A/N: It's terrible that I feel really good about myself for only taking three weeks to update, but I do. Hopefully you're all excited about it too. :)

Chapter Twenty-One

Azzanadra decided to start by gathering the other Zarosian Mahjarrat, both because he figured that they were more important and because he really didn't feel like going to get Char just then. He understood that any help was good help, but he had never really gotten along with her. He chalked it up to differing personalities. The truth was probably more that they were stuck in a very weird competition for Zaros' attention.

Ghorrock was strangely empty when Azzanadra teleported in. Not that it had been bursting its limits when they had been there before, but now it was far too still. He glanced around, searching for signs of life. He finally spotted Akthanakos over in a snowy corner, settled on a large chunk of stone and looking fairly bored.

"Akthanakos," he called, starting toward the other Mahjarrat.

Akthanakos looked up in surprise. "Azzanadra. Hello."

"Have you been here the whole time?" Azzanadra asked. "By yourself?"

Akthanakos shrugged. "Not entirely. Khazard arrived a few hours ago. What else was I supposed to do, considering that I was not invited on your little field trip?"

Not everyone who went was invited, Azzanadra thought. Nothing stopped them.

Keeping that to himself, Azzanadra proceeded to fill Akthanakos in on the recent developments.

"And now we need to see if we can find anyone else," he finished. "I was thinking that Wahisietel might be a good start. I've heard from him more recently than Jhallan."

"I agree," Akthanakos said. "Do you know where he is?"

Azzanadra paused. "South," he said after a moment, not as confidently as he had intended. "In the desert… possibly."

"I know his location."

Azzanadra turned to look at Khazard, who had apparently come up behind him at some point. "Oh, do you?"

Khazard nodded.

"And why would you tell us?"

Khazard smiled, an expression that seemed as though it was supposed to be sly and menacing but looked a bit more like the expression of someone who had a very inquisitive dentist. "I don't know. Why would I?"

Oh, mighty Zaros, Azzanadra thought in vexation. Do I really have to deal with this?

He looked to Akthanakos for help, but the other Zarosian was looking back at him, apparently waiting for him to deal with situation.

I need a clever lie. What would work? Damn it, this is what Sliske is good for.

"Well," he said, "you see… um…" Stop stalling. Stop stalling. Clever lie… "We're… on board with sacrificing him in the Ritual. If you tell us where he is, we won't vote for you instead."

He held his face as still as he could, trying not to show the triumph that he felt at actually coming up with something.

Khazard's eyes narrowed. Azzanadra hoped that it was because he was thinking very hard and not because he could see straight through Azzanadra's only-somewhat-clever lie.

After a very long, rather tense moment, Khazard told them.

Enakhra scowled as she landed on soggy ground, the foul stink of marsh assaulting her nasal passages unpleasantly. She glanced around and was momentarily worried that Sliske had been going somewhere else after all. Then she spotted him, a short way off and picking his way through the squashy tufts of weed. Almost as soon as she looked his way, he looked back. She supposed he must have sensed her teleport.

Feeling a bit silly, she lifted her hand in a small wave.

He frowned and started making his way back toward her. "What are you doing here?"

She felt water begin to seep into her boot, and tried to shift surreptitiously to dryer land as she replied, "I have a proposal for you."

"I see." Sliske's expression was not exactly alight with anticipation, but he didn't seem completely disinterested. Enakhra took this as a good sign. "I suppose it's something that I'm not necessarily going to like, but that I might see the pragmatism in, yes?"

"Well…"

"I thought so." He sighed. "Go ahead. Let's hear it."

Oh gods. Her foot was sinking. "Is there somewhere else we can talk?"

"No."

She shot him a dirty look. He seemed far too pleased about that syllable. "Fine."

Ice wasn't her strongest magic, but she had plenty of skill to freeze the area beneath her feet. Unfortunately, she also froze the edge of her boot. Wonderful. Now I'm going to get frostbite.

She did her best to pretend that her foot wasn't slowly losing all of its feeling as she gathered her thoughts and attempted to put together a compelling persuasion.

"I believe I am correct in saying that Lucien left shortly after we did," she said. Sliske made no indication that she was, so she assumed that he would have corrected her if she hadn't been and continued. "He has the Staff of Armadyl, and, as we all know, that happens to be a rather important item. There's a very good chance that possessing it could possibly turn things in one's favor."

"If you're about to suggest that I help you retrieve the Staff so that you can give it to your inept leader," Sliske said distastefully, "then you are entirely wasting your time."

Enakhra stoically held back all of the responses she had for "inept". "Of course not. I'm not an idiot."

"That is debatable."

Oh, he is just… She took a deep breath. "I didn't come here to trade insults, Sliske. My suggestion is that we find Lucien and relieve him of the Staff. Then we destroy it."

Sliske's eyebrows rose slightly. "I'll admit that I was not expecting you to say that. Probably because that is an utterly daft idea."

"Why?" she asked challengingly. "You don't think that maybe we've all gotten a little too caught up in the Staff drama? That maybe we should just get it over with? We both know that Lucien isn't planning anything that would help either of our sides, and I personally think that Zamorak and Zaros would prefer to fight it out honestly, without any tricks."

"Zaros, maybe," Sliske said. "Zamorak… never. He loves his tricks."

"He also loves the challenge of finding out once and for all who is greater," Enakhra returned. "The Staff won't help him do that. It's only going to get in the way, and I think that we should fix that. Otherwise Lucien will show up later and turn everything upside-down at the worst possible moment, I'm sure."

She could see in his eyes that he didn't believe her for a second. He knew that Zamorak wanted her to get the Staff, but she was certain that he also knew Lucien couldn't be allowed to keep it. As long as he agreed for now, she could deal with later when it came.

"Alright," he said at last. "I'll help you."

Enakhra smiled.

A/N: Review because I didn't keep you waiting for months this time?