General
Fairbrook, you are under arrest for High Treason. Surrender now or die.”

“Impossible!”
He gasped out, eyes widening in shock, then narrowed as he dove to try to hide
behind the bed. “No, I don’t think so! Princess! If I’m hurt, you’re to-”

As
he moved, Desa struck without hesitation. He probably had expected her to
hesitate or to be delayed by the brand’s magic that normally kept a slave from
attacking their master. Unfortunately for him, she didn’t have any hesitation
and the spears lashed out like silver spears of light. By the time the General
was halfway to the bed, the spears were on him. The frozen spears burst through
the general’s body, throwing him back against the wall as blood sprayed
throughout the room.

Desa
did freeze for a moment then, as she realized what she’d just done. Shaking it
off, she rushed to the bed and asked softly. “Phynis! Are you alright?”

Phynis
stared at her, and then she slowly shook her head, tears starting to well up in
her eyes and trickling down her face. Desa swore softly, and murmured. “Give me
a minute, Phynis. I’ll perform the ritual to free you of his commands, and then
we’ll get the others in here. I just...damn it, I should’ve imprisoned him, not
killed him. Shit. I’m sorry, Phynis. I should never have let him close to you.”

They
both jumped as, all at once, the ring on the dying man’s hand exploded into
flames for a moment, then crumbled to dust.

“And
Private Skylark?” Queen Calath asked with a scowl, her fingers tapping the
table impatiently.

“Recovering.
The poison left her disoriented and highly suggestible, so she actually
‘remembers’ having guarded the princess’s door all last night, with no
interruptions.” Captain Laila explained, her voice hard and angry.

“Well.
At least we know who the traitor was.” Zanath murmured, shaking his head. “I
hate what happened, but…”

“The
traitor we know of. It’s entirely possible that there are others, Your
Highness.” Desa interjected flatly. “While it is very likely General Fairbrook
was behind our ambush, it would be unwise to assume that no one else has turned
to Kelvanis in hopes of avoiding slavery.”

“Quite.
This entire conflict is absolutely devastating to our nation. People are
growing worried and even desperate, and desperate people make choices that are
foolish. I wish to the gods we had the power to actually face Kelvanis in straightforward
war.” The queen sighed, shaking her head. Looking at Desa, she asked. “How is
Phynis reacting?”

“She’s
in shock.” Desa’s voice grew soft as she shrugged. “We thought she’d be safe
here, and we’ve been back what...two weeks? And now someone managed to command
her, got past her guards and almost raped her. I’m afraid of what might have
happened if he’d been able to command me as well.”

“Agreed.
Speaking of which, you said that the command just slid off you?” Captain Laila
asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.

“That’s
what it felt like. My only guess is that, for whatever reason, the brands have
one set of control sigils for all of the ones in Kelvanis. And somehow Sistina
keyed it to a different set, or something along those lines.” Desa replied,
shrugging again as she frowned. “And saying it ‘felt’ that way isn’t quite
right either. It’s an indescribable sensation. It definitely had no effect on
me. I didn’t even hesitate.”

“Mmm...be
as that may, I believe we may have to change our plans due to what has
happened.” Queen Calath stood up and walked to the window, staring through it.

“Your
Majesty?” Desa asked uncertainly.

“My
initial plan was to let Zanath take over duties as the crown prince, and let
Phynis do what she wished so long as it didn’t seem dangerous.” Calath
explained, turning around and sighing. “That appears to no longer be an
option.”

“What
do you mean, mother? What do you plan now?” Zanath asked her, looking nervous
now.

“Desa.
Do you swear, on your magic and soul, that all of what you have told me about
your brand is true?” Queen Calath asked instead, her expression serious.

“I…”
Desa hesitated for a long moment, going over what she had explained before,
then finally nodded. “I do. I swear, upon every drop of magic and my eternal
soul, that all of what I have told you about my brand is the truth to my
knowledge.”

“Good.
In that case, do you think you can trust the team being prepared for the
researchers to get Phynis to Sistina? As well as yourself and the guards?”
Queen Calath asked, looking at her seriously. “I believe that at this point we
must ask Sistina to free Phynis and the other Royal Guards from Kelvanis’
influence. Even if Sistina’s motives are unknown as of yet, she does not have
the territory that they do or the hundreds of command sigils that our forces
must risk.”

Everyone
looked startled at the queen’s statement, though Desa wasn’t too badly
surprised by the explanation. She’d thought about suggesting it, in fact, but
had decided that it wasn’t worth potentially causing suspicion of her own
motives. So she considered for a few moments before replying.

“I
think if we reinforced the escort with a few more guards we can make the trip.
That would be just as a precaution in the case that members of Kelvanis’
military with command sigils are in our path. We need to be able to disable the
other guards if they’re commanded, after all.” Desa finally recommended,
shrugging. “The only real concern will be if they have realized that there’s
something in the caves.”

“Hmm...opinions?”
The queen looked at the other two with arched eyebrows.

“I
do not like the idea of Princess Phynis or her guards being under the influence
of anyone at all. But given the events of last night, I see little choice.”
Laila let out a deep breath and nodded. “That is the best of a bad series of
options, in my opinion.”

“I...I
think it’d be for the best. She admitted to me she felt envious of Desa,
mother. She felt that the freedom would be worth the risk.” Zanath said, his
voice slow, but not hesitant at least.

“Then
we are agreed. Captain Desa, make the arrangements.” Queen Calath told her,
then paused before speaking softly. “And keep her safe, like you did last
night.”

“I
will do my best, Your Majesty.” Desa vowed, saluting and bowing deeply.

After
Desa and Zanath had left, Laila turned to her Queen and spoke, her voice
serious. “Permission to speak, My Queen?”

“Go
ahead, Laila. We’re in private.” Calath replied calmly, looking down at the map
of the war front, and the symbols that represented the dozens of raids that
Kelvanis had managed over the last year. There were far too many of them.

“May
I recommend assassinating Sistina with the additional guards after the princess
is freed?” Laila asked, still standing at attention and her face serious. “That
would eliminate the chances of foreign influence on her actions.”

Pausing
at the recommendation, Calath looked up to meet Laila’s gaze. She frowned for a
moment, seriously considering the request before finally shaking her head. “I
dare not risk it, Laila. We do not know how much power Sistina truly has, and I
cannot be certain that they would succeed at the attempt. Besides, at this
point Phynis will never inherit. The nobles have been in such a furor after she
came back, and I’d thought I was making progress, but this? This has simply
confirmed their fears about how easily Phynis could be influenced. As much as I
love her and hate to consider it, at this point the key is to keep Phynis out
of Kelvanis’ hands.”

She
paused for a moment, her hands trembling, and looked up at Laila as tears
filled her eyes, her voice growing soft. “And with that in mind, please place a
guard who you know can be trusted to ensure they never get their hands on her
again. But only as an absolute last resort, Laila. Only if there are no
other options.”

Laila
hesitated for an instant, then bowed her head, placing her hand over her heart.
“It will be done, Your Majesty.”

Chapter 23

Serel
paused as they came over a hill and caught sight of Westgate’s walls. The
mission had been much longer than she had anticipated, and the attack by a
frost drake on the way back through the mountains had nearly killed several
more people, including a priestess. That would have been disastrous, and it had
been a near thing, killing it. But they succeeded, and they were almost back to
civilization. She almost let out a sigh of relief, but she didn’t dare. Not
yet, at least. They weren’t in Westgate yet, which meant that they weren’t
quite safe. The fact they didn’t have to all go on foot anymore had definitely
helped speed their journey.

She
glanced back at the large carriage at the center of the caravan, holding the
high priestess and five of her fellow priestesses, along with the angel they’d
captured. Behind it came two wagons filled with the supplies for their trip,
along with the hidden large wooden sarcophagus which held Medaea. Fortunately
the elaborate wards built into the sides of the box contained her presence,
making it seem like a normal, if large, box. Of course, the goddess chained
within would probably be less than pleased if she woke.

The
troops were more cheerful, now that they were in sight of Westgate at least.
They’d been less than pleased to be denied entry into the temple, as well as
being denied opportunities to enjoy themselves with the priestesses, so she
would be glad to be rid of them. She suspected that they’d be disposed of soon
either way. Her fellow Enforcers, on the other hand, looked relaxed as they
rode their horses toward the city, each of them keeping a wary eye out for
danger in spite of their apparent relaxation.

Glancing
either way, Serel nodded and headed over the crest of the hill, watching for
danger herself.

“Geez...that’s
a lot of soldiers.” Umar Sharptongue muttered, looking over the small caravan coming
down the Dawnway. Called such because it eventually entered Yisara, he was
fairly sure that meant that either the people in the carriage were important,
or it was filled with important slaves from the border. “Think we could take
them, boss?”

“Hmm…”
Slaid Darkeye considered, his single eye watching the group, then shook his
head slightly. “We might be able to, but those are skilled soldiers by the look
of them. Not raw recruits at all. Now, with there being nearly twice as many of
us we could probably manage to beat all of them, but what if Westgate notices
in the middle of the fight? We might be up shit creek with no paddle.”

“True,
but if those are important people we could do some serious damage this time.”
Umar argued, mostly for the sake of doing some damage to the bastards in charge
of Kelvanis.

“Maybe,
but…” Slaid’s voice trailed off, and a moment later Umar heard the rustling
sound of someone approaching, and he put a hand on his daggers, tensing
slightly.

He
relaxed when he saw Sam come out of the woods, slightly breathless. His own
voice was mild as he asked. “Sam. What’d you come over here for? I might’ve
gutted you with those bastards down there.”

“Henry
sent me.” Sam replied, gasping slightly as he shook his head. “I took the long
way ‘round the hill, ‘cause what he said.”

“And
that is?” Slaid asked calmly, sheathing his own shortsword. Umar managed to
hide his own surprise. He’d never even seen the other man draw his sword!

“Henry
said that one of ‘em is an Enforcer. He recognized the guy.” Sam replied,
spitting on the ground, but terror in his eyes.

Umar’s
blood suddenly chilled at the information and he went pale. A group of
soldiers, even elites, he wouldn’t have many qualms about ambushing. But trying
to ambush an Enforcer with them? That would be quite a bit different. All
Enforcers could use magic and were well-trained warriors, deadly enough to make
most other men balk. He was fairly sure he could kill one from ambush, but if
they failed at it, it’d go badly really fast.

“Well,
that settles it.” Slaid shook his head and sighed. “Umar, call the guys off.
We’ll hit a different caravan. One that doesn’t have damned Enforcers in it.”

“Right,
boss.” Umar let out a breath of faint relief, shaking his head, then pulled out
a whistle. Blowing into it, it produced a hawk’s cry. He blew a specific
pattern, then put it away, thankfully.

No
matter how much he wanted to hurt Kelvanis, there was no way he would attack
Enforcers unless he was sure that the payoff would be worth it.

“Serel!
It’s good to see you’re back! The Archon has expressed his interest in hearing
what you had to report, and…” Jared’s voice trailed off and he blinked in
surprise, pausing in the courtyard as one of the women stepped out of the
carriage.

She
was taller than most of the others, a bit over six feet in height, he thought,
and she had hair the color of burnished copper, along with angry green eyes.
She looked to be related to the dawn elves, but her skin was pale and of an
entirely different hue, like the ancient elves were rumored to be. She was
curvaceous, attractive, and had extremely well-toned muscles...and a pair of
white-feathered wings extending from her back, along with a soft golden halo
above her head.

“...High
Enforcer Serel, what in the blazes is that woman?” Jared asked almost mildly,
staring at the angel, who was now glaring back.

Serel
gave a thin smile as she glanced back, then turned to Jared again. “An angel of
their goddess, Adjudicator. She was a guardian of their altar, and set to be
summoned when it was desecrated. As we were already there, I set Adam to deal
with her. He prepared the traps and captured her without difficulty. At that
point, I believed it important to test whether angels can be branded or not.”

“And
what in the blazes were you going to do if she couldn’t?” Jared asked, turning
to look at Adam. The confident, grinning Enforcer gave Jared a jaunty salute.

“Kill
her. Fortunately, it worked. Unfortunately, it seems to be straining the
binding to its limits. I believe that a more powerful angel would have escaped
the binding by this point.” Serel explained, shaking her head. “As it is I
cannot recommend binding angels in such a manner lightly. I would not have
cared to face her without the element of surprise, either. She nearly killed
Adam in spite of facing nine Enforcers. Only the traps proved her undoing.”

“I
see. Topaz! Take the women to their rooms for the evening, and lock them in.”
Jared looked at Serel and asked. “I presume they’ve been ordered not to attempt
to escape?”

“Of
course.” She acknowledged, then smiled again, almost predatory as she added.
“But let’s just make certain, shall we?”

“You
will not attempt to escape rooms that you are locked into, or attempt to harm
any authorities of Kelvanis.” Serel ordered the attractive priestesses and
angel. Pausing a moment for their acknowledgements, she then added. “Follow the
elven slave, Topaz, to the rooms she selects and allow yourselves to be locked
inside them.”

“My
Lord.” Topaz gave a bow, now adorned in the simple, tasteful jewelry he’d
ordered for her. The others would require new jewelry, but at least the smith
had been warned that more orders in the same design would be coming soon.
Though now he had another temptation. Topaz gestured for the women to follow
her, and he noticed several of the Enforcers surrounding a large, heavy wooden
box as it was carefully lowered out of one of the wagons.

“What’s
that?” He asked, nodding at it curiously.

“I’m
afraid I cannot tell you, Adjudicator.” Serel replied seriously, shaking her
head. “His Excellency commanded it.”

“Ah.
I suppose that my curiosity will have to remain unsated.” Jared took a deep
breath, then nodded. “Shall we make our reports, High Enforcer?”

“Of
course, Adjudicator.” Serel replied politely. “And so you are aware, the six
elves are for you. Under the assumption that the Archon does not wish for any
of them, of course.”

“Thank
you, High Enforcer. That is most welcome news.” Jared smiled at the news,
standing up a bit straighter, as one of his longstanding ambitions flared a
little. He led the way into the manor and led the way to his office. “And so
you are aware, Princess Phynis did escape, primarily due to the raiders taking
excessive care in their plans. They dropped half a mountainside on the
pursuers, after luring some of the scouts into a cave complex filled with
monsters.”

“I
see. That is most unfortunate.” Serel clicked her tongue in annoyance as they
ascended the stairs.

“Indeed.
However, we’ve since learned that the cavern complex is actually a dungeon.
Thus I’ve found my time has yet another call upon it.” He chuckled, grinning at
her startled expression. “His Excellency thought I was calling to report your
return when I informed him of the dungeon, and is most eagerly awaiting your
report, if I don’t mistake myself. But now I have the great responsibility of
building a town for the adventurers who’ll inevitably come in search of the
newfound dungeon.”

“That
is most unexpected. Dungeons are rare.” Serel paused for a long moment before
speaking, this time with more enthusiasm in her voice than he’d ever heard from
her before. “I would actually like to try testing my skills against it myself.”

“I
hope you have the opportunity, High Enforcer.” Jared replied with a wry smile,
opening the door and leading the way to the mirror. Standing up straight, he
supplied the mana the mirror needed and spoke firmly. “Adjudicator Jared
Falgrave and High Enforcer Serel Swiftblade request an audience with the
Archon.”

It
took a long couple of minutes, but once again the Archon’s image appeared in
the mirror, and he was smiling broadly from the beginning this time, and his
voice was deep and enthusiastic. “Serel, it is excellent to see you! And Jared,
my boy! I’m glad to see both of you are there, and looking well!”

“Your
Excellency.” Serel bowed at the waist respectfully, and Jared bowed his head as
well, not speaking.

“No
need to stand on ceremony! Tell me, Serel, was your mission a success?” The
Archon asked. Jared noticed that the Archon’s eyes were oddly bright as well.
This must have been an even more important mission than he had thought it was.

“It
was.” Serel straightened, nodding slightly as she smiled thinly. “Unfortunately
we lost Enforcer James in the process, but the mission was quite successful in
the end. We also have made a number of other discoveries that I believe might
be to the kingdom’s advantage.”

“Amazing!”
The Archon’s eyes blazed as he laughed, and for a moment Jared thought his
ruler would spin in place or dance a jig. But instead the Archon asked. “What
else did you find, if you would?”

“There
are three items of interest in particular. An angel was summoned, and we
successfully branded her with one of the divine brands.” Serel explained, her
words indicating that they’d used one of the golden brands used on priests and
priestesses. “However, it strained the power of the control crest and I believe
it may not function on more powerful angels.”

“Oh?
I had not thought they would work on such potent beings. That is interesting
indeed.” The Archon mused in obvious interest. “And the others?”

“The
high priestess of the temple was also the actual archpriestess of Medaea. The
one who we thought was the archpriestess in Yisara is actually the second in
command of the church, and deals with most of the secular concerns of the
faith.” Serel’s voice was amused this time as she glanced at Jared.
“Adjudicator Jared requested that the high priestess and five others be
returned to him to be his personal slaves. I believed that this should be left
to your judgement.”

“Oh
dear. They would be so upset if they knew what had happened.” The Archon
chuckled, shaking his head again and grinning at Jared. “And what were you
planning to do with six priestesses of Medaea, my boy?”

“Ah...seven,
actually, Archon. I took the one that provided us the information on the temple
for my service.” Jared was suddenly slightly uncomfortable with the Archon’s
knowing look. “As for what I was doing...well, you know about my issues with
magic, of course. I need magi to defend me, and I have a rather unusual book
that describes a particular way of combining mana.”

“And
what book is this?” The Archon pressed gently, tapping his fingers together.

“It’s
titled Melding the Rainbow: Six Colors Become One.” Jared replied
hesitantly.

“Oh
ho! I’ve heard of that one! No one has ever been able to get the rituals to
work due to the participants not being able to fully cooperate.” The Archon’s
eyebrows rose, and he thought for a moment, then narrowed his eyes. “On the
other hand, they are all of the same faith, same gender, and slaves. You can
command them to work together and they have no choice but to obey. I presume
you intend to use the high priestess as the focal point?”

“Ah,
yes, My Lord.” Jared replied instinctively, startled that the Archon had heard
of the book in question. He’d thought he had the only copy of it, but he might
be wrong about that.

“In
that case, have at. Let me know if it works. I may even want a copy of your
book in that case.” The Archon murmured, and then looked to Serel, who’d mostly
ignored the conversation. “Now then, Serel. You had another item of interest to
me?”

“Yes,
Your Excellency.” She acknowledged, smiling broadly this time. “The temple is
built on a ley line node. As normal, one cannot teleport into the temple, but
the other end is in an old temple of Medaea located in Yisara. In Golden Vale,
to be specific.”

For
the first time Jared saw the Archon struck speechless. After a moment the
Archon began to slowly laugh. And Jared understood why, because Golden Vale was
a valley city well behind the front lines, and one where the nobility of Yisara
sent their heirs there to socialize and establish relationships with their
peers every autumn. It was also supposed to not be connected to anywhere
outside of Yisara by ley lines for teleportation, which had protected Golden
Vale from sneak attacks for centuries.

“Oh
my, am I glad to hear this! Jared! You’re to prepare a strike force for this
fall. Grab the heirs, and we’ll see if we can’t trade them for a bigger prize.”
The Archon grinned broadly, then spoke more sternly. “But no branding them. If
we’re going to gamble let’s go big. I want their queen, and I think she will
have little choice if we offer the heirs of her nobles in exchange for her.”

“Your
Excellency, I would like to volunteer for the raid.” Serel offered, her own
eyes glittering in excitement. She obviously liked the idea of the challenge,
which made Jared smile slightly. He’d always liked Serel’s enthusiasm, even if
she’d largely ignored him.

“No,
no, I’ve got some plans that require your special touch, Serel. You’ll be busy
with those when the raid goes off.” The Archon shook his head, and at her look
of disappointment he smiled. “I promise that no one else can perform the task I
have in mind, Serel. Now, is there anything else to report?”

“No,
Your Excellency.” Jared replied calmly, suppressing the urge to ask for the
angel. He had the priestesses he needed, he should be happy with what he’d
already been given.

“No,
Your Excellency. I will be transporting our acquisitions to the capital
tomorrow afternoon.” Serel replied, bowing her head again. Her dissatisfaction
had vanished as quickly as it appeared on her face.

“Good.
I expect all of the Enforcers to come with. You deserve a reward for a job
well-done. I look forward to seeing all of you.” The Archon smiled at them for
a moment before his image vanished.

For
a minute silence filled the room. Jared was considering what to say to Serel,
his heartbeat quickening, and just as he opened his mouth, Serel spoke. The
Enforcer smiled thinly as she turned to Jared, nodding slightly at him.
“Adjudicator. I imagine you have things to do, so I shall take my leave.”

Jared
blinked in shock, watching her leave, and then smiled helplessly as he shrugged
and murmured. “I suppose I do. Drat.”

Chapter 24

Topaz
resisted the urge to close her eyes as she, along with five of the other
priestesses, filed out of Jared’s room. The gathering of priestesses in his
bedchamber had been eerily similar to when he’d renamed her, save that he
hadn’t deflowered all of the other women first. No, he had been saving that for
afterward. At least he wasn’t planning to try and do it to all of them in a
single night.

She
shivered, looking at the others. Amethyst, Diamond, Emerald, Opal, and Sapphire
had come out with her, while Ruby was still in Jared’s room. Opal had confused
her when she’d been given an orange gem, until she’d realized that he meant for
it to refer to a fire opal. Diamond was the high priestess, and she reflected
that even though she personally hadn’t heard the other women’s names, the
jackass had told all of them to forget the old names of each other and only
consider their new names to be their ‘real’ names.

Sighing,
she finally asked in a soft voice. “Are any of you hungry? We can get food for
you before bed if you’d like.”

Most
of the others looked at her in shock. After a moment Sapphire asked somewhat
angrily. “I don’t think that’s the main concern most of us have! Why aren’t you
more upset about this?”

“I’m
not as upset because I unfortunately went through this a few weeks ago myself.
I had my name utterly stripped away as well. I can’t remember what it was in
the slightest.” Topaz told her in a mild tone, shrugging as she added. “I’ll
add that if you worry over your name and try to remember too hard, you can
cause yourself to black out and lose the older memories of your name faster.
Mine is entirely gone. And I’m also not certain that my mind hasn’t been warped
slightly by the experience either. I’m sorry, I’m just trying to be practical
and to help you try to get comfortable. There’s nothing else I can do.”

“Ah.
That makes sense of a sort. Though your advice will be hard to follow.” Diamond
replied slowly, shaking her head. “Trying to not think about something is
difficult.”

“I
know. Believe me, I know.” Topaz’s voice grew quieter as she sighed. “I’ll try
to help as I can, though.”

“We’d
best eat something, no matter how unpleasant our situation is.” Diamond
decided, looking at the others. “Come on.”

“Yes,
high priestess.” Opal said in resignation.

“Follow
me, then.” Topaz told them, heading down toward the dining room for Jared.
She’d initially thought it was odd when he’d added a large table and more
chairs to the dining room after her arrival, but now there were eight of them.
It certainly explained why he’d decided to expand the dining room. Leading her
way in, she slipped into the kitchen to order a light dinner for them before
returning to find the others sitting down.

“So
what does the Adjudicator have planned for us?” Amethyst asked, nervously
playing with a fork. “Besides...bedding us, I mean.”

“I
honestly don’t know. He rarely has me do anything, and I’m often at his side as
little more than a status symbol during the days.” Topaz told her as she took a
seat, considering what to tell them, then sighed. “But he has also had me
practicing a particular form of magic that I’m...well, I was less than pleased
with. For some reason it’s not as unpleasant anymore.”

“And
what might that be?” Opal asked suspiciously.

“Put
bluntly? Sex magic.” Topaz told them without flinching. On the other hand, they
all blanched slightly as she continued. “It’s primarily a method of gathering
additional mana and storing it, but it also allows a few other things, like
controlling fertility and a few unique spells. I also believe it may be
addictive, but I’m not certain.”

“Oh.”
Emerald’s eyes were wide, and she was pale. “Does...does it hurt?”

“The
magic doesn’t. Your first time, well, he tried to be gentle with me. He doesn’t
actually mistreat me.” Topaz told her with another sad smile, shaking her head
again. “However, we are his slaves. He wants what he wants. If you don’t argue
and do what you can to please him, he won’t give additional orders to constrain
you. Try not to upset him.”

“Just
lovely. Goddess preserve us all.” Diamond muttered, and Topaz couldn’t help but
smile as she and all the others murmured in response.

“May
she hear and shed her light upon us.”

Archon
Ulvian Sorvos managed to wait until after Serel had left the room to laugh. His
laughter slowly built up in his belly, then began to bubble forth. He slowly
chuckled, letting it slowly grow into full-throated laughter as he threw his
head back, grinning in ecstatic joy.

The
sarcophagus containing Medaea was resting on a broad steel plate that hung from
the ceiling by a pulley and chains. Below it was a pair of doors that could be
opened to lower it into a chamber below them. But for the moment he walked
forward and gently caressed the wood, his laughter slowly dying away. He could
feel the magic flowing through the sheets of wood, inscribed by his own hand,
and he smiled broadly.

“Hello,
goddess. How the mighty have fallen, no? Here you are, at the heart of my
power, and yet you still sleep. The chances of success were oh so faint, and
yet Serel did not fail me.” He smiled gently as he patted the wood again. “But
don’t worry. She’s not going to tell anyone about what occurred. And neither are
any of the other Enforcers. They may be valuable, but you? You are more
important than any of them.”

“On
the other hand, it’d be a waste to just eliminate all of them, so I’ll tell you
what...you’ll have company for a while. I wouldn’t want you to be lonely.” The
Archon smiled broadly, giving the wood one last stroke before stepping over to
the lever to open the pit. And as he began the process of slowly lowering the
goddess down into the laboratory he’d prepared for this specific project.
“Don’t worry. I’ll attend to you soon enough, my goddess.”

“Your
Excellency.” Serel gave a bow as she saw the Archon enter the small party that
he’d thrown for the Enforcers. It was just them and a handful of slaves at the
moment, but even she had been startled by how many delicacies had been supplied
for them, and all of them had eaten well as they relaxed after their mission.
They were safely back in the heart of Kelvanis, and few Enforcers ever dared
lower their guard anywhere else. The fear and hatred that they inspired
throughout the region was almost incalculable, and that meant that
assassination attempts were depressingly common.

“Ah,
Serel! Are you all enjoying yourselves? I wanted to come sooner, but I needed
to re-brand the angel with a more potent crest.” The Archon replied with a
broad grin. “She was exceedingly unhappy with me, more’s the pity.”

“You
have no need to explain yourself, Your Excellency.” Serel demurred, shaking her
head and pleased as always by his easygoing manner. A part of her thought that
perhaps the leader of their nation should be a little more professional, but he
had the power to afford such familiarity. “I expected that you had many other things
to occupy your attention. We’re honored to have you here.”

“Perhaps
so, but your little gift is going to change everything.” Taking a glass from a
nearby table, the Archon twirled it in his hand, grinning as he spoke. “It will
definitely require more work from me over the coming years, but your success
means immeasurable things for Kelvanis’ future!”

“You
honor us, Your Excellency.” Adam replied, bowing his head slightly, but his
cheeks slightly rosy from drinking some of the brandy.

“Still,
I must toast all of you. To success!” The Archon exclaimed, raising the glass
before them, then taking a deep pull of it. Everyone else also smiled and took
a deep drink of their chosen beverages.

“Thank
you, Your Excellency.” Serel spoke softly, bowing her head before him, almost
shyly this time. The gentle warmth spreading through her body was making her
feel far more relaxed than normal.

“You
shouldn’t thank me, Serel. You have done me a great service, and one that I can
never properly repay.” The Archon replied seriously, setting his glass aside.
“But I imagine you must have questions of your own. Are there any I can
answer?”

“I
must say that I’m curious about what you’re going to do with the angel.” Serel
admitted, then hesitated before asking. “Also, do you think my next mission
will allow me to go attempt a delve into the new dungeon? I’m curious to test
myself against such a place.”

“Ah,
the angel? She is going to help me with dealing with our new subject.” The
Archon smiled broadly as he smiled at it, shaking his head again and chuckling.
“That should speed up the process of converting Her markedly. As for the
dungeon, I don’t know if you’ll be able to pull yourself away for some time.
The project I have for you is going to be difficult to deal with.”

Serel
was opening her mouth to inquire further when a crash came from behind her.
Instinctively she spun to look, but the world didn’t stop spinning when she
stopped. As she swayed unsteadily, she saw that one of the other Enforcers, a
man named Eric, was on the ground with one of the servants crouched over him.
She couldn’t see well, though, and she saw a second Enforcer fall, and then a
third. She was barely holding herself upright as her thoughts moved sluggishly.

Poison,
Serel realized. She was poisoned. She slowly turned her head toward the Archon
as she teetered, then fell to a knee, trying to keep herself conscious. She
gasped out. “W-what? Why?”

“Because
you know. I told you, Serel. No one can know about her.” He replied with a sad
smile. “I didn’t want to do this. But don’t worry. I’m not going to throw you
away. You’ll be able to help me further the power of Kelvanis. You will simply
be in a different role than before.”

She
felt anger surge through the confusion, but the deep, numbing blanket that was
seeping through her thoughts overwhelmed her, and she instead slowly fell to
the ground as darkness enveloped her.

Chapter 25

Evansly
looked at the incoming column of regular army soldiers, civilian workers, slave
labor, and wagons of building supplies and shook his head, feeling more than a
little chagrined. He’d never expected the request he’d made for additional
support to be instead turned into being put in charge of building a damned
town!

At
least the Adjudicator had given clear instructions on the basic structures he
wanted to be built, as well as sending an architect to help design the
structures. Otherwise Evansly would have been utterly lost as to what needed to
be done here. Well, maybe not lost, he admitted to himself, but he certainly
wouldn’t do terribly well. Commanding a company had taught him a lot about how
to lay out a camp and assign tasks, so he wouldn’t have made a complete mess of
things, but it wouldn’t have been pretty. And designing the buildings would
have been rough as well.

Still,
this was also an opportunity for him to prove himself to the Adjudicator.
Looking toward the unassuming cave entrance, he smiled slightly at the source
of the opportunity. The cave looked so simple, and yet he would have sworn that
it had changed slightly since they’d camped in front of it. Spotting a
particular soldier watching the entrance, Evansly frowned. The man was
off-shift, which made his presence a bit odd. The human’s name was Daniel if he
remembered right, and he’d been part of the first group sent to scout out the
dungeon. He had to wonder why the man was so obsessed with the dungeon.

After
a moment Evansly shrugged and put it out of his mind. He had better things to
do than to worry about a single soldier.

“Hello,
Master Graystone. It’s a pleasure to have you here.” Evansly told the dwarven
architect warmly, offering his hand to the brown-haired man.

“Hmmph.
It’s a pleasure to be here, I suppose.” Graystone harrumphed, but shook
Evansly’s hand enthusiastically, looking around in obvious interest. “So, this
is the place, eh?”

“Indeed.
It’s not the best location I’ve seen, but you can see the dungeon entrance
right there.” Evansly explained, pointing out the cavern. “We’d like to get
basic fortifications around it eventually, but it hasn’t proved dangerous to
anyone outside as of yet. I wish it was in a more convenient spot, but I doubt
that the dungeon gives a damn what I want.”

“Heh.
You’re right about them not caring what we think. Though it’s definitely a
strange one from what I’ve heard about dungeons. Most of them tend to go for more
obvious entrances than that.” The dwarf mused, staring at the entrance, then
shrugging. “I suppose it’s no matter. I’ve got the floorplans of dozens of
buildings worked up, so what do you want first? I’ll have to choose spots for
all of them eventually, but priorities would be nice.”

“Well,
let me think for a moment.” Evansly replied with a frown, considering the
matter. He hadn’t been given a priority, but it didn’t seem too difficult to
work out, so after a minute he spoke. “I’d say a barracks and basic guard tower
of some sort, closely followed by an inn and tavern. The troops would be
happier to not be camping, and the most vital things to have available are
fresh food and lodging. Would you like to go over the list of what the
Adjudicator wanted in the town as a start? I may be in charge of security and
building the town, but I’ll freely admit that this is not my area of expertise.
I expected to be scouting caverns, not building a town out of nothing.”

Graystone
stared up at Evansly for a moment, then grinned broadly, slapping the elf
heavily on the hip as he chortled. “I think I like you, elf! That sounds like
an excellent idea. Look, how about we just take a look at this list, and we can
discuss the best order. I’ve heard winter comes early and hard hereabouts, so
we need to get as much done this summer as possible.”

“That
sounds like good idea to me.” Evansly agreed after a moment, rubbing his hip
with a wince.

“Right.
I’ll get my assistants to get my tent set up and start surveying the area, and
we’ll figure out what we can get done.” Graystone laughed again, and then
strode away, his pace brisk and surprisingly quick for his short stature.

Evansly
simply shook his head, wondering about the strange man for a moment. Dwarves
were definitely odd.

“So
you’re sure someone found a dungeon out this way?” Darak asked in annoyance,
looking at the rolling fields of Alcast disdainfully.

“I
wasn’t the one to say that one was found out here. That was guildmaster
Kettle.” Joseph retorted, and Nirath was amused to see the cleric roll his eyes
disdainfully at the dwarf’s grumbling.

“So
where is the damned thing, then? I thought we’d be there by now!” Darak
demanded, gesturing around them. “This place is one of the most worthless
excuses for a kingdom I’ve seen! They don’t even have good beer! Just that
sorry excuse for grape juice!”

“The
wine is decent, Darak. There’s no need to take out your annoyance on us.”
Penelope spoke mildly, the tall, muscular woman glancing toward their dwarven
friend with a level glance that contained just a hint of warning, Nirath
thought. “And as to that, where do you think it is, Nirath? You have the
seerstone.”

“Let
me double-check again.” Nirath agreed, reaching into her belt pouch and pulling
out a silver chain with a teardrop-shaped crystal at the end, the point hanging
so it’d be able to rotate in any direction. Nirath glanced at the sun, then
threaded a trickle of mana into the chain. The crystal glimmered and slowly
rotated to point south-west. Checking the exact angle carefully, she nodded
after a moment. “Based on what I’m seeing, it’s past the nearby mountains. From
the way the angle has changed since the morning, it may be near the Godsrage
Mountains.”

“Bloody
lovely.” Darak grumped, shaking his head. “Those mountains haven’t produced
anything but nasty monsters to my knowledge. Hope that stone isn’t busted. Or
that Kettle hasn’t sent us out on a lark.”

“That
is a far too likely possibility for my comfort.” Joseph admitted with a scowl
of his own. “The guildmaster has a warped sense of humor.”

“Remember,
Darak, you asked for something more interesting than delving into the Cerulean
Dungeon yet another time.” Penelope retorted, her voice growing sharp. “So
Kettle sent all of us. This is your fault, not ours.”

“That’s
not-” Darak began to protest, but Joseph cut him off.

“It’s
true. I wanted to try to get one of those interesting healer crystals that
occasionally form in the dungeon, but no, you wanted something new.” The cleric
looked at the dwarf meaningfully. “I hope we don’t end up needing one of them.”

“Perhaps,
but I’ll admit that we were growing a bit on the powerful side for the dungeon
there, and used to its dangers.” Nirath interjected, looking at the others with
a gentle smile of her own. “New experiences will do all of us good, and you all
know it. If we stop learning and get used to the same challenges every time,
we’ll die when we try to challenge the Great Labyrinth.”

They
all shut up at her point, she noticed smiling in faint satisfaction. But
finally Darak spoke again, grudgingly. “Alright, I’ll admit it, I was getting a
bit bored. Plus, water isn’t my favorite element to begin with. I was hoping
we’d be given permission to delve into the First Gate, honestly, not sent off
on a wild goose chase down into some backwater still recovering from the
Godsrage.”

“Ah.
Actually, that much I can agree with.” Penelope looked thoughtful and sighed.
“First Gate is rumored to be quite rewarding if you can survive it. Trying to
get to a higher rank, hmm?”

“Well...yeah?
I’m not getting any younger, and we have to finish Third Gate to qualify for
the Great Labyrinth, don’t we?” Darak replied, and blinked in confusion for a
moment as the two humans chuckled.

Nirath
smiled herself as she shook her head, but let Joseph handle it instead. The
cleric smiled as he said. “You’re going to live twice as long as Penelope and
I, Darak. Don’t worry, we intend to get there too, and inside of two decades,
so don’t worry.”

“And
a new dungeon, if it exists, could be even better for us than First Gate.”
Penelope added, smiling. “Heck, they might count it as qualifying us for a
higher rank, depending on how potent it is and how well we do at clearing it.”

The
dwarf’s eyes brightened at that and he grinned. “I suppose so! Well, no time at
the present!”

With
his renewed enthusiasm the group of adventurers continued on the winding road
heading south through Alcast.

Chapter 26

“Are
you ready to set out, Your Highness?” Desa asked, then waited for a response
for a few moments. When no response was forthcoming, she frowned and called out
again. “Your Highness?”

Desa
hesitated only a moment before opening the door to Phynis’ chambers. The
possibility that someone had managed to break in flickered across her mind,
growing as she looked inside. The room was dark and the curtains were drawn,
and she frowned, drawing on her magic and whispering the words to create a
crystalline orb of glowing ice over her shoulder to allow her to see more
easily. Desa quickly looked in one room, then the next, finding each
unoccupied. It was when she looked in the bedroom that she found Phynis. Phynis
was in her nightgown still, her arms wrapped around her knees and her back
pressed against the headboard, pressing her head down against her knees.

“Phynis?”
Desa asked. “I thought...are you feeling well?”

“No.”
Phynis’ voice was soft as her arms visibly tightened. “No, I’m not well. I was
branded, escaped, nearly managed to get it fixed, but was taken home instead.
When I got home, I lost my position and the respect that I’d built over years,
before being controlled by someone who I thought we could trust, who nearly
raped me in the process! And then…”

Desa
didn’t realize what the noise she was until a moment later, and her eyes
widened in shock. “Are you crying, Phynis?”

“And
then, instead of talking to me about it, mother decided to send me away. Back
to Sistina, without so much as asking me my opinion.” Phynis’ voice broke
midway through her words, as she took a deep breath and continued to speak,
ignoring Desa’ question. “And you know? I haven’t seen her except the one meeting
after we got back. You’ve seen mother what, ten times? I’ve seen her once. And
not a single time since the general got into my room. Why? What have I done to
deserve this?”

“Phynis,
it isn’t that, she’s just busy, and you’ve been-” Desa started to explain,
stepping forward to try to calm Phynis down, only to realize an instant later
that her choice of words had been a mistake.

“She’s
been busy?!” Phynis exclaimed, her head finally raising, and the
tear-tracks on her face stood out in the light of Desa’s crystal, anger blazing
in the princess’s eyes. “Her eldest daughter was almost raped, and she hasn’t
even talked to me! Don’t tell me that she was busy!”

Backing
away rapidly, Desa’s heart dropped as she realized that Phynis was starting to
break down under the stress of what had happened. Desa could fully understand
why that was, but the timing was unfortunate. She hadn’t realized that Phynis
had been this unhappy and stressed, and she also hadn’t noticed that Her
Majesty hadn’t met with Phynis since the...incident. She’d been too busy trying
to prepare for the trip to notice, and her guilt grew as she realized that
she’d been simply absent ever since the attack. And that had apparently been a
bad decision.

As
she took a deep breath to try to calm Phynis down, she reflected that they
probably weren’t going to leave on schedule today.

Several
hours later they finally managed to get onto the road, and Desa had politely
quelled any questions as to what had caused them to have to wait for a few
hours to leave. She wasn’t pleased with how the discussion with Phynis had
gone, and also gone was how easily she used to discuss things with her charge.

Phynis
was now rather distant, almost indifferent to the rest of them now. Desa could
see suspicion in her eyes when she was approached by anyone, and the change to
her made Desa’s heart ache. But every time over the day that she tried to
broach the subject with Phynis, the princess had made minor, non-committal
replies and tried to end the conversations as early as possible.

The
other guards noticed what was going on quite quickly, and she’d taken the time
to pull aside each of Phynis’ guards and explain that she was in shock from the
attempt on her freedom in the castle, and was currently not willing to give
anyone the benefit of the doubt. She didn’t explain Phynis’ frustration with
the Queen, as that might cause even worse problems if anyone learned of it. All
Desa could do was try to keep her safe, and try to think of some way to break
Phynis out of her new shell.

But
she also had to worry about the researchers and their escort, which was another
headache that Desa hadn’t thought would be too bad before Phynis closed herself
off. Her princess had always been so good at putting others at ease, but now
Desa was having to deal with all the problems of the other group on her own.

There
were a total of twelve royal guard aside from Desa and the guards who'd
accompanied them on their previous trip, and Phynis’ maids had been increased
to six, though the four new maids weren’t nobility. The four researchers were
each accompanied by a pair of assistants, and they also had three servants
who’d cook, clean, and do other basic tasks to help them. Their guards were two
dozen strong, enough to punch through the region of the Godsrage Mountains that
they were aiming for, but they weren’t up to her own standards either. The trip
would be both interesting and more difficult with them along for the ride.

Or
was it Phynis that was along for the ride? Either way, it was a headache that
Desa didn’t need. She was honestly looking forward to getting to Sistina’s
cavern, if only to have a little bit of a rest. The cavern had been oddly
calming to her for being underground.

Chapter 27

“This
tome is titled Melding the Rainbow: Six Colors Become One.” Jared
explained, and Diamond frowned slightly at the name of the book. The tome he
was holding looked quite old and worn to her, but otherwise unremarkable. She
hadn’t heard of it, which made her rather suspicious.

She
and the other six priestesses were currently sitting cross legged in a circle,
with Diamond in the center. Fortunately there was a nice rug on the floor, or
the cold stone would have been quite uncomfortable for all of them. Just as
Topaz had warned, over the past few days Diamond had found her memories of her
old name fading. The previous night she’d found herself having to bed Jared,
and she wasn’t happy with the fact that a part of her had actually wanted the
experience. It made no sense to her since she’d come to terms with her celibacy
when she’d joined the priesthood, and she had puzzled over what had caused the
reaction. It eventually occurred to her that it was likely some form of mental
modification, and part of her wondered how the change had been made without her
noticing it. Her name vanishing had been fairly obvious, but this change hadn’t
been, which made her wonder if other aspects of her mind were being altered as
well.

Nor
was that the only thing that had changed. Each of the priestesses had been
slowly transforming physically, growing more curvy, and all similar in height
to Topaz. Their facial features didn’t change much, at least, though a few
flaws to Emerald’s face had been corrected. But more dramatically, their hair
and eye colors had slowly shifted to somewhat match their new names. Diamond’s
own eyes and hair were an almost crystalline shade of white, a dramatic
departure from her old coloration. Even that coloration was slowly growing
hazier in her memories.

None
of which addressed Jared’s commentary, which continued as they sat there,
listening. “The purpose of this book is a form of magic which no one known has
successfully managed to use. I must admit that it was found in the ruins of a
library which pre-dates the Godsrage, so it is possible that it was
successfully used beforehand. But I digress. This magical formation allows
seven spellcasters who are sufficiently coordinated to combine all of their
mana and skill into one, and allowing the use of spells which exceed the limits
of all of them to a certain degree.”

The
possibility made Diamond’s eyes widen, and she opened her mouth to speak.
Others also began to murmur as well, but he raised a hand to forestall
questions, speaking politely. “Wait a minute, please. I’ll explain why it’s so
difficult to use and why no one has managed to use it to my knowledge.”

Waiting
until they’d all calmed down, he sighed and tapped the cover. “This is the only
existing copy of the tome, to my knowledge. And even it states that this form
of magic is almost impossible to find a group of seven who can utilize it. The
problem is that the users must be coordinated in mind and body to such a degree
that it poses extreme difficulties. If two individuals attempting to use it
have personalities that clash, it ruins the effect. Finding two people should
be easy enough. Three, a bit harder. But with each person added, it becomes
dramatically more difficult to use this formation. And even more particular, it
creates a permanent link between the participants. They cannot form a new group
or dissolve the one they are in. Thus it is not something one may enter into
lightly.”

“On
the other hand, all of you are different.” Jared spoke with a smile, settling
into a chair. “The seven of you are of the same faith and religion, in similar
positions of original authority, and in approximately the same mental space.
Furthermore, although Diamond is more advanced in magic, that actually helps
set the formation properly. Oh, and you’re all female as well. But Diamond is
going to be the focal point of your formation. She’ll channel and guide the
power, and also distribute the load of magic to the rest of you. The magic will
still take the skill and cooperation of all of you at once, but she will be the
conductor of the orchestra that all of you are going to become. Now then, as
that’s the basic overview, do any of you have questions?”

“May
I ask why I am the one who is the focal point, and not you?” Diamond asked
softly, looking at Jared with narrowed eyes. While this sounded reasonable in
most ways, she couldn’t see why he wouldn’t take advantage of the formation to
increase his own power.

“Ah,
yes. That is a very good question, and I partially went over it in my
explanation.” Jared paused a moment, then shrugged and sighed. “I’m male and
power-hungry. On the other hand you are all my slaves, which likely would
create difficulties in cooperating with you. Plus I’m not of your faith. But
the most important reason…”

The
Adjudicator hesitated a moment, then sighed and shook his head before speaking
bluntly. “The truth is that I am utterly abysmal at magic. I have enormous mana
reserves for a non-spellcaster, and more than even most spellcasters for that
matter. But when it comes to spells, I am horrible. I never managed to finish
my apprenticeship due to always making mistakes on how to gesture or how to
speak the incantations. It’s frustrating, but I know my own limitations. I
would be the worst possible person to actually try to lead this formation.”

“I
see.” Diamond frowned a little, but went silent.

Ruby,
on the other hand, spoke up. “Is this dangerous to us?”

“Oh,
no. If you can’t form the connections necessary, you just don’t succeed.” Jared
assured her, shaking his head. “After that, it’s all about building
coordination. It’s about as dangerous as normal magical training at that point.
However, the connections can be a little unpredictable, from what I’ve read.
Sometimes it connects all of those involved telepathically, sometimes there’s
no side effects at all. It never harms those involved, but it isn’t predictable
what form the connections might take.”

“Okay…”
Ruby replied, hesitating as it she was going to say more, then swallowed and
shook her head.

“Any
other questions?” Jared asked. And when no one said anything he smiled. “Good.
I’m going to read this off, and I expect all of you to try to form the
formation for me.”

Opening
the book, he took a deep breath, then began to read.

Topaz
took a deep breath again, shivering as she held the image of bright golden
light in her mind. Forming all of her mana into the ‘light’ that Jared had
directed was difficult, and she was quivering as she felt the other mana
pressing in around her. Each of the others in the circle had transformed their
mana similarly, and the mana was so concentrated it was almost visible. The
five other colors of the rainbow swirled around her, and she shivered as she
felt the barely constrained power pulsing through the room.

“Now
meld them together. Reach out to one another, and blend your mana together.”
Jared urged quietly, watching it all. “Diamond, grasp their power. Take the
light and merge it, turn it all into one. Make all the colors into pure, white
light. A prism separates light into the rainbow, you are a diamond that
reverses that process.”

Topaz
felt the faint tugging of Diamond’s power, as the high priestess began to pull
on the mana that the other six priestesses had manifested. And ever so slowly,
she began to pull it inward, like a whirlpool at the center of an ocean of
mana.

As
the mana began spinning, threads of the other colors of mana began to whip
through Topaz’s mana as well. One caught on Topaz and she gasped, nearly losing
her concentration as it hooked into her.

The
threads continued to form, and all of a sudden Topaz realized that Diamond
wasn’t a whirlpool. She was a spinning wheel, and she was weaving strands of
mana together into one. Colors swirled together in a massive prism, slowly changing
from a riot of color into a strand of glimmering, crystalline light. And the
strands of each color, one by one, caught on Topaz and the others. A tangle of
threads that were slowly being pulled into that strand, as all of them were
dragged mystically along with the mana.

“Let
your magic become one, and let all of you blend your strengths into one greater
whole.” Jared urged softly, but Topaz barely heard him over the roar of mana in
her mind.

The
threads dragged her inward toward the others, and Topaz couldn’t release her
mana anymore even if she wanted to. She was being drawn in, caught up in the
flow now, and she could feel the others in it too. Desperation, despair, and
frustration pervaded all of them, but beyond all of that was their shared faith.
Their silent prayers to Medaea that they would find a way out of Jared’s grasp,
for Her to preserve and save their faith. And those prayers wrapped together,
connecting them, and for a single glorious moment, all of them became one.

It
was like the world snapped into focus. All the mana in the world around them
came into stark focus, all of it at their command. A faint path could be seen,
as if answering their prayers, and Topaz could see what had been done to them.
She could feel it and understand it, and if she just reached out, she could-

The
moment shattered as they were thrown apart again, and Topaz gasped suddenly as
she realized she’d stopped breathing for a moment. And all of them collapsed in
place, shuddering as they broke out of the ritual.

“What
happened?” Jared asked after a moment, looking down at them in concern. “Did it
work?”

“I…”
Diamond paused, and suddenly Topaz felt the other woman reaching out to her.
Reaching out to all of them. It was like they could hold hands, and be together
in their prayers. She could feel Diamond’s mana and strength, and it would be
oh so easy to just reach out for the help of the others. Diamond spoke again,
her voice soft. “I think it did. We can feel each other’s mana, at least.”

“Excellent!
That means we’ve managed a proper start to the formation!” Jared exclaimed
happily, standing up as he grinned. “How do you feel?”

“Exhausted.”
Diamond replied, and what Topaz could feel via their link agreed with that.

Chiming
in, Topaz added in a shaking voice. “Really tired. Like a wrung out dishrag.”

Murmurs
of agreement came from around the room, and Jared smiled wryly. “I suppose I
should have expected that. Everyone, let’s go up for dinner, then you can bathe
or such before bed. Topaz, tonight you’re in my room.”

“Yes,
Jared.” Topaz acknowledged, a sour part of her mind telling her that she should
have expected that.

Diamond
was just getting ready for bed when she felt the stroke along her side. She
jumped, spinning around in her small room, her eyes going wide. “Who’s there?”

No
one was in evidence, but a faint pressure was along her side, and suddenly it
felt like someone was kissing her gently, even though there was no one there,
and there was no physical presence against her skin. The spectral attention
began to continue, and her eyes went wide as she realized what was happening.

She
could feel what Topaz was feeling, even if it was only a faint fraction of the
sensations that Topaz must feel. And that meant that tonight would be much
different than what she’d expected, where she’d thought she’d have a night of
rest. She had to wonder if all of the others were getting the same feedback
that she was. A soft yelp, barely heard through the wall connecting to Ruby’s
room, confirmed that they were.

Diamond
hoped, with a sinking feeling in her gut as the sensations increased in
intensity, that this wouldn’t happen with all the other priestesses. But she
doubted she’d be quite that fortunate.

Chapter 28

“What
in the hells? What happened here?” Desa murmured, looking over the ravine
leading down toward Sistina’s cavern. The once-verdant forest filling the
ravine had been largely destroyed by what had to have been a massive rockslide,
and it must have happened not long after they’d left. She was stunned by the
devastation, and shook her head in disbelief. They’d been fortunate not to have
been caught in the slide.

The
rock slide would have been enough to startle her, but what was really
surprising was the broad clearings she could see near the base of the mountain.
The clearings were filled with camps and what looked like buildings under
construction. Several of them were mostly built, though they were simpler
construction than she was used to, some of them even appearing to be log
cabins. But that coupled with the dozens of soldiers and workers she saw
milling about, and she couldn’t help but sigh. “Well, shit. This complicates
things.”

“...so,
the barracks should be done in about four days at the current rate. Damned
pansies can’t make even halfway decent shingles, or it’d be three.” Graystone
told Evansly, shaking his head. “The inn should take maybe a week more, but the
tavern will be done sooner. Not that it’ll do much good until we get proper
beer up this way, but it’s a start. I hear a few mages are working on expanding
the trail this way, but it’ll take a few weeks for them to get here, and even
then I wouldn’t put a lot of faith in it if it rains. We’re gonna have issues
for a year or two until we can get the road properly paved.”

“What
about water?” Evansly asked, frowning slightly. “We’ve got the stream coming
down the ravine, but it’s just far enough out of the way that it will be awkward,
especially once the town starts to grow. Hells, we’re already spending a lot of
time on refilling barrels and the like.”

“Well,
we’ve got two options. One is to try drilling a well. We’d want to get an earth
or water mage to give us an idea of where would be good.” Graystone pondered a
moment, then shook his head. “The other is to use that rockslide to our
advantage.”

“What
do you mean by that?” Evansly asked, slightly dubiously as he thought about the
masses of rubble up the ravine. They were building the town out of the way of
the worst potential landslide zones, and Graystone had gone up the nearby
mountainsides to check them and make certain that they didn’t appear likely to
collapse sometime soon.

“I’m
thinking that we could build a reservoir and dam. Use the water for an aqueduct
and to power a wood mill or the like.” Graystone explained. “All that rubble is
broken up, so it isn’t perfect, but there’s enough to make a decent dam with
some good mortar. I’m not saying it’ll be the best structure ever, but
depending on how much work we want to put into it, we could even try stocking
it with fish.”

“That
seems like a lot of work, Graystone.” Evansly frowned slightly, tilting his
head. “I’m not sure how long that would take, and I’m also not sure how long
you’re supposed to be out here.”

“It
would take a while, that much I’ll admit. An easier task would be diverting
some of the stream through an aqueduct, which would be simple enough. Could be
done by fall, I’m sure.” Graystone offered, tilting his head as he considered.
“And I wasn’t given a specific timeline, really. It’s a project I enjoy.”

“Hmm…”
Evansly looked at a map of the area and debated for a minute. The map was next
to a stack of sketches of the buildings that Graystone was going to be
supervising the construction of. He was looking forward to having a proper
office in the barracks where he could store all of this. After a few minutes he
nodded. “I’d like you to start on the aqueduct idea, if you would. And if you’d
also draw up plans for two or three dam projects, so that I have some options
to pitch to the Adjudicator? I’ll see if he wants us to build a dam instead.
Better yet, if you can incorporate the aqueduct into any potential dam it might
be even better. That way we don’t waste effort.”

“I’ll
do that. I’ll get started right away on these dam projects.” Graystone replied
with a grin, and they both chuckled at the play on words.

Helia
took a deep breath as she crept toward the entrance to the caverns. She was on
a mission to find Sistina and see if there were any other ways into the
mountain, now that there was a Kelvanis force outside the only entrance they
knew of. Helia was one of the guards who’d been with Princess Phynis on their
ill-fated expedition and been branded, and thus she knew Sistina at least a
little, which Desa obviously hoped would be enough for Sistina to recognize
her. Besides which, Helia was the only person who’d met Sistina and also had
enough skill at stealth and light magic to hide herself from the guards that
were watching the cavern entrance.

So
Helia drew on her magic gently, wrapping herself in a bubble that would make
her blend into the background. She slowly moved forward toward the cavern
entrance, moving just slowly enough that most people wouldn’t be able to see
the distortion in the air surrounding her body, but just fast enough that she
wouldn’t run out of mana before she reached the cave.

One
step at a time, she passed through the clearing around the cave. The two human
guards were drinking cups of something hot as they chatted. They didn’t seem
too worried about anything coming out of the cavern, she noticed hopefully.
That would help her make it inside without incident. And then she was past
them, inside the cave.

Dropping
her spell as she hid around a corner, Helia let out a breath of relief and took
a few moments to catch her breath and calm down. Then she straightened and
started to follow the path she remembered from a few weeks before. Hopefully
she remembered the route correctly.

For
a moment Sistina was afraid she was about to get raided, and this time in major
force. Worse, she still wasn’t ready for a group that was prepared for both her
animals and plants. Oh, certainly, she could probably deal with any interlopers
if they got to her, but that wouldn’t help Ilmas, Lily, or Sina if they got
caught too far from her.

So
Sistina was surprised, then delighted when she realized that the person who had
come inside was actually an elf with a slave brand who was entirely on her own.
And she grew even more surprised when she looked more closely and found that
she recognized the woman who’d entered the tunnels. The woman had been with
Phynis when she’d come through before, so Sistina looked closely at her link to
Desa for the first time in a long while and was startled to find that the faint
connection had grown stronger again, indicating that the elven mage was nearby
once more.

On
the other hand, Sistina had been working on making the tunnels more complex
since the prior invasion, so the elven guard was heading toward the tunnels
leading downward instead of toward her cavern. And since she didn’t want to
send the woman on a trip through her new caves, Sistina mentally sighed and got
to her feet with a wince. She hadn’t moved in a touch too long, but she’d just
have to go fetch the woman herself.

Pausing
in a tunnel, Helia’s frown deepened. She would have sworn that this was the
right direction, but she didn’t recognize where she was at all. She remembered
the route clearly, and they had discussed it back in camp, and yet the tunnels
didn’t seem to match at all. She murmured softly. “What’s going on? I shouldn’t
be going down at all.”

The
sudden echo footsteps caused Helia to tense, spinning around and her sword
hissing out of its sheathe, glowing with a faint blue light. A few moments
later the pale form of Sistina stepped out of the gloom, this time wearing delicate
pair of green trousers and blouse. Seeing her, Helia relaxed slightly and shook
her head as she sheathed her blade.

“You
startled me, Sistina. I was coming to see you, but I seem to have gotten lost
somehow. I thought I knew the way, but obviously not.” Helia told the dryad
with a sheepish shrug. “Sorry that you had to come get me.”

Sistina
smiled and shook her head, then touched one of the cavern walls, and spoke in
her usual curt manner. “Moved.”

“You
moved your cavern?” Helia asked, her eyes widening in shock. Her discomfort
eased slightly as she noticed that Sistina also seemed startled by the thought,
and shook her head in response.

“Intruders.”
Sistina told her, pointing back down the tunnel. Pausing as if trying to think
of how to explain, Sistina eventually added, her tone slightly questioning.
“Maze?”

“Uh...you
made this place a maze? That seems...well, it makes sense. Why?” Helia asked.
Sistina gestured for her to follow, and the elf followed her.

“Dungeon.”
Sistina said simply, shrugging slightly. “Safer.”

And
wasn’t this a fine situation for her to bring the princess into, Helia
reflected grimly. A new dungeon under siege by the army of Kelvanis? Well, at
least they didn’t know that Phynis was here. Yet, anyway.

“Hello
the camp!” The soft voice made Desa tense for a moment before she managed to
relax, recognizing the voice.

“Helia?
Are you alright?” She asked softly, looking into the darkness around their camp
carefully. There was no telling whether or not the guard had been caught and subverted,
but she wasn’t seeing or hearing anyone else as of yet. Helia emerged from the
darkness looking slightly tired.

“Right
as rain, though the situation is weird. Apparently, according to Lily and the
other two slaves inside, Kelvanis thinks the caverns are a dungeon. So they’re
building a town to exploit it, and Sistina is spending almost all her time
rebuilding caverns system to try to make herself into an actual dungeon.” Helia
explained, shaking her head in obvious disbelief. “Apparently she’s been rather
distant since this whole mess started. But she met me and guided me through the
dungeon.”

“That’s
not good. In fact, it’s bad. Is there any way to get past the guards?” Desa’s
worry spiked, looking at her large group. “There’s no way we can fight our way
past them. They’d be in right after us if we tried, and there’s just too many
of them.”

“Well,
fortunately Sistina made a second cavern exit on the rear side of the mountain
that’s easy for her to open. She made it for Lily and the others.” Helia replied
with a wry smile. “She has to open it and shut it each time, to make sure their
scouts don’t find it, but if we go there we can get in easily. That’s how I got
out.”

“Oh,
that’s a relief.” Desa let out a soft sigh as her tension eased enormously. “I
didn’t know what we could do aside from turning around and going back. And that
hardly bode thinking on. What if Kelvanis managed to get their hands on the
library in there?”

“Agreed.”
Helia told her, sighing as she asked. “Any way I could get a nap before we
leave?”

Laughing
softly, Desa smile and nodded. “Go ahead and get some rest. We’ll head inside
in the morning.”

“Thanks,
Captain. I’m exhausted.” Helia murmured, then headed for her tent.

“You’re
welcome, Helia. Thanks for going in there. You’re a lifesaver.” Desa said
affectionately, then headed toward bed herself. She’d been waiting for Helia to
get back, and the good news would help her sleep. Things were definitely
looking better than they had been this afternoon.

Chapter 29

Desa
found herself startled by the simplicity of the new entrance to Sistina’s
cavern. Compared to the other route they’d taken before, this one was
positively straightforward. The shallow cavern hadn’t looked like there was any
way out of it until one stone wall had literally melted away into an open
doorway. The hall wasn’t terribly wide or tall, but unlike all of the other
caves, this one was well paved and the walls and ceiling looked like a properly
reinforced tunnel or hallway. Even more useful, it didn’t twist and turn nearly
as much, and it took them directly down to Sistina’s main cavern.

As
she stepped into Sistina’s cavern, Desa stepped to the side so that she would
be out of the way of the others, then took a deep breath. The air was rich with
scents of plants, and a faint tension that she hadn’t even noticed was there
slowly eased. The mana-rich air would also do her a world of good, and she took
another deep breath before opening her eyes and examining what she could see of
the cavern while the others filed out of the tunnel. The exclamations of the
researchers was amusing and unsurprising, but she managed to ignore them in
spite of their antics.

Some
of the trees were bigger, but she could have sworn that the layout of the
forest and other gardens had changed since they’d last been there. It was hard
to tell if they had, though, since she’d come in from a different angle from
the previous visit. If she could change the layout of the tunnels and caverns,
why couldn’t she change where plants were, anyway? It was certainly possible
that she had.

Lily’s
house looked slightly larger and the fields looked mostly the same, though the
sight of wheat startled her somewhat. The millhouse along the stream, at a
point where the water tumbled downward a dozen feet of rocks, was also new,
even if it looked like it’d been in place for years. More surprising was the
realization that most of the buildings she’d seen along the edge of the cavern
on the previous visit were gone, and where they’d been were only a handful of
buildings that seemed to be fully intact.

“Helia,
did it look this different when you came through?” Desa grabbed the other
woman’s shoulder as she was about to come past, nodding toward the buildings.

Helia
blinked for a moment, then her eyes lit up with understanding. “Ah, yes,
mostly. I don’t think all of them were in quite that good of shape, though. I
could have sworn that part of the big building’s roof was missing.”

“Well,
that makes me feel a little better.” Desa shook her head slightly and smiled
slightly. “I was afraid that I was misremembering the cavern. Or that Sistina
had done all of that overnight. And the roof probably was damaged. I’m not
entirely sure why she bothered fixing it, though, since we’re inside a cave.”

“That’s
a good point. Maybe to allow people to avoid the ‘daylight’ from the crystals?”
Helia suggested, pointing up at the lights on the ceiling of the cavern. “I
certainly hope she isn’t planning to try to replicate rain.”

“That’s
true, but we could also-” Desa paused, then smiled as she saw Lily approaching,
along with a plain-looking male dusk elf. The male looked nervous at seeing the
large group, but Lily approached with a smile. “And here’s someone who might be
able to answer such a pressing question for us?”

“I
suppose so.” Helia shook her head and laughed.

“What
question?” Lily asked, obviously slightly puzzled. But as soon as she was
close, Lily grinned and gave Desa a tight hug, startling both the captain and
most of those nearby. “Welcome back, Captain Desa! It’s good to see you again.”

“Thank
you, Lily. And whom might this be?” Desa asked, turning her gaze to the man.

“Oh,
this is Ilmas. He was part of the first scouting group of the soldiers outside,
and fell into a pitcher plant.” Lily replied, grinning as he blushed faintly
pink in spite of his somewhat darker pigmentation. “Sistina rescued him and
adjusted his brand, like mine. And Sina’s, but she’s off hunting for a deer so
we have a better dinner. He’s my boyfriend.”

“I
suppose that makes sense. But the question I was discussing with Helia was
simple enough. We were curious as to why Sistina bothers adding roofs to the
buildings indoors.” Desa told her, smirking a little as Ilmas turned an even
brighter shade of pink as he was introduced as Lily’s boyfriend. The two elves
were somewhat mismatched. Ilmas was not the most handsome elf by any stretch of
the imagination, while Lily was pretty enough that she would draw attention in
most small towns. Which actually made them all the more adorable in her eyes,
since they were living here, of all places.

“That’s
a good question. That’s a really good question.” Lily frowned slightly, then
shook her head after a moment. “I don’t know.”

“And
trying to get an answer out of Sistina is like pulling teeth.” Ilmas added, shrugging
as they looked at him, his feet shifting uncomfortably. “I mean, since she
doesn’t talk normally, so it makes it hard to get details on subjects like
that. When she even answers us.”

“Has
she stopped talking to you?” Desa frowned at that, looking at Lily. And she was
surprised to see the elf look slightly guilty. What was going on?

“That...it’s
complicated, you know? I mean, remember that she didn’t say a single word after
telling me her name through the entire winter until you came here.” Lily slowly
explained, shifting from one foot to the other uncomfortably. “So I’m not
saying she’s stopped talking to us. She’s actually talking more than she was.
But she’s been more distant. Before she was constantly nearby me. Or maybe I
went near her because I was lonely. Either way, she was a constant presence.
And now she moves away from her tree maybe once a week. Sometimes when I go
looking for her, she doesn’t move at all for hours on end. I’m worried about
her.”

“And
she’s shifting the tunnels around, too.” Ilmas added, frowning. “I’m not
entirely sure why, but she’s not letting us go very far. I have to assume that
the Kelvanis presence outside is making her nervous. When we want fresh air, we
have to go out the exit you used, and she’s refused to open it a few times.”

“I’ve
told you, I’m betting that those times there were Kelvanis scouts in the area
around the exit.” Lily interjected, giving Ilmas an annoyed look.

“I’m
just trying to explain what’s been going on!” He protested. “It isn’t like
they’ve been here to watch.”

“That
does seem like a reasonable explanation, though.” Desa interjected, shrugging
slightly. “Still, it makes me wonder about what she’s up to.”

She
was about to say more, but then she paused as she saw that Phynis had quietly
slipped past most of the group and was heading toward Sistina’s tree, with
Evrial just behind her, looking around watchfully. Helia noticed a moment
later, and her voice was soft. “Captain, should I…?”

“No.
No, let her go see Sistina herself.” Desa refused gently, shaking her head.
“Maybe she can get through to the princess.”

“Wait,
isn’t that the princess? What’s she doing here?” Lily asked, startled as she
looked over after Phynis as she circled a bush. “I thought that the reason all
of you were moving so quickly was to get her out of the country.”

“It
is, and the situation is complicated.” Desa spoke softly, shaking her head.
“She’s lost a lot of trust for others.”

“She
was attacked back home, by a slaver. Only the fact that the Captain’s brand was
changed by Sistina kept him from succeeding.” Helia explained, shrugging
slightly. “Unfortunately, the incident seems to have severely harmed the
princess mentally.”

“She
doesn’t trust anyone anymore. Not even me.” Desa spoke softly, closing her eyes
at the pain of Phynis’ accusations.

“Oh.
I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that something so horrible had happened.” Lily’s
eyes went wide at the explanation and she put a hand over her mouth. Ilmas was
keeping quiet, but he was obviously torn between being bewildered and simply moving
away from them.

“There’s
no way you could have known.” Desa told her, smiling sadly. “All we can do is
hope she works her way past it. That and try to regain her trust.”

“I
guess that’s true.” Lily chewed her lip a little. “I’ll do what I can, but I’m
no good with nobles.”

“I
think I’m just going to lead some people over to the buildings Sistina
rebuilt.” Ilmas ventured, breaking the mood somewhat as he smiled awkwardly.
“I’m not entirely sure what to do, so at least that would be something I can
help with.”

“Thank
you, Ilmas.” Desa smiled at him gently, and Lily’s face lit up as she grinned.

“Good
idea, Ilmas. I’m not much more help, but we’d best get people settled. It’ll be
a lot more crowded now.” She agreed, and the two smiled at each other before starting
to try to get together small groups to lead over to the buildings near the
cavern wall.

Sistina’s
tree still took Phynis’ breath away. Phynis paused, looking up at the gigantic
willow and simply taking it in for a few minutes. The sparkling flickers of
light along the limbs, the pale bark, and the crystalline red ‘fruit’ on the
tree were just so different than what she’d seen on any other tree before. And
adding to that, she knew it was Sistina’s tree, and she felt that Sistina was
one of the few beings she dared trust anymore. She might trust an angel, but
they were rarely nearby.

Evrial
hovered a few feet behind Phynis, but she ignored the guard. She’d already been
suborned by the general once before, so how could Phynis really trust her?
Maybe ignoring Evrial wasn’t the right approach, but by the same token, she
wasn’t certain what other options she really had. It wasn’t as though the woman
would leave her alone if she asked.

But
Sistina...the dryad, or genius loci, or whatever one wanted to call her, she
didn’t care about who Phynis really was. Sistina had no interest in the throne,
or the fact that Phynis was a noble. Her biggest concern was that Phynis was
related to Sistina Constella by some unknown distance. And Sistina was here,
underground, and divorced from everything outside of these cave systems. Phynis
wasn’t absolutely certain she could trust Sistina, but she seemed like a better
option than any other possibility that she could think of. She simply
felt...safe.

Brushing
the branches aside, Phynis stepped inside the swaying curtain of branches to
find Sistina in almost exactly the same pose she’d found her in the last time
they’d visited. Sistina was wearing clothing of a simple cut, similar to
Lily’s, but otherwise it gave Phynis an almost eerie flashback, like the
librarian in the castle who she felt never moved from his office and never
changed clothing. And eerily enough, she opened her eyes to look at Phynis in
the exact same way as the last time as well. It was incredibly strange, and
Phynis opened her mouth to speak, and then hesitated, growing unsure for a moment.
Was this truly a wise decision, what she’d come here for?

“Phynis
Constella.” Sistina’s voice was soft as it thrummed through the air, and it was
like she’d just strummed a chord that resonated deep inside of Phynis. A chord
of understanding and kindness.

Eyes
welling up with tears, Phynis sniffed, then stepped forward and almost fell
into the dryad’s arms as she wrapped her arms around the warm, soft figure
before her. The faint scent of lilacs surrounded the dryad and enveloped Phynis
as Sistina slowly pulled her in close. And as she began to cry, Phynis
whispered. “Sistina...please help me?”

The
dryad spoke in her usual manner, and yet it almost sounded like a vow. “Yes.”

Sistina
knew that Desa was unhappy about something. It had been obvious in Helia’s eyes
too, that impression that something was wrong. What it was, though, had puzzled
her for a time. Right up until she saw Phynis inside the tunnels.

The
princess’s mana was twisted, and her attitude starkly contrasted with what
Sistina had seen in Phynis before. When Phynis had visited before, she had
shone with determination, hope, and light. Now she was dark and twisted, almost
in agony. Her brand thrummed with energy, and she could feel it resonating with
something in the elf’s mind. Or was it something in her head?

Sistina
wished she had time to speculate on it, but keeping track of the myriad
conversations in the cavern took a large portion of her attention. It wasn’t
hard to keep track of everything in her domain, but it didn’t leave almost any
to spare for properly considering or changing things, she’d found to her
chagrin. It’d made the last few weeks harrowing, as she tried to learn and
adjust her structure at the same time. She was fortunate that there hadn’t been
any more determined attempts to break through the outer caverns, or they might
have succeeded.

But
when Phynis started approaching her, Sistina had been forced to think more
deeply. She took a mental step back from most of the other conversations and
focused on Phynis. On her body language and the unconscious tension in the
princess’ body. She examined more deeply, and found the young elf was almost in
heat like an animal, and yet her mind was fighting it. This wasn’t something
that the brand was doing, either. It was something else. Something deeper.

Sistina’s
perceptions faded somewhat when Phynis reached her and she opened her eyes to
regard the young woman. Seeing the despair, frustration, and need for
understanding in the princess’s eyes. So Sistina gave Phynis what she needed. Sistina
was willing to listen to anything, so spoke her name with that promise embedded
in it. “Phynis Constella.”

It
almost surprised her as tears began to trickle down Phynis’ face and she lunged
into Sistina’s lap. Suddenly Sistina was glad she’d modified her body to be
more like a mortal’s, and she gently hugged the elven woman as she asked.
“Sistina...please help me?”

So
Sistina nodded and answered softly. “Yes.”

The
guard looked uncomfortable, and Sistina gently gestured for the other woman to
go away. Shooing her away, really. Evrial hesitated for a long moment, so
Sistina gave her a hard look, and the elf finally stepped out of the shelter of
Sistina’s canopy.

Considering
again, Sistina sighed and touched Phynis’ forehead, and then down over the brand
throbbing against the elf’s skin. Then she asked softly. “Help?”

“I...I
need both. But I just...I don’t know. The brand first? So they can’t control me
like that again?” Phynis begged, and Sistina suddenly realized what had
happened. Or what had almost happened, since Phynis felt intact to her senses.

So
she nodded and reached downward, gently pulling down the hem of Phynis’ pants
to get a good look at the brand. It was made more difficult by the princess not
letting go of her, but Sistina managed to work around it. Phynis was fragile
enough as it was. After a few moments she’d exposed the brand, though, and she
held the blouse up and out of the way while she studied the brand via her other
senses. Phynis was in the way if she’d tried to examine it with her eyes, but
again it wasn’t necessary. On the other hand, the brand was absolutely
fascinating when compared to the other two types she’d encountered thus far.

The
royal blue brand was even more complex than the silver one that adorned Desa.
It was also made more difficult in that its complexity was woven into Phynis’
body as well as controlling her minor talent with magic. In fact, it was deeply
tied into the very root of Phynis’ body, and Sistina quickly realized that this
was designed to control the bearer far more deeply than she suspected anyone
else might realize. It touched on fertility, arousal, and even into the
bearer’s sexual preferences and mental state. Which meant that this would take
a delicate, careful touch if she wasn’t going to destabilize the already
unstable princess.

But
there was nothing to do about it but try. So Sistina reached down to touch the
center of the design, and carefully inserted her mana into the brand.

A
thread of heat spread through Phynis’ brand, and she gasped and shivered as it
caused the frequent arousal that had been wracking her body to awaken again.
She shivered in Sistina’s arms as the warmth slowly spread through her stomach.
And then Sistina spoke.

“Complex.”
She murmured in Phynis’ ear, then seemed to hesitate. “Slow.”

“T-take
as long...as you need to…” Phynis whispered, shivering more as the warmth
penetrated fully into her stomach and began to spread upward. She suppressed a
whimper as her arousal was suddenly quashed for a bare moment, before suddenly
surging back even more powerfully than before.

“Evrial?
Why are you out here?” Desa asked, pausing as she saw the guard standing
outside of the curtain of branches surrounding Sistina’s tree. It caused a
faint amount of alarm, but not too much. Not since Evrial looked like she
wasn’t too worried.

“Ah,
Sistina gestured for me to leave. I heard Phynis ask her for help, and Sistina
didn’t look like she’d take no for an answer.” Evrial replied uncomfortably.
“I’m sorry, I just...I didn’t know what else to do.”

“I
doubt there was any other choice you could make. Sistina is a strange one, and
I don’t think she’d hurt Phynis.” Desa frowned in spite of herself, and then looked
toward the tree. “But she also doesn’t seem like the type to do what other
people want.

“I
don’t think so either, but it’s been sounding kind of strange in there.” Evrial
told her, blushing slightly.

“What?
I…” Desa hesitated, debating for a moment, then took a deep breath and shook
her head. Then she took a few steps forward and slipped her head through the
branches.

Phynis’
quick, deep breathing was suddenly audible inside the canopy, and for a moment
Desa misinterpreted what was going on. The princess was in Sistina’s lap with
her pants partially pulled down, and her skin was flushed a bright shade of red
as her breathing came in heavy gasps. The dryad’s hand was against Phynis’
lower body, and for an instant Desa was outraged. It took a moment before Desa
realized that Sistina’s hand was unmoving and there was an expression of deep
concentration on her face.

Realizing
what was going on, Desa hastily stepped back and shook her head, heat rising in
her own cheeks. She had to wonder how the thin canopy of branches was holding
back the sounds from inside so well. But she spoke after a moment, looking at
Evrial as she did so. “Ah, while it may sound strange in there, she’s just
trying to alter her brand. I remember that expression on Sistina’s face from when
she was working on mine. I think that since Her Highness’ brand is different,
it’s having some sort of side effects. Just let her be for now. It took an hour
for mine, and it hasn’t been half of that since she came here, so don’t be too
surprised if it goes on for a while longer.”

Evrial
looked at the branches, then at Desa, and finally she sighed and nodded. “If
you say so.”

Desa
decided that this was a good time to beat a hasty retreat, so she turned and
quickly walked away.

The
surges of arousal were replaced by waves of pleasure as time passed, and Phynis
had lost track of how long she’d been in Sistina’s arms. The warmth was
radiating through her entire body now, and she was utterly lost in the surging
waves that enveloped her. The only thing she found strange was that she
couldn’t hear Sistina’s heartbeat, but even that was a faint thought at best.

But
the heat was surging still more with every passing moment, almost cresting like
a wave before pulling back, giving her moments of clear, aching clarity and
torment before the wave came surging back in again. And it was building with
each wave, growing more powerful.

As
the wave built again, even bigger than the last time, Phynis whimpered softly,
her arms tightening around Sistina. The heat built, and built, the wave at the
edge...and then the crest of it crashed over and through her.

White-hot,
molten heat flooded through Phynis’ veins, scorching pleasure vibrating her
body as she let out a strangled cry, her eyes going huge as flames rushed
through her lower body and up through the rest of her. And the heat didn’t
stop, as it rolled through her over and over, until her mind all but went blank
under the pleasure. It seemed to take an eternity before it finally came to an
end, and Phynis almost went limp as she all but collapsed in Sistina’s arms,
her mind blank from the overwhelming sensations.

It
took her a minute to see that Sistina was finally looking her in the eye, and
that her hand wasn’t touching the brand anymore. Phynis also realized, somewhat
faintly, that Sistina looked rather concerned. Twitching slightly, Phynis
realized her panties were rather damp as well. She hoped she hadn’t wet
herself, and she managed to ask, her voice trembling in the aftershocks of the
experience. “Are...are you done?”

At
Sistina’s nod, Phynis gave a slight smile of pure relief. “Oh good.”

And
then she passed out.

Something
was severely wrong with the brand Sistina had been trying to claim. She knew,
somehow, that this was not how they were intended to work. Not normally,
anyway. But this one was connected deeply to Phynis’ pleasure centers, and she
hadn’t been able dislodge it. So she’d focused on claiming it, so she could
examine Phynis’ body in more depth.

Which
she did as Phynis passed out in the aftermath of her mind-blowing orgasm. And
as Sistina examined her, she found a crystalline lattice that had dissolved
into Phynis’ brain. A lattice designed to interface with the brand, and which
also was designed to affect the elf’s mind.

And
as she examined the crystals further, Sistina’s mood soured, in spite of the
stream of mana that Phynis was now providing her. The information those
crystals provided her was not welcome. Not in the slightest.

She
hoped dearly that Phynis’ family didn’t blame her for not knowing what she’d
been doing when she’d unintentionally activated the conditioning in those
crystals. After all, she didn’t think she could undo all of it.

Chapter 30

Waking
with a start, Phynis blinked away the haze of sleep, feeling faintly confused,
especially when she found herself in a room that she didn’t recognize. She also
felt like she’d been freshly bathed, and it took her only a moment to realize
that the clothes she was wearing were clean and new. The last few moments she
remembered before passing out suddenly leapt into her mind, and she blushed a
brilliant shade of red, covering her mouth as she closed her eyes and groaned.

“Are
you done? Oh good? How dumb could I be?” Phynis murmured to herself, agonizing
over the stupidity of her comments to the beautiful dryad. A dryad that had
made her feel better than she ever had before in her entire life. Someone
Phynis felt she could trust, unlike anyone else in her life. And then, after
everything Sistina had done for her, she’d said such idiotic things before
falling unconscious. It took Phynis a few minutes, but eventually she managed
to pull herself together. Removing her hands from her eyes, she took the time
to look around the room she had woken up in, somewhat dubious as to how she got
there.

The
room was fairly large, with a small bed that was...well, she’d slept on worse
beds before. To be fair, she suspected that this one was actually close to
average quality. The walls were stone and all the surfaces were carved to
resemble trees with their branches covering the ceiling and the occasional
animal or bird among the branches. A number of deer and flowers hid among the
carvings near the bottom of the walls as well. She was impressed by the
artistry and effort spent on the walls of the room, and the other furnishings
were similar in style, with a dresser, wardrobe, and a desk as well, each
carved with the same degree of effort. Only the desk and bed were fairly plain,
which made them seem oddly out of place in the otherwise ornate room.

“Your
Highness? Are you awake?” Desa’s voice was slightly muffled by the thick door,
and Phynis frowned to herself, distrust raising its head again. She debated not
saying anything, but likely as not Desa would check personally if she didn’t
reply. That would just make the problem worse, and she sighed, shaking her head
before she replied.

“I
am.” Phynis spoke loudly to ensure she was heard.

The
door cracked open let Desa slipped inside, the captain looking relieved as she
smiled. “Oh good. I was worried when Sistina brought you to us unconscious.”

Pausing
a moment, Desa frowned at the wall, then looked back at Phynis again. “Are you
alright? What happened?”

“I’m
fine. All Sistina did was adjust my brand so I couldn’t be commanded.” Phynis
retorted in a snippy tone. “I just wasn’t expecting the way it felt. And it
took a while, too.”

“Sorry,
I’m just surprised. It took her an hour to change my brand, but yours took
nearly half again as long. And mine didn’t seem like it would knock me
unconscious. It was mostly boring.” Desa replied slowly, frowning more. “Maybe
it’s just the differences between the brands we were given.”

Phynis
sniffed, then frowned as she thought about it. As much as she didn’t like to
think about it, Desa might have a point. She hadn’t heard of anyone else with a
brand like her own. After a minute she asked. “How long was I unconscious?”

“Only
about an hour. Maria got you cleaned up and into your room.” Desa told her,
shrugging as she mentioned one of the nobles among Phynis’ maids. “The
expedition is about settled, and the researchers are making noises about
getting to this library. I guess they’re getting anxious.”

“Hmm.”
Phynis considered that for a moment, trying to decide what to do, then realized
that they almost certainly would be guided by Sistina. And in that case she
found that she wanted to be with them. Phynis hesitated a moment before making
a decision and speaking. “I’m going to accompany them.”

“As
you wish, Your Highness.” Desa replied, not even a slight hint of surprise on
her face.

Desa
had to wonder what was going through Phynis’ head. She was trying to hide it,
but the princess seemed happier about something since she had woken up. That
was enough to make Desa’s spirits rise somewhat, but Phynis was still acting
quite distant.

Almost
more concerning to her was the princess’ room. All of the rooms in the building
had been about the same, with simple stone walls, simple beds, and a wardrobe,
dresser, and desk. But she would have sworn that none of them had carvings on
the walls, nor did they have elaborately carved furnishings. And she knew that
Phynis’ room hadn’t had any of those when she’d brought her to the room to let
Maria clean her up.

It
meant something strange was going on between Phynis and Sistina, and Desa
wasn’t certain she liked it.

Sistina
noticed the group of researchers coming toward her tree, as well as Princess
Phynis, Captain Desa, and another pair of guards. She noticed that the soldiers
were not branded, unlike those who’d been with Phynis before. One of the guards
was in gear more like most of the regular soldiers that she’d seen in the
escort commanded by Vendis, while the other was in the black and silver which
seemed to be standard for Phynis’ guards.

The
question she had to answer was how she was going to explain what had happened
to Phynis. Taking time and concentration to find the words for it would be
frustrating and difficult, and she’d deeply prefer not having to explain it at
all. But when she saw Phynis’ eyes light up at the sight of her, Sistina
mentally braced herself for the almost inevitable strain that was coming. She
wasn’t certain she liked the situation, though she would actually have been
flattered by Phynis’ attention if the feelings hadn’t been artificial.

Oh,
who was she fooling? A part of her wanted to pretend it wasn’t unnatural at
all, and simply luxuriate in Phynis’ affections. But that wouldn’t be polite or
kind to Phynis, and she wasn’t willing to cross that line.

Phynis
saw Sistina and her heart began to race. A part of her desperately wanted to
rush forward and talk to Sistina, to explain what she’d actually meant to say
earlier, before she’d passed out. Another part of her was so ashamed of how
she’d acted she wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. But the most important aspect
was the pure, undiluted happiness she felt on seeing Sistina.

“Hello,
you must be Ms. Sistina! It’s a pleasure to meet you! I’m Farlon the Sage, and
my companions and I were hoping that you could show us where this library is.”
One of the researchers asked, stepping forward and offering a hand, smiling as
he added. “And we’d also like to ask you a few questions, if we could. There’s
never been a genius loci in the area, and…”

His
voice trailed off as Sistina turned and gestured for them to follow her. Desa
spoke up dryly, her voice gentle in spite of her obvious amusement. “Don’t take
it personally, Farlon. She doesn’t say much at the best of times. We have it
under good authority that words are difficult for her to form.”

“Hmmph.
That seems strange to me. It looks like she can understand us well enough.”
Farlon huffed, but followed after Sistina quickly as she led the way toward one
of the walls of the cavern. “And if she can understand us, it shouldn’t be hard
to form words to reply.”

“I’m
not sure why, but it is what it is. Try not to take it personally.” Desa
advised, her tone growing more firm. Farlon let out another harrumph, but
didn’t reply.

The
cavern wall now had a broad archway set into it to frame the tunnel, and a
gradual slope laid before them with the stone carefully textured for traction.
Sistina didn’t pause and continued down the ramp at the perfect pace to allow
all of them to keep up with her. Regular small glow-stones shimmered in the
walls, just enough to be able to see by. After a while, though, Phynis saw the
path split, with lights coming from both sides. This felt very different than
the last time, but despite frowning in confusion, she didn’t say anything. As
they got closer, she spotted a pair of metal plaques set into the wall next to
either tunnel. The one to their left said ‘Library’, while the one on the right
said ‘Temple of Vanir’, each in an archaic but clear script. Phynis expected
that even Lily would be able to make out these words.

“Ah,
damn. I forgot to ask Her Majesty about whether the temple of Vanir was going
to send some of their priesthood here.” Phynis heard Desa murmur to one of the
others, which dumped a bucket of cold water on her mood.

Fortunately,
Sistina ignored the sudden discussion about the signs among the researchers and
took the left fork, continuing to lead the way downward. They found a large set
of stairs after a minute, and descended a good thirty feet before the tunnel
leveled out and opened up into a larger, wider chamber.

This
cavern was relatively squat when Phynis compared it to the other she’d been in,
with the ceiling barely thirty feet above their heads and barely cresting above
the cracked, battered building that must be the library. The ancient structure
had numerous cracks in its stone walls, and it was a huge building, spanning
nearly three hundred feet across the front. All the ground around it was
littered with broken stone, seeming far more damaged than any other building
that Phynis had seen down here.

“Odd.
None of the main structural supports look too damaged. At least not from here.”
One of the researchers murmured, the man looking slightly intrigued. “I wonder
how that happened? Maybe they were enchanted heavily enough to survive?”

Sistina
looked back at him and picked up a brick shattered into two pieces. She held it
in front of them, and they saw the stone slowly meld back together until the
brick looked almost new. Then she dropped it and shrugged, pointing at the
building.

“Oh.
She repaired the building.” Phynis said, smiling at that. “Before unearthing
it?”

Sistina
nodded, then wavered her arm upright, and then let it slowly seem to fall over.

“Because
otherwise it would have collapsed.” Desa translated, shaking her head slightly.
“We’d never have found this in a thousand years.”

“That’s
astonishing! Being able to rebuild all of this like that is absolutely
amazing!” Farlon exclaimed, rubbing his hands together. “So how soon will it be
fully repaired?”

Sistina
gave him a look, and then slowly, deliberately shrugged. Turning to lead the
way into the building, Phynis giggled slightly at her attitude before telling
him. “She was kind enough to unearth the library for us to begin with. We
shouldn’t press for more. After all, I doubt that Sifaren would dig up an old
structure just because one of our neighbors asked us to.”

“A
fair point, Your Highness. I just find her fascinating.” Farlon replied,
glancing toward Sistina with an expression that Phynis wasn’t certain she
liked. “She’s unique in this part of the world. In fact, I’m not sure that
there are any other genius loci like her.”

“True
enough, I suppose.” Phynis replied, nodding slightly as she followed the main
group curiously. She suppressed a hint of annoyance as one of the guards
stepped in front of her, moving in front of everyone but Sistina herself.

Unlike
all the other buildings they’d been in, this one didn’t seem to be perfectly
maintained. Thick layers of dust covered the floor, and fallen pillars and
stones were laying all about the entryway. The sight of a single, lonely
skeleton in the corner silenced some of the researcher’s enthusiasm with a
gloomy reminder that this was piece of a city that had been murdered by the
Godsrage. The library itself was quite different, though. Phynis could see
flickering lights from enchantments about the stacks, and this area didn’t have
the faint haze of dust in the air. Something had also kept the shelves filled
with books, making the library appear almost perfectly preserved.

“Oh,
gods above. I can’t believe it.” One of the women gasped worshipfully, drinking
in the view. “The library’s almost perfectly intact! This will change
everything.”

“Gods
only know what forgotten knowledge is here. I can hardly believe what I’m
seeing.” Farlon spoke softly, seeming almost as awed as the others, but after a
moment he grinned and began snapping out orders. “Alright, all of you know what
to do. Let’s go catalogue what the different sections are so we can figure out
where to focus.”

Phynis
was startled at the speed with which the researchers scattered into the
library, her mouth almost hanging open. She’d known that they were
enthusiastic, but that was far more rapid, of a response than she’d thought
they’d see. They were acting like they’d been dying of thirst and just seen a
pristine pool of water.

“Damn.”
Desa murmured from behind Phynis.

But
then Sistina turned and crooked a finger at Phynis, then Desa, and pointed at a
door off to the side. From the look of the door and others like it, it was
likely a reading room of some type.

“Sistina?”
Phynis inquired, blinking as she followed the dryad toward the room. Desa and
Berys, her other guard, followed after her as well. Sistina didn’t reply,
instead stepping into the room and waiting patiently.

Once
they were in the room, Sistina closed the door. The room was small, with a
chalkboard along one wall and furnishings that were actually intact. From the
look of the rest of the building and considering how clean these were, Phynis
suspected that they’d been repaired by Sistina. There were even four chairs and
a table.

Sistina
stepped forward and looked Phynis in the eye, then tapped the princess’ chest
and temple, and spoke softly but firmly. “Altered.”

“What?
What do you mean, altered?” Phynis asked, startled.

Desa
frowned and asked. “Was she altered by you?”

Sistina
shook her head, but waggled her hand back and forward, considering a moment
before placing a hand on her own chest and speaking again. “Triggered.
Accident.”

“What
happened, Sistina?” Phynis asked, suddenly nervous. Sistina held up a finger
and gently gestured at a chair. Phynis obediently sat in the chair, waiting as
Sistina picked up a piece of chalk and began to draw.

The
drawing was incredibly detailed. Phynis actually expected that the dryad was
manipulating the chalk on the board, it was so detailed. There was no way that
she had drawn everything that she had with the simple movements she was
showing.

The
figure was vaguely shaped like Phynis from the front, but it showed a diagram
of the various mana veins flowing through the body as well, along with the
seven focal points of mana through the body. One was directly behind the brand,
which Sistina drew over it in astounding detail, while the others were at the
navel, solar plexus, behind the heart, in the throat, in the middle of the
forehead, and at the crown of her head. And then she drew a complex magical
diagram around the head of the drawing, and some sort of symbol inside the
head, over the forehead, and stepped back. She looked at them expectantly, as
if that was all the explanation that was needed.

“Uhh…”
Phynis paused, blinking a little and totally lost as to what the entire diagram
meant.

Desa
studied it for a minute herself before sighing and shaking her head. “Sistina,
I’m a master mage, but I can’t tell what even a quarter of those symbols mean.
Is there any way that you can explain it in another way?”

Sistina’s
face fell, and she frowned, then paced for a minute. Finally she picked up a
rock, concentrating on it, and it turned into a thin spindle that looked
slightly like the symbol she’d drawn on the chalkboard. She pointed at the
chalkboard and concentrated. The stone turned into a pile of dust, and the
symbol slowly dissolved into specks that spread through the ‘head’ of the
figure. Then they all made tiny, thin connections to the brand, and Sistina
pointed at Phynis. “Altered.”

“Oh.
Oh dear.” Phynis’ eyes widened, and her heart thumped harder as she swallowed
and asked. “What...what did it do to me?”

Sistina
seemed to debate for a long minute, thinking hard, and then slowly spoke, as if
forcing out the words was exceedingly difficult. “Became...careless.
Oblivious.”

Then
she pointed at herself, and blushed bright red as she continued, to the
astonishment of everyone there. “Made you love.”

Phynis
blushed bright red, horrified and stunned at the same time...and yet, a part of
her whispered softly that at least Sistina knew how she felt. It was a cold
comfort as Desa’s face darkened with anger.

Chapter 31

“No.”
Phynis said flatly, glowering at Desa. Her arms crossed as she settled back in
her chair and clenched her jaw tightly. Desa winced internally as she
recognized it as a sign of her princess entering one of her excessively
stubborn moods. It wouldn’t make this conversation any easier.

“Your
Highness, Her Majesty is going to be upset enough when she hears what was done
to you. Even if Sistina managed to reverse the effects of the obliviousness,
which seems to have worked to me, she couldn’t safely touch the other part of
the effect. I think it just makes sense for you to avoid her and try to get
over your feelings.” Desa tried again, wishing she had a better way to explain
why interacting with Sistina in the current situation was such a bad idea. The
last thing they wanted was for Phynis to fall under the influence of Sistina at
this point.

“And
I said no. For a number of reasons, in fact.” Phynis got out of her chair and
paced around the room, her hands clasped behind her back. “And not just because
I like her, mind you. I’ve been thinking ever since my mind went back to
normal, and trying to reason through this logically.”

It’d
been five days since the surprise of what had been done to Phynis had been
dropped on them. It had also taken hours to get a full explanation from
Sistina, whose frustration over trying to communicate high-level magical
concepts to them had grown more and more apparent over the course of the
conversation. Desa had never realized just how intelligent and knowledgeable
the genius loci truly was, as her lack of speech had led her to think Sistina
used instinctive abilities rather than refined magical techniques. Several
hours of watching increasingly complex diagrams, mandalas, and other examples
that none of them could more than scratch the surface of understanding had
dissuaded her of that impression, however.

Eventually
they’d managed to figure out that Sistina could change what the adjustments
being imposed on Phynis were. However, there were two separate parts to the
changes. The first was the tendency toward carelessness and complacency. That
one simply was minor adjustments to Phynis’ personality, and Sistina had been
quite certain she could fix that. The main problem was the love issue, as it
were. That had apparently been a massive change, designed to erase prior
feelings and such and impose the new ones on Phynis. While Sistina could undo
the changes, she couldn’t bring back what had been erased. And then, to further
increase Desa’s headaches, Phynis had flatly refused to allow that part to be
undone. Desa had, at that point asked Sistina to fix the first part, and hoped
to convince Phynis to undergo the second one when she was back in possession of
her full faculties.

Sistina
had done as she’d asked, and Desa had sequestered Phynis away for the last few
days. The results had been remarkable. While Phynis’ distrust of others hadn’t
eased much, her acuity to minor details that she’d lost sight of returned quite
quickly. But now that Desa had asked her to either keep her distance from Sistina
or to undergo the other part of changes, Phynis was proving even more stubborn
than before.

And
Phynis’ room had changed quite a bit as well. Now the bed was larger, with a
soft mattress and fine sheets, and everything in the room was adorned with a nature
theme. Compared to every other room in the large building, which Desa had to
assume was originally a set of apartments, the room was far nicer. No more
functional, perhaps, but nicer.

“And
what reasons might those be?” Desa asked, her eyes narrowing slightly as she
got back to the current disagreement with her charge. “I don’t suppose you’re
going to try to claim that it doesn’t matter.”

“Actually,
yes. It doesn’t matter, Desa.” Phynis snorted, turning toward Desa abruptly as
the princess smiled slightly.

“What
are you talking about? You’re the first princess of Sifaren!” Desa retorted,
stunned by Phynis’ words. “What you do could make an immense difference to
every citizen of the nation! You could still end up taking the throne, even
now!”

“And
that is where you’re wrong, Desa. I will never take the throne.” Phynis’ voice
was oddly calm, Desa found, her anxiety growing stronger. This was the voice of
the princess she remembered, and that worried her. Because if it was, Phynis
had thoroughly analyzed the situation and was certain of her reasoning. And
unless Desa or another could find a major flaw in the reasoning, Phynis
wouldn’t budge.

“Why
do you say that? Aren’t we here to see if we can’t find a way to destroy the
brands and free you so that you could take the throne safely?” Desa asked, then
took a deep breath before asking. “Please, explain why you won’t try to keep
yourself from her?”

“First
and foremost, mother dearest has already set Zanath in my place as crown
prince. He was always the second in line, and in spite of his demure
personality he has the talent for to rule. When he wants to be he’s
charismatic, and while he lacks some confidence, that has changed as the
Duchess has courted him. Additionally, none of the high nobles objected when he
was selected, and you know as well as I do that they could have rejected the
change if they had truly considered it bad for the country.” Phynis began to
pace again, her voice almost lilting as she spoke, almost amused in spite of
herself. “Whereas me? Even assuming we break the brand, all it would take is
the slightest whisper of this mental alteration getting out to destroy my
chances at the throne. Kelvanis would probably inform everyone, just to sow
chaos in the court. None of the high nobles would be able to trust that my mind
was actually fixed once they knew. And so they would confirm Zanath instead of
me. That isn’t even bringing Duchess Elina into the equation, either. She would
call in all her favors to keep Zanath as the crown prince. Put simply, I have
been mentally compromised on such a fundamental level they will never trust me
to rule.”

“Which,
of course, brings us to the second reason that it doesn’t matter. We assume
that General Fairbrook was the one who betrayed me. Presumably he was the one who
they altered me for. I suspect that if I hadn’t been rescued, he would have
launched a ‘daring raid’ to ‘rescue’ me, and violated me on the way back. I did
wonder why none of them so much as touched me before we left for Westgate, nor
on the way there.” Phynis stopped pacing and her eyes went icy as she paused,
taking a deep breath. “That means that I was either intended for him, or to
grant legitimacy to any one of the other nobles who might have chosen to betray
Sifaren to secure my ‘gratitude’. Do you really believe that my mother would
have denied my wishes and apparent love for whomever rescued me?”

“No.
I don’t think she would have stood in your way under those conditions.” Desa
admitted, the sinking feeling in her stomach like a stone now. “She would have
let you stay with them after examining you. And since none of the royal magi
detected what was done to you while we were at the palace, they wouldn’t have
noticed it then, either.”

“Exactly.
So linking back to the first reason, now that we know what has happened, if I
fall in love with anyone it’s going to be assumed to be the alterations just
finding a new outlet. And then mother would be forced to disinherit me, if only
because she couldn’t risk me ending up producing children that could legitimately
try to make claims on the throne.” Phynis’ voice was growing bitter by this
point, but she shook it off and took a deep breath, her voice growing brisk
again. “So why bother? Sistina doesn’t care about Sifaren’s throne. She’s a
genius loci, buried in the Godsrage Mountains. She’s safe for me. She can’t be
manipulated by Kelvanis either, because she doesn’t have a body they can so
easily brand or mark. Her desires are different than almost anyone else’s, so
she doesn’t have the need for my position or status. And even better, she
actually knew my family’s ancestors and liked them. Me having feelings for her
won’t change anything in the end, Desa. And none of that overrules what I
consider the single most important reason why I want to keep these feelings.”

Swallowing
at the reasoning, Desa took a deep breath before asking softly. “And may I ask
what reason that is?”

“It’s
a bright spot in my life. She realized what happened, and she told us as
quickly as she reasonably could. Unlike you, or my mother, or anyone else.”
Phynis said calmly, looking at Desa.

“That’s
not fair, I-” Desa began.

Phynis
raised a finger to cut Desa off, her voice growing soft as she asked. “When did
you notice that I was being more careless about my security?”

“Ahh...about
halfway back to the capital.” Desa admitted reluctantly.

“And
did you tell my mother about it?” Phynis pressed, her eyes icy.

“Yes.”
Desa swallowed as she looked down. “I...should have told you.”

“You
should have told me.” Phynis agreed, just as soft as she continued. “Instead, I
now have to wonder what else you’ve kept from me. Because unlike me, you didn’t
have a mind-altering rock stuck in your head.”

“But
I haven’t kept things from you! I’ve done everything I could to keep you safe!”
Desa protested, raising her head abruptly. “I just didn’t want to worry you if
it was just shock from the capture and branding.”

“And
how am I supposed to know that? How am I supposed to trust that’s all it was?”
Phynis asked, gesturing northward as she snorted, her tone pointed. “You met
with my mother what, eight times that I know of? I met with her once. And she
appears to have completely disregarded my suggestions and requests. I asked her
about the priesthood of Vanir, and about sending priests here. She said she’d
consider it, which obviously didn’t happen. And her lack of attention? It might
be because of the stress she’s been under with the various attacks, but I can’t
be certain anymore.”

“That
wasn’t intentional, Phynis! We were just trying to do what was best for both
you and the kingdom.” Desa protested, a hint of desperation running through
her. “I didn’t mean to shut you out! I was just so busy with preparing for the
expedition that I didn’t even realize that you hadn’t met with Her Majesty. She
just kept adding responsibilities, and I was scrambling to keep up.”

“Be
as that may, I can’t fully trust you anymore.” Phynis replied with a shrug. “So
I’m going to go sit with Sistina. I’m going to talk to her, trying to get her
to learn to use words more easily. And I’m going to let things happen as they
may. It’s a new chance at happiness, since my old chance has been destroyed by
Kelvanis.”

“But…”
Desa tried to protest, but Phynis walked out of the room before she could think
of how to respond. And all that Desa was left with was the taste of ashes in
her mouth as she realized just how badly she and the queen had handled Phynis’
feelings.

Sistina
blinked as Phynis sat on the grass next to her, tilting her head in a bit of
confusion. After the better part of a week being absent, the princess’s sudden
appearance was surprising.

“I
finally told Desa off, and told her I was coming out to be with you anyway. And
that I was going to try to get you used to speaking more.” Phynis replied
easily, grinning. When Sistina wrinkled her nose in distaste at the idea of
talking, the princess laughed softly. “Don’t be like that! It’ll help. If you
could speak more easily, you could have explained what had happened to me in a
tenth of the time that it actually took. It would’ve been less frustrating for both
of us.”

That
was a fair point, Sistina had to admit. But she frowned at Phynis anyway as she
continued slowly reshaping the lower levels of the dungeon she was creating. A
few more days and she would have it pretty much complete, though building appropriate
traps and adjusting the monsters would take more time. After reading some
sobering tales of what happened to dungeons that were overly lethal, she'd
decided she needed to make the chambers less deadly, lest adventurers decide
that she needed to die. She’d also finally gotten her domain to envelop the
fire node down below, which would help with some of the changes she needed to
make as well. But no matter what, it was taking more time than she wanted.

Finally
Sistina reached out and tapped Phynis on the forehead and tilted her head,
slightly curious as to what the princess was thinking. She was fairly sure that
Desa didn’t want Phynis being in love with Sistina, and she could entirely
understand if Phynis was unsettled by the whole mind-control thing. On the
other hand, she’d been so busy that she wasn’t able to focus on watching
everyone inside her domain in much detail, so she wasn’t sure what they were
thinking. She’d also been trying to give them some privacy, since it wouldn’t
be fair to watch all of them.

“Oh,
the changes to my mind? I’m not happy about most of them, but I’m fairly
certain they never intended me to fall in love with you. And that being the
case, I think I’m happier with it in place. You’re...I don’t know how to
explain.” Phynis stared at Sistina, a smile on her face, considering for a
minute.

When
Phynis leaned forward and pressed her lips against Sistina’s lips, it startled
the dryad so much that the tunnel she was repositioning suddenly clenched shut,
the stone twisting tightly and cutting off the tunnel abruptly. She hastily let
go of the mountain as the warmth of Phynis’ lips pressed against her own mouth,
and Sistina found herself losing her grip on the rest of her domain, as the
whole of her concentration focused down on this body. Her lips parted, and she
found herself pulling the elf deeper into the kiss, her own eyes closing as she
reveled in the riot of sensations.

Phynis
gave a soft whimper of happiness, and the warmth of their bodies melded
together slowly as they pulled at each other, their tongues gently flitting and
jousting. And then, almost as suddenly as the kiss had begun, Phynis pulled
away. Sistina found herself mentally reeling as she swayed in place, while
Phynis’ cheeks were a bright pink and a radiant smile illuminating the elven
maiden’s face.

“I
see that you don’t entirely object to me being here, either.” Phynis teased,
giggling softly. Sistina nodded in response, trying to pull her senses together
again. The sheer potency of her own reaction startled her, and had kindled
desires that she hadn’t even known she could have before. Oblivious to
Sistina’s internal thoughts, Phynis seemed to consider before she asked, her
voice growing nervous. “May I stay with you?”

Blinking
in surprise, Sistina considered a moment before nodding to her. Why wouldn’t
the princess be able to stay with her? She was staying in the cavern, after
all. But then Phynis clarified, smiling sadly.

“I
don’t mean just right now. I mean...for as long as I like? I’m not sure I want
to leave your caverns. Ever.” Phynis explained in a soft voice, and Sistina
suddenly realized what the young woman meant.

Desa
wouldn’t be pleased if she allowed Phynis to stay here for however long she
wished, but that wasn’t a true concern to Sistina. If she had to, Sistina could
force the other woman to let it go, but she was loathe to do that. No, the true
reason she hesitated was because she knew that she would outlive Phynis by
centuries or more. And it wouldn’t be fair to the young woman.

But
Phynis’ eyes were filled with an odd awareness of that, and in spite of her
hesitation, Sistina made her decision. She nodded and smiled gently before
speaking, a faint promise permeating her reply. “Yes.”

Chapter 32

“What
kind of road is this supposed to be?” Joseph groused, picking himself up with a
wince. “I have enough trouble not tripping over my fat feet without a bunch of
potholes jumping out of nowhere every few paces.”

“Didn’t
you see the engineers a few miles back?” Penelope asked in a wicked tone, a
slight grin on her face. “They were trying to make the trail into a passable
road, if you didn’t notice.”

“Doesn’t
matter. It’s a shitty excuse for a road.” Joseph retorted, stretching his ankle
carefully. A twinge of pain shot up his leg, and he scowled, then murmured.
“Grace of Tervor, Purify My Body.”

His
mana surged at the prayer and a golden light surged through him with a wave of
warmth. The pain melted away in the face of his magic, and he nodded in
satisfaction. Some days it was good to be a cleric.

“You
done coddling your leg, Joe, so we can get a move on?” Darak asked impatiently,
the dwarf less than amused. “We’ve no idea how much farther it is to this
dungeon.”

“That’s
because you’ve got rocks in your ears, Darak.” Nirath replied calmly, the elf leaning
on her staff as she looked up at the mountain ahead of them.

“Hmm?
Why do you say that?” Darak asked, blinking at her interjection. Joseph hid a
smile at her tone. It wasn’t often that the elf insulted the dwarf, and she
usually reserved it for when he was being a particularly rock-headed idiot.

“Because
both of us can hear what sounds like axes and the like from a ways up the
valley. We’re probably almost to wherever the road those mages were working is
going.” Penelope explained, a patronizing smile on her face as Nirath nodded in
agreement. “And given all the construction, I’m betting that it’s where the
dungeon was found. Most nations build towns around them, remember?”

“Well,
if you can hear it, it can’t be far away. I want to get off this damned ‘road’
and somewhere we can rest for a night.” Joseph replied with some relief,
looking up at the road with renewed enthusiasm, imagining a nice, soft bed
ahead of him. It probably wouldn’t be soft, but a man could dream.

“And
that’s the man I like. Always so happy to see the food at the end of a long
trip.” Penelope teased him, grinning broadly.

“Hey!”
He protested, but all of the others laughed at him, then continued down the
sorry excuse for a road. Joseph made it all of twenty feet before grumbling as
another pothole leapt up at him.

“Hey,
Rick?” Phillip’s interruption distracted Rick, prompting a soft swear word.

“One
minute, Phil! I’m almost done!” Rick retorted from the bushes. Didn’t the man
know not to interrupt when someone was relieving themselves?

“We’ve
got people coming up the road, Rick. They’re not the road-builders, and they
look odd. Actually, they look dangerous to me.” Phil replied urgently, ignoring
Rick’s protests.

“What?
Give me a second! I’m almost done.” Rick quickly finished up and wiped himself
clean. Buckling his belt, Rick hurried back to his post next to Phillip.

The
two of them were sentries guarding the trail heading back toward Westgate, but
so far it’d been an easy post. There hadn’t been any traffic except messengers,
laborers, and supply wagons for the past week. A few other people had trickled
in, of course, but those were mostly those who were going to run the tavern and
inn. At least the barracks was done, and the tavern had finally received its
first shipment of alcohol and food, which had much improved nights around the
guard house. Which made the group that Rick saw coming up the road all the more
surprising.

Leading
the group was a dwarf, a man maybe a few inches short of five feet and broader
in the shoulders than Rick was, and Rick was not a small man, which made that
even more impressive than it otherwise would have been. The dwarf had a dark
brown beard braided down the front, and was wearing a suit of full plate, an
expense which made Rick’s skin crawl. Even a basic suit of full plate was worth
just over eight years of his pay, assuming he didn’t spend a single coin. But
even worse, he could also see faint runes set into the armor, which meant that
the armor was enchanted, increasing its value even more. Rick couldn’t wrap his
mind around a number large enough to value something like that. Almost as a
side note, he noticed that the dwarf had a massive two-handed axe at his back
that Rick would have sworn was too big for anyone to wield without losing their
balance. Well, maybe a minotaur or ogre could use it, but those were rare!

Behind
the dwarf was a tall, rangy woman with chestnut brown hair and broader
shoulders than Rick had seen on a woman before. She was six feet tall and far
more muscular than he’d be comfortable fighting, based purely on how easily she
was moving in her own full plate, which gleamed a silvery color that he faintly
recognized as one of the mystical metals, mithral. Her armor had the similar
runes, and a hand-and-a-half sword hung at her back with a glittering ruby in
the pommel, while a crossbow hung at her hip. The sight of yet more obscenely
expensive equipment positively made his stomach twist in envy.

Compared
to the front pair, the man who came ambling after them was utterly mundane. He
was stocky for a human, at about five and a half feet, and he had dark hair and
a neatly trimmed goatee. He was wearing lightweight pale leathers trimmed in
blue and gold, and the glitter of a holy symbol around his throat proclaimed
him as a follower of Tervor, god of adventuring, glory, and life. He had a mere
mace at his side, but the head of it seemed to flicker with inner flames as
Rick looked at it.

Last
of all was an elf, but not a dawn or dusk elf like were native to the region.
This woman, with pale skin and black hair, was a type of elf Rick had never
seen before. She was wearing simple trousers and a white blouse under her long
trench coat, and she carried a staff topped with a glittering green jewel, even
as she gently guided a donkey carrying an almost overloaded series of packs. He
almost puked when he saw glittering runes set into the donkey’s pack saddle!

“Well,
shit.” Rick swallowed hard, then glanced at Phillip. “Adventurers?”

“Probably.”
Phil agreed. “I’ll go get Lord Evansly. Don’t piss them off. I like having you
as a partner.”

“Good
idea.” Rick replied, anxiety growing as he stood up straighter.

“Hmm...looks
like you’re right, Pen. Those buildings can’t have been complete for more than
a couple of weeks.” Darak said, looking at the buildings as the smaller of the
two human guards went running off. “The finished ones, I mean. Look like decent
construction at least. I think I’m seeing a dwarven touch here.”

“I’m
glad you approve.” Penelope replied dryly. Darak glanced back and saw her
looking over at the elf behind them. “Nirath?”

“The
stone indicates it’s quite close.” The elf replied calmly after dangling the
seer stone for a moment and examining the radiance within it. “I believe we’ve
arrived.”

“Great!
You, guard! What town is this?” Darak asked bluntly, looking over the guard and
barely suppressing a snort of derision. The man wouldn’t last ten minutes in a
dungeon.

“Uh,
it doesn’t have a name.” The man seemed taken aback by Darak’s approach, but
visibly steadied himself as he asked. “May I ask if you’re adventurers?”

“We
are.” Penelope replied before Darak could, and the dwarf harrumphed in faint
annoyance. It was always fun teasing guards, but Penelope usually interfered.

“In
that case could you please wait for a few minutes? My partner went to get Lord
Evansly. He asked to be informed if adventurers arrived. He also wanted to meet
with any of you.” The man asked, and Darak’s eyes narrowed.

“Why?”
He asked suspiciously.

“I
don’t know. He just wanted to meet with any adventurers when they arrived.” The
guard explained quickly, raising his hands defensively.

“Well,
he can-” Darak began, but Joseph interjected first.

“Darak.
He’s just asking to meet us. Didn’t the guildmaster want to meet us before
letting us into the guild, too?” The priest asked calmly, seeming far more
relaxed now that he had buildings in sight again. Crazy city dweller priest.

“I
suppose we can wait for a bit.” Darak muttered grudgingly, and settled back. He
did smirk at the guard releasing a breath of relief, though. Sometimes it was
the little things that brightened his day.

It
took a few minutes of annoyed impatience, but then the other guard with a male
elf that had oddly darker skin and white hair. Darak assumed this was one of
the dusk elves that Nirath had mentioned lived out this way. The man was
definitely wearing nicer clothing than the guards, and was much better groomed.
He still wouldn’t last ten minutes in a real dungeon.

“Welcome,
I’m Captain Aric Evansly, the commander in charge of building this town. I’m an
officer in the Army of Kelvanis.” The elf spoke quickly, his voice fairly
resonant. He was slightly taller than Joseph, but not by more than a couple of
inches. “As more of a formality, may I ask whom all of you are and why you’re
here?”

“We’re
members of the Western Adventuring Guild, Captain Evansly.” Penelope spoke
smoothly, smiling as she nodded her head. “I’m Penelope Quicksilver, and we’re
here because our guildmaster divined the existence of a new dungeon out this
direction.”

“And
I’m Joseph Lightcaller.” Joseph added with a polite nod.

“Darak
Rockblood.” Darak grunted, his eyes narrowed at the elven man as he tapped one
foot slowly, trying to suppress his impatience.

“Nirath
Sylrian.” The elf spoke calmly, her eyes level as they regarded the captain,
who shifted slightly.

“I
see. Well, your guildmaster works fast, then.” Evansly replied dryly, shaking
his head in obvious disbelief. “We only found out that there was a dungeon here
a month and a half ago, and it was an accident. My superiors told me to welcome
any adventurers as well, and let you know what we saw inside. I’ll warn that my
soldiers saw very little while they were in there, though. As for lodging, all
that’s built so far is the barracks, tavern, and inn, so we don’t have much to
support any delves.”

“That
will be more than sufficient.” Penelope assured the man, smiling more broadly.
“And I’m glad to hear that you’re going to be welcoming adventurers.”

“As
am I. Adventurers have a reputation for being powerful individuals, after all.”
Evansly grinned as he added. “And I’d appreciate any feedback on what sort of
buildings you all would like to see in the town. I’ve been doing my best with
our architect, but we don’t have any real dungeons in this area, so we’re
muddling along in the dark.”

“Well,
that we most certainly can do. How’s the ale at the tavern?” Darak asked
curiously, his mood growing better at the news there was something good
happening out this way. A lot of countries made the mistake of trying to
regulate dungeons, or restrict traffic into them. That never lasted long.

“Honestly?
It’s horrible. Cheap, but really bad.” Evansly wrinkled his nose and shook his
head. “This last shipment? I think they knew that it was only for the regular
army, and sent us their worst stuff. I’d almost rather drink water. I sent a
request for better supplies, though. I’m sure we’ll get them now that you’ve
arrived, too.”

“Hah!
At least you’re honest about it!” Darak smiled and grinned at the elf, nodding
in approval. “How about you let us drop off our things at the inn, and then you
can tell us what there is to know about this dungeon at the tavern? Best to be
prepared first, eh?”

“Certainly.
That’s part of what I’m here for.” Evansly replied with a chuckle as he pointed
out a fairly large building ahead of them on the left, which looked like it was
almost brand new construction. “That’s the inn right there. I’ll head for the
tavern in a few minutes to meet you.”

“Thank
you, Captain.” Penelope told him politely, then headed for the inn, and Darak
followed right behind her, humming happily to himself. Ale was a wonderful
thing.

“So
that’s a group of adventurers.” Evansly murmured, shaking his head as he
steadied himself.

“Sir?”
One of the privates asked. If Evansly remembered correctly the man’s name was
Rick. He was one of the less observant enlisted men, which was why he was
tasked to watch the road. It was hoped that most people who followed the road
wouldn’t be hiding. The man looked nervous as he asked. “Are they safe to be
around?”

“Don’t
worry about them. Adventurers are dangerous, certainly, but they seem to obsess
over what’s in dungeons. As long as we stay out of their way we’ll be fine.
Hells, maybe we’ll even find out what all is in the damned cave!” Evansly told
the man with a grin. “Keep up the good work, both of you.”

“Yes,
sir!” Both soldiers snapped to attention, looking much more at ease.

Heading
for the tavern, Evansly sighed unhappily. Nirath was a beautiful woman, even
more beautiful than his wife. A small part of him wondered if the woman could
be acquired as a slave. But no matter what he might feel, Evansly wasn’t
suicidal. An adventurer was far too dangerous to deal with, so he mentally set
the possibility aside. Now, if the opportunity fell into his lap, maybe he’d
revisit it. But until that time survival took priority.

“Decent
stew, at least. Ale’s just as bad as you said.” Darak murmured as he finished
the last drop of the liquid, slamming his mug down on the table with a sharp
report. Evansly winced at the sound, reaching up to rub an ear.

“Thank
you for the compliment about the food.” The elf told the dwarf, his voice
slightly dubious. “I’ve been trying to get everything in order up here, but it’s
been difficult. Not the least of which is because I’m a military commander, not
a city manager.”

“I
can only imagine.” Joseph replied, laughing softly as he mopped up the last of
the broth with a piece of bread. “Thank you for the information, too. It helps
us anticipate what sort of problems we’ll most likely run into.”

“Is
that so? I wasn’t sure if it’d be much help, since we didn’t get very far
inside.” Evansly told the cleric with a smile. “I’ve been somewhat worried
about that part, if I’m being entirely honest.”

“Actually,
most of the time you can learn a lot about a dungeon just from its entrance.
But those that aren’t modified by the dungeon can be a bit trickier.” Penelope
told him idly, leaning into Joseph as she sipped at her wine. “And this dungeon
has an unassuming, normal entrance. That means one of three things to us. It
might be trying to hide its power, so it could be incredibly deadly. It could
also be quite weak as well, not even Wolf class and barely enough for starting
adventurers. Or it could be a new dungeon, with relatively normal threats.”

“From
what you have told us, it sounds like it is the last of the three.” Nirath
spoke calmly, her voice soft but clear. “Mutated plants, basic animals, but no
known undead thus far, nor other threats. This dungeon is either elementally
unaligned, or is developing an alignment. Or it may be nature aligned, but we
have no way of knowing that as of yet. Natural threats, while not generally the
most powerful of opponents can be quite deadly in their own ways. But few
dungeons grow truly powerful by restricting themselves to such threats.”

“Which
means we’ll have to take this slow.” Darak agreed, nodding his head as he
refilled his mug from a pitcher. “Also means the treasure we haul out might not
be worth much, at least not at first. It often takes a dungeon a while to
realize it needs to adjust the treasure to fit the threat at times.”

“That’s
interesting. How big do you think the dungeon is? I’ve heard of enormous ones
like the Great Labyrinth.” Evansly asked curiously, leaning forward in his
chair, her hands cupping his own mug of wine.

“That...varies
wildly. But generally, the older and more powerful the dungeon, the bigger it
is.” Darak answered slowly, frowning. “What do you think, Pen? Twenty chambers
or so?”

“Seems
likely. Maybe thirty.” The warrior agreed, smiling slightly. “Clearing it will
probably will take only a couple of tries to clear if we’re careful. But
this’ll probably be a good beginner’s dungeon.”

“If
we’re right, you mean.” Joseph cautioned, shaking his head. “Don’t count your
chickens before they’ve hatched. It’s a dungeon.”

Penelope
laughed and shook her head, grinning. “Oh, don’t be such a pessimist, you
spoilsport.”

Sistina
finally settled back from her work, feeling like she’d actually finished the
dungeon for the moment. It should be enough to protect herself and those she’d
taken as her charges. It had taken over nine parts out of ten of all the mana
she’d collected over the past month, but she’d reshaped the full set of tunnels
and populated them with basic threats. Adding actual hunting grounds for the
different creatures so that they weren’t reliant on intruders had eaten still
more of her mana, but she had managed to finish that as well.

There
were just over two hundred chambers in the massively sprawling network she’d
created, and it had taken a good deal of work to get it properly ventilated.
There were dead ends, traps, crevasses to fall into, and even fire jets for
when invaders reached the old dwarven foundry. Sistina was also going to use
the innate heat and supply of metal from the foundry for other traps later on,
but she was essentially exhausted for the time being. No, most of the threats
would have to come from the creatures she’d convinced to nest and grow inside
her tunnels. First were the bears and wolves, of course, but they had limited utility
underground and she’d realized that she wasn’t using the full potential of some
of her other creatures as well.

First
among the creature’s she’d underestimated were the bees. Sistina had created a
large cavern full of flowers and areas for them to build their hives, then
lured the first of them inside. The honey would be nice, and encouraging them
to grow to gigantic sizes hadn’t been too hard. Alongside the bees, were her
more deadly creations, wasps. She was having to keep a sharp eye on the wasps to
keep from invading neighboring caverns and wiping out the bees. Sistina
couldn’t help but wonder if she could cross-breed the two insect types somehow.
Creating a wasp that made honey and pollinated her plants, while still
defending her caverns was a very enticing thought.

Either
way, then there were the ants. Lots and lots of giant ants. They were actually
the easiest to command, and a part of her was tempted to start making other
modifications to them when she had her mana reserves refilled.

The entire project
was going to take a lot more work to get to where Sistina wanted it, but it was
a good start.

Chapter 33

Adjusting
his helmet to make sure it was properly settled in place, Darak finally pulled
on his gauntlets, staring suspiciously at the dungeon entrance. No matter what
they’d told the local captain, there was no way in all the hells that the four
of them were going to underestimate a dungeon. That was how living adventurers
became dead adventurers. That was a good part of why Joseph was reading through
his checklist. They’d already hit all the mundane gear, and now it was for the
magical parts.

“Healing
potions?” Joseph asked, seeming ever so slightly bored.

“Three
each.” Penelope reported, grinning as Darak rolled his eyes at the cleric’s tone.

“Antidote
potions?” Joseph continued, not seeming to notice.

“Considering
the critters inside, five each.” Darak grunted, starting to stretch to limber
up.

“Fire
beads?” Joseph asked, glancing up at the entrance warily.

“Two
each. And two ice as well.” Nirath spoke softly.

“Right...those
weren’t on the list. Let me add those.” Joseph muttered, pulling out an inkpen
and inkwell to add the ice beads to his list. Darak couldn’t resist a grin at
the methodical nature of their quartermaster. He may not always like the
cleric’s caution, but the man didn’t lack for courage, and his planning had
saved Darak’s life more than once. That’s why he put up with the man.

“Dear
gods. That’s hundreds of silver worth of magic items.” Daniel murmured, his
eyes wide as he listened to the litany of items that the group of adventurers
were carrying. The adventurers were just a few dozen feet in front of the
entrance to the dungeon where Sina had died, and they looked surprisingly grim
and purposeful compared to the previous night. When Daniel had seen them
before, he hadn’t thought the four would have a chance, they were so carefree.

“Try
over a thousand, maybe two or three for the lot of them.” Fredrick disagreed,
shaking his head firmly. “I can’t begin to imagine how much money even their
armor must have cost them.”

“True,
but...actually, give me a minute.” Daniel replied, hopping off his rock and
approaching the group.

“Danny?
What do you think you’re doing? Oh, nevermind.” Fredrick sighed, settling back
on his rock and muttering. “Not like you’re going to listen to me anyway.”

“You’d
do better to step back, army boy. It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes these
dungeons like to throw a little pre-emptive strike out their front door.” Darak
spoke gruffly as Daniel approached. The dwarf nodded at the entryway grimly.
“Who knows what this one will do? It isn’t like we’ve gotten a grip on its
personality yet.”

“Personality?
Why would a dungeon have a personality?” Daniel asked, startled. “And I
actually just wanted to ask you a few questions.”

“Ah,
you’ve got a lot to learn boy. Suppose I can’t blame you, with this being the
only dungeon in nearly a thousand miles.” Darak chuckled, and the cleric
grinned before taking pity on Daniel.

“Contrary
to what you might think, dungeons are living creatures. They defend themselves
to keep out those who are too weak or malevolent.” Joseph explained, shrugging
apologetically at Darak’s amusement. “Few dungeons go out of their way to
deliberately kill individual groups, and those dungeons that are actually
bloodthirsty are killed by the guild. All dungeons feed on deaths of those who
delve into them, though, and they seem to somehow gain power from our mere
presence inside of them. It’s something of a mutually beneficial relationship.
The mana inside is generally so thick that it helps improve the body of those
who manage to survive long. You know why monsters inside dungeons are so
deadly? Because the monsters live and breathe in mana densities that most
people can only dream of. In any case, each dungeon has its own quirks and
personality, and it takes time to figure them out.”

“Ah...I
suppose that makes sense.” Daniel was taken aback by the surprisingly thorough
explanation. The idea that a dungeon was alive, and could be killed intrigued
him, but he set it aside for the moment, instead asking the question that he’d
originally come over for. “But I actually was going to ask if you really need
all those items I heard you listing off. I’d thought about trying to get
together a group for the dungeon, but that’s a very expensive list.”

“A
prospective adventurer! Nirath! What do you think of him?” Darak laughed,
glancing at the elf, a toothy grin flashing through his beard. The elf looked
him over closely, and suddenly Daniel felt like he was practically naked under
her cool gaze.

“...Not
bad. Decent physique and agility. Good senses. Modest mystic talent. Third tier
recruit.” She spoke in an almost clinically soft voice, and Joseph laughed as
well.

“Well,
that’s a better review than I got when I joined the guild.” Joseph quickly
explained, grinning at Daniel as his internal bristling settled down. “Mind,
I’d say that nine out of ten recruits don’t make it through the training
period. Dungeons can be brutal. What do I mean they can be? They are brutal
meatgrinders. Only the best survive their first delves.”

“I-”
Daniel began, but then the thus-far silent Penelope spoke.

“And
none of that answers his question. So I’ll answer it. First, though, what’s
your name?” She asked, turning to look at Daniel. Her gaze was oddly hard and
penetrating as she stared at him. “You’re the first person brave enough to
actually step forward and ask us about delving into dungeons. Why?”

“I’m
Daniel. Daniel Fisher.” He replied after a moment, startled by the way the
woman was looking at him, weighing him. “I...I was one of those who first
scouted the caves, when we learned it was a dungeon. I lost a couple of good
friends in there. And someone important to me, too. I don’t want their
sacrifice to mean nothing.”

“Hmm.
That’s a fair enough reason, I suppose. Well, Daniel, we’re not the best
adventurers in the world. In fact, we’re only a little above the rank of raw
recruits. Except for Joseph, but he’s a crazy cleric and a glutton for
punishment. So you’ll want to take what I say with a grain of salt, alright?”
Penelope explained calmly, glancing toward the dungeon entrance pointedly. “Do
we need all the items we listed? No, probably not. We’re trying to prepare for
whatever situation we might run into when we start our delve. Since we don’t
know what we might face, we’re trying to prepare for anything. This dungeon is
almost a complete unknown, as your two expeditions were forced back after only
two chambers.”

“Most
dungeons have ten to twenty chambers to start.” Joseph interjected seriously.
“And their difficulty can vary wildly. The first few rooms are rarely the worst
of the lot.”

“Indeed.”
Penelope agreed, taking another deep breath before looking at Daniel. “The
first delves into a dungeon are the most dangerous. Even for a group like ours,
there’s perhaps a one in three chance that we won’t make it out of the dungeon
if we aren’t cautious. The first trailblazers find out what sort of defenses
and guardians the dungeon favors and reports about them, assuming that they
survive. This lets following groups consider their tactics or what items they
can use to counteract the threats they’ll face. You were very unfortunate that
this dungeon appeared so far from a guildhouse, because the emanations are
quite distinct if you know what to look for. If we’d been nearer, we might have
reached here first and your patrol wouldn’t have gone in there to get mauled.
So no, you wouldn’t need everything we have. At a minimum, though, you’ll want
a magical healer in any dungeon you enter.”

“That
being said, we’re not going to go in far today.” Joseph added, his voice
growing sober. “We’ve dealt with moderately threatening dungeons before and
have been contemplating trying to rise in the ranks. We’ll probably be fine
even if we push hard, but we’re not going to risk that. We’re only going to go
through five chambers, making modest maps to get an idea of the basic threats
and layout before retreating and planning for our next delve.”

“A
slow, gradual approach.” Darak agreed, laughing softly. “As much as I hate to
go slow, charging in with the intention of clearing the entire dungeon in one
go is just asking to blunder into a monster lair, and that’s nigh unto
suicide.”

Daniel
saw all of them shiver at the mention of a lair, and was about to ask another
question before thinking better of it. He’d already taken enough of their time,
so instead he nodded slightly and thanked them. “Thank you for answering my
questions. I’ll keep what you’ve said in mind if I decide to give it a try.”

“You’re
welcome. If you want mentoring, I might be convinced to give a few pointers.”
Penelope replied with a broad grin. “In the meantime, we’ve got a dungeon to
explore.”

“Right.”
Daniel agreed, quickly falling back to his post and taking a seat.

Fredrick
looked at him in slight admiration, shaking his head. “Damn, Danny. I was
afraid they’d spit you on the spot and roast you over an open fire. I’ve heard
that adventurers are really temperamental.”

“What
does the lieutenant call it, a calculated risk?” Daniel told him with a faint
smile. “At least it paid off. That was interesting.”

“True
enough. They’re...wow, umm…” Fredrick paused, his eyes going wide as he watched
the group drop-jawed.

Darak
had just muttered something under his breath, and then his skin had slowly
darkened, gaining the texture of stone and both of them could see the dwarf’s
boots sink a half-inch into the dirt. And then Darak drew his axe, carrying the
enormous thing in both hands, yet seeming not to notice its weight. The weight
of holding the axe in front of him like that should have tipped the man over,
yet he didn’t even shift.

Glancing
at Fredrick as the group of adventurers advanced on the dungeon, Daniel shook
his head wryly. “And remember, these are adventurers who’re considered to be
about our rank.”

“Shit.”
Fredrick whispered prayerfully.

“Hmm...stone’s
definitely been shaped with magic. I’d guess there was a cave-in here a while
back.” Darak told the others, examining the wall closely. Shale, his earth
spirit, enhanced his already good eye for stonework, and it wasn’t too hard to
see where the cave walls had been changed. Most stone had flaws, however tiny
they might, but magically shaped stone generally didn’t.

“Mana
level is heightened. Slightly elevated from expected levels.” Nirath added, the
gem atop her staff glowing brightly enough to provide decent illumination for
all of them.

“Right.
Strange dungeon so far, but not too bad.” Joseph observed, looking at the walls
critically. “No really nasty traps right off either. That’s always nice. I hate
dungeons which try to kill you instantly.”

“And
trying to slowly kill us by inches is any better?” Penelope asked, her head
tilted as she listened at one of the branching tunnels.

“I
never said that, now did I?” Joseph replied with a wry grin and shaking his
head. “I just feel the longer approach has a lot more chances for survival.
There’s not much to be done about a severed head in the first thirty paces
unless you’ve got a temple nearby.”

“And
I sure didn’t see one outside.” Darak grunted, shaking his head. “I have to
agree with King Clumsy over there. Better a quiet start than a nasty one.”

“Maybe
so. Unless the dungeon is allowing us to get in a decent distance before the
trap snaps shut.” Penelope shot back.

“Enough.”
Nirath snapped, cutting off Joseph’s retort as she glared at all of them in icy
annoyance. “We’re in a dungeon. Act like it. All of you.”

“Right,
right, sorry about that, Nirath.” Darak replied gruffly, bowing his head in an
apology. It was too easy to get going with the arguments, even when everyone
knew that the others were joking around. So he took a deep breath and nodded.
“Smelling the vegetation from ahead. Shall we go see if the place is the same
as reported?”

“Sounds
like a plan. I’m glad you use an axe.” Joseph added a moment later, smiling.
“When I heard the descriptions of what happened with their spears and
crossbows, I couldn’t help but be glad none of us really use weapons like that.
Most of the time, anyway. You’ve got a crossbow, Pen, but you don’t use it
often.”

“Mostly
because long, open distances are rare in dungeons.” Penelope murmured, then
nodded. “Lead the way, rockhead.”

“Shush,
you.” Darak growled, and headed down the corridor, ignoring the sigh of
resignation that escaped Nirath's lips.

Sistina
watched the intruding group nervously. Each of them practically glowed with
concentrated mana, and their gear was of much higher quality than anything
she’d seen on the previous groups of intruders. The magic flowing off of that
gear worried her, but there wasn’t much she could do without taking a direct
hand in things, and her reading about dungeons had indicated that doing so
would be a very, very bad idea.

So
she mentally held her breath as the adventurers approached the first chamber,
hoping that they would be careless. But as the dwarf used his axe to cut the
vines hanging over the entrance, she winced internally. Worse than simply
cutting the vines, the axe blade had flickered with fire and the vines recoiled
as the man stepped into the chamber.

The
four nearby bushes rose into shambling creatures, while the woman in the
mithral armor darted forward with her own sword to cut the leg from under one
of them. The creature toppled unsteadily, and Sistina felt her hopes sinking as
she saw the dwarf cut another creature clean in half. The hanging vine plant
was rushing down to try to attack, but the elf stepped out murmuring a spell,
and a bolt of crimson light lanced out from her hand, burning through the outer
pod of the plant almost instantly. In addition, the healer stepped into the
room with his mace flickering with fire magic. Sistina’s frustration was
growing palpable, and it was made worse by how the human woman almost instantly
spotted the different floor traps and tossed large chunks of her bush-creatures
at them to set them off.

Well,
they were about to encounter a couple of surprises that she’d set up for fire
mages. She was actually looking forward to it-

Sistina’s
attention was suddenly wrenched away by a pair of lips pressing against hers
and kissing her quite insistently. Her eyes shooting open in surprise, Sistina
found Phynis giggling as she kissed Sistina, arms wrapped around the dryad’s
body as the princess distracted her at the most inopportune time Sistina could
imagine.

“Okay,
these might be a touch nastier than what most beginners should deal with.”
Joseph called out, dodging to the side as another of the plant-creatures fell
to the floor.

“Agreed.
Not too bad, though the one above the door would be pretty deadly if you didn’t
know about it.” Darak agreed, blocking the path of another of the creatures. It
was standing near one of the closer trees, one with a bunch of bright red fruit
he didn’t recognize hanging from it.

“True.”
Penelope shoved the plant from behind, causing it to stumble. “The traps on the
floor are pretty well disguised too, but they’re passive. You don’t step in
them, you’ll be fine.”

“Right.
Let me just deal with this damned-” Darak brought his axe around with both
hands, grunting as the flaming axe cut through the plant-creature’s arm like he
was splitting a thin log. But as it passed through the creature the edge of his
fiery blade nicked one of the fruits. A sudden wave of heat and pressure sent
Darak reeling backward in spite of his increased weight, and it took him a
moment to regain his balance.

It
took a few moments for Darak to realize what had happened. His head was ringing
from the explosion in a cramped cave, which accounted for some of his
distraction. The sprawling figures of Joseph and Penelope were the first
realization that something bad had occurred, as was the sight of the slightly
soot-covered tree. All of the tree’s fruit were missing and the plant-creature
little more than smoldering remnants on the ground, even as a cloud of
foul-smelling smoke spread through the chamber.

“What
just happened?” Penelope groaned, levering herself up at almost the exact same
time as Joseph.

“Oh,
my aching head.” The cleric muttered, wincing as he sat up. “What in the hells
was that?”

“No...no
idea.” Darak answered, his ears ringing as he swayed, in more than a bit of
pain. Fortunately, he didn’t see any other opponents in the room, so he
unsteadily stepped over to a rock and took a seat, wincing.

“That
was the explosion of the fruit of a firestorm tree.” Nirath spoke grimly from
behind them, the elf being the only one who hadn’t been in the immediate blast
radius. She was still slightly smoky about the edges, but looked fine. “The
fruit is filled with an extremely volatile oil that is used to launch its seeds
up to half a mile during an explosion. I’m guessing that the dungeon added it
to make using fire in the dungeon more...interesting.”

“Damn.
That’s a nasty little trap to spring. Let me get us healed up a bit before we
do anything else. Ow.” Joseph winced. “And this is the first damned room.”

“Well,
the explosion was more loud and sudden than anything else. Last thing I’d want
is that going off in the middle of a fight.” Penelope offered, on her feet by
that point, even if she looked unhappy. “But I don’t think it’d actually
critically injure anyone.”

“My
ears disagree with you.” Darak replied flatly. “This place had better have
damned good rewards to be worth dealing with shit like that.”

“Perhaps.
But if I’m smelling something right…” Nirath paused, taking a deep breath and
stepped into the room, looking cautiously for other threats or traps as she
searched. “Let me see...ooh, I was right! Spellbloom!”

“Say
what?” Joseph paused in healing Penelope for a moment, standing on the tips of
his toes to look past the elf.

“...Well,
maybe it is worth the frustration.” Darak admitted, looking at the delicate
blue flowers that were hidden in the corner of the cavern. Conveniently out of
range of the tree's explosion, he noticed sourly.

“Yes,
it is. Now heal me, Joe, before I have to hurt you.” Penelope’s voice was tart,
jostling the cleric out of his surprise.

Daniel
looked up as he saw the group of adventurers come out of the dungeon and
gawked, stunned by the sight of them.

The
first out was Penelope, who was limping slightly and had an impressive-looking
bruise along one side of her face. Right behind her was Nirath, who looked
relatively untouched, aside from her hair being a few inches shorter on the
right side. Behind the pair were Darak and Joseph, and the two men looked less
than thrilled, with the cleric limping heavily and with a sealed cut along his
jaw. Darak didn’t look like he’d been hurt though. But all of them were covered
in soot and ashes, while Darak was covered in not only soot, but what looked
like a massive amount of sap that had then been exposed to fire. The
charcoal-like mess was horrifying, and the smell was...unpleasant.

“What
happened to you?” Daniel asked almost reflexively, staring at them.

“Pack
of wolves.” Penelope grumbled, wincing as she took another step. “Each half
again the size they should have been.”

“After
them was some weird plant-lady growing out of the center of a flower. She
manipulated a bunch of plants against us to concentrate us into the middle of
the room.” Joseph added, wincing slightly as he leaned against a nearby tree.
“At which point she dropped a massive pitcher-plant worth of pine sap on
Darak.”

“I
was trying to deal with the half-dozen giant bees, and didn’t see that coming.”
Nirath added, sounding miffed. “Which is why the plant-woman directing the
opponents pitched a firestorm fruit at us.”

“I
hate intelligent opposition.” Penelope groaned, stretching an arm painfully.

“But
at least it was worth the time. And it gives us a better idea of how to deal
with such events on further delves.” Nirath reminded the others, shaking her
head as she added. “Even if that last fight was on the difficult side, can you
really say it wasn’t worth it?”

“Nope.”
Darak seemed glum to admit it, and the other two shook their heads too.

“Well,
umm...good? I’m glad you made it out safely.” Daniel told them, and shook his
head again, surprise almost pinning him in place. He wasn’t sure if he was
stunned that they were alive, or that they had gotten so badly mauled, at least
visibly, inside the dungeon. Finally he asked nervously. “So, umm...did you
happen to see anyone in there? Or their bodies?”

“Hmm?
Oh right, your friends. No, no...we didn’t see anything like that. But from
what you’ve said it’s been a while. They may have been moved or buried.
Dungeons do that a fair amount.” Joseph replied tiredly, smiling gently at
Daniel. “I think we’re going a day or two of downtime before trying again. That
place is far more dangerous than I expected.”

Chapter 34

“Is
something wrong, Farlon?” Desa asked, pausing as she saw the sage returning from
the library. The elf looked like he’d been fuming about something, which
startled her due to how enthusiastic he’d initially been about the chance to
study the material in the library.

“Is
something wrong? Ha! As if there was something going right for a change. I’d
thought that coming across an intact library of Everium would make things
better, not be simply maddening!” Farlon snarled, viciously kicking a rock into
a nearby field.

“What’s
wrong? I didn’t think there were many problems during the first few days, and I
haven’t heard anything since.” The captain asked, her curiosity and worry
growing.

“Oh,
there weren’t any issues at the time. We found it easy to map out the different
book sections, and finding that the catalog was up to date was a lifesaver.”
Farlon brushed that off, taking a deep breath as he stopped and stared across
the cavern glumly. “Then we started running into translation problems.”

“Translation
problems? I thought that everyone in your team knew Everium’s elven script.”
Desa asked, somewhat bewildered. Hells, even she knew the script, though she
wasn’t the best with it in the whole world. It was commonly taught in all of
Sifaren’s magical schools and apprenticeships, due to most of their primers on
magic originating in Everium.

“We
do. The problem is that only a third of the books are in that script. A lot of
their books had been passed down over thousands of years, or from other
countries. So, imagine some of this...ancient elven as coming from nations from
six thousand years before the Godsrage, or even earlier! They’re even
more ancient, and we don’t know that language well at all! We’re having to
translate books on translating ancient script, and that’s astoundingly
slow-going.” Farlon ranted, positively quivering in anger as he threw his hands
up. “And beyond that, there are other languages in there which I’ve never seen
or heard of before! It’s maddening, especially since we can’t get into the
damned restricted section either!”

“Ah.
Ugh, I never even thought of that. I suppose a lot of the books in our
libraries are in older languages, so it makes a sort of sense.” Desa replied,
wincing at the description as she finally understood his frustration. “But why
can’t you get into the restricted section?”

“It’s
warded and requires a specific key to open.” Farlon sighed, rubbing his eyes.
“And with as large and messy as the library is, we haven’t found it. Assuming
that the key is in the library.”

“Why
not ask Sistina if she could help?” Desa asked frowning again and tilting her
head toward the small glade where Sistina was sitting, watching Phynis weave a
crown of flowers. “She should know quite a bit about the library.”

“Because
she’s been so very helpful so far?” Farlon asked caustically, shaking his head
firmly. “Why should I ask her? We’ll figure it out eventually.”

“Perhaps
because you haven’t been very polite to her so far. She told us initially that
it would take her a month to unearth the temple. We left and came back to find
it not only unearthed, but stabilized and with a decent path to it.” Desa’s
temper flared as she spoke, but she held back as she glanced toward the two in
the glade. In spite of her own problems with Sistina at the moment, the dryad
had been nothing if not helpful, so she continued. “Your first question was to
ask when she’d be done repairing the building. Tell me, Farlon, how much mana
does it take to rebuild and meld stone like that? To create tunnels that can
stand against the weight of the mountain above us? How much does it take to do
everything she’d done for us, including housing us and allowing the plants that
feed us to grow quickly? And she is doing all of it, all of it, for
nothing. We’ve done nothing for her at all. In fact, if we hadn’t run into
Lily, she would still be in this mountain without an entire encampment of
Kelvanis soldiers outside the entrance. Personally, I suspect that’s where her
attention has been focused. I think she’s been keeping them out. And I don’t
know about you, but I think that’s a good thing!”

“That’s…”
Farlon took a step backward, obviously taken aback by her vehemence, but Desa
sniffed derisively, then walked toward the two women.

Sistina
looked up at Desa from where she was sitting, her face tranquil, though a
flicker of a smile crossed her face when Phynis placed the crown of small white
flowers on the dryad’s head, the princess grinning broadly. Phynis’ eyes
flickered a little more darkly as she looked at Desa and Farlon, but she didn’t
say anything. That made Desa’s own worries ease slightly. No matter how unhappy
she was with Phynis’ decision, at least her distrust seemed to be slowly easing
as she associated with Sistina.

“My
apologies for the interruption, Sistina, but the researchers are apparently
having a problem.” Desa told her, bowing her head slightly. “Might you be
willing to tell us if you know of how to access the restricted section?”

“Yes.”
Sistina spoke after a moment, nodding. Then she frowned and spoke gravely.
“Dangerous. Cautious. Archivist’s office. Bottom...drawer. Key. Password, bibliophile.”

The
last word was spoken with a very different, archaic inflection, but it didn’t
stop Phynis from giggling at the password. Desa smiled as well, nodding her
thanks. “Thank you, Sistina. Your words seem to be coming more easily now.”

Sistina
rolled her eyes at that and pointed at Phynis. “Insistent. Distracting.”

“Distracting
you from what?” Phynis asked, obviously startled as her eyes narrowed. “You
haven’t said anything about me distracting you before.”

Farlon
opened his mouth to say something, but Sistina spoke first. “Adventurers.”

“Ad...wait,
there are adventurers in the caves?” Desa paled at the thought, and swallowed
hard before she asked softly. “Are they close to reaching here?”

“No.”
Sistina shook her head firmly, and gave the suddenly pale Phynis a gentle hug
as she spoke. “Changed caverns. Read books. Planned defenses. Exhausted self.”

Raising
her hands as if to cup water, Sistina concentrated and slowly a series of
glowing golden lights floated over from her tree to above her hands. They
slowly formed into a number of large sparks, connected by narrow, glowing
pathways. The brightest spark was near the center, with the pathways past that
one growing fewer, while a single path had no spark at the end of it in the
other direction. Sistina nodded and spoke. “Old caves. Simple.”

Simple?
Desa looked at the layout and realized that if it hadn’t been for Lily guiding
them, it could have taken hours or days to find Sistina’s cavern, with the
complex layout of the caverns from before. Unless they were lucky and stumbled
into it, she supposed. A moment later the lights began to change before her
eyes.

Dozens
more lights, no, hundreds of sparks indicating caverns began to appear above
and below the previous set. Complex pathways that branched, looped, and ended
randomly began to connect them like a damaged spiderweb. The central spark was
cut off from the original pathways, and a massive web took form, so that the
one entrance she’d seen was connected only distantly. Anyone entering the caves
would have to work their way downward through successive ‘floors’ of caverns to
the bottom of a rough sphere of chambers, then work their way back up the other
side of it to reach her cavern, and even then, the web of possible chambers
made it difficult to reach the cavern they were in.

“New
caverns. Complex. Tiring. Guardians incomplete.” Sistina frowned, then pointed
at about the tenth cave on the opposite side. It was the last one on the first
floor, Desa realized, and her worry eased a little at Sistina’s explanation. “Adventurers.
Cautious. Slow. Dangerous.”

“I
see. That must have taken a long time to complete a maze like that.” Desa
replied, giving Farlon a pointed look. “Will you warn us if they get close?
Please?”

“Yes.”
Sistina smiled, but jumped slightly as Phynis poked her in the side.

“Sistina,
what sort of guardians do you have?” The princess asked.

“I,
ah, will go find that key. Thank you for the help, Sistina.” Farlon spoke,
obviously embarrassed, but his eyes flickering over the map of lights, his eyes
wide.

Sistina
nodded, and Desa listened to her speak, each word coming haltingly, as if the
genius loci was condensing a concept into a single word, and trying to
communicate it only with difficulty. She pointed at the beginning, where the
adventurers were. “Plants. Vines. Pitcher...plants. Burning plants. Traps.
Wolves. Bears.”

Pointing
farther down she continued. “Bees. Wasps. Ants. Big.”

“How
big?” Phynis asked patiently, and Sistina seemed confused for a moment before
holding her hands out, about three feet across, and the princess asked. “All of
them?”

“No.
Ants. Wasps, bees.” Her hands came closer together about a foot apart, and
Desa’s skin crawled at the idea of wasps the size of rats!

“Those
seem unpleasant. Any others?” Phynis frowned, looking at the diagram.

Shaking
her head, Sistina pointed at the bottom of the complex. “Foundry. Old.
Forgotten. Learning. Golems.”

At
that Desa’s eyes widened enormously, as she almost squeaked out. “You’re going
to build golems?”

Sistina
looked puzzled as both women looked at her in astonishment, and her voice was
questioning. “...Yes?”

“This
is new.” Darak said, staring at the stone wall of the chamber with a frown.

This
was their third delve so far, and thus far it had gone fairly well. A few
different insects had appeared, including a nasty looking wasp, but they’d
dealt with them without too much difficulty. Once they knew what to expect out
of a dungeon, it was much easier to deal with. Though the strangling vine that
had crept up on Nirath in the middle with a fight with one of the flower-girls
had been a much less pleasant surprise. For the first time since they’d entered
the dungeon, Penelope’s crossbow had actually gotten some use.

“Of
course it’s new. We haven’t gotten this far before.” Joseph replied, wiping
away some sweat on his forehead with a handkerchief.

“No,
no, you’re not understanding, Joe. This stone wall is newer than all the others
we’ve been through.” Darak corrected, his voice flat. “And it goes down. All
the others must be years, if not decades old. This one isn’t more than a month
old.”

“How
do you know?” Penelope asked curiously, frowning at the wall. “I noticed the
difference in the color, but I thought it might be a slightly different type of
stone.”

“Nah,
the stone is all the same thus far. Mostly granite. No, the difference is
actually the mold. This doesn’t have much growing on it, and that should be
something all of you can see.” Darak explained, shaking his head. “My advantage
is Shale. We’re looking at it together, and we can see that the working is so
new it hasn’t really settled into place yet.”

“Is
it safe to pass through?” Nirath asked, looking at the ceiling of the tunnel
warily.

“Oh,
not that sort of not settled. Don’t worry, this tunnel is as solid as the
mountain itself. The dungeon did good work on that part.” Darak told her with a
grin, patting the side of the tunnel happily. “No, it’s more...I don’t know how
to explain it. Some spells can talk to rocks, and they have trouble thinking
quickly, for lack of a better term. So they don’t get used to a new position
very fast either. And Shale can sense that.”

“Earth
spirits, right.” Joseph agreed, shaking his head. “So we’re guessing that this
is halfway through? The new floor must be heading toward the center of the
dungeon, and not many dungeons have a huge area to start with. Unless it moves
where its core is, of course.”

“Most
likely. At least we’re getting an idea of what this dungeon likes to throw at
us. Plants and animals aren’t too bad.” Penelope agreed. “Alchemists are going
to love this place with the ingredients we’ve found so far.”

“Mmmhmm.”
Darak agreed. “So we go to fifteen chambers, and then head back? Maybe finally
report into the guildmaster about all this?”

“That
seems reasonable.” Nirath agreed, and then the group began heading deeper into
the dungeon again, a spring to their steps.

Chapter 35

“There
we are.” Nirath murmured, adjusting the hovering crystal one last time. Finally
satisfied, she nodded and fed the magical device a steady stream of mana.
“Nirath Sylrian to Guildmaster Kettle.”

The
crystal shimmered, glowed, and then an image appeared. Guildmaster Kettle Black
was old, and everyone in the guild knew he’d made up his silly name. It was
quite obvious when one of his rival guildmasters and old friends went by
Guildmaster Pot Black. The elderly human had thinning hair, his face was heavily
wrinkled, and he was wearing warm robes as he sat back in his chair. And in
spite of how fragile the old man looked, Nirath had absolutely no illusions as
to the old human’s power. He could take the four of them apart in combat while
he had his afternoon tea and not spill a drop.

“Nirath.
I see all of the others are there too. Hmm...to what do I owe the pleasure of
this call?” Kettle asked, his voice worn, almost querulous.

“We’ve
found the dungeon, Guildmaster.” Joseph spoke up first, smiling slightly. “It’s
on the edge of the Godsrage Mountains, near the borders of the kingdom of
Kelvanis. Their army found the dungeon and started building a town around it.
The road out here barely qualifies as a trail, though.”

“Ah!
Good work! And have you cleared the dungeon yet?” Kettle asked, his eyes
gleaming as he picked up his teacup and took a sip.

“Of
course not, Guildmaster. You instructed us to be cautious.” Nirath replied
severely, her eyes narrowing at their superior.

“Good!
I’m always concerned about such things. So what do you have for me?” Kettle
asked, setting his tea aside and leaning forward in obvious curiosity.

“Thus
far the dungeon appears to be two or three floors deep. The second floor is
only a few weeks old, according to my earth spirit.” Darak reported first, his
voice oddly crisp and formal compared to normal.

“Plant-based
traps, very few static traps like pits. However, we’ve got pitcher plants, and
a variant on the hangman traps that grabs people and drags them up into a pod.
Those seem to have an anesthetic of some type inside that renders the person
likely unconscious for digestion.” Penelope added, wrinkling her nose before
she added. “And we also have what looks a lot like those plants with mouths
that catch flies, but big enough to eat people. Those aren’t much fun.”

“My
job is reporting that we’ve also got giant damned strangler plants and bushes
eight feet tall which try to eat people, and which are mildly poisonous if they
bite you.” Joseph spoke up, his voice dry. “Plus we’ve got wolves and bears
half again the size they should be in here. Don’t know what they survive on
yet, since they can’t hunt outside and not many people enter the dungeon yet.
Other threats include firestorm trees, a few fire resistant varieties of the
various plants that are otherwise weaker than their normal kindred, and both
bees and wasps that are a foot long each. The bees aren’t generally very
hostile, though.”

“Don’t
forget the flower girls.” Penelope reminded him with a poke, making Joseph
squirm slightly.

“Hey,
I was getting there! There’s also what looks like a gigantic tulip that grows
in there, with a green naked woman inside, or the torso of one at least. She
can’t seem to talk, but she controls the plants in the area, which can make
things really nasty. Especially when she makes a firestorm tree throw a fruit
at you.” Joseph added soberly, shaking his head. “I’m not sure what those are.”

“Finally,
the rewards are actually surprisingly good thus far.” Nirath added, smiling
thinly. “Each chamber thus far has had either one spellbloom or violetroot
growing in one of the corners of the cavern, even when we come through the
following day. It isn’t always the same in a particular chamber either.
Additionally, the anesthetic produced by the pitcher plants and the like could
likely be refined into a medication or poison, though that would take an
alchemist to determine. Best of all, when we reached the end of the first floor
today we found a silvercap mushroom.”

“What?”
Kettle had seemed only mildly interested at all of their information, but at
the last he sat bolt upright, his eyes brightening as a smile crossed his face.
“A silvercap, really? Fully mature?”

“Yes,
Guildmaster.” Nirath agreed, smiling at him in return.

“Ha!
The Alchemy Division will go insane when they hear about this!” Kettle crowed,
laughing hard as he grinned at them. “Good job, all of you! Those are valuable
ingredients that you found. How difficult would you say the dungeon is,
compared to the Cerulean Dungeon?”

“Umm...once
you know the dangers, if you’re prepared...I’d say wolf grade for the first few
chambers.” Joseph replied, tilting his head as he considered the matter. “The
flower girl would be tough, and the firestorm trees make things more
interesting, but they won’t kill anyone on their own. Sometimes we can even use
them to take out really nasty clusters of opponents if we’re careful. Not bad
for training. The wasps are nasty too, but they don’t come in huge numbers. So
it could be a tiger grade, I think. It’s right on the cusp of between wolf and
tiger.”

“Excellent
indeed! Most dungeons that produce silvercaps are far too advanced for
beginning adventurers. I think the weakest that produces them regularly is a
serpent dungeon. And spellbloom and violetroot are both valuable in their own
right.” Kettle paused, and Nirath smiled to herself.

Spellbloom
was one of the primary ingredients for the higher quality mana potions, and
thus was always in demand, while violetroot was similar for healing potions.
While the potions that they’d brought with them were of reasonably high
quality, they couldn’t treat truly critical injuries, but the ones that could
be made with violetroot were capable of such. While other ingredients could be
used for that quality of potion, they were either much more rare or far more
difficult to make use of. It was no wonder that Kettle was delighted by their
presence.

On
the other hand, until now the silvercap mushroom was only found in higher grade
dungeons which were aligned with nature. It could be consumed easily, and was
well known to purify the body of poisons, heal most injuries, and even
regenerate minor body part losses. If one ate four or five, they could even
regenerate full limbs. But most importantly, fully mature silvercaps could be
used in a complicated alchemical ritual to create a potion that, if used within
a few minutes of an individual’s death, could bring them back to life.

“Anyway!
I’ll have to send more adventurers out your way, as well as a group to found a
guild house. Once we’ve a full evaluation of the dungeon, you’ll get your bonus
for the first delves into it. It’s a dangerous job you’ve had.” Kettle’s smile
vanished as he continued grimly. “And the ‘flower girl’ as you call her is an
immature form of an alraune. When fully mature, they can move about on
vine-like legs and even use magic. Don’t underestimate them. On the other hand,
the adult ones are fully intelligent, so they can even be negotiated with in
some circumstances. It sounds like your dungeon is interesting. Might have to
come out that direction someday.”

“Thank
you, Guildmaster.” Nirath replied with a bow, and he nodded before breaking the
connection.

Darak
grinned broadly, rubbing his hands together happily. “Well isn’t that good
news? How much are first delve bonuses anyway? I didn’t check before we left.”

“What,
a money-grubbing dwarf didn’t check the rewards? Will wonders never cease?”
Penelope teased gently, then shrugged before answering the question. “The
reward depends on the classification of the dungeon. If this is a wolf or tiger
grade dungeon, we could get as much as a thousand gold each. If it were deity
grade...well, they listed the rewards for those as an artifact from the guild
vaults.”

“Right.
Well, that’s never going to happen. It isn't like a dungeon could reach deity grade
without anyone noticing it.” Darak snorted, shaking his head. “A thousand gold
would be nice, but I’ll assume we’ll get half of that. Less disappointing if
this turns out to be a wolf.”

“Either
way, we do have these ingredients. Those will sell for a tidy sum, so this is
definitely a success.” Joseph looked at the items in satisfaction. “What do you
say we try finishing the second floor in two days?”

“That
seems like a plan to me. If we can clear the dungeon before anyone else gets
here, that would be incredible.” Penelope agreed, while Darak just grunted his
approval. “Even if only to mock some of the other jerks.”

Considering
a moment, Nirath nodded slightly and smiled. “As long as we are careful, I
agree. Remember that we don’t know for certain how big the dungeon actually is.
We could always be wrong.”

“True.
We know how dungeons can be.” Darak suddenly scowled at a foul memory.
“Remember when the Cerulean Dungeon changed the layout on us?”

“Ugh,
that was horrible.” Joseph looked slightly queasy at the memory. “Didn’t that
happen because someone was stupid enough to clear a lair out, though?”

“I
believe so.” Nirath shook her head and sighed. “They never did find all the
pieces of that adventuring party.”

“Which,
of course, is why the guildmaster always says to kill monsters in your path,
but leave where they breed alone.” Penelope added, shaking her head. “Fastest
damned way to piss off a dungeon, and that’s a losing proposition.”

Nirath
nodded her sincere agreement, shivering. Too many people underestimated
dungeons, and just how terrifying they could be when angered.

Chapter 36

“I
guess you were right about this not being the end of the dungeon.” Darak
admitted. It was the next day, and they’d reached the end of the second floor
of the dungeon, only to find a tunnel spiraling downward again. “Guess we have
to keep going.”

With
a chorus of sighs, the adventuring group started on the next floor of the
dungeon.

As
several weeks passed, the group of started growing concerned. At first they
were fairly sanguine about the additional chambers, but as they reached the
third floor that began to change. They’d passed thirty chambers at that point,
which they’d initially believed to be the most that the dungeon would have. But
instead they were starting to encounter pit traps, larger groups of wasps, and
thornier, nastier plants that were definitely tougher than the early floor.
That the rewards were slightly more plentiful helped mollify them, but it was
surprising. But the introduction of the giant ants was the first true sign that
something was very different about this dungeon.

“What
the hell? Ants aren’t supposed to be this big!” Penelope swore, stabbing at the
large insects.

“We
are underground. Ants live underground too. But these things are tough!” Joseph
retorted, falling back from the one whose exoskeleton he’d just crushed. The
others were having a hard time of it, though, as the ants didn’t have nearly as
many weak points for their weapons. Darak was cutting through with brute force,
but Penelope was having much more difficulty.

Finally
Nirath summoned a spirit of ice and froze the remaining four ants in place, and
they beat them to bits. But as they did the messy work, the elf frowned at the
situation and murmured. “This is strange. Why does it seem like the difficulty
here is gradually increasing?”

None
of the others heard her question, though.

Surveying
the town from a lookout tower halfway up the mountain, Evansly nodded in
satisfaction, smiling broadly at the sight. “Good job, Master Graystone. You’ve
been a life saver.”

“Hah!
Thanks, but the lads are the ones doing all the real work.” The dwarf chuckled,
grinning.

The
aqueduct was in place, even though it didn’t hold more than a trickle of water
at the moment. They could also see the workers who were working on the dam
which was intended to form a modest reservoir for fishing and other supplies.
No one had started work on a mill below the where the dam would be, but a
foundation for it had already been marked out.

The
town now had a basic smithy, including an immigrant from Westgate who was doing
basic repairs, and most of the other vital structures for the town were
complete. Admittedly, most weren’t occupied yet, but the town was getting
there. Small houses were now under construction, though, and Evansly smiled at
the small manor under construction just around the ridgeline from most of the
town.

“Thank
you for designing my own home as well, though. That will help immensely...even
if getting the planed wood shipped out here is a bit more expensive than I’d
like.” He told Graystone cheerfully.

“Ah,
it’s the least I could do. I’m being paid to design buildings for you, after
all. What’s one more?” Graystone replied with a broad grin. “I’m looking
forward to meeting this wife of yours, too.”

“Believe
me, I’m looking forward to her being here.” Evansly assured him, then paused as
he saw a group of men and a handful of women approaching in ragtag gear.
“And...I do think that must be our first group of non-guild adventurers.”

“Indeed?
Ooh…” Graystone winced and shook his head. “That’s not promising. Care to bet
on more than two of the lot living to the end of the month?”

“No
thanks. I’m thinking that would be a sucker bet.” Evansly replied with a wince
of his own.

“Drat.
I could use the money.” Graystone sighed, watching the group approach.

“Aren’t
you getting plenty from the Adjudicator for this job?” Evansly asked, slightly
curious as he glanced at the dwarf.

“Hmm?
I suppose so.” Graystone grunted, shrugging as he gestured at the group. “But
who doesn’t need a few more coins in their pocket?”

“Any
luck, Farlon?” Desa asked as they settled down to dinner in the dining room.
Across the room she could see Ilmas and Lily, the pair of them eating together
closely, holding hands and smiling deeply at one another. She had to wonder if
they intended to marry when a priest showed up. They could easily do so without
a priest, but some people preferred the formality of a proper church blessing.

“Nothing
yet. Lots of bindings we’ve found, but nothing similar to the brands we’re
dealing with.” The sage replied with a shake of his head, taking a bite of
venison stew. “It’s going faster than it was, but some of those words take
hours to decipher. And the old spell-forms are just different enough to cause
problems.”

“That’s
unfortunate. I…” Desa paused, blinking as she saw Phynis rush into the room,
with Sistina following at a much more sedate pace. “Phynis? Is something wrong?”

“No,
no, everything is fine. It’s just that Sistina remembered something about the
brands!” The princess exclaimed in a rush, grinning broadly.

“What?
Why would she remember something like that?” Farlon asked, blinking in
confusion. “I never heard anything about this.”

“Sistina
was the one who originally told us about holy water and holy ground being able
to destroy the brands if used before a day had passed.” Desa explained to him
calmly. “She also indicated that her memory was...not the best.”

“Inaccurate.
Memories stolen.” Sistina corrected gravely, shaking head. “Was...prisoner.
Memories consumed magically. Piecing together. Confusing, fragmented. Takes
much time. Most useless.”

“Ah...alright,
I suppose that makes more sense.” Farlon agreed, then tilted his head to ask.
“Then what did you remember? Anything would help at this point. We’ve got tens
of thousands of books to wade through, so we haven’t found much yet.”

“Demonic
origin. Design familiar. Memories outside grasp.” Sistina explained. “Check
demonology.”

“Hmm...that
actually makes a lot of sense. Actually, that brings something else to mind. A
genius loci can watch everything in its domain, correct? Why do you walk around
in a body? Couldn’t you just read all the books at once and tell us what parts
they’re in?” Farlon asked hopefully, distaste in his expression at the thought
of demonology. “I mean, demonology is one of the harder segments of the library
to translate. A lot of them are both in ciphers and in ancient languages.”

Desa
couldn’t blame the man for not wanting to research in demonology, of all
things. The practice was banned for a reason, after all. On the other hand, it
was also a very good question. But Sistina shook her head.

“Reading
takes focus. Sight too broad. Cannot read.” She explained, then pointed at her
eyes. “Gain focus, reduce sight beyond. Dangerous. Either way, lose one.”

“Ahh,
that makes sense.” Farlon’s eyes lit up with understanding.

“What
do you mean? I didn’t catch all of it, obviously.” Phynis asked curious about
things.

“Her
attention is too broad when she isn’t...in her body, for lack of a better term.
She can’t really see the words, is my guess. It’s like when you aren’t focusing
on anything and can see some details throughout your field vision.” Farlon explained,
then gestured at Sistina. “But while she’s in her body she has the focus to see
the words and read. But she has to do it like the rest of us. The problem is
that when she’s focusing here, she has trouble keeping track of the entirety of
her domain. It’s one or the other for her.”

“Oh!
So that’s why I sometimes find you in a field and you don’t respond right
away.” Phynis realized, and Sistina nodded in response, a thin smile crossing
her face.

“Reminds.
Need to visit new place. Tunnel finished.” Sistina told Phynis, whose eyes lit
up.

“Oh?
What kind of place?” She asked eagerly, while Desa got started on her food.
“Can I come with?”

“No.”
Sistina spoke firmly, shaking her head. “Building...warded. Cannot see
building. Must enter physically. Dangerous.”

“That’s...wait,
is that possible?” Desa paused, spoon halfway to her mouth as she looked up. “I
thought that you could see everything within your domain.”

“Sight
like scrying.” Sistina said simply, shrugging. “Method unknown.”

“Hmm...Farlon?
Care to give this one a try?” Desa asked, raising an eyebrow.

“At
a guess, since her sight is similar to scrying, sufficiently powerful wards can
hold her out. Is that right?” Farlon guessed, tilting his head at Sistina, who
nodded, then continued. “But the second part I’m not sure on.”

Sistina
seemed to think, then nodded. “Translation. Method known like knowing
language.”

“Oh!
If you know how it’s done, you can see through it!” Farlon realized, smiling
broadly. “That’s fascinating! So if someone tried building a ward to block
scrying inside your domain, you could see through it because you knew how it
was built.”

“Yes.”
Sistina agreed, nodding in satisfaction. Then she pointed at her eyes and
added. “Not scrying. Examine physically.”

“I
see. Well...would you like some help?” Desa offered, taking a bite of her food
and swallowing after taking a moment to savor it. “While Her Highness might not
be able to go because of safety issues, I’m a fairly skilled mage. I’m also
getting really bored.”

“That
isn’t fair, Desa. I’ve just never been given the chance to actually train in
combat.” Phynis replied, sniffing slightly as her eyes narrowed at Desa.

Desa
didn’t miss the speculative look in Sistina’s eyes, but the dryad nodded after
a moment. “Desa yes. Phynis no. Time...tomorrow. Dawn.”

“I’ll
see you then, Sistina.” Desa replied, grinning now that she had some excitement
ahead of her. “This should be interesting.”

“Keep
her safe, Desa.” Phynis ordered, her eyes narrowing. “I want her back in one
piece.”

“I
will, Your Highness.” Desa sighed, shaking her head. She’d come to terms with
Phynis’ decision, but she suspected that Her Majesty was not happy about the
latest dispatch she’d sent her. They were both surprised, though, when Sistina
shook her head.

“I
protect Desa.” She said firmly, then pointed at herself. “Make body again.”

Then
pointing at Desa, she added even more firmly. “Not replaceable.”

“Right,
then. I guess I hide behind her.” Desa chuckled after a moment, amused at the
thought.

“No,
both of you be safe. I don’t want to hear about either of you getting
hurt.” Phynis chided them as she tapped her foot in annoyance.

Desa
suppressed the urge to laugh more as Sistina rolled her eyes and the dryad
replied dryly. “Worrywart.”

Chapter 37

“I’ll
admit that I expected this path to be a bit more level. Like the other ones
you’ve made.” Desa told Sistina as she climbed down yet another rocky ledge.

“Company
unanticipated.” Sistina replied calmly, extending a hand to help Desa down the
rough surface.

“Alright,
I suppose I can understand that.” Desa murmured, taking the hand and hopping
down.

It
was a long, nasty climb thus far. Desa wasn’t certain how far they’d descended
at this point, but it was like they’d been dropping down the switchbacks of a
rough mountain trail, but underground. Stone wasn’t nearly as forgiving as dirt
either, and if Sistina hadn’t been there with a helping hand, Desa probably
would have more than a few bruises and scrapes from the trip. The lack of a
good light source didn’t help either, and the stone walls glimmered dully in
the soft light of Desa’s light orb. And here, unlike most of the areas she’d
moved through, she could practically feel the full weight of the mountain above
her head.

Heading
down the next tunnel after a moment, Desa finally asked. “How much farther is
this building?”

“Close.”
Desa found Sistina’s reply lacking the detail to calm her nerves. The dryad
spoke much less when Phynis wasn’t around, and curiosity prompted Desa to
inquire about it.

“So
why do you talk more when you’re around the princess, Sistina?” She asked,
hopping over a large rock. “Is it just because she’s insistent about you
learning to speak more easily? Or is there a reason you don’t like talking?”

Sistina
didn’t reply for a minute, then finally spoke. “Complex. Words...focused.
Phynis insistent, remembering words. Difficult. Fragmented. Breaks
concentration. Adapting.”

“Huh.”
Desa blinked, then shrugged. There were a number of ways that the explanation
could be interpreted, but she thought she had the gist of it. So she asked a
different question instead. “Well, how about this. Phynis loves you now, and
doesn’t want it changed. But do you love her?”

Sistina
actually stopped and turned to regard Desa for a minute. There was something
distant about her eyes, but she didn’t speak for a long minute. When she did
speak, Sistina’s voice was soft, and lacked the confidence that she normally
exuded. “Uncertain. Am tree. Was...someone else. Trees not love. Now not tree,
yet tree. Can love? Uncertain. Do not wish harm.”

“I...think
I see. You just don’t know.” Desa decided to simplify. The last thing she
wanted was for a genius loci to get into an existential crisis. So she tried a
different tact instead. “In that case, would you hurt her? Do you enjoy her
company?”

“Phynis
fun. Protect.” Sistina spoke firmly, then smiled gently and pointed back at
herself. “Not fun, boring.”

“I’m
glad to hear you won’t hurt her.” Desa replied with a slight smile. “Let’s get
going, though. I don’t want to spend too much time down here.”

“Yes.”
Sistina moved onward, while Desa’s smile faded into to a thoughtful expression.

Over
the last few weeks she’d spent some time in the library herself. The books
she’d been focusing on were primarily the simpler texts, but she’d been trying
to learn about genius loci. And what she’d learned was both amazing and
frightening. The creatures, for lack of a better term for what amounted to a
gemstone with a soul, were immensely powerful within their own domains, and the
dungeon currently known as the Great Labyrinth had existed even during the
period of Everium. Dungeons of that power were said to possess the strength to
rival even deities, but their power was restricted solely to their domain. The
thing that truly worried her from time to time was that none of the texts even
suggested that someone or something like Sistina could exist. A genius loci
with a physical body which could talk to wasn’t listed as a possibility in the
half-dozen tomes she’d referenced. Some made magical contracts with mortals
whom communicated their wishes, but even that was absurdly rare.

So
a large part of her wondered whether Sistina was a new type of genius loci, or
something else entirely.

“That’s
going to be ugly.” Joseph murmured, shaking his head as he sipped at his ale.
He sat back in his chair on the porch of the newly christened Vine Tankard
Tavern, watching the group of four men and two women psyching themselves up to
enter the dungeon.

“Let’s
see...a crap selection of weapons, hodge-podge armor, and who knows what type
of secondary gear.” Darak replied as he refilled his mug of ale from the
pitcher, eyeing the group critically. “I bet they were bandits before they came
here. Nope. You couldn’t even get me to bet on how successful they’re going to
be.”

“Pfft.
I’d bet they’ll manage to clear a room or two.” Penelope countered, grinning at
the pair.

“Why
do you say that?” Darak challenged, gesturing at them. “They’re worse equipped
than the local army boys, and they got chased out in the first couple of
rooms!”

“Ah,
but the army had no clue what they were dealing with. And we haven’t exactly
been close-mouthed about what we encountered inside, now have we? Save for the
rewards, of course.” Penelope countered, her smile broadening incrementally.
“And I saw at least five of the new arrivals asking around about information
last night, and not just members of that group either. Some of them have
brains. I might tutor any survivors when I need a workout.”

“Fair
enough. It’s your time, and the guild always needs new recruits.” Joseph
conceded with a slight smirk. “In that case, I’ll guess that we see, say, two
of them again. Just don’t hurt them too badly if you train them, Penelope. If
they’re scared to go outside they won’t be much use.”

“Still
bet they’ll all be eaten.” Darak grunted, shaking his head. “Dungeons are no
place for fools like that.”

“I’ll
agree on the fools part. It’ll be interesting, at least.” Penelope conceded,
watching the group of humans head into the first chamber. But then she winced
at the confident expressions on their faces. “Or...maybe they thought that
hearing about what’s in there would make everything easy. Yeah, if I train them
I’m going to have to be gentle. Dammit.”

“Yup,
going to be ugly in there.” Joseph muttered into his mug. Ah, to be young and
an idiot again. Well, if any of them survived, it would teach them a valuable
lesson. If they survived.

“Right.
Everyone remember, Sayla and Francis are to deal with the vines, while you let
me and Arnold attack the big bushes that we heard about.” Henry reminded the
others, grinning to himself as they turned the first corner of the cave. “Eric,
you watch for any big lugs with that spear of yours. Eileen, you’re looking for
traps.”

A
chorus of acknowledgements came back. Some of them were slightly on the worried
side, but they were holding up well. This was a lot less intimidating than a
Kelvanis military caravan, that was for sure.

After
a minute Eric asked quietly. “Didn’t those soldiers get mauled when they came
in here? You sure we’re going to be okay, boss?”

“Nah,
we’ll be fine. They came in here without a clue. We actually gathered
information. It’s just like ambushing a merchant, Eric.” Henry told him with a
grin. “You go in with no clue what they’ve got, you’re gonna get hurt. But if
you ask around and plan things out, you’ll be fine. This will go great, just
wait and see. Sure as hell aren’t any Enforcers in this cave, which’ll make it
a lot easier than what we’ve done.”

“Whatever
you say, boss.” Eric replied dubiously, shrugging as he exchanged a worried
look with Eileen, which Henry pretended not to notice.

“Is
that it? Finally?” Desa asked as they stepped around a corner to see only darkness
looming before them. Her light only cast faint shadows into the large cavern
before them, and Sistina nodded before speaking.

“Yes.”
The dryad took several steps forward, then paused and moved to the side of the
chamber. The dryad examined a slab of rock for a few moments before turning it
over. Curious about what was distracting Sistina, Desa stepped closer to look
at the stone.

The
slab, which she’d initially mistaken for just another piece of broken stone,
was actually the remnant of a sign. The slab was partially broken, but she
murmured what she could read aloud. “Something...Academy of Magic. This was the
mage academy for the city?”

Sistina
seemed hesitant but nodded slowly, setting the stone back down before
murmuring. “Yes. Caution. Something...wrong.”

Stepping
deeper into the chamber, Desa slowly began to see the outline of the structure
within. It wasn’t in as good of shape as the temple of Vanir, but it also
wasn’t as damaged as the library had been. The ground floor looked to sprawl
across the ground to either side of a huge tower that thrust upward like a
blunt spear, the tower some sixty feet across as it rose into the gloom, the
stone walls of the cavern open only a few feet away from the walls of the
crumbling edifice. And there was something different about this tower.
Something simply felt off.

Desa
felt a chill go up her spine as they stepped closer to the front doors, and she
heard something behind her. Like there was a faint whisper from around the
corner. Was it Phynis? Did she follow them? Desa spun around to find no one
behind them. It was the same empty stone tunnel they’d entered through. What
had that been? Was she imagining things?

When
she turned back toward the structure, Sistina was crouched down and rubbing a
pinch of dirt in between two fingers. Sistina had a frown on her face, which
deepened as she looked at the dirt. Finally sniffing at the dirt, Sistina’s
face turned grave as she stood and turned around. Her voice was soft as she
told Desa. “Leave. Now.”

“What?”
Desa asked, suddenly startled, but before she could react, Sistina was walking
briskly toward the exit. Unwilling to risk something that the dryad considered
dangerous, Desa quickly followed her, the hairs on the back of her neck
beginning to stand on end. “What’s wrong?”

“Wait.”
Sistina growled, leading the way to the corner of the tunnel, then turning
around. At this point Desa could feel that the air was definitely colder,
though she had no idea what the source was.

The
moment that Desa passed Sistina, the dryad reached out toward the walls, and
then brought her hands together in a harsh clap. And as she did, the walls of
the tunnel trembled, and then flowed, like they’d suddenly turned to
water for an instant as they slammed together in front of Sistina, solidifying
into a solid barrier that had to be at least ten feet thick.

Desa
gaped at the solid rock wall in front of her, and then at Sistina. It took her
a moment to ask. “Why? What’s wrong?”

“Darkness.
Necromancy. Cannot face.” Sistina’s voice was grim as she shook her head. “Seal
away. Prepare.”

“Necromancy?
Oh. Oh. Are there...undead mages in there?” Desa asked, her stomach
suddenly growing slightly queasy. “Have they been in there since the Godsrage?”

Sistina
shrugged at her questions, and turned to leave, her mouth a thin line.
“Dangerous. Waiting.”

“Right,
that makes sense.” Desa replied, then paused, and inwardly groaned. “Ah, damn
it. Now we have to climb all the way back up right away. Right after finishing
the climb all the way down? Kill me now.”

“No.”
Sistina’s voice was absent, but a hint of amusement came in her next words.
“Phynis hurt me.”

“Traitor.”
Desa muttered, beginning to follow the dryad back up the tunnel again as the
light faded against the stone barrier behind them.

Several
minutes later, there was the faintest scraping sound against the stone wall. It
persisted for several minutes before the sound faded away.

“Francis,
no!” Eileen yelled as the man staggered back under the attack from the massive
humanoid bush. Her warning came a moment too late, though. Eileen cringed as
her companion’s foot hit the center of the plant patch, and two spiked leaves
of the plant trap snapped shut like an enormous bear trap. The crunch of bones
snapping was audible even in the midst of battle and she shuddered in horror,
stepping back beside Eric.

They
couldn’t reach Henry, whose face was turning purple as he dangled from the
vines choking the life out of him. He was still struggling, but his axe was on
the floor and his tugs at the vines were growing steadily weaker.

Sayla
finally managed to sink a dagger into the throat of the wolf attacking her and
fell back, her arm bleeding from where she’d been savaged, even as Arnold cut
down the remaining bush with a spouted series of curses. The bush fell, but the
last, whimpering howl of the wolf was answered by faint howls from deeper
inside the caverns.

“Dammit,
fall back, Arnold!” Eric shouted at the man. “There’s more of them coming! We
have to get out of here!”

“No
way! Henry’s still alive, we can save him!” The big man retorted, gesturing at
their nearly unconscious leader.

“Arnold,
come on!” Eileen begged him, helping Sayla wrap her arm in rough bandages as
howls came closer.

“I’m
not leaving him.” Arnold growled, and began to climb one of the trees to try to
get in reach of the vines.

“We’ve
gotta go, Eileen.” Eric muttered, glancing at the two women. “Agree, Sayla?”

“Yeah...we’d...ow.
I don’t know that I can...make it.” The woman gasped, pale from blood loss.

“Then
I’ll carry you. Let’s go!” Eric grunted, dropping his spear and picking up the
smaller woman. He gave Eileen a grateful look as she took the spear, and they
rushed back toward the exit. She focused on ignoring the screams that came from
behind them, then cut off less than a minute after they made their escape.

Reaching
the exit, though, Eileen took a deep breath of the air outside, almost falling
to the ground panting. But she started when she heard a calm voice. “Let me
have a look at her, I can help.”

Looking
up, Eileen saw one of the adventurers from the tavern gently pushing Eric away
from Sayla. Joseph’s manners were relaxed as he took Sayla’s arm gently, and
the golden glow that surrounded him as he began to pray made Eileen’s eyes go
wide when the wounds starting to close. She’d heard about the power of powerful
clerics before, but she’d never actually seen them put to use before. But near
Eileen was a tall, powerful looking brunette who smiled gently.

“Looks
like you got lucky, getting out when you did.” Penelope said with a sympathetic
smile. “We were afraid all of you would die in there. Obviously some of you
have good survival instincts.”

“That
didn’t help...the others…” Eileen huffed, shaking her head.

“Well,
that’s how things go. Dungeons are dangerous, and you all underestimated this
one.” The adventurer replied calmly, shaking her head. Nodding at Eric, she
added. “How about this, though. Since you all show some promise, how about some
mentoring while we wait for other adventurers to show up? I get bored, and
could use the distraction.”

Eileen
looked at Eric, taking deep breaths to calm herself down, and Eric looked back
at her. And then he stood up straight and nodded to the woman. “That would be
very much appreciated, after that little...incident. I’m Eric. This is Eileen,
and that’s Sayla.”

“I’m
Penelope. We’ll see if we can’t get you three sorted out.” Penelope replied,
her eyes glittering.

Eileen
had to wonder why it was that the cleric winced at Penelope’s words.

Chapter 38

Alone
in his office, Jared looked at his reports and frowned at them, murmuring.
“Well isn’t this an unpleasant situation?”

Reports
had trickled back from his spies in Sifaren which were less than pleasant. At
least that was Jared’s opinion. They’d finally informed him that General
Fairbrook had died about a month before, and the vague information surrounding
his death was extremely bad as well. Even those hints meant that years of careful
planning and positioning of resources to support the general’s plans had just
been rendered utterly meaningless. It was annoying, and how little he’d heard
just made it worse.

It
was unfortunate that Princess Phynis had escaped to begin with. That she’d managed
to escape the general was aggravating. That she had also apparently vanished
after that was worrying. It gave him a sinking feeling in his gut that Jared
had learned to listen to. That, he had learned, meant that something bad was
coming.

On
the other hand, the sound of what was going on with the dungeon was much
better. The guild adventurers had been close-mouthed about what rewards they’d
retrieved from the dungeon, but Lord Evansly had reported that they had
additional guild adventurers on their way, which was promising for its future.
He’d also learned that some non-guild individuals had entered the dungeon and
lost half their number thus far, including a few bandits that Jared had
previously had a bounty on. If it weren’t for the fact that the town was
supposed to be open to adventurers, the guards would have taken them in. At
least he didn’t have to pay the bounty in this case.

Beyond
the matters of the adventurers, the town was also progressing well. Supply
shipments had started reaching the town, and the road was passable by this
point. The mage engineers working on the road were now focusing on building up
the town, which he really needed to name at some point. The mountains were
largely granite, so perhaps Granite Point would work best. He’d probably go
with the simple name in the end.

But
sighing to himself, he went over some of the information on Yisara instead,
frowning as he looked over what they knew about the upcoming fall. After a few
minutes he began drafting orders, murmuring to himself. “Well, at least we have
an opportunity at a different princess. I wonder where Princess Phynis ran off
to? I’d like to get her back if we could. She’d be a good bargaining chip at
the very least.”

Diamond
opened her eyes and let out a breath of relief, smiling at the others. They
smiled in return, relaxing as each of them let go of their grip on their magic.
This session had gone well, and in spite of their situation Diamond enjoyed the
feeling of advancing her magical knowledge, a sensation she’d long-since found
slowing to a crawl as she’d progressed further in her arts.

The
seven priestesses had managed to initiate the connection of the ritual that
Jared had required easily enough, but actually using it had proven much more
difficult. Every day they practiced during the hours when Jared worked on his
most sensitive documents and with reports that he knew had to be kept private.
It had surprised Diamond that he actually took the security of his reports so
seriously with them being his personal slaves, but Jared was quite careful
about what he said most of the time. Almost admirably careful, in fact, which
didn’t help her attempts to hate him. Of course, she was also quite certain
that the inability to fully hate him was another change he’d made to her mind,
but she couldn’t be certain.

But
they were making progress at last, and Diamond was startled at the sheer power
that she and the others could supply to spells and still control the effects.
Working in concert, the seven of them could produce as much power as ten
spellcasters of their strength, though it was limited by the fact that they
actually had to work in concert for that degree of power. In smaller groups of
three, two, and two, they were only marginally more powerful, but they could
also support each other more easily and cast spells faster than a normal caster
could manage. That allowed them a distinct advantage in most situations, though
she wouldn’t count on it being enough.

But
she let out a deep breath and nodded to everyone, speaking softly. “Well, that
went much better than normal. Does everyone agree?”

There
was a chorus of agreement, and Amethyst added after a moment. “Yes, but I was
curious if others noticed that I seem to have a slightly easier time melding
magic with Sapphire, Ruby, and Diamond?”

“That’s
odd. I actually feel like mine merges best with Opal, you, and Diamond.” Ruby
replied thoughtfully.

“I’d
guess it has something to do with the entire color scheme.” Opal interjected,
her voice soft. “Each of us can connect most easily to the...adjacent colors of
the spectrum, for lack of a better term, and Diamond since she’s the focal
point.”

“That
does make sense.” Diamond agreed, tilting her head slightly as she considered
it. “I hadn’t noticed any of your issues with melding magic, actually. But on
the other hand, that’s also probably because I am the focal point, and meant to
be equally compatible with all of you.”

“True
enough.” Amethyst agreed.

“So
now that we’ve started being able to merge magic properly, what do we work on
first?” Emerald asked, looking at Diamond expectantly.

“Shields.
Jared wanted us to work on defenses before anything else.” Diamond replied,
shaking her head with a wry smile. “For some reason he doesn’t want us to be in
danger. I suspect that he also expects us to protect him as well.”

“Oh,
of course not. Then he’d have to abduct a whole new set of priestesses.” Topaz
rolled her eyes, sighing. “Is it wrong that I half hope we fail at some point
and someone shoots him?”

All
of them laughed bitterly at her morbid humor, and then Diamond shook her head.
“Well, that’s enough complaining. We have our orders, so let’s give a basic
shield of light a try.”

“Yes,
Diamond.” They chorused in return. As they settled down to concentrate, their
breathing unwittingly fell into the precise same pattern.

“That’s
odd.” David murmured, looking at the ground and frowning. After a moment he
crouched down to get a better look at the marks he’d noticed.

“What
are you talking about, Dave? Is something the matter?” Edward asked, glancing
over from the tree he was using for cover.

“Come
over here, would you? Do these look like tracks to you?” David asked, looking
up at his partner.

“There’s
plenty of tracks up here.” Edward replied, slowly approaching. “What’s another
pair?”

“Well,
I don’t know of many humans or the like that wander around up here except us
scouts, so we could have someone else up here.” David counted, gesturing at the
faint marking he was examining. “I’d rather not get taken by surprise, you
know?”

“People?
Let’s take a look at it, then?” Edward knelt down and took a closer look. David
settled back, knowing the other man was the better tracker overall. Edward
could pick out a single horse’s shoes from a group of twenty if shown their
tracks.

David
had to admit that if they were real tracks, they were probably old. The faint
smudges in the dirt were questionable, but Lord Evansly wouldn’t want them to
ignore the possibility of other people up here. It was entirely possible that a
group of overly ambitious bandits might decide that the town was easy pickings,
or worth the trouble. Avoiding the possibility was why Lord Evansly employed
scouts, after all.

“I
think you’re right. These are definitely tracks, but given the weather...maybe
two weeks old?” Edward decided, looking around them. They were up behind the
mountainside where the dungeon was located, where no one really traveled. He
frowned again before adding. “I’m not sure, but we’d best report them. It’s up
to the Captain what he wants to do about it. With them being this old, I don’t
think we can track much of anything.”

“True
enough. Finish our circuit, though?” David asked, brushing himself off and
standing up again.

“Definitely.
Last thing we need is to get chewed out for jumping at shadows.” Edward replied
with a laugh, shaking his head.

The
two continued onward in their circuit, leaving the faint elven footprint behind
them.

Chapter 39

“Seriously?
Is that all you four can manage?” Penelope asked somewhat incredulously. “I’m
not even out of breath!”

Daniel
was panting on the ground in front of her, wincing at the bruises forming where
he’d been struck by her practice sword. Around him were the other three who’d
taken her up on her offer of training; Eileen, Eric, and Sayla. Daniel was
fairly certain that the three were all bandits originally, but he hadn’t
exactly been able to pick and choose who to train with.

And
Penelope was hardly the benign instructor he’d expected. She was fast and
deadly as a striking snake, and yet she was also incredibly strong. He’d expected
her to be incredibly difficult to deal with, but someone of her height being
able to move that fast was just unfair, especially since she was utterly
merciless in her attacks.

“You’re
not being very nice, Pen.” Joseph called out from his seat next to the small
training ground they’d set up. “They’re all just beginners, you know.”

“Bullshit.”
Penelope sniffed, shaking her head. “All of them are trained with weapons.
Sure, they’re a little slow compared to real adventurers. And I guess they’re
nowhere near as strong as I expected, but they should have at least been able
to cooperate and hit me. Instead all they managed was to give me a bit of a
warm-up.”

“Agh...we’ve
never even fought together before. How could we possibly cooperate and fight
you?” Daniel managed after a moment, slowly sitting up as he winced.

“You
should have talked about that before we got started. All of you introduced
yourselves to one another, then just chatted about nothing important before
training.” Penelope smiled thinly as she added. “Instead of flirting, you
should have thought about actual tactics to use. But you took me lightly, and
thus we come to our rather predictable result. All of you beaten soundly.”

“Wasn’t...flirting…”
Sayla managed to say, her voice faint as she tried to get up.

“Mmm...doesn’t
matter. The important thing in a dungeon is staying alive, especially in the
worst situations.” Penelope replied with a dismissive grin. “Now that we’ve got
the latter situation set up, you have thirty seconds to get yourselves
together, and then we start the second round. Maybe you’ll manage to make me
work up a sweat!”

Daniel
wasn’t sure who it was that whimpered. He was fairly sure that it wasn’t him.
At least he hoped it wasn't.

Desa
stood up and looked out the window. Phynis and Sistina were nowhere to be seen,
so she sighed and walked over to the door, opening it and looking at the other
guard there, Alissa.

“Alissa?
Do you know where the princess and Sistina got off to?” She asked mildly, a
tone that was completely at odds with the conflicted feelings welling up inside
her.

“They
were going to the library, Captain.” Alissa reported easily, shrugging and
smiling slightly. “After the messenger arrived, Phynis read her letter and
threw it in the fire. Then she asked Sistina to help her with researching some
of the old records about the Constella family in Everium.”

“I
see. Thank you, I’ll just have to talk to her later.” Desa replied, smiling
slightly as she closed the door, then let her smile fade as she walked back to
her desk and picked up the letter to read it again.

Captain
Desa Iceheart,

We
have read and contemplated both your report and the letter from Our daughter.
We have sent a letter to Princess Phynis instructing her to return to Vara’Sel
at the first opportunity. The explanations that you have sent Us have left Us
concerned that she may not acknowledge Our instructions, however. And if this
is the case, We cannot afford to leave Our daughter in the hands of one whom
can influence her, no matter how benevolent they may appear to be.

Thus,
if Princess Phynis has not undergone the process to remove her feelings for the
dungeon, We have instructions for you. We order you, Captain, to return
Princess Phynis to Vara’Sel by whatever means you must, and remove her from the
influence of the dungeon known as Sistina.

By
Order of Her Majesty, Queen of Sifaren,

Calath
Iris Constella

The
letter felt almost poisonous to the touch, even though Desa knew it wasn’t. She
had a few options, but none of them were ones that she actually liked. And the
fact that Phynis hadn’t come to speak with her about what Her Majesty had
requested meant that either the queen hadn’t sent the information she’d spoken
of, or that the princess was willfully ignoring it.

Based
on what she’d discussed with Phynis, Desa was grimly certain that the princess
had simply decided to ignore what the queen had ordered. And Desa wasn’t
certain what Phynis had written in her letter to Her Majesty, but she was
coming to the conclusion that it had not led the queen to have faith in Phynis’
judgement. And that brought to mind the discussion with Phynis, when she’d said
that she simply couldn’t trust Desa or anyone else. And so she looked at the
orders, feeling almost utterly helpless.

This
was a test. She knew it was a test by the queen to see if she could trust Desa
to still be fully loyal to her oaths to the crown, even though her brand had
been claimed by Sistina. It was also a test to see if her loyalty lay with
Phynis or the queen. And that was...painful, as she wrestled with her own
thoughts and desires. She had to make a decision, and no matter what she did,
she was going to betray someone.

But
which should she choose?

Alissa’s
own smile faded a touch as she returned to her post. Among the letters they’d
received was one for herself, supposedly from her aging grandmother. The coded
letter had told her that her own orders were unchanged, and that upset her. She
liked the princess, and the last thing she wanted was to kill her.

But
if the choices were to let Kelvanis get their hands on the princess or to kill
her, Alissa would carry out her orders without a second thought. Anything would
be worth keeping Phynis from suffering whatever fate the Adjudicators of
Kelvanis would do to her.

And
if she was forced to carry out her orders, she would do the only thing she felt
she could afterward, and end her own life. If she killed her charge, what right
did she have to continue living?

No
one nearby would have been able to see even a hint of the sadness on Alissa’s
face, as she put on a facade of boredom as she continued guarding Desa’s door.

“So
what’re we going to do, Captain?” Evrial asked, looking slightly anxious as she
glanced at Desa while they patrolled the woods around the rear exit of the
dungeon. Desa felt worn out, but she’d waited to explain things until they were
well away from the exit, not wanting to warn Sistina of what was happening.

“I
don’t see that we have much of a choice here. I don’t know all of the reasoning
that led Her Majesty to the decision, but we have to assume she’s making the
best decision for the kingdom’s survival.” Desa spoke confidently, in spite of
her own misgivings. “But we can’t be certain that if the princess knew ahead of
time she wouldn’t outright refuse. And if she asked, I suspect that Sistina
would let her stay, and prevent us from forcing her to leave. So we don’t have
many options, and I don’t like any of them.”

“Of
course. What do you need us to do?” Evrial asked, glancing around the woods
cautiously.

“I
want you to spread the word among the Royal Guard on patrols like this, and
stockpile the supplies we’ll need for the trip out here.” Desa told her,
closing her eyes for a moment as she took a deep breath, then continued. “One
week from today, or slightly sooner if we have everything prepared, I’ll draw
the princess outside for fresh air and we’ll take her home. I think that she’ll
come quietly at that point, but we can’t be certain of that. I hope we don’t
have to use force, but we don’t have many options that I can think of.”

“As
you say, Captain.” Evrial’s unease seemed to ease somewhat as she nodded. “I
think she’ll go along with it, like you said.”

“I
hope so.” Desa’s voice was quiet, and she went silent for a moment before she
sighed and shook her head. “I hate doing this, Evrial. Sistina hasn’t done
anything untoward at all to Phynis, or any of us. She’s never given a single
order or done anything else, and yet…”

“I
know. But we gave our oaths, Captain. We’re not the ones with the big picture.”
Evrial shrugged helplessly, looking down as she hesitated. Rather than speak
further, the guard shrugged again, her face speaking volumes about her own
unease.

“You’re
right. But it doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it.” Desa sighed, then
straightened. “But we do what we must. Get everything ready, and we’ll do as
Her Majesty desires.”

Chapter 40

“Okay,
what in the hells is going on here?” Darak demanded angrily, pulling his axe
bodily from the corpse of a giant ant nearly his own size. “We’ve cleared forty
chambers. I’ve never heard of a dungeon that’s gotten this big before being
found! And why does it seem like the enemies are just getting tougher?”

“I
have no idea what’s going on, and it’s not your imagination. The enemies down
here are definitely more difficult than up above.” Joseph replied, wiping his
forehead and looking at one particular ant carapace distastefully. “But is it
just me, or did this ant’s...shell glow with magical runes in the middle of the
fight?”

“It
isn’t just you. The carapace glowed, and then the stupid thing healed several
wounds I’d inflicted.” Penelope interjected, glowering at the dead ant. “That
wasn’t fun, considering the numbers of them we’ve run into down here. And the
word is carapace, Joe.”

“Damn.
That’s a nasty idea. What’re we going to do if those get more common?” Darak
asked, frowning at the carapace in obvious worry. “I’ve heard of enchanted
creatures like this before, and they’re usually really tough, but I haven’t
ever heard of ants gaining magical abilities.”

“I
don’t think they’re going to be too common, Darak. Tell me, does the next
tunnel go downward again?” Nirath asked, stepping forward and looking at the
carapace more closely.

“Let
me check.” He grumped, picking up his axe again and heading toward the exit.
Looking down the corridor, his frown grew and he called back. “It does head
down. What are you thinking, Nirath? Seriously, I mean. This dungeon is
starting to worry me.”

“I
think that this is the end of a floor.” Nirath replied, glancing up at him and
then tapping the carapace. “And this carapace isn’t intended to be broken in
battle, either. The enchantment pattern is still in the carapace, and can be
powered by mana. This is intended as treasure.”

“What?”
Penelope almost yelped, her eyes going wide. “No way. Who’d haul around a
massive ant carapace for some healing? That’s disgusting!”

“Wait,
wait...actually, that makes some sense.” Darak interjected, his eyes narrowing
as he looked the carapace over speculatively. After a minute he nodded to
himself slowly. “I’ve heard of some of the smiths back home turning the shells
of big beasts into armor before. And that looks about the right size to be
reshaped into the front half of a breastplate. If a good armorworker got their
hands on it, it’d be about the right size.”

“I
don’t care. That’s just absurd.” Penelope refuted, shaking her head firmly as
she took a step backward. “It’s sickening to even think about.”

“No
matter what you think, Penelope, it’s the truth. Also, if you look closely,
this carapace is different from the others. It has metal in it, reinforcing the
surface. It was likely the boss monster of this floor of the dungeon.” Nirath
added, tapping the carapace gently again. “To me, it’s almost like the dungeon
is specifically increasing the difficulty and rewards of each floor on purpose.
And it also seems like it’s deliberately separating out the different
difficulties over different floors as we travel downward.”

“That’s
unsettling.” Joseph murmured, frowning as he considered, then looked up at the
others seriously. “Most dungeons learn from adventurers, don’t get me wrong,
but this looks planned. I have to wonder...is this a dungeon that possibly
pre-dates the Godsrage?”

“That
seems possible.” Penelope interjected, seemingly eager to change the subject
from the ant.

“Not
a chance.” Darak refuted, shaking his head and sitting on a rock near the
slaughter ground, looking at the two dozen dead ants.

“Why
not?” Joseph asked, seeming taken aback by Darak’s flat refutation of his idea.
The others also looked confused, so Darak sighed and shook his head again.

“The
reason is the caverns we’ve been through. You know as well as I do that earth
elementals, like Shale, can tell a lot about rock. I’ve ranted on it on enough
occasions. Something I haven’t bothered talking about it so far, about these
tunnels? Damn new. Other than a few of the ones up near the surface, we’ve only
been in one or two that are more than a decade or so old at all.” Darak
explained, then frowned. “And this is weird, too. I’ll admit that Nirath’s
opinion makes an odd sort of sense, but something about this place feels wrong.
The mana density, the way the monsters are set up...we’re likely going to need
an experienced team to clear this place. If the power level keeps increasing
like this, if there’re more than ten floors, we won’t survive to the end of
this dungeon.”

“...I
suppose that’s fair.” Nirath admitted, a frown crossing the elf’s face as she
shook her head. “The opposition has been survivable so far, but if the power
level increases like what I’ve been noticing, we could run into truly deadly
creatures before the bottom.”

“Well,
at least the dungeon doesn’t seem to try to repopulate the caverns when we’re
on the way out.” Penelope murmured.

“Hey!
Don’t tempt fate, Pen!” Joseph shot back, his eyes widening. “Dungeons learn,
remember?”

Yes,
dungeons did learn. But Sistina wasn’t planning on taking advantage of that
particular weakness of the adventuring group at the moment. She was actually
still trying to think of a way to create easy exits for each group of
adventurers on a given floor that wouldn’t allow intruders to simply bypass
large portions of the dungeon she’d designed. Once she had something like that
in place, maybe she’d start fully repopulating the dungeon behind adventurers.
Anything to keep them distracted from trying to kill her.

The
idea of a series of one-way doors that would let them out was tempting,
though...maybe with excessively deadly traps for people who tried to use the
exits in reverse? Past the first door, at least. She didn’t want to just
outright kill those who didn’t realize they were heading down the wrong path.

Opening
her eyes, she looked at Phynis and smiled at the sight of the young woman. The
princess was reading a book and seemed happy enough. So instead of continuing
to examine the odd group of adventurers, Sistina picked up a book of her own.
The book discussed a dozen different dungeons that had once existed in Everium,
and went over them in a good amount of detail. From what she could tell, none
of them had survived the Godsrage, but...suddenly she paused, setting the book
aside carefully. Standing up as her curiosity got the better of her, she
started toward the door into the main library.

“Hmm?”
Phynis blinked in surprise as Sistina suddenly stood up, her thoughts jarred
away from the book in front of her.

While
she might be able to read the old forms of elven, it was sometimes more
difficult than others. Some of the ways that they used words had changed
significantly, making her have to re-read sentences multiple times to ensure
that she’d translated them correctly. Even then, some of the sentences made no
sense and Sistina had been forced to laboriously translate for Phynis.

Learning
that the Constella family lands had been an earldom on the northern edge of the
kingdom had been fascinating, as had some of the other details on her family
lineage. Not much of it was truly important at this point, but it was
interesting. They certainly hadn’t been royalty at the time of the Godsrage.

Sistina
normally either sat in the same room as her while Phynis read, or read her own
books, usually a tome on dungeons. The fact that a dungeon was reading about
dungeons amused Phynis to no end, but the dryad getting up without prompting
was unusual. Which was why Phynis asked after a momentary pause. “Sistina? Is
something wrong?”

Sistina
took a moment to stop and think before speaking. “Farlon. Inquiring.”

“What
are you asking him about?” Phynis asked, honestly startled. While Farlon and
Sistina were no longer ignoring one another, they weren’t exactly close.

“Godsrage.
Was sleeping.” Sistina explained, and her expression turned slightly sheepish
as she shrugged and continued. “Curious.”

“I
see. That’s...I suppose that makes a lot of sense.” Phynis replied, considering
for a moment before slipping her bookmark into place and closing her book.
While she should likely be surprised that Sistina didn’t know about the
Godsrage, it actually made sense. With Sistina’s missing memories, why should
she remember the Godsrage, anyway? “Why don’t we go find him and we can ask,
then?”

The
dryad nodded and waited for Phynis to get up, instead following the princess
into the main stacks again. It wasn’t too surprising to find Farlon at a table,
poring over books while a pot of tea slowly cooled in front of him. His
assistants were likely off in the stacks somewhere, but Phynis cleared her
throat politely to get the scholar’s attention.

“Hmm?
Yes, Your Highness?” Farlon jumped ever so slightly, blinking at her for a
moment before straightening in his chair. “Is there something I can help you
with?”

“Yes,
actually. But first, are you busy?” Phynis asked, glancing at Sistina. “Sistina
had a very broad question, and I don’t want you to lose your place in your
research.”

“Oh?
That’s unusual indeed. Go right ahead and interrupt. I’m actually trying to
translate a particularly annoying bit of text and could use the break.” Farlon
told Phynis with a smile, then raised an eyebrow at Sistina. “In fact, I’m
surprised that Sistina has a question. She doesn’t normally seem to be one to
ask things. Oh, have a seat!”

“Thank
you.” Phynis smiled at him, taking a seat as Sistina did as well. She took a
moment before speaking. “Sistina was going to ask about the Godsrage. She said
she was sleeping during it, so I’m guessing she doesn’t know what happened.”

“She...wait,
you don’t know anything about the Godsrage? At all?” Farlon asked, his voice
turning somewhat incredulous as he looked at Sistina, who shrugged.

“Sleeping
in tomb. Woke underground.” The dryad explained, if one could call it an
explanation. “Inferred information. Deific apocalypse?”

“Yes,
I suppose one might call the Godsrage an apocalypse. Damn, I’d never thought…”
Farlon shook his head wonderingly, then softly chuckled. “I’ve had to teach
some students some of the details about it before, but everyone I’ve known had
at least heard of the Godsrage. Well, I suppose there’s a first for
everything.”

“True
enough. I would’ve tried to explain myself, but I suspect I’d mess it up.”
Phynis added, smiling at Sistina as she settled back in her chair.

“I
doubt that, Your Highness. The Godsrage isn’t a terribly complex concept to
explain. The source of it is the subject of much speculation, though.
Unfortunately, little is actually known about what the core conflicts that set it
off were. What we actually know is that the deities of light and darkness went
to war with one another. At first the indications were fairly minor, but
surviving texts of the time and legends indicate that the deities also urged
their followers to go to war with their rival faiths.” Farlon told them,
standing up and taking a step back so he could pace back and forth. He moved
slowly at first, but his step and voice grew more brisk as he built up
momentum. “I won’t go into the specific evidence, but it appeared that the
conflict was relatively small at first. But things slowly built into a greater
war as churches and faiths of all types joined the conflict on different sides.
Even some deities of light or darkness seemed to go to war with their fellow deities
on the same side, and the war began to consume the world, devastating huge
regions. All of that was tame compared to what followed, however.”

“Near
the end of the wars, as the different nations armies were all but spent, the
war between the deities themselves spilled over into our world. The gods
physically manifested and commanded their legions of angels and demons against
their rivals. Their powers were directed at one another, and the consequences
of the struggle were catastrophic.” Farlon’s voice grew grim as he sighed,
shaking his head and slowing to a near stop. “We are in the outskirts of the
Godsrage Mountains, the place where the worst conflict of that war occurred,
where Demasa, the patron of Everium and most of her Court of Light perished in
battle against Kylrius and his own followers. Kylrius died as well, but the
devastation twisted the land and nearly wiped out every species within
thousands of miles. The survivors of the conflict were tainted by the essence
of the slain gods, and mutated into the dawn elves of the south, and the dusk
elves of the north. Yet this was only a single battlefield, and changes came
over vast numbers of other species within our new borders.”

“All
across the world, deities fought. It’s said that a full quarter of the deific
host perished in the war. But they actually had the easy part of it.” Farlon’s
eyes flickered with derision as he shook his head. “Mortals were too fragile,
and the powers unleashed were too great. It is said that ninety-nine mortals
out of one hundred were killed in the wars. The landscape was rent asunder,
cities razed to ash and dust, and most of the knowledge of what came before was
lost. Not everything, as this library shows, but what survived was hidden.
Entire species were wiped out, and different magical beasts of war still live
and breed in the dark places of the world.”

“After?”
Sistina asked, looking slightly confused. “The ending?”

“Ah,
yes. We are just as uncertain of why the war stopped as we are of why it began,
but we know a little.” Farlon admitted, sitting down again. “The gods ceased
their war and came to an agreement. They retreated from our world, and while
they will respond to those with the magic to make contracts with them, or whom
can cast spells to summon their servants, the deities cannot take a proactive
hand in our world anymore. The war was too devastating, so they took a step
back.”

“Interesting.”
Sistina murmured, sitting back and her eyes darkening. “Sad.”

“That
it is.” Phynis agreed, shaking her head.

“Did
it answer your question, though? I could give more details, though I don’t have
the texts that would explain it in-depth for you.” Farlon asked, seeming
curious as to what Sistina was thinking.

“Answered
question.” Sistina told him softly, shaking her head. “Unfortunate. Many
thanks.”

“You’re
welcome.” Farlon spoke in return smiling. “It’s good to see you’re interested
in what happened while you ‘slept’.”

“Well,
in that case...now what? I’m done reading, I think.” Phynis asked, getting up
and taking a step behind Sistina as she rose, then draping her arms around the
dryad.

Sistina
smiled and leaned back into Phynis, sending a faint sensation of happiness and
satisfaction through the elf before she spoke. “Your choice. Satisfied.”

“I’d
suggest you get a private room before you distract me more.” Farlon grumbled.
“I’m old, not dead.”

Phynis
broke down into giggles at that, grinning broadly. “We’ll leave you alone,
then. Let’s go back up to your tree, Sistina.”

Sistina
smiled and nodded, and followed along after Phynis, the gentle smile still on
her face.

Chapter 41

One
of the scouts knocked at Evansly’s door, prompting him to look up from his
letter, pausing as the man spoke. “Sir?”

“Yes?
What can I help you with, Edward?” Evansly replied, bleeding off the extra ink from
his inkpen as he looked at the man expectantly.

Evansly
was happy with life. He’d finally received word that the town had officially
been designated Granite Point, and that he was being installed as its mayor for
the foreseeable future. That made him happy, especially since they were funding
the construction of his manor, with the assumption it would have additional
rooms for visiting authorities from Kelvanis’ core regions. And it would also
allow his wife to move out here, which made him a much happier man.

“You
asked us to keep an eye on the backside of the mountain after we found a couple
of footprints earlier this week. We hadn’t seen much lately, but David and I
ran into something this morning. We spotted a couple of caches of what look
like the gear for people traveling through the mountains. And it looks like it
was placed in the last week or two.” Edward explained quickly, a worried look
on his face.

“What?
How many people do you think that this gear was for? Did you see anyone?”
Evansly asked, sitting bolt upright at the information.

“No,
but there were a couple of footprints nearby, that looked like they would
probably be fit for elves. The caches looked like they’d be enough for maybe
twenty people.” Edward paused, then admitted. “I suppose they could be more,
but it’d have to be a short trip, for like four or five days at most. Fewer
people couldn’t carry that much stuff.”

“Hrrm.
Good job, Edward. There’ll be a bonus for you and David. If you would, contact
Lieutenant Tarys, if you would, and ask her to ready two platoons to keep an
eye on these caches. I’ll be coming along myself.” Evansly ordered, smiling
broadly. “Princess Phynis originally escaped through this area, so it’s
possible that some of Sifaren’s army is coming back through and  trying to
scout our position. Let’s get the jump on them this time.”

“Yes,
my lord!” Edward saluted him, smiling broadly as he bowed out of the room.

Evansly
quickly stoppered the inkwell and cleaned his pen, then moved with a purpose. He
wanted to be properly armored and ready before the soldiers were ready.
Soldiers tended to move with alacrity when their superior was already prepared,
he found.

“Your
Highness?” Desa asked politely, causing Phynis to pause as she was about to
walk past the captain.

“Yes,
Desa?” Phynis asked, tilting her head curiously.

“I
wanted to ask you if you wanted to go out and get some fresh air? We’ve been in
the caverns for a few weeks, and unlike everyone else you haven’t gone outside
at all. I’m starting to get concerned about your health.” Desa asked, hoping
she’d hidden her ulterior motives well enough. “I think that it would do you
good.”

“That...well,
I was going to go to the pond with Sistina…” Phynis paused, hesitating for a
moment. Fortunately her distrust had eased somewhat, Desa realized, which just
made her feel even worse about why she was asking the princess to come outside
with her. Would Phynis ever trust her again after this was done? Probably not.

“Yes,
but you do that fairly often. We’ve been patrolling enough that it looks like
it’s fairly safe to go out for now.” Desa offered, shrugging. “And we’ve no
idea when they’re going to start patrolling in greater numbers, so it’s best to
do it sooner than later.”

“True.
I suppose I can do that. Let me go get changed into something more appropriate
for outside. This clothing isn’t the best for hiking.” Phynis finally agreed,
nodding and smiling gently. “Then we can tell Sistina and go outside. How far
are we going to go?”

“We
should be outside for a few hours.” Desa told her, gritting her teeth
internally at lying this way. “We don’t dare go far without supplies, after
all.”

“I’ll
be right back.” Phynis smiled slightly. The princess headed back to her room,
and the faint sound of her humming carried to Desa’s ears.

Desa
let out a soft breath, closing her eyes for a moment as she felt the sense of
disgust for her actions growing ever more potent. It was growing worse with
every conversation, and even if Phynis understood why Desa had to do it, Desa
had realized something else. She’d never forgive herself for deceiving her
princess again, either.

“That’s
an odd group.” Daniel murmured, frowning as he looked between a couple of
branches at the group of dusk elves that were standing near the cache the
scouts had found.

“Yeah.
Those are some well-armed women.” Fredrick agreed, shaking his head slowly. “I
wonder what’s going on here? They look like they’re waiting for someone. And
why are they all women, for that matter?”

Fredrick
was right, Daniel reflected grimly. There were sixteen dusk elf women in the
hollow down below, each of them in fairly high-quality, lightweight armor. They
each also had bows and swords as well, and he couldn’t help but think that they
would probably fare a bit too well against their forces.

“I’d
guess that’s why Lord Evansly hasn’t signaled to attack. He’s probably is
waiting for whoever they’re waiting for to show up.” Daniel muttered, glancing
upward at the sun. It was midmorning, which made him guess softly. “I’ll bet
that whoever it is shows up in the next half-hour.”

“What
makes you say that?” Fredrick asked, glancing over at Daniel curiously.

“Just
a hunch. If I wanted to get a reasonable distance during the day, I would’ve
wanted to start earlier than this. Noon is just pushing it a bit too late, with
the mountains blocking the light at the end of the day.” Daniel explained,
shrugging. “But who knows? Elves have better vision at night, so they might be
crazy enough to try going through the mountains at night.”

“Well,
we’ll see.” Fred agreed. A moment later he asked. “How’s that training with the
adventurers going?”

“Don’t
ask.” Daniel replied, wincing at the memory.

Sistina
paused, frowning as she noticed Desa, Phynis, and two of her guards heading
toward the exit she’d made for the elves. There was something odd coming from
her link to Desa, a sense of tension or worry. It slightly worried Sistina, but
she couldn’t do much about it. Phynis had said that they were going outside for
fresh air, after all. It was likely just Desa being concerned about the
possibility of them being spotted by the scouts.

Mentally
shrugging, she resolved to keep a close eye on that entrance, and then went
back to her attempts to adjust the foundry a little more. She almost had the
golems ready, which excited her. If this set didn’t blow up, at least.

“I’ll
admit, being outside is nice in its own way.” Phynis admitted, taking a deep
breath of the air, then wrinkled her nose. “But Sistina’s flowers are a lot
prettier than these ones.”

“I’m
glad you feel that way. She keeps the caverns surprisingly beautiful, but
there’s nothing quite like the outdoors.” Desa agreed, keeping a watchful eye
out for trouble.

The
quartet were walking through a surprisingly beautiful copse of trees, and
slowly rounded a large boulder that rested in the shadow of the two ridgelines
that rose to the mountain’s crest. It wasn’t too far downhill from the shallow
cavern that Sistina had used for her exit, either. But as they came around the
boulder, Phynis stopped as of all of her other guards came into sight. They
were all equipped for traveling a long distance, and the princess stiffened
abruptly.

“True,
but that’s...wait, what are the rest of the guards doing out here?” Phynis
asked, her eyes widening in shock as she stiffened. “What’s going on, Desa?”

“I’m
sorry, Your Highness.” Desa apologized, her face an impassive mask as she
turned toward Phynis, the other two guards with them falling back to cut off
any escape route toward the caves. “Her Majesty sent me a dispatch last week,
as I’m certain you know. She instructed me to return you to Vara’Sel at any
cost.”

Fear,
then outrage and anger flooded Phynis’ veins, and her voice rose as she
demanded. “How could you, Desa! How could you just...follow her every whim like
this? I don’t want to go back! There’s no place for me there, and you know it!”

“Perhaps,
but I have my oaths, and I have family back in Sifaren.” Desa began, her voice
breaking slightly as she spoke. Desa stopped for a moment, taking a deep breath
before continuing. “And so do most of us. If we break with Her Majesty’s
orders, what will become of them, with the shame and reputation of our actions
hanging over them? Are you asking us to abandon our responsibilities to them as
well?”

“Beloved
gods…” Evansly prayed, his eyes wide as he looked downhill at the wonderful
gift he’d just been granted. “This is incredible.”

“Sir?”
Lieutenant Tarys inquired, glancing at her superior. From their vantage point
they could see all of the elves gathered in the clearing below without much
chance of being spotted.

“That’s
Princess Phynis Constella, Lieutenant.” Evansly told him, a smile slowly
widening on his face.

“Princess...I
thought she got away, sir! She escaped through these very mountains!” Tarys
barely managed to reduce the volume of her exclamation, glancing downhill
reflexively as she grappled with her surprise. “Are you certain?”

“I
saw her once. I’m very certain. Let the men know that she has to be taken alive.
I’ll try to disable her.” Evansly told him, grinning as the officer nodded and
whispered to two runners. “If she’s got a brand, I can keep her from
running."

Evrial
frowned as the princess and Captain Desa argued, now located in the middle of
the guards. They were being much louder than they should be and it was making
her nervous. She had hoped that Phynis would be understanding, but that seemed
to be a lost cause. Evrial felt her anxiety growing as the others pulled out
packs of supplies from the cache, gently stroking the grip of her bow.

Her
senses kept telling her she was being watched. Maybe it was just paranoia,
since Evrial wasn’t sure what was causing her anxiety.  She certainly
hadn’t seen anything, but Evrial had learned to trust her instincts before. So
she opened her mouth to say something, when all of a sudden a voice boomed from
above them.

“Halt
where you are and surrender! You are within the borders of Kelvanis without
permission, surrender or be fired upon without mercy!” Lord Evansly’s voice was
magically augmented and thundered so loudly that the ground vibrated, and for a
moment Daniel was afraid the demand might cause a rockslide.

At
the signal, Daniel stepped out from behind the tree he’d been using for
concealment and took aim at one of the elven soldiers, even as Lord Evansly’s
booming voice echoed. All of the soldiers stepped into the open as well,
presenting a full sixty men and women to face the elven force.

The
elves had reacted almost instantly to the ambush, falling into a defensive
formation with one woman at its center. In fact, their speed startled Daniel
because he’d rarely seen any elves that were quite that fast. For a moment
there was silence, and he personally prayed that the elves were going to
surrender. Sina had made him softer toward elves than he had been, but he’d do
his job if he had to. It wouldn’t mean that he’d enjoy attacking them, though.
But that momentary standoff ended as two of the elves began rapidly chanting
and gesturing, and Daniel instinctively pulled the trigger on his crossbow.

A
hail of crossbow bolts rained down on the elves, but the two elven magi were
just a hair faster in casting their spells, and a pair of broad,
semi-transparent white domes deflected the bolts lancing out toward them. Other
elves returned fire with their powerful longbows, and the entire elven force
began to retreat uphill. At the blast of a horn from Lieutenant Tarys, Fredrick
and two-thirds of their company began to charge downhill to intercept the elves
before they could escape. Lowering his crossbow, Daniel began to winch back the
string, feeling sick to his stomach.

“Retreat
back to the caves! Evrial, Alissa, cover the princess!” Desa shouted at them,
falling back and rapidly chanting to create a series of ice walls to break up
and slow the clusters of charging soldiers. Her own guards were among the best
in Sifaren, second only to the Queen’s, but they would be at a disadvantage in
melee against the stronger and more heavily armored humans.

“Yes,
sir!” Evrial chorused with Alissa, rushing to guard the princess as they began
their retreat.

The
magi were defending the group well enough, but Desa was grimly certain that
while they could retreat back to cavern entrance without trouble, they wouldn’t
be able to do so easily. She hoped they wouldn’t lose anyone along the way, and
she began weaving another spell, this time to create a cone of shielding ice so
the magi could focus on the attack instead.

Daniel
swore as he saw several soldiers taken down by fire from the elves. Their
platoon’s mage had been taken down by a freakishly accurate shot and the other
platoon’s mage was occupied trying to compete with one of the elven
spellcasters, but the man was steadily losing the confrontation as he struggled
to block a series of brilliant green bolts.

The
group of elves was quickly falling back up the ravine, with the noblewoman
being escorted by a pair of soldiers in the rear, retreating uphill as fast as
they could run. Daniel shook his head in pity, but took aim at a woman who
seemed to be creating the walls of ice that were shattering the advance of his
companions. Taking a deep breath, he took careful aim and then fired with his
exhale, almost caressing the trigger. The crossbow recoiled against his
shoulder with a solid thump, the bolt hissing with deadly accuracy through the
air toward his target.

The
massive cone of ice appeared all at once, shrouding the defending elves from
attacks. His bolt hit the ice at an oblique angle, and Daniel cursed as it
bounced off. Then the bolt hit a rock on its new path, and his curse froze in
his throat as the splintered bolt ricocheted directly toward the back of the
retreating noblewoman.

Phynis
was running up the hill, panting as she rushed toward the cave. The betrayal of
Desa wasn’t forgotten, but a more potent terror had taken its place, as the
army of Kelvanis came crashing down on them in another ambush.

She
had to get to safety. Sistina would protect her from everyone. She knew she
would, and then-

A
sharp, sudden pain hit her in the back, just to the left of her spine and
radiated outward as scattered secondary pains hit her. And it was suddenly hard
to breathe as she stumbled, gasping, and fell to the ground, a splintered,
shattered crossbow bolt embedded in her heart.

The
world swam for a moment and began to go dark. Phynis heard the horrified voices
of Alissa and Evrial, and saw only glimpses of their faces as even the clash of
battle and explosions of magic began to fade. Then there was only darkness, and
a faint light shining in the distance.

Chapter 42

“What
in the hell happened?” Evansly raged, his eyes flashing with anger as he
clenched his hands at his sides. “The princess was branded! I know she was
branded! How could she run away in the face of a direct order?”

“I
don’t know, My Lord.” Lieutenant Tarys replied, cringing slightly at the
normally boisterous elf’s anger.

“Well,
keep after them! Those damned women have to be part of Sifaren’s Royal Guard to
be this much trouble.” Evansly ordered angrily, his eyes narrowing. “And I want
to know who hit the princess, right away!”

Looking
at the elves retreating up the ravine, Tarys could understand why Lord Evansly
was so angry about their resistance. Several of the elves had been injured, but
they were quickly retreating and hadn’t actually lost anyone despite being
outnumbered more than two to one! Their lighter armor was allowing them to
retreat just quickly enough that her soldiers couldn’t encircle and pin them
down, either. But even so, they were faster and stronger than any other elven
force she’d ever run into, and their own mages hadn’t stood a chance against
the elven casters.

“Yes,
My Lord. We’ll harry them until we bring them down.” Tarys promised. Hesitating
a moment, she added. “And the shot that hit her...I don’t think it was aimed at
her, it came right after the big shield of ice appeared.”

“I
don’t care, just look into it!” Evansly growled, and Tarys cringed slightly,
saluting in response.

“As
you wish.” Tarys felt sorry for whoever fired the bolt, if they could figure
out who it was. It didn’t look like Evansly was going to be nearly as friendly
as normal.

“Oh,
goddess, there’s so much blood!” Alissa murmured in a panic beside Evrial, who
resisted the urge to look back as she carried Phynis with the other woman.
Evrial had one of Phynis’ arms over her shoulders, while Alissa had the other,
and they bodily carried their charge into the tunnel that went back into
Sistina’s cavern.

“Shush,
Alissa! She can still be helped, if Farris gets to her fast enough.” Evrial
almost snapped, stumbling a little as she rounded the corner and into the
tunnel descending into the bowels of the mountain. “Our job is to get her
there.”

“Yes.”
Alissa’s voice went quiet. But after a half-dozen steps down the tunnel, Evrial
heard the other woman begin murmuring a prayer, even as she heard drops of
liquid hitting the stone floor behind them, and the sound of combat echoing down
the tunnel. “Oh, Tianna, Hear My Prayer…”

Alissa
hated herself. They’d almost gotten Phynis away safely, and then a damned stray
shot had hit the princess! Certainly, if Kelvanis’ soldiers had managed to trap
them she would have sunk her poisoned needle into the princess’s back, but that
was only if there was no other choice!

And
now she was praying for Phynis to survive, hoping against hope that she would
live.

It
took Sistina a few moments to notice the two guards and Phynis re-entering her
domain. It took several moments longer to realize that something was extremely
wrong. And it took even longer for her to extricate herself from the nascent
golem, leaving the enchantments to fall to pieces behind her and which she’d
have to start anew.

It
took Sistina several more precious moments to analyze what was happening, her
thoughts feeling like they were moving like winter-thickened sap. The two
guards were moving quickly, but she could feel every drop of Phynis’ blood as
it hit the cavern floor. Each drop was like thunder that rippled through her
entire domain. Sistina could feel inside the woman’s body, where the crossbow
bolt’s iron head had pierced Phynis’ heart and how spurts of her blood were
forcing their way past the wooden plug of its shaft. She could feel every
splinter of the shattered shaft that had exploded into the princess’s back and
spread through her body, and Sistina could see every drop of blood.

And
the feeling that flowed through her as she realized that Phynis was dying was...unknown
to her. It was hot and powerful, and it took Sistina a moment to place it. To
place the incandescent rage that suddenly flooded her senses.

The
other members of Phynis’ guard started to flood into the tunnel from outside,
several of them injured but none as badly as Phynis herself. In spite of her
growing anger and rage, Sistina found her thoughts clear enough to wonder why
all of the princess’s personal guard had been outside her domain. They normally
worked in shifts, and her suspicions began to grow, even as Desa stepped into
the tunnel, blocking several humans as they gave chase. The tunnel was too
narrow for them to attack in great numbers, but they crowded in in spite of
that, besieging the defending guards.

Sistina,
on the other hand, found that the intruders made an excellent outlet for her
anger.

Phillip
paused to catch his breath as the others followed the elves into the cave
entrance. He hadn’t been injured, but he’d also been at the back. He thought
he’d managed to nick a couple of the elven soldiers, but their defense had been
coordinated, furious, and supported by magic that had forced him to fall back
several times.

But
the women were on the defensive, and it was only a matter of time before they
fell. Taking a deep breath, Phillip nodded at Rick and took a step forward,
then stopped as the stone wall of the cavern closed in front of him. He gawked
at the wall which had suddenly appeared, blocking off the entire tunnel and
cutting him off from the twenty men who’d been ahead of them.

“What
the hell? There must be a switch to open it!” Rick urged him, eyes wide in
shock.

“Hurry
and find it, the others need our support!” Sergeant Helm urged, stepping up
behind them impatiently.

“Yes,
sir!” Phillip answered instantly, sheathing his sword and starting to search
the stones nearby for a switch of some type. As he did so, he had to wonder
about the wall sliding shut. Something about it had seemed really strange. Was
it his imagination that the rock had flowed like water?

Jayla
hissed as a crossbow bolt punched through a gap in Desa’s ice shield, punching
through her shoulder. The pain made her arm twitch and her sword fell from
nerveless fingers. The two humans in front lunged forward, snarling at her and
she braced herself for death. She wasn’t ready to die, but if she died
defending her country instead of being enslaved, Jayla would have to be
content.

But
it was at that moment, as she stared down a corridor filled with human
soldiers, that the ceiling came down. It didn’t make noise or shift beforehand,
it just suddenly slammed downward and Jayla gasped as she was thrown backward by
a rush of air pressure. Hideous crunching sounds echoed in the hallway, sounds
that caused her shudder viscerally.

Biting
back a whimper of pain, Jayla pulled herself back to her feet, murmuring an
apology to whomever she’d been thrown into, and froze as she saw the corridor
in front of them. She almost didn’t recognize her own trembling voice as she
whispered a soft oath. “Goddess above…”

The
ceiling was now almost perfectly flush with the floor, with no sign of a
collapse. Her sword was vibrating on the ground, and a single, outstretched
hand from a Kelvanis soldier protruded from underneath the rock barrier, still
holding the short blade of the man’s sword. And ever so slowly, a pool of blood
was spreading from that tiny gap.

“What
just happened?” Jayla asked, shaken as she’d never been before.

Evrial
gasped, paling as she helped lay the princess down and saw the wound on her
back again. She’d only gotten a glimpse of it before, and that was before the
blood had soaked Phynis’ blouse and dripped down her back. Tiny spurts of blood
were coming from the central wound, and where it was located...Evrial paled
even more as she realized what that meant. Her belief that the princess could
be helped wavered as she realized that she’d been struck in the heart. The
other damage was bad enough, but this was so much worse than she’d feared!

“Oh,
gods...what do we do, Evrial?” Alissa asked, her own face white as a sheet
despite her skin tone. “Her heart...she was just fine ten minutes ago! What can
we do?”

“We...we’ll
just have to try to keep her stable. Farris can still help her.” Evrial assured
the other woman even as her own doubts whispered to the contrary. “We just have
to keep her alive that long.”

“But
how-?” Alissa began, but both of them jumped as Sistina simply appeared, as if
from nowhere. And the expression on her face sent chills of terror down
Evrial’s spine.

“Bring
Phynis.” Sistina said, naked rage apparent in her voice and her tone fit to cut
through iron.

“Where
to?” Evrial asked, not even considering disobeying the dryad as fear like
nothing she’d ever felt before rushed through her veins. Sistina simply pointed
at her tree, and began leading the way, her pace more rapid than she’d thought
the dryad could move. And somehow Evrial managed to keep up.

“...they
must have an earth mage who closed the tunnel, sir. There’s no sign of a secret
passage or other way of opening cave wall, and we can’t hear anything through
the stone.” Lieutenant Tarys reported, swallowing before she continued.
“Twenty-one soldiers were inside when it shut as well.”

“I
see. Well, unless they can get it open from the other side, we aren’t going to
be able to do a damned thing to help.” Evansly growled, his rage somewhat
cooled, but not enough to make Tarys entirely comfortable. The lord was pacing
slowly, still simmering with anger as he gave orders. “I want two platoons
stationed here at all times, and get some of the workers to come out here with
picks. We’ll see if we can’t dig the rats out of their warren.”

“Yes,
sir!” Tarys relaxed slightly at the orders, relieved that she wasn’t going to
have her head taken off then and there.

“Now,
what about the princess?” Evansly demanded, glaring at the lieutenant. “Who
shot her?”

“That…”
Tarys hesitated, then sighed and nodded. “Private Daniel Fisher. He reported
that he was shooting at the ice mage, and that the bolt bounced twice before
hitting her in the back. He looked pretty shaken by the whole thing, too.”

“Do
you think he’s telling the truth?” Evansly asked, his eyes narrowed.

“Most
likely, sir. He’s proven trustworthy in all previous tasks. And he’s been training
with the adventurers in his free time, so I don’t think he’d risk getting
clapped in irons.” Tarys replied honestly, swallowing again. She left it unsaid
that he really wouldn’t want to be enslaved, either.

“Right.
Then he probably didn’t kill her. Damned bolt shouldn’t have done too much
damage if it was a ricochet. Put him on leave for the time being. Unpaid leave,
Tarys. I’m going to have to contact the Adjudicator. This is a right mess.”
Evansly growled again, shaking his head. “I’m going back to Granite Point.
Detail a detachment to accompany me.”

“Yes
sir!” Tarys replied in relief, though he felt bad for the news she was going to
have to break to Daniel. Still, it could always be worse. He could be looking
at an execution.

“Where’s
the princess?” Desa demanded, looking around the exit of the tunnel at the rest
of the guards. Most of them had minor injuries that they were treating, and it
took a moment before one Lisa spoke up.

“Farris
said she was injured in the fight, and went to find her.” The uninjured woman
reported, looking tired as she added. “She headed toward Sistina’s tree.”

“Shit.
Take care of the injured! I’ll be back shortly.” Desa hissed, and ran off
toward Sistina’s tree, swearing internally at the debacle. If Phynis was
seriously injured, she’d never forgive herself. And all of this because she’d
decided to follow her damnable orders!

Emerging
from the trees, she saw Farris standing near the tree, staring toward where
Desa could see Alissa and Evrial were standing under the branches. In between
the two, both of whom had hands covered in drying blood, was Sistina. The dryad
was sitting down with Phynis face-down in her lap, thin branches draped over
both of them. Desa bounded up next to Farris and began to speak. “Farris! Why
aren’t you helping...oh, goddess above!”

Desa
felt the blood drain from her face as she got a proper look at what was
happening. She’d been mistaken about the branches draping over Phynis. A large
bloody wound pierced deep into her princess’s back, along with a series of
smaller injuries across the princess’s skin. The thin tips of the branches were
buried inside the wounds in a way that made Desa’s skin crawl. The broken stump
of a crossbow bolt protruded from the central wound, and Desa felt a sickness
in her stomach at where the bolt was located.

“I...I
can’t do anything but get in the way, Captain. She’s doing everything she can.”
Farris murmured, shock almost immobilizing their healer.

The
tiny branches were moving, Desa realized, and one slipped out of a wound
delicately, the thin branches gripping a shard of wood. The process was faster
than she’d realized, as one piece after another was pulled from Phynis’ flesh
and tossed aside. While she was doing this, Sistina raised her right hand, and
a single leaf drew across her index finger. From the wound came not blood, but
a huge, viscous drop of green liquid that shimmered like a tiny, emerald star.
Desa could feel the mana roiling off that drop like a storm. It took her a
moment to realize that as the drop came out, the vitality of Sistina’s body
dimmed slightly.

It
was at that moment that the branches in the primary wound pulled, and there was
a gush of blood as the bolt came free. Desa flinched, but Sistina didn’t
hesitate as the branches threw the wood and iron aside, instead pressing that
drop of liquid directly into the wound, and from her lips came a fountain of
words. And those words echoed through the cavern like a crescendo of
musical thunder.

The
thundering words were nothing that Desa could grasp. They were familiar, yet
out of her comprehension. They brought to mind assurances, endearments, and
raging promises of vengeance. They were life and light, and yet...there was a
darkness to them as well. And with each word formed runes of glowing emerald
light in the air around Phynis’ wound. Two dozen runes formed before Sistina
fell silent once more, the light of her tree dimming as well, and the echoes of
her voice slowly dying. But with her silence, the runes slowly faded away. A
moment later Sistina wiped her hand gently across Phynis’ back. Where her hand
passed, the blood was wiped away and revealed nothing but perfect, unmarked
skin.

“That’s...that’s
incredible. Healing so quickly and perfectly…” Farris gasped in astonishment.

Desa
nodded numbly in agreement, taking a step forward. But when she did, Sistina’s
eyes snapped up to meet her own, and branches and roots blocked Desa’s path
instantly. And the dryad did not look happy as she spoke, her voice flat and
angry. “Explain.”

Chapter 43

As
she seemed to drift through darkness, Phynis couldn’t tell if she was awake or
asleep. It was a strange sensation, as if she was in a near-dream, and yet she
was somehow faintly cognizant of...everything. A tiny, stabbing pain from the
back of her chest told her she was still alive, and yet she was somehow
detached from it. It seemed like there was little that could sway her mind from
the serenity of the near-dream, from the calm that enveloped her.

The
calm rippled when she floated from the darkness and into an immense curtain of
light. Perhaps a bubble would be a better term, she realized, and she opened
her eyes as she gazed upon it. It was huge, and formed entirely of golden-green
light that twisted and braided together in an immense, incredibly intricate
structure that connected everything. She could see everything, as each branch
of threads stretched inward, deeper into the bubble that was slowly pulsing
with life all around her. Even a strand extended from herself, she realized, as
she looked down and saw that the brand burned brightly in this space, glowing
with azure light that extended outward in its own thread to link into the
tapestry that subsumed it. Looking deeper into the immense power, she gasped as
she saw the being at its center.

Glowing
with deep golden light was an immense willow tree seemingly forged of the light
itself, green, blue, and crimson energy flowing through its veins. Yet almost
hidden within the tree was another figure. A figure composed of deep violet,
almost invisible and yet...Phynis could see breathtaking features that vanished
from her mind almost as fast as she could drink them in. Hints of wings wrapped
around the woman’s body, and a tail coiling around her legs before both tail
and legs dissolved into the tree’s roots. But the body was seemingly asleep,
subsumed almost entirely by the immense tree wrapped around it. And from the
tree, Phynis felt a powerful, familiar mind that controlled the entirety of the
tapestry. It was Sistina, and she was looking elsewhere.

Looking
‘down’ to where Sistina’s attention was, Phynis saw threads being carefully
woven into new shapes. Near where she saw creatures like her, ants linked to
Sistina by glowing threads, she could see what appeared to be a powerful figure
eight feet tall, an intricate lattice of power weaving through the stone of the
figure as Sistina wove it, and Phynis admired the work for a moment. But a
spike of pain surprised her, and she gasped, sending a ripple through the weave
of the tapestry around her. That was a better term for it. It was a tapestry of
life.

But
the ripple drew Sistina’s attention, and Phynis gasped as she finally realized
the full measure of her love’s consciousness. It was like an immense creature
like a dragon turned to regard her, and its power was palpable, capable of
crushing her like she wasn’t even there. In its absence the power woven through
the figure down below slowly fell into a useless tangle, the beauty of its form
lost. For a moment Sistina’s mind just regarded Phynis, and then the world
rippled.

The
figure within the tree’s eyes flickered open just a crack, and anger blazed through
the weave of the tapestry. A single finger of that dark figure sent a wave of
indigo energy through the threads, aiming past Phynis, and Phynis turned her
attention to what was behind her.

Other
consciousnesses were within the tapestry now, she realized. Two were carrying
her, and she faintly realized that one was Evrial, linked to Sistina by a
burning crimson brand, while the other was just so very faint, so barely there.
And behind them were others. Three glowed with crimson brands of their own, while
one that must be Desa glowed with a bright silver brand. Each of them were
connected to Sistina, and their light, their consciousness was more vibrant for
it. All of the others were dim by comparison, and she felt sad for them, for
how dark their light was within the realm of Sistina’s immense power. But
beyond them were about twenty that were even darker, even more limited than the
elves that she recognized. Behind them, the wave of dark power slammed the door
shut. And then...the indigo light brought the ceiling down on those twenty
faint lights. For a single, glorious instant, those lights grew as brilliant as
stars, their luminescence emitting energy that merged with Sistina’s
tapestry...and then they were gone, as though they never had lived at all.

Sorrow
rolled through Phynis as she saw the beautiful lights vanish, and she faintly
wished that she could see it again. But that temptation vanished as she felt
the power of Sistina’s consciousness focusing on her once more, and Phynis
turned her attention to the tree, as she was carried under its very boughs.
Phynis’ excitement and terror quickened as she realized that she was dying. The
violet figure’s eyes were fixed on Phynis, as though a decision was being made.
And then slowly, ever so slowly, those mesmerizing violet eyes closed again,
and the tapestry pulsed around her.

Pain
came in spurts, but she could feel that it was a good pain. Her body was trying
to fail, but she felt warm golden energy flowing into her body, supporting her and
keeping death at bay. And she could see the tapestry drawing power from
everywhere. It ripped the tangled power from the stone figure, leaving the
giant to crumble to dust. Each ant, bear, bee, plant, wasp, and wolf grew
weaker as they contributed a thread of their power. The entirety of the
tapestry dimmed ever so slightly, as all that immense power condensed in a
single point that rested in Sistina’s hand, a glowing sun of light and power. A
final spike of pain shuddered through her consciousness, as her body began to
fail her in spite of the supporting energy. Her spirit began to depart her
body, but it was then that Sistina acted.

The
pure, immense power from Sistina’s hand flared brightly as it entered Phynis’
body, and she felt her body surge with life, her blood quickening, her bones
mending, her mental acuity growing greater as pure power like nothing she had
ever felt flooded her body. That immense power purged her body of all flaws,
remaking her mind to what it was meant to be. It slowly anchored Phynis back
into her body, and that was when she felt Sistina’s mind and emotions. She felt
the incredible depth of affection, not quite like the love like she felt toward
Sistina, but love nonetheless, and both a gentle desire and sense of fierce
protectiveness. And then a faint voice spoke into her mind as her consciousness
in that space faded.

“I
will protect you. I promise. So long as you remain with me, you will be safe.”

Waking
up was different this time. Phynis slowly blinked as something she could barely
comprehend having experienced wavered in the back of her mind. But in spite of
the faint confusion, as she tried to remember what she had just gone through, a
different part of her was marveling over the simple experience of waking.

Never
before had the scents of the cavern felt so incredibly potent, nor had the warm
light of the orbs giving the chamber sunlight felt so good on her body. All of
the tiny aches and pains she took as simply part of living were gone as if
they’d never been there. She felt better than she ever had in her life, and
everything felt...better.

And
her head was laying in Sistina’s lap, as she heard Desa speaking. There was
something warm and soft covering her body, but she just laid there for the
moment, letting out a soft breath.

“...so,
since Her Majesty demanded I take her home at any cost, I tried to not let
anyone know. We were just going to take her back home, and then the attack came
out of nowhere. I never expected them to attack now, of all times. Phynis’
safety is the most important thing in the world to me.” Desa explained, her
voice almost breaking. “I never would have done this if I’d known she would be
hurt. Never in a thousand years.”

Silence
came after her explanation, and Phynis could practically feel Sistina
considering the words. No, not practically, she realized. She could actually
sense the woman’s slow, methodical consideration of the words, as well as the
awareness that Phynis was awake. And Phynis felt the dryad, if she could be
called that with what she’d just...experienced, encouraging Phynis to consider
the situation as well. So Phynis did so, letting Desa shift from one foot to
another as she thought.

Her
anger had passed. The stress of the ambush, and the serenity of her near-death
had added an odd sense of perspective to the argument which had preceded it.
Phynis’ mother’s control of her life was no longer necessary, instead it was
almost strangling her future. In spite of the memories of the warmth that she’d
been extended when she had met with her mother, she remembered the other part
of the conversation. Phynis remembered how focused the queen had been on the
practical consequences of what had happened, not allaying Phynis’ worries. And
with the words from while she slept echoing in her mind, she came to a
decision.

“Wait.”
Sistina’s iron word was filled with disapproval, and the dryad shook her head,
sending a mental summons. “Lily coming.”

“As...as
you wish.” Desa replied uncertainly, and twigs snapped under her feet as
Phynis’ guard paced.

Phynis
could feel Lily approaching quickly, and a few minutes later she heard the
footsteps of the dawn elf. It was then that Phynis opened her eyes and looked
toward Lily, even as the other woman came to a halt, not even breathing hard
despite her run. “I came as fast as I could, given how urgent you indicated you
needed me. What can I help with, Sistina?”

Standing
just a few feet outside the canopy of Sistina’s tree was Desa, her mouth
slightly agape with surprise as she looked at Lily. A few scrapes and smudges
marred Desa’s face and hands, and there were other signs of battle evident on
her armor. Beside her were the two guards who’d been carrying her back into the
cavern, Alissa and Evrial. Both of them were looking at Lily nervously, and
Phynis wondered why for a moment. But Lily, looking the same as always, looked
down at Phynis and her eyes went huge.

“Princess?
What happened to you? There’s blood on your clothing!” Lily exclaimed in a
near-panic as she took a step closer. Then she paused as she hesitated, her
voice nervous. “The guards got in a fight outside, were you hurt? Can I help
somehow?”

“I
was hurt. I don’t remember much, but I was healed by Sistina.” Phynis replied
with a slight smile at the flustered woman, then sat up slowly. She looked down
at the moss blanket that covered her in some bemusement, but considering that
her clothing that was extremely bad shape, she pulled the blanket up a bit.
“I’m not sure why Sistina called you, though. But I’m more curious why Desa and
the others are looking at you like that.”

“Oh,
good! I’m glad you’re well.” Lily told Phynis in relief, then looked at Desa
and paused before speaking. “Umm...I’m not sure?”

“You
ran here as fast as a deer. Faster, maybe. I’ve never seen anyone move that
fast before.” Evrial said flatly, not looking away from Lily. “How did you ever
get caught if you can move like that? And you weren’t even out of breath.”

“I-”
Lily began.

“Dungeon
mana.” Sistina interrupted impatiently. “Mana improves. Lily here. Strongest
link.”

“That’s...oh!
You mean the rumors about how adventurers get stronger inside dungeons by
absorbing the mana is true?” Phynis asked, her eyes going huge. “But they
rarely are inside for more than a few hours! Lily’s been in here for months!”

“Combat
superior. Living inefficient. Still effective.” Sistina told Phynis, smiling
slightly, then looked at Lily. “Lily strong.”

“I...I’m
strong? What are you talking about, Sistina? I’ve always just run away. I can’t
fight for you.” Lily protested, looking nervous. “That isn’t why you called me,
is it?”

Desa
and the others looked stunned, but wisely kept their thoughts to themselves for
the moment. Likely because they were afraid of Sistina, Phynis realized. But
her attention turned back to Sistina as the dryad shook her head.

“No.
Long presence. Link strongest between.” Sistina paused, then seemed to
carefully consider before pointing between their heads, and asked uncertainly.
“Speak for me?”

“Oh,
that makes more sense.” Lily looked relieved and took a step closer. “But how
can I speak for you?”

“I
share.” Sistina replies simply, gesturing Lily toward her.

Phynis
watched in fascination as the dryad guided the dawn elf down to her knees and
gently pressed her forehead against Lily’s. She felt something odd pass between
them, something Phynis could almost grasp, and then Lily pulled away, choking
as she looked at Sistina with wild eyes filled with disbelief. It took her a
few moments to pull herself together and speak.

“Dear
gods...how you expect me to put all of that into words is beyond me, but I’ll
do my best.” Lily finally managed, shivering visibly. Slowly climbing to her
feet, she turned to Desa and the others and smiled nervously. She took a deep
breath, her confidence growing slightly as she folded her hands in front of her
and spoke. “Sistina’s rage at what has happened is impossible to describe, so I
will not even attempt to do so. Suffice to say that if your queen were present,
I doubt she would have survived your explanation, Captain Desa. It surges white
hot in her veins, and it will not soon cool. She is patient and old, and you
would do well to know that Sifaren has lost Sistina’s trust. However, the ones
truly at fault are in Sifaren itself, far outside of her reach, so she will set
aside exacting vengeance for now.”

Desa’s
face had paled, and Alissa’s face looked like she’d eaten something foul.
Evrial simply looked resigned. Desa opened her mouth to speak, but Lily held up
a hand to forestall her, and Phynis marveled at the confidence that Sistina had
instilled in the dawn elf as she continued. “I haven’t finished. Sistina may be
setting it aside for now, but she will not forget what has happened. However,
she is allowing Phynis to demand her explanation from you before I speak her
final judgement on what has happened.”

Taking
the cue, Phynis looked at Desa and spoke softly, her voice oddly calm. “What do
you have to say for yourself, Desa?”

“I
wish that you had never been placed in harm’s way. I wish I hadn’t been placed
in the middle of conflicting loyalties. I wish to the gods themselves that you
had never been betrayed to begin with. And I’m sorry, but I viewed my decision
as the least damaging of bad options.” Desa spoke without hesitation, a single
tear trickling down her nose. “I’m sorry, Your Highness. But no matter how I
may feel, what’s done is done.”

“Yes,
it is.” Phynis replied softly, taking a deep breath and shaking her head. “And
I suspect I would have been...less understanding before my near-death
experience. But during it I was able to see things differently. And I think
that helped me put everything in perspective. I’m going to forgive you, Desa.”

“Thank
you, Your Highness.” Desa replied, relief in her eyes. “I-”

“Before
this goes further, I need to finish what Sistina wished me to tell all of you.”
Lily interrupted, her gaze slightly worried as she looked at Phynis, then at
Sistina. She paused before asking Sistina softly, her voice anguished. “Really,
Sistina?”

“Yes.”
Sistina’s voice was hard again, but she gave Phynis a gentle squeeze. Phynis could
feel both her sorrow and underlying resolve.

“As
you wish.” Lily acknowledged softly, turning to Desa as she continued. “Sistina
no longer welcomes the forces of Sifaren within her caverns and halls. Upon
breaking the siege that has begun, all of those who have come here must depart.
Only those who have had their slave brands claimed by Sistina may remain, and
only then if they accept an order from her to not betray Sistina or the
inhabitants of the dungeon. Others may undergo a similar binding ritual if they
so choose, but such a decision is permanent, and not to be entered lightly.”

“Sistina!”
Phynis gasped, her eyes going huge. “But what about everyone in Sifaren? All
the innocents there?”

“Broken
trust. Consequences.” Sistina replied softly, shaking her head. “Outsiders
weaken dungeon. Have ignored. No more.”

“Sistina,
I apologize, I never meant to cause you to lose trust either!” Desa protested,
taking a deep breath, worry obvious on her face. But before she could speak,
Sistina shook her head again.

“No.
More.” The dryad’s voice faintly rumbled this time, glaring back at Desa.
“Consequences. Choices. Siege’s end.”

“I...I
see. As you wish, Sistina.” Desa’s voice was subdued as she bowed her head
slightly. A moment later she turned to face Phynis directly and went to a knee
before asking softly. “And you, Your Highness? Will you still have me as your
guard, until the siege ends and we return?”

Phynis
had to hesitate for a moment at that. The shock of Sistina’s decision still
echoed within her, but she couldn’t honestly blame Sistina. And it made her own
decision waver for a moment, but the moment passed. This didn’t really change
anything, so she tugged the blanket up again and spoke calmly. “I will allow
you to guard me for now, Desa, if you so choose. It will take ages for you to
gain my trust again, if you even can, but I forgave you. On the other hand, I’m
not going to remain in your charge anymore, either.”

“Y-your
Highness?” Desa asked, looking startled, faintly relieved, and worried all at
once.

“Sistina,
is there any way for us to get a messenger out past the current besiegers?”
Phynis asked the dryad, looking up into the woman’s deep eyes.

The
dryad nodded, then pointed almost directly upward. Phynis nodded in
satisfaction, then scooted back to lean into her with a sigh.

“In
that case, I will take the only option I feel left to me. With the next
messenger, Captain Desa, I am going to send my mother a letter.” Phynis felt at
peace with herself as she smiled, ever so slightly. “I’m going to renounce all
claim on the throne or lands of Sifaren, as well as my citizenship thereof. I
will be simply Sistina Constella, descendant of the Constella Earldom of
Everium. And I will stay here, where I can feel safe at last. If you choose to
guard me after I have sent the letter, it is your own choice. Decide where your
loyalties truly are, Desa.”

Chapter 44

“Well,
look on the bright side, Daniel. At least you have more time off!” Eric tried
to console Daniel, slapping the smaller man on the back and almost causing him
to spit up his ale.

“Watch
it, you big lug!” Daniel groused, shaking his head. “And I might have more free
time to practice with you three, but it also means I’m not drawing pay anymore.
At least I own my weapons and gear, but it puts a definite time limit on how
long I can stay here, if I don’t get my position back.”

“You
could always choose to camp out of town.” Sayla suggested, nodding her head in
the direction of the woods. “It isn’t that dangerous in these parts, since
there’s the town here. That’d cut down on your expenses.”

“And
then they might dismiss me from the military entirely.” Daniel shook his head
again, more vehemently. “Until I have something I can properly make money at, I
don’t dare risk my job like that.”

“Well,
army boy, it sounds like you’ve got a problem.” Darak interjected with a grin,
taking a long pull from the table next to theirs. “So you’d best do something
about it.”

“And
what would you suggest, Darak? Unlike you, I don’t have an earth spirit to draw
on, and none of us are magi.” Daniel protested, gesturing at the other three of
their training group. “And I’m Daniel Fisher. Son of a fisherman! This town is
a long damn way from the professions I know how to do.”

“Sure,
sure...but how long can you afford to stay here?” Darak asked, glancing at the
others as he added. “You three too. Can you manage to stay, say, three weeks?”

“Ahh...yeah,
I can manage that. It’ll take a bite out of my savings, though.” Daniel
admitted, frowning. “I might be able to work again by that point, though.”

“For
us...that might be a bit too long.” Eileen spoke hesitantly, her face troubled.
“We aren’t all that well-off. We were mostly counting on getting something out
of the dungeon.”

“Hmmph.
Well I’ve been keeping an eye on your training and you’re doing well, but
there’s only so much being brutally stomped on by Penelope can do for you. I
swear that girl has a sadistic streak.” Darak shook his head, grinning wryly.
“You’re all a lot more coordinated than before, and more skilled, too. Anyway,
other members of our Guild are on their way here, and should be here in three
weeks. Possibly sooner, but I wouldn’t count on that. Our guildmaster decided
to set up a guild outpost here in town, at which point we’ll finally be able to
get our finds appraised and sold. None of the stuff we’ve found is terribly
common, I’ll tell you that much.”

“Ahh...doesn’t
that just mean we’ll have even more trouble getting inside at that point?”
Sayla asked, a troubled expression growing on her face.

“Hah!
Not at all. Dungeons are dangerous, girl. And this one is stranger than most.”
Darak paused, then shrugged slightly. “Regardless, as Daniel knows from
chatting with us before our first delve, when someone delves into a dungeon it
slowly helps the body grow stronger. What, army boy, you thought I forgot that
you came to chat with us, unlike your lily-livered partner?”

Daniel
flushed at the challenging note to Darak’s voice and the gleam in his eye, but
shook his head. “I’m just surprised that you even bothered to remember. You
must have dozens of people ask you questions.”

“Heh.
Not as many as you’d think.” The dwarf laughed and shook his head. “No, no,
you’re unusual in that you just had the right look in your eyes. That stuck in
my memory. The rest of you at least were smart enough to get out when you had
the chance, and the experience didn’t break you. That’s also unusual. Now, the
other aspect of dungeons is that the mana concentration inside can also help
awaken magical potential too. It’s how I gained my bit of magic to summon my
two spirits, Shale and Flametongue. If you think you can hold out for three
weeks, and give me an oath to join the Adventurer’s Guild when you have the
opportunity, I’ll tutor you four on magical basics and ask Joseph to help me shepherd
you little sheep around the first floor, and maybe even let you grab a few
items for yourselves.”

Grinning
broadly at their stunned expressions, Darak’s eyes twinkled as he asked. “So,
what do you say?”

“Diamond?
How are you doing on merging spells?”

Diamond
looked up with a slow blink, brushing an almost crystalline hair out of her
eyes as she registered Jared’s excited tone of voice. It took her a moment to
consider, then she replied calmly. “Well, Adjudicator. We haven’t failed at a
spell in nearly a week at this point, and have found merging power is quite
simple now that the connections between us have settled into place. Is there a
particular reason you ask?”

Jared
was almost bouncing on the balls of his feet, smiling at Diamond as he glanced
around the library. His grin broadened as he answered. “Excellent! I’ll answer
your question in a moment, Diamond, first I’ve got a second question for you.
Are any of you skilled at earth magic?”

Blinking,
Diamond shook her head, her voice even calmer this time. “No. Our magical
studies focused on the use of light, healing, and the most common other
elements were air and water. Earth magic was not discouraged, precisely, but it
was not considered a priority.”

“Drat.
Well, no matter.” Jared seemed to brush off his mild disappointment, the smile
growing again almost as fast as it’d vanished. He nodded to himself, then spoke
happily, explaining. “We’re going to Granite Point tomorrow. I’ve received a
report that Princess Phynis of Sifaren was spotted near the town, and she was
injured and her forces trapped inside the mountain. The passage was apparently
blocked with earth magic, but if all else fails, I’m certain we can blast our
way through.”

“That
is...very surprising, Adjudicator.” Diamond temporized, her stomach sinking at
the thought of what she was certain was coming. “But isn’t that mountain where
a dungeon is located? Might they not be living inside the dungeon? That might
make things much more dangerous for us.”

“Other
reports indicate that the dungeon is extending downward, and all dungeons
appear to be approximately spherical according the books I’ve read on the
subject, which were confirmed by the Archon is his letters.” Jared explained,
shaking his head firmly. “Thus I’m all but certain that the area they’re in is
outside of the area of the dungeon. And even if it is, no one lives inside
dungeons, unless they’re in a safe zone. And if that’s the case, we won’t have
any issues either. No, I’m quite certain that we’ll be fine.”

“I
see. What are your orders, then, Adjudicator?” Diamond asked, closing her book
and waiting for his directions.

“You
are to get the girls together and prepare yourselves to breach this elven
stronghold with me. We’ll capture the princess and put an end to the outpost
after our arrival in Granite Point.” Jared told her, his smile hardening
slightly as he added. “The princess may have escaped twice, but she will not
escape a third time. Not if I have anything to say about it.”

“As
you say, Adjudicator. I will go get the others and prepare to the best of my
abilities.” Diamond acknowledged, bowing her head slightly before standing and
putting her book away.

“Excellent.
I’ll see you tonight, Diamond.” Jared grinned, and then he was on his way out,
whistling happily to himself.

“Oh,
I wish he just wasn’t so...invested in the traditions of Kelvanis.” Diamond
murmured to herself, turning to head to the salon where most of the others
were. “He might actually be a nice man in that case.”

Chapter 45

“You
wanted to see me, Farlon?” Desa asked, poking her head into the reading room of
the library.

The
library was looking much better than it had when Desa had first seen it. Little
by little, almost imperceptibly, the cracks in the walls had faded away, bricks
had straightened, and light-globes had returned to normal again. Even the
bodies had vanished, and the researchers had sworn up and down that they hadn’t
touched the bodies. Desa was certain that Sistina was behind it, but wasn’t
quite confident enough to actually ask what had been done with the deceased.

The
last week had been awkward, especially when Phynis had flatly refused to have
more than one guard following her around anymore, and that she would require
privacy when requested. In an oddly wistful way, Desa sort of missed the more
passive mood that Phynis had possessed immediately at the branding rather than
this outright rebellion, but considering her own rebellion to join the
military, she honestly couldn’t say that she blamed Phynis for her choice. At
least Sistina was treating everyone the same, though she couldn’t say the same
of all of her subordinates. The way that Sistina had eliminated the Kelvanis
soldiers had been so ruthless and abrupt that more than a few of them were
unnerved by Sistina’s very presence. And Sistina’s demand that they leave upon
the siege being broken worried them more.

For
herself, Desa was debating whether or not she would stay after the others were
evicted. Evrial had quietly told her that she intended to stay, but she wasn’t
certain about any of the others, save for Ilmas, Lily, and Sina. All of the
former slaves were staying. But no one had been as appalled as the researchers
about the demand, and they had thrown themselves into even more frantic
research when they’d realized they were going to lose access to the library
soon.

The
researchers had asked for all the help that they could get, and she’d spent a
fair amount of time down here in the library, helping Farlon and the others as
much as she could. She wasn’t as conversant in ancient lore as they were, but
she’d been able to help a fair amount. Farlon had been absolutely furious that
Sistina had also refused to let them take any books that didn’t have multiple
copies.

“Yes!
I believe we’ve finally deciphered a clue as to what the source of the brands
actually is, and have a potentially usable method of breaking it!” Farlon spoke
excitedly, gesturing at a half-dozen books on the table, and a massive diagram
on the chalkboard. On the chalkboard were diagrams of the six known brands, as
well as one that was similar but not quite the same to the right.

“That’s...that’s
wonderful news, Farlon! What did you find?” Desa’s eyes lit up and excitement
shot through her, turning her attention to the beaming researcher. “I was
starting to get worried we wouldn’t find anything in time.”

“As
was I, Captain. I’m still furious that Sistina is evicting us, but at least
we’ve found something useful here. I also want to preface the explanation with
a bit of caution. The tomes we had to reference were in languages we didn’t
know, so we had to translate them with other books in the library. So some of
the terminology might be imprecise.” Farlon warned, gesturing at the books as
his smiled dimmed. “However, the method of breaking it was fairly clear.”

“Thank
you for the warning. But what did you find?” Desa asked impatiently, trying not
to lose her temper in her excitement. This could be the turning point of the
entire damned war!

“Following
Sistina’s suggestion, we focused on texts involving demonology. It was
gruesome, horrible reading, but it paid off in the end. We found references to
demonic sigils, which led us to demonic slavery brands, like this one.” Farlon
explained, pointing at the different symbol on the chalkboard. “This one is
merely one of hundreds, apparently, and none of the ones we’re familiar with
are quite the same as the ones in the books, which makes identifying them
difficult. Included in the texts are the methods of removing them via holy
ground or holy water, which we already knew. But another method, and the most
reliable of them, apparently, is that if you kill the demon that bestowed the
brand, it frees everyone who possesses that particular brand. They all
just...vanish into nothing and everyone is freed at once.”

“That
sounds...wait, I know that everyone is restrained and Kelvanis is careful to
make it so they can’t witness the branding ritual, but I’m fairly certain that
there wasn’t a demon involved in the ritual I was in.” Desa protested, frowning
slightly. “At least, I hope I’d notice if one was summoned.”

“That
is one of the inconsistencies that I noticed, and why I said it was potentially
a solution.” Farlon gently refuted, shaking his head. “Besides, the branding is
finicky with mortals. The wording is strange, so further research is going to
be required, but demons can’t brand unwilling mortals unless they’re on the
demon’s home plane. But since we have a whole nation using something along
these lines, it’s possible that someone high up in Kelvanis found a way to
brand others on behalf of a demon, bypassing the restriction. As it is, we’re
copying the texts to take back to Sifaren when we’re forced to leave.”

“I
see. So we have to find out which it is, and if it is a demon, we kill it.”
Desa nodded slowly, then smiled thinly. “Still, it’s a possibility that we
didn’t know of before. It’s horrible that we’re going to lose access to this
library, but with what you’ve found as a core, we might be able to convince the
priests to ask their deities and clarify the matter. If nothing else, it gives
us something to use.”

“That’s
a very good point. But I have to do more research to be able to tell you more.”
Farlon smiled broadly for a moment. But then he sighed and looked at the books
as his elation turned to sorrow. “But even with as much frustration as not
being able to translate the books easily caused, I’m going to hate to leave.
Being able to actually learn what happened before the Godsrage is the dream of
any scholar.”

“I
totally understand. I wish that we had another option, but Sistina’s mind is
made up. Phynis has asked a few times for a little more time, but Sistina
refuses to budge.” Desa’s smile faded as she shook her head. “I’m sorry that we
ruined it for you.”

“I
don’t blame you, Captain. I blame our unreasonable host.” Farlon replied
softly, anger in his voice, but simply shrugged. “There’s nothing to be done,
though, save to learn as much as I can before my time runs out.”

“Indeed.
I’ll leave you to it, Farlon.” Desa told him, shrugging. “I, on the other hand,
have to write a report for Her Majesty.”

As
Farlon went back to his books, Desa heard him mutter. “Better you than me.”

The
blouse was a shade of rose-red fabric that would be vivid in almost any light,
and was made of some silky-soft fabric that Phynis had never seen before. It
was also modest, able to cover her from just below her hips to her neck and
wrists. But it was the fact that Sistina had a determined expression on her
face as she held it and the pair of black trousers out to Phynis that bemused
the princess.

“Yes,
it’s clothing, Sistina. Now why are you looking like you’ll hurt me if I don’t
take it?” Phynis asked after a moment of studying the clothing.

“Yours.”
Sistina spoke firmly, still holding it out. “Tough. Protective.”

“Ah.
So it’s supposed to keep me safe.” Phynis replied as realization dawned on her,
and she grinned as she took the clothing, then teased. “Be as that may, you
know I can’t wear the same clothing every day, right?”

“Making
more.” Sistina sniffed slightly, patting her tree and then leaning against it
slowly. “Promised.”

“Yes,
you did promise to protect me. I’m just amused that you’re taking it so
seriously.” Phynis teased gently, examining the clothing carefully. It always
felt strange to see that Sistina’s clothing didn’t have seams. The woman
somehow wove the cloth together perfectly without need for them. “Not that I’m
going to object, mind you.”

Sistina
shrugged at that, running a hand gently down Phynis' back, pausing over where
she’d been shot. Then she smiled gently and shrugged again.

“I
know, I know, I nearly died. You saved me from death.” Phynis giggled, smiling
at her and leaning into Sistina. Then she smiled more, and teased more. “You
could always teach me to fight, or use magic.”

“Intended.
Making items.” Sistina smiled in satisfaction, and Phynis blinked in surprise.

“You
know I haven’t ever had much talent for magic, right?” The princess asked, her
tone slightly dry. “And I have no training with weapons.”

Sistina
smiled and shook her head slightly, as if amused by something, and Phynis’ eyes
narrowed.

“What?
What are you thinking?” She demanded, suspicion growing.

“Will
see.” Sistina replied simply, then closed her eyes again, growing distant
again.

Deep
below them, a foundry of ancient stones was thrumming with the roar of flames
within the central furnace. No one could be seen in the ancient, complex
structure, yet if someone had been there, the stench of fire and molten metal
would have pervaded the air.

In
the center of the furnace stood an eight-foot tall figure of stone. It was
vaguely humanoid, but the body was blocky and made of smoothly-carved granite.
But if someone were there to watch, they would see the surface of the stone
slowly smoothed as if by unseen hands, forming a glass-like outer shell that
softened its harsh appearance slightly. And slowly, patterns and runes began to
appear across the surface of the stone figure. Runes that began to glow with
the same flames that surrounded the figure as the magic took form.

An
hour later the foundry doors swung open, and the golem strode out of the room,
smoke streaming from its surface while brilliant patterns of bright flames
gleamed across its surface. And the figure slowly began to climb the floors,
toward the final chamber of the eighth floor.

Chapter 46

“The
town seems to be coming along well, Aric! I’m glad to see you’ve gotten so much
done.” Jared said approvingly, looking around what must be intended as the town
square.

“Thank
you, Adjudicator. I admit that I wasn’t entirely prepared for such a task, but
Master Graystone has made up for that nicely.” Evansly told him, standing up
straighter. But the elf was having a hard time keeping his gaze away from the
Jewels, as Jared thought of his girls. Evansly was incredibly distracted by
beautiful elven women, and Jared knew that he’d find the Jewels almost
irresistible.

Suppressing
a grin, Jared spoke again, almost teasing the man. “That’s good to hear, Aric.
So how’s your wife?”

“Ah,
umm…” Evansly looked embarrassed as he met Jared’s eyes, having the good grace
to blush, but gathered himself before answering. “Last I heard she was well.
Once the manor is built she’ll be coming along as well. I look forward to
actually settling down, I admit. It’ll be nice not to be away from her for
months at a time.”

“That’s
entirely understandable.” Jared agreed, looking at the town again, and letting
the companionable silence grow between them for the moment.

Granite
Point was definitely coming along quickly. The buildings built at his orders
were better than most of the others, all using fine panels that had been
shipped here for their construction. Other buildings, like the small houses
that a few immigrants had built, were largely log cabins. There was a
half-built smithy made of stone, and he could see workers that were working on
the dam for the reservoir that Evansly had suggested. All in all, the town
couldn’t have more than four hundred people there, with at least two-thirds of
those as representatives of Kelvanis, either as soldiers or slave workers. But
considering that there had been nothing here at the beginning of the year, it
was actually quite impressive.

The
dungeon entrance was actually just as normal as all the others had described
it, which had caused him a touch of surprise. He’d expected that they’d been
exaggerating how simple it was, but it looked like no more than a bear’s cave,
if even that. Snorting softly, he shook his head and grinned. “Sorry, Aric, I
started thinking about the dungeon. But I’m serious when I say I’m impressed
with what you’ve accomplished here.”

“I’m
glad to hear that.” The elf replied, relaxing a little as he added. “And I’m
sorry we didn’t manage to capture the princess. I’d hoped to have her in
custody for you, but it seems fate was against me.”

“Don’t
worry about that, Aric. True, she managed to get away twice before, but this
time she’s pinned down. She doesn’t have anywhere to run.” Jared assured the
elf, patting him on the shoulder with a bright smile of his own. “All we have
to do is pry her hole open and dig her out.”

“I
suppose you’re right. What about the man who accidentally shot her?” Evansly
asked, a smile flickering across his face.

“You’re
sure it’s an accident?” Jared asked, tilting his head. “In your initial
dispatch you seemed dubious about it being an accident.”

“Everyone
who knows him claims he wouldn’t shoot her on purpose.” Evansly explained,
shrugging. “I wasn’t in the best of moods when I first wrote you, but all of
them agree that he wouldn’t shoot her intentionally, especially not against
orders.”

“In
that case just reinstate him. However, I don’t want him with my attack force in
the morning.” Jared told Evansly absently, looking around the town again.
“Those platoons lost too many soldiers to be truly effective.”

“As
you wish, Adjudicator.” Evansly agreed, saluting and bowing slightly.

“Hah!
Enough of that, Aric. Why don’t you show us where we’ll be staying and chat
over dinner? I can bring you up to date on what’s going on back in Kelvanis
proper and you can let me pick your brain on what’s been going on out here in
more detail.” Jared grinned, patting his subordinate on the shoulder again,
more at ease once again.

“Of
course. If you’ll follow me?” Evansly asked, and began leading the way toward
the main barracks for his soldiers.

Sistina
felt things were going well. Oh, there were the occasional attempts to break
through the tunnel that Phynis and the others had escaped into, but they hadn’t
gotten terribly far. But the fact that things were going well was also making
her nervous. A part of her was expecting everything to fall apart at any
moment.

Phynis’
former guards had been seemingly at a loss as to what to do when Phynis had all
but cast them aside, and had started coordinating with the normal soldiers who
were guarding the researchers, both groups preparing to defend against any
attacks. They were also preparing supplies for when they eventually had to
leave, which gave them something to do. Sistina knew that most of the soldiers
were unnerved by her power, and the upset her ultimatum had caused couldn’t be
understated, but it mattered little to her. Most of the guards were useless in
her eyes, which was part of why she’d demanded that most of her current
inhabitants leave. Those not linked to her were actually leeching away some of
the mana she’d otherwise gain, which meant having them there was quite literally
weakening her. Since those who were linked to her supplied her mana, each of
them was actually costing her almost twice the mana they could have supplied
her.

With
all of the difficulties, at least things with Phynis were progressing well. No
one had realized just how much Sistina had sacrificed to not just save the
elven princess, but to give her a new, glorious chance at life. She found
herself curious just how long it would take anyone to realize what had happened
to the princess. Sistina had managed to take advantage of Phynis’ momentary
death to regenerate the princess’s body to what it should have been to begin
with, which had also removed the alterations that had been forced on her. It
would be interesting to hear any reactions to the fact that Phynis’ feelings
were no longer artificially created, but instead were the result of Phynis’
experiences with Sistina. It was possible that she would fall out of love with
Sistina, but so far that seemed unlikely to happen.

But
on more practical matters, Sistina had her foundry running at last. She’d
created her first golems and sent them to act as powerful bosses to different
floors. But as she examined at them, Sistina grew uncertain as to whether or
not they would be fair opposition for those who entered the dungeon. The first
ones she’d created were quite powerful and were imbued with additional magic,
which made her seriously concerned that those who encountered them wouldn’t be
able to handle the battle. And if the adventurers took that as her trying to
wipe them out, that would be very bad.

It
took her a while to decide, but finally she recalled all but the last of the
golems to the foundry and started working on less powerful, normal constructs.
They would be closer to an earth elemental, she thought. It was unfortunate she
couldn’t remember how to call elementals as of yet, or she’d just use a few
actual earth elementals as opponents. Sistina made a mental note to look in the
library for rituals of that type when she was next in the library, but-

Sistina’s
attention suddenly turned to the exit that had been besieged as she felt a
sudden, powerful spike of mana. The growing sense of power was intense, and it
took her a few moments to locate it. The power was coming from a group of
individuals outside of the cavern, and she could barely see them. But from what
could feel, it was almost like all of them were combining their power. And the
spell was powerful. As Sistina watched, she went to work deciphering the spell,
the powers seeming to simply fall into place as she saw the weave of mana
around them.

The
spell would cut through stone like it was butter, melting a hole into the
mountainside. All she’d manage with the ten-yard plug was to slow them down and
force them to waste mana burning through the rock. On the other hand, that
would be a benefit all on its own. Glancing at them mentally once more, Sistina
gave a faint mental smile. Adjusting her cavern to add a small alcove just
above the exit, she sent a golem toward the new cave, then inhabited her body
so she could go warn the waking guards that an attack was coming.

At
least she knew where the threat was coming from ahead of time.

Jared
shielded his eyes as his seven priestesses wove their spell. A brilliantly
glowing star was forming above their heads, the power within it so greatly
compressed that he had trouble even sensing it.

“Dear
gods...what are they going to do with that?” Jared heard one of the soldiers
mutter behind him, and he could only smile as the priestesses continued to cast
their spell.

Forty
crack soldiers were following him this time, but the ones in the lead would be
his Jewels. The power they could put into a shield would block anything the
elves could do to keep them from breaching the stronghold under the mountain.
He was certain that nothing short of an archmage could stop them, and his smile
only broadened as he sensed the spell coalescing at last.

The
star flared, grew, and then condensed downward into a single point for a
moment, and Diamond pointed her hand at the cavern wall that hid the passage
they were seeking. Flaring as bright as the sun itself, the star exploded into
a beam of multi-colored light that was so hot that Jared had to take several
steps backward as he instantly began to sweat.

Where
the beam hit, the stone steamed, glowed, and began to melt away. A foot of
stone flowed out of their way, then a yard, and more. For an endless minute the
beam bored into the mountainside, molten stone slowly oozing across the ground.
Again Jared had to step back, this time to avoid the lava his Jewels had
created. It would burn all the flesh from his bones on contact, so this time he
moved with alacrity.

When
the beam finally stopped, a glowing hole ten feet across extended thirty feet
into the mountainside, revealing a tunnel beyond it. Glowing lava flowed down
that hall as well, and Jared spoke up brightly. “Good job, girls! Now cool off
that lava, and we can get this attack under way.”

“Yes,
Adjudicator.” Diamond acknowledged, and the seven carefully stepped away from
the molten rock before they began to cast the next spell they’d prepared.

Jared
grinned, his eyes glittering as he looked at the entrance that led to his next
victory for Kelvanis. He spoke under his breath. “Even if they had an archmage,
my girls could handle them.”

Chapter 47

Lily
hurried away from the tunnel leading to the surface with Ilmas, her breathing
coming heavily as the two rushed toward Sistina’s tree. Lily knew that she had
no reason to be breathing so hard, and the run should be easy for her, but her
fear was getting the better of her. As she distracted herself, she stumbled on
a rock and Ilmas had to pause to catch her, his voice soft and worried. “Don’t
worry, Sistina’s dealt with attacks before. We’ll be fine, just you see.”

“That’d
be a lot more reassuring if you weren’t trembling.” Lily gasped, giggling slightly,
her eyes wide as they darted around her. It was then that she realized what was
worrying her. She wasn’t worried about herself, she was worried about Ilmas.
She couldn’t imagine what she would do without him.

“Heh.
Well, unlike Sina, neither of us have been training with the guards.” He
laughed softly, shaking his head. “But you saw Sistina’s face, didn’t you? She
seemed like she was looking forward to the invasion.”

“Maybe
she was.” Lily panted, glancing up toward the tree, where she saw Phynis waiting,
looking concerned as she paced back and forth. “But we’re hardly the only ones
who’re worried.”

Laughing,
Ilmas shook his head but didn’t voice a word of disagreement.

“Everyone
get into position!” Desa ordered, watching her guards and the regular soldiers
taking up defensive positions behind the earthen berms that had appeared
shortly before Sistina had arrived to warn them of a coming attack.

The
dryad was standing on the edge of the forest that mostly filled the cavern
behind her, watching everything calmly, with a faint, eerie smile on her face.
Something about that smile bothered Desa, but she couldn’t put her finger on
why that was. Regardless, she turned and settled into her own position, waiting
for the attackers to come pouring down the tunnel. She’d been dubious about the
attack until the wave of heat had surged down the tunnel, at which point she’d
grown worried.

“Why
isn’t she just crushing them, like she did last time?” One of the nearby
soldiers asked, worry evident on his face.

“Sistina
hasn’t said specifically, but she did mention that they had slaves with them,
and that we weren’t to go past the berms.” Desa replied absently, and could
only wonder how long it would be before the invaders got here. “Just keep your
head down and fight as planned.”

“Yes,
ma’am.” The man replied, testing his bow string. A moment later he adjusted how
his arrows were placed in the ground next to him. Desa couldn’t help but shake
her head slightly, turning to look at the tunnel again. The guards chosen to
come with them were definitely not the best, which meant that there was likely
more to Phynis’ opinion than Desa wanted to admit.

Several
spells flickered through her mind, but the simplest one was probably the best.
Forming the same spell as she’d used against General Fairbrook, Desa took a
deep breath and let it out, spindling her mana tightly within her. Strangely,
there seemed to be more of it than she was used to.

“Watch
your step, this is pretty slippery.” Jared told the men behind him as his feet
slid along the surface of the tunnel burned through the mountainside.

“Thanks
for the warning, milord.” The man just behind him replied, flashing a brief
smile.

“You’re
more than welcome.” Jared chuckled. “What’s your name, anyway?”

“Ahh...I’m
private Derek Mason, milord.” The man replied, slightly hesitantly. “Are you
sure you don’t want us to take the lead, sir? You the lead is making me
nervous.”

“Don’t
worry about it, Derek. I’m not taking the lead, they are.” Jared replied with a
laugh, nodding at the women in front of him. “And once we’re on solid ground,
they’re going to put up a shield like you wouldn’t believe could exist. Should
get us right through all of the fire I heard the others ran into when they
encountered the princess’s guards.”

“As
you say, milord.” Derek replied, obviously not putting a whole lot of faith in
the explanation, which caused Jared to laugh.

“Just
wait and see, Derek. My Jewels are incredible.” Jared grinned, stepping over
the last few feet of glassy stone and onto the cracked stone that the women had
cooled off, the stone cracking loudly under his feet. The Jewels were waiting
for him, and Amethyst spoke softly.

“The
mana levels in the tunnel are elevated, Adjudicator.” The woman spoke in a soft
voice, looking troubled. “I suspect that we set off a number of defenses or
warnings.”

“Oh?
Well, get the shield up, and move down the hall far enough to let in everyone
else. Once the troops are all past the entrance we can go hunt down our rats.”
Jared ordered, smiling thinly. “I wonder how they’ll react to all of you?”

“As
you wish, Adjudicator.” Diamond acknowledged, and the seven began to
concentrate and murmur the words to bring up their shield.

Sistina
watched the group of soldiers and mages enter the caverns with great interest.
Compared to the previous group she’d seen, these were much better armed and
armored, and they seemed to be moving more quickly and easily as well. Their
crossbowmen all carried enchanted bolts that would make things more difficult
for the defenders, and their weapons had temporary enchantments as well.

Even
more interesting were the eight at the front, though. Seven elven woman in
skimpy outfits, little more than skirts, brassieres, and jewelry, were weaving
mana with breathtaking skill, and she could feel immense mana reserves from
them. Each also had a brightly glowing golden slave brand as well. It also
intrigued her that the dawn elf women all looked quite similar, almost like
sisters, save for their hair and eye colors, which matched the color of a jewel
set in their brands, their clothing, and even the jewels in their jewelry. The
most powerful of the women was the one with almost crystal-white hair, and that
one was forming the spells with the aid of the other six. She’d have to split
them up. She adjusted the ground slightly in front of the cave exit, making
certain that it would be easy to move the women where she wanted. It would be
more accurate to say she'd toss them, but it was a minor distinction at most.

The
last one had even larger mana reserves than the other women, but the human
didn’t bear a brand like the women did. No, she felt a complex sigil underneath
his clothing on his right arm, a sigil faintly similar to the one on the
Enforcer she’d killed back when she’d rescued Lily.

But
this time she had a reason to keep him alive. So she smiled and waited for them
to walk into her trap.

“Get
ready, they’re coming…” Desa murmured, tensing as she saw white light begin to
illuminate the entrance of the tunnel.

All
around her the other soldiers began to brace themselves for the coming assault.
Desa’s eyes narrowed at the shade of light, though. It was much brighter than
torchlight, and even a magical light likely wouldn’t create something quite
that bright. So she shifted to the side, trying to get a better angle to see
down the tunnel. The angle didn’t really help much, but she did see a
shimmering barrier, immediately followed by-

Her
eyes widened at the sight of the seven enslaved spellcasters, all holding the
barrier in front of them. The barrier looked like it’d started as a simple
shield of light, but she’d never seen one that brilliant before! As the women
stepped out, she opened her mouth to warn the others, but at that moment the
defenders unleashed their attacks, just as she’d previously ordered.

Three
fireballs followed a bolt of lightning that arced through the chamber, the
deafening crack of its passage all the louder for being in a cavern. Behind
those magical attacks came a furious hail of arrows, hissing through the air
with deadly intent. Mentally swearing, Desa launched her own volley of a dozen
dense spears of ice into the wake of the others, hoping that she was wrong
about that shield.

The
fireballs exploded against the shield with furious detonations that created
clouds of smoke, obscuring the tunnel for a moment. The hairs on the back of
Desa’s neck rose as the glowing shield emerged from the smoke unscathed. Arrows
bounced off like raindrops off a glass dome, and even Desa’s spears shattered
uselessly against the shield. Disbelief coursed through Desa at the sight. How
could any mobile barrier be that powerful?

Ignoring
all of the attacks without the slightest ripple in their expressions, the seven
elven women spread out as they exited the tunnel and the shield spread with
them, forming a glowing dome that protected a broad arc in front of the tunnel.
Just behind them was a man in chain armor and with a sword sheathed at his
side. The smug expression on his face was chilling, and a shiver went down
Desa’s spine as she saw the soldiers file out of the tunnel and move into
formation as though they had all the time in the world.

“Captain!
Orders?” Lieutenant Vander, the leader of the platoon guarding the researchers
called out, looking desperate.

“Fall
back to secondary positions! They can’t hold a shield like that over a large
area!” Desa ordered, quickly falling back as she added. “Move, quickly!”

But
when she glanced toward Sistina, she saw that the woman’s smile had only
widened since she’d last seen it. And Desa had only a moment to wonder why
before the dryad made an idle gesture.

The
light above flickered, and Desa turned just in time to see a massive figure
fall from a gap she hadn’t noticed near the cavern ceiling. The figure fell
into the middle of the clearing past the berm, and an explosion of fire rolled
across the cavern floor.

Staring
in shock, Desa realized that the exit had vanished. And a few moments later, so
did the barrier amidst a chorus of screams.

The
berms had been perfectly placed, Sistina decided in satisfaction. They had
contained the exact area of the fire blast she’d expected the golem to produce.
Unfortunately, the shield created by the elves held under the magical blast,
though it hadn’t shrugged it off nearly as easily this time, as the seven elves
staggered under the sudden strain.

Standing
up from its crater while the flames began to ebb, the golem stood tall and
intimidating, the granite surfaces of its body almost covered in a glaze of
glass. And the entire surface of it was covered with glittering runes of power,
seemingly producing veins of pure flames.

It
was time to test her golem, and Sistina couldn’t be happier as she smiled
broadly. But first to get the seven mage slaves out of the way. They weren’t
all quite near enough to the chutes, but that was why she’d adjusted the ground
earlier. With another surge of mana, she opened seven pits simultaneously, and
those women who didn’t find themselves standing on nothing let out shrieks as
the ground launched them toward the nearest pit.

“Shit,
a golem?! Where the hell did that come from?” Captain Andrews demanded, taking
a step back as the ancient war construct stood from its impact crater. Jared
couldn’t really blame the man’s shock, considering how imposing the war machine
was.

“Easy,
captain! We have magical support with us, and they stopped its opening attack.
We knew that this area had the ruins of an old kingdom, they must have
reactivated it.” Jared called out, trying to reassure the man through his own
shock. A golem was something he’d only heard of in magical texts, the making of
them had been long lost! And the things were incredibly resistant to damage,
even when they weren’t magically augmented. The fact that this golem looked
like it was augmented worried him somewhat, but his confidence recovered as he
remembered his Jewels.

Fortunately
the shield had been in place, which had kept them from likely losing half their
force to the flames. Taking a deep breath, he ordered. “Surround it and contain
the golem, captain! Diamond! Maintain the shield! Amethyst, Sapphire, Emerald,
focus your power and destroy the golem!”

The
soldiers began to move, and it was at that moment that the shield abruptly
vanished as though it had never been there. Several female screams rang out
from behind Jared, and he turned just in time to see Diamond vanish down a
funnel-shaped pit that had appeared beneath her feet. Three more of his Jewels
fell down similar pits, and Jared saw Emerald flailing in a panic as she was
literally thrown through the air toward another pit she’d been near! The
upthrust ground beneath the last three Jewels had launched Emerald, Opal, and
Amethyst sideways toward nearby pits, and in moments all seven Jewels had
vanished into the maws of the pits.

Jared
started toward the pits, utterly stunned by shock. But before he could take
more than a step toward them, they closed as though they’d never existed.

With
a sound of grinding stone, the golem chose that moment to charge. Its immense,
oversized fists were surrounded by a wreath of flames, and the shriek of
tortured metal echoed sharply through the chamber as swords snapped and armor
caved in under the weight of the monstrous machine. But Jared paused, his shock
deepening as he murmured. “Where’d the exit go?”

He
almost didn’t notice when arrows began to rain down on his attacking force
again. Instead, he drew his sword, taking a deep breath to steady himself and
his resolve. And he studied the golem ripping through his soldiers for a
moment, looking for an opening or weakness as he murmured. “I will not fall so
easily.”

And
in an instant when he saw an opening, he charged.

Diamond
let out an involuntary scream as the ground beneath her feet opened and she
fell into darkness. The shock cut off both her concentration and her connection
to the others, and in that moment the barrier spell shattered. An instant later
her feet hit a hard, slick surface, and she found herself slammed into what
felt like all the world like a glass slide covered in grease.

The
light from above cut off all at once, and she found herself descending at a
dizzying rate in utter darkness. Desperately reaching out to try to arrest her
rapid acceleration, Diamond found that she was in a tiny tunnel no more than
three feet across, and all the sides were as slick and smooth as the part she
was sliding down.

Terror
grew as she rushed down the slide in a trip that seemed to last an eternity,
though whether that was just the shock, lack of knowledge of what was
happening, or a lengthy trip she didn’t know. But all at once the journey came
to an end.

Diamond
came flying out of the stone slide and bounced off a soft, forgiving surface.
She bounced off the surface after it absorbed most of her momentum, and fell
directly into what felt like warm, thick water with a splash. No, not water.
Water wasn’t so thick or viscous. Her feet settled down onto a soft, spongy
floor beneath several feet of fluid as she climbed to her feet, spitting up the
liquid. It was oddly sweet, but she reached around her, searching for an exit.
Soft, smooth walls surrounded her, and she was up to her thighs in the thick
liquid, though the way she’d entered meant that she was almost fully covered in
it.

“What
is this?” She murmured unsteadily, shaking as she took a deep breath. The air
was warm, almost soothing, and she took another breath, and then slowly cast a
spell to create a globe of light.

The
light revealed a small chamber with verdant green walls tinged in places with
pink, while she herself was in a pool of amber liquid. Feeling slightly dizzy,
Diamond looked up to see that the way she’d come in was almost a flap, or a
leaf, covering an entrance some eight feet up.

For
a moment Diamond couldn’t place what she was in, stunned and dizzy as she was.
But as she took another breath, her eyes widened and a sense of lethargy began
to overcome her.

“P-pitcher...plant.”
She mumbled, thoughts beginning to slow down. “Have...have to get out…”

Diamond
tried to mouth the words to a spell, but her tongue felt so large, and the mana
started slipping through her grasp. Her fingers clawed at the walls of the
plant several times, but she just felt so tired. So sleepy...and content…

She
barely blinked as a female soldier fell through the flap with a clatter. The
woman spluttered as she mirrored Diamond in climbing to her feet to look
around, but Diamond’s light was fading as she slowly sank backward against the
pitcher plant’s wall.

“Where
am I? No, no, don’t let the light go out! You have to help me get out of here!”
The other woman’s voice was oddly muffled, but it slowly faded as the soldier
began to succumb as well, and silence filled the plant once more.

Diamond
slowly drifted off to sleep, and not even noticing when a pair of vines slipped
down the throat of the plant to keep the two women from falling under the
surface of the liquid.

“I
have to admit that he’s a brave bastard.” Evrial said, shaking her head in
shock.

“Agreed.”
Desa replied faintly. “But where the hell did that golem come from?”

The
arrows had stopped a minute ago, when all but three of Kelvanis’ soldiers had
finally fallen. Desa wasn’t certain where the pit traps that had engulfed the
enslaved mages had come from, but they had vanished and the golem had ripped
into the soldiers like an unstoppable juggernaut. Some of the soldiers had
vanished into pit traps like the mages, while a few others had tried to run,
only to be shot by her soldiers. A handful of soldiers had even surrendered to
them rather than facing the golem any longer. The golem was now scarred with
numerous cracks and gashes, but it seemed barely affected by the damage.

On
the other hand, the only one still fighting was the man that had looked so smug
earlier. Desa couldn’t help but admit that she felt a little put out that he’d
managed to last this long. The human was scorched, his armor damaged from a
close call. He also seemed to be favoring his ribs on his left side, while his
left arm was dangling uselessly at his side, but the man was still trying to
fight. She’d seen him manage to deflect blows away from other soldiers at least
three times over the course of the fight, but it hadn’t changed the result of
the battle in the slightest.

“Alissa
said it fell from an alcove near the ceiling. I have no idea how it got there,
though.” Evrial answered Desa’s question with a slight shrug. “Seems insane to
me.”

“I
was more meaning that it even existed. Do you think anything else Sistina has
done seems all that sane? She didn’t even warn us she had a golem!” Desa
demanded, gesturing at the fight. “I’m half wondering who this was a
demonstration for! Them, or us?”

“Whichever
it is, I think the battle’s over.” Evrial interjected as the man was sent
flying into the cavern wall by a backhand blow. “That had to hurt.”

“At
least...I’ll die...honorably…” Jared gasped softly, coughing and wincing at the
coppery taste that the cough produced in his mouth. He couldn’t move anymore,
and pain spiked through him with every breath he took.

The
golem slowly approached, the steps thundering with its immense weight. But it
stopped in front of him and he looked up, waiting to see his death coming for
him. But to his surprise, it didn’t move, it just stood there.

After
a minute he gasped out. “Just finish me...already, would you?”

The
golem didn’t move at all, and he slumped back tiredly. Then he heard soft
footsteps coming up from behind the golem. Stepping around it was a woman that
he’d never seen before, a seemingly elven woman with a faint wood pattern to
her white skin, golden hair, and deep, vivid emerald eyes. She studied him for
a moment, then raised an eyebrow.

“Death.”
She said simply, pointing at the golem next to her. Then she pointed at him.
“Surrender. Choose.”

“Heh.
Simple choice, eh? You didn’t give my men a chance to surrender.” Jared laughed
softly, wincing slightly as pain spiked through him. “Why me, and not them?”

“Space.
Attention. Importance.” The woman’s words were oddly clipped as she looked at
him and shrugged. “A chance. Others live.”

“Fine,
fine...I’ll surrender. Just...don’t expect me to move on my own.” Jared gave
in, shaking his head and letting out another series of coughs. Glancing past
the golem, he saw a handful of demoralized soldiers who the elves had captured and
recognized Derek Mason among them. At least the polite young man had survived.

“Good.”
The woman replied, smiling gently at him. Then she knelt down, placing a hand
on Jared’s head. A slow, gentle warmth spread from her hand, and she spoke
simply. “Sleep.”

Without
the slightest ability to resist, Jared felt himself drift off.

Chapter 48

Diamond
slowly woke up, feeling warm and relaxed. She also realized that her arms and
legs were restrained, and for a moment she was afraid that she was about to have
the day when she’d been branded repeat itself.

But
when she opened her eyes, she found herself able to see. She was being held to
a tree by thick vines, and warm yellow light was shining down on her. That
seemed odd when she considered that she could see the cavern ceiling above her.
She was still dressed, though the cloth looked slightly damaged. It looked like
something had eaten or dissolved parts of her skirt!

Standing
in front of her were two women. One looked like a dryad with pale skin, golden
hair and emerald eyes, while the other was a dusk elf with faintly silver-pink
hair and sky-blue eyes. The dryad was standing up straight, in fine, leaf-green
clothing and her posture almost like a noble’s. In stark contrast to the dryad,
the elf was wearing a bright red blouse and black trousers, but was sitting
cross-legged in front of her, looking far more at ease.

“Ah,
you’re awake!” The elf’s eyes brightened and she smiled. “Sistina said you
would be soon, but I didn’t think you’d be quite this quick.”

“Umm...Sistina?
Who are you?” Diamond asked, playing for time as she began to try to place what
had happened. She vaguely remembered a pitcher plant, which sounded like a
dungeon, but what was going on with the elf here? “What happened?”

“This
is Sistina, and I am Phynis Constella.” The elf spoke nonchalantly, gesturing
up at the dryad with a grin. “As for you? You were part of the invading group
from Kelvanis. To get you out of the way Sistina dropped you into a pitcher
plant, and then we came and pulled you and the others out before you got
digested.”

“I...I
see. And now what?” Diamond asked, feeling stunned at the explanation. “What
happened to the Adjudicator and the others?”

“Oh,
he’s the Adjudicator? Somehow that makes me want to change my mind on his surrender…”
Phynis’ eyes narrowed, and Diamond felt her eyes widen as she finally
registered the woman’s name.

“Wait,
you’re Princess Phynis? But...but why are you here?” She asked, stunned by the
lack of guards if nothing else.

“No,
I’m not a princess anymore. I told my mother that I was done. Quit, no claim on
the throne, no lands, nothing. I’m just Phynis. And I’m here because Sistina
claimed my brand for her own, making it so that no one in Kelvanis can command
me.” Phynis smirked slightly, grinning at Diamond. “Which is why, miss
priestess, we’re here to offer you the same opportunity for freedom. And what’s
your name, anyway?”

“Ah...are
you serious?” Diamond asked, hope starting to well up in her heart for the
first time in what felt like decades, and tears glittering at the edges of her
eyes. “Could I really be free of them? Would she…?”

“Sistina
has never given me an order. She has never given any of us orders. I think she
rather likes having them, because they increase the rate at which she gains
mana, but she otherwise lets us do what we want.” Phynis replied
compassionately, smiling gently. “So if you want to do it, it is your choice.
And you will be free if you so desire it.”

“Please!
I don’t want...I don’t want to be a slave anymore!” Diamond broke down, begging
as hot tears began to spill down her face, heart almost breaking. “Just tell me
what to do, and I’ll do it!”

“Sure,
all you need to do is relax, and she’ll do the rest.” Phynis assured her
softly, smiling, then paused and asked. “But you never did say what your name
was.”

“He...he
renamed me, in a way that I’ve completely forgotten my old one. Now…”
Hesitating a moment, Diamond swallowed before answering softly. “Now it’s
Diamond.”

“Beautiful.”
Sistina spoke softly, kneeling down next to Diamond and touching the center of
the brand before giving a gentle smile of her own. “You will be safe.”

As
the mana began to flood into the brand, Diamond gasped as she felt the first
taste of freedom, and her tears began to flow even more freely.

Evansly
swallowed again as he finished his report. He didn’t want to be the one to
write a letter to the High Adjudicator, but there was no one else in the area
to write it in his place. Not with Jared missing. And there was no other term
for what had happened.

Fifty
elite soldiers and the Adjudicator of the entirety of Western Kelvanis had vanished
into the mountainside, and less than an hour later the tunnel they’d entered
was gone as though it had never existed. No sign of the soldiers, no sign of
the Adjudicator, not even a sign of Jared’s pet mages. The loss had him
worried, because Jared was highly regarded as one of the most forgiving
Adjudicators in the kingdom.

Evansly
could only hope that he wouldn’t be held responsible for the disaster. And
without Jared, he wasn’t certain that he could get the forces that he obviously
needed for security. It was a grim thought, and so very unwelcome after the
excitement of the last few days.

Still,
there was no going back, so he re-read the letter one last time, before sealing
it and calling for a messenger.

Jared
winced, trying to adjust his position slightly. He was in a soft bed, his left
arm in a splint, and compresses covered most of his upper body. While some
would say that he was lucky to be alive, he wasn’t entirely certain about that,
with the way his injuries ached. And, of course someone had left the pitcher of
water and the mug on the left side of the bed. He suspected it was a deliberate
attempt to spite him.

But
he blinked in surprise as the door to his room opened and in stepped Topaz and
Princess Phynis. He opened his mouth, then shut it again, confused by the sight
of seeing Topaz in normal clothing, her hair glittering strangely against it as
she carried in a large basket of medical supplies, with Phynis holding a basket
of wrappings. He might be confused about the situation, but at least it gave
him an opportunity to fix the water problem, which he would be a fool to pass
up.

“Topaz,
move the water to the other side of the bed for me.” He ordered, wincing slightly
as he shifted again.

“No.”
Her voice held a note of distinct pleasure, he realized in shock as she glanced
over at him.

It
took a moment for Jared find his voice again. “What? But...but you can’t…”

“I
was curious whether or not Sistina claiming my brand would actually work, so I
asked Phynis to let me come here. And I have to say, having the freedom to
actually tell you to go fuck yourself is delightful.” Topaz spoke almost
pleasantly, her smile brighter and happier than he’d ever seen it before. “You
know, if you weren’t a slaver and power-hungry jerk, I might actually like you.
But then you took pleasure in stealing everything that I felt important. So no,
Jared. I won’t move the water for you.”

Phynis
giggled as Jared gaped at Topaz, and then he slowly managed to speak, gathering
himself. “You...you are bound to that dryad, then? You’re her slave?”

“Technically,
yes. However, she doesn’t give orders. She’s perfectly happy to just sit under
her tree and soak up sunlight most of the time.” Topaz told him, smiling
broadly. “I must say it’s much nicer than waiting on you hand and foot.”

“I
think you’re going to find that things are going to get very awkward in the
near future.” Jared replied, trying to ignore her thinly veiled insults, which
he had to admit hurt somewhat. He’d thought that he’d treated them well enough,
and it was only natural to take advantage of slaves. Especially in Kelvanis.
But a part of him was feeling vindictive as he continued. “In case you were
unaware, some of the changes that were made to you make you want, to crave sex
with your owner. So it might almost be better for you to have whatever she did
undone if you don’t want to be intensely frustrated.”

Both
women went silent, staring at him, and satisfaction flooded Jared for a moment.
But then they began to slowly giggle, then laugh. Topaz giggled and shook her
head, her eyes glittering as she smiled, her voice almost sickly sweet. “Is
that so? Well, that explains so much of my attraction to you, Jared. You were
so confident in yourself that you enforced desire in all of us? Well, Jared,
I’m sorry to inform you, but I’m fine with trying to woo a dryad. Especially a
dryad who isn’t trying to control my entire life.”

“But...but
she’s a woman!” Jared protested, his confusion at her reaction only growing.

“...Are
all human men like him?” Phynis asked, looking up at the slightly taller Topaz
as she ignored Jared.

“No,
no...he’s just obviously incapable of imagining that women might like one
another. It explains why he only ever had one of us in his room at a time.”
Topaz replied, shaking her head as she went back to the door and opened it.
“Well, a little, at least.”

“Poor
man.” Phynis smirked and closed the door behind her. He faintly heard her voice
through the door. “Has he never heard of lesbians?”

In
the bed, Jared just watched them go, utterly stunned by what had just happened.
After a minute he slumped backward in his bed, thoughts racing in circles, and
feeling even more utterly defeated than when he’d been backhanded by the golem.

“Sistina?”
Phynis asked, slightly nervous this time. Her hands were behind her back and
she was fidgeting nervously.

The
dryad looked up after a moment, blinking and tilting her head to the side with
obvious curiosity. She was sitting under her tree, as per normal, but at least
none of the priestesses were around. That they were all priestesses of Medaea
had come as a distinct shock to her, as had the information about what had been
done to the seven of them. And that information was what had prompted her most
recent visit.

“I,
umm...I had something I wanted to talk to you about.” Phynis murmured, trying
to quell the mass of butterflies in her stomach.

“Yes?”
Sistina was getting very good at that word, Phynis realized with nervous humor.
And the slight smile on Sistina’s face was also gratifying as it showed the
increased emotion she’d sensed in the dryad since her own rescue.

“Well...when
I visited the prisoner, Jared, I learned something. He said...that the girls
were changed to, umm...want to sleep with whomever owned them. And that’s you.”
Phynis explained, and her anxiety spiked as Sistina nodded. She took another
breath and then asked. “Will you?”

Sistina
seemed to consider that for a long minute, and then slowly nodded, her voice
gentle. “If asked, yes.”

“I...I
see.” Phynis swallowed, looking around almost habitually to make sure no one
was nearby. And then she asked, almost inaudibly as she looked at the ground.
“M-me first?”

A
gentle finger slid along Phynis’ chin, raising her head just in time for
Sistina to initiate a kiss with Phynis for the first time. Phynis’ eyes went
wide as Sistina’s soft, warm lips met her own, and then the insistent kiss blew
her thoughts away as she melted into the warmth and affection that flooded her
via the kiss.

When
Sistina broke off the kiss, her arms were around Phynis’ back, and the dryad was
looking her straight in the eye. In the depths of her eyes, Phynis saw a
flicker of violet even as Sistina spoke warmly, gently. “Yes.”

Epilogue

Serel
slowly emerged from the flood of desire and lust that had been wracking her
body and mind for longer than she could remember. Each time she returned to
herself it was the same, and just like always, she weakly pounded a hand
against the violet crystal coffin surrounding her.

Just
like the last time, the crystal didn’t care at all. Somehow the thick, syrupy
liquid she was suspended in filled her lungs yet didn’t drown her, and it was
hard to see through. She wasn’t sure if the crystal or the liquid was violet.
It really didn’t matter, as most of the time she was completely out of her mind
with the pleasure that flooded her.

The
crystal was just barely taller than Serel and was suspended upright at one
corner of an immense pentagram set into the floor of the room. Four other
crystals were in each corner of the pentagram, each with one of the other
female Enforcers she’d attended the party with, each with nearly mad eyes like
her own. The pentacle itself glowed with light that looked violet to her
blurred sight. In the center of the pentacle was an altar upon which lay
Medaea, the goddess now completely naked save for the gems which Serel vaguely
remembered placing on her body.

At
the foot of the altar was another crystal, this one with the angel within it,
her body enveloped in similar liquid. Thin cables ran from the base of each of
the crystals to the top of the one with the angel, and from the base of the
angel’s crystal into the middle of a massive diagram built into the altar on
which the goddess lay. The altar was glowing as well, though she could barely
see it.

But
what she hated most about these waking moments was knowing what was coming.
Behind each of the other four outer crystals was a figure, and she turned her
head to look behind her. Outside of her own crystal was a woman with a face fit
to break hearts and a body to inspire sin. A slowly lashing tail swayed behind
her, broad leather wings protruded from her back, and thin, oddly attractive
horns extended from just below the hairline of her forehead.

The
succubus smiled, and her voice echoed in Serel’s mind. “Hold still for your
medicine, Serel.”

Serel
wanted to fight, but the brand she bore didn’t allow that. Instead, she held
still as the demon’s hand slipped through the crystal like it wasn’t there with
a syringe in hand. The needle pierced her skin with a sharp pain, and Serel
gasped as it penetrated her heart. The injection, though, was pure, raging
pleasure and lust, as it blew away all thoughts once again.

“Good
girl...I’ll be back next week, darling.” The demon cooed in her mind, and
Serel almost didn’t hear it as the demonic blood seeped through her veins.

Queen
Calath read the letter again, her fingers trembling as she did so.

To
Her Majesty, Queen Calath Iris Constella,

As
I have been training to rule for my entire life, this letter pains me, but it
is necessary. I, Princess Phynis Constella hereby renounce my claim on the
throne of Sifaren. I renounce my membership in the royal family of Sifaren, and
all claims of nobility that derive from my family. I declare myself without
family or kin, and that any children of my body will likewise be removed from
the lineage of Sifaren. This I so avow before the gods themselves, may they
witness my oath to be true. A copy of this letter has been provided to the Royal
Archive and the Royal Council, that it may take effect as soon as possible.

By
My Own Hand,

Phynis Constella, of the line of House Constella, Earldom
of Everium

P.S.
This is for your eyes alone, mother. How dare you? How dare you give Desa an
order that asked her to betray me? How dare you betray your own daughter for
political expediency? If you had told me originally, I might have even agreed,
but you went behind my back. You avoided speaking with me when I was in
Vara’Sel, and left me to be shattered by my experiences.

And
then, when I chose to take a slim glimmer of happiness in the darkness of my
life, you tried to rip it away. I am done with this, mother. I am done with
Sifaren, as much as it pains me to say so. Zanath can have the throne, as much
as it hurts to throw it aside. I am going to stay here and try to find
happiness in the ruins of our forebears. And I think that with Sistina I will
have it.

I’m
certain that Desa added her own dispatch that included Sistina’s reaction, so I
will not bother addressing how badly you handled that either. Goodbye, mother.
I doubt we will meet again.

Finishing
the letter, Calath found her vision blurring. As the first hot tear trickled
down her cheek, she felt a century older as she whispered softly. “What have I
done?”

Author’s Note

For
those that wonder, Ancient Ruins is intended to be the first book of a trilogy.
I’ve plotted out books 2 and 3 as well, and they are solidly in place. For books
beyond that? I could come up with two or three more that involve Lily, Phynis,
and Sistina in particular, but they are not going to be part of this story arc.
Anything beyond that is unlikely at best for the foreseeable future. So for
those who care, this is going to be a trilogy. Don’t expect anything more, but
also don’t expect anything less. Now, on to information about me.

I
believe I have a degree of Asperger’s Syndrome, based on some of my own habits
and focus on some topics. Those topics are primarily books and games that are
Fantasy and Science Fiction, and even more focused on elves and succubi. Due to
this, I will warn that the latter two species will be exceedingly common in my
writing. Best to let others know in case they don’t like such topics, hmm?

I
write because I enjoy creating and telling stories. My earliest work was truly
horrible, and will never see the light of day again. I sure hope I’ve improved
since then! As a game master for roleplaying games, I’m modestly competent. Not
perfect, but no one ever is. And if you have questions about characters, feel
free to ask! If they’re a minor character, though, please refresh my memory? I
have created literally thousands of characters, so I don’t always remember
which one is which.

I
have to thank my parents for supporting my hobbies, even if I’m mortified by
the thought of them reading this story. I thank my wife, Jessica, for
supporting me and acting as a sounding board. I want to thank Joe for reading
and proofreading the story, and also allowing me to insert him as the
experienced cleric of the adventuring party within the pages. And thank you,
everyone, who reads the story.

And
if you like it, please give it an honest review. It’ll motivate me to get off
my lazy butt and write another one. In fact, I’ve already started on book two,
currently working under the title of Spells of Old.