Chapter 44

Ifan stood alone in the center of the leafy platform with his hands on his hips. I slowly approached him and placed my hand on his shoulder. Thankfully, he didn't shrug my hand away. Instead, he turned his head up to me. His eyes were wet and empty. But when he looked up at me, I could see something spark inside them. Like my gaze reignited something inside of him.

"Did you-" he stumbled on his words trying to subdue his sobs. "-mean what you said?"

I lowered myself to my knees, my head now level with his. I gently grasped his arms and looked deep into his wet eyes.

"Every word," I said with confidence.

His eyes and lips winced. The wetness of his eyes flowed out as two tears escaped from them. He looked away for a moment.

"You… you have a lot of courage to put your faith in me," he said. "Even after what I unintentionally did to my family, I've done…questionable things as a Lone Wolf."

He looked over at Sebille. He was no doubt thinking about what a mistake it was to partner up with the man who violently abused the elven girl before she was sent to the Master. I brought my hand to his check and pulled his gaze away from her to look at me.

"Well, I don't see that man standing before me right now," I said. "I see someone who's been there for his friends and is willing to offer help to those in need."

Ifan continued to look at me through his tear-soaked eyes. He squinted as the tears began to flow again. He dropped to his knees and buried his face into my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around him and rested my chin on his back. I kept holding on to him as he sobbed. Like how he was there for me when I cried after our ordeal with Ryker, I was here for him. After a few minutes, Ifan managed to take a few breaths and contain the sobs. He brought his head back and I did the same. When I looked at him, his face still wore the streaks of the tears he shed. But his eyes showed he was slowly recovering. I could even see a trace of affection in them.

"Not that I want to intrude on this tender moment," I heard the Red Prince say. We glanced at him for a moment. Ifan nodded at me, telling me he was going to be okay. I nodded back and we both got to our feet. Everyone turned their attention to the Red Prince.

"I apologize. But I must question why you've concluded to ally ourselves with Alexander. If you ask me, I personally don't want to run the risk of seeing that twat ruling over our world."

Everyone's eyes moved to me. When I looked at Ifan's gaze, I didn't see the accusatory look I expected him to give me. Instead, his eyes were ones of concern. I took a breath and explained myself.

"The way I see it, it's either siding with Alexander or the Sallow Man. I know for sure I'm not going to risk allying with the people who want our destruction. So, I figured having Alexander unlock the council for us is the better option."

The Red Prince brought his finger to his lips and pondered my response.

"But what about searching the island for clues to open it ourselves?" Sebille asked me.

"That would take a lot more time and the more time we waste, the more people continue to die from the Voidwoken," I paused for a moment. "Also, I think it'll be an opportunity to show Alexander's followers the folly of following him when one of us takes the title right in front of him."

The Red Prince raised his eyebrows.

"Revenge through humiliation," the Red Prince said. "Quite the poetic conclusion for a brat such as him."

"And if he does turn his back on us," I continued. "We're more than capable taking him and his guards on ourselves. But I really hope that doesn't happen because Del will be caught in the crossfire."

I could hear Sebille exhale a soft chuckle under her breath. I turned my attention to Ifan. His eyes were still red but no longer wet. He put his hands on his hips and sighed.

"I can't forgive Alexander for what happened. But you've been here for me. I can trust you with your judgement here. If you want to spare the lives of those Magisters and Paladins, I'll stand by that. But once we get inside, I will do everything in my power to keep Alexander from finishing first."

"Don't worry," I said with a confident smile. "We've been through hell and back several times. I think we have what it takes to face Alexander so long as we work together."

I put my hand out in front of Sebille and the Red Prince.

"Are we a team?" I asked.

Sebille cast her sly grin and placed her hand on mine. The Red Prince cast his own sly grin and placed it on top of Sebille's. Ifan gave me a trusting look before grinning himself. He placed his hand on top.

"To Divinity," I said.

"To Divinity," they repeated.

We threw our hands into the air, ready for what came next. Surprisingly, that next part wasn't the one we were expecting. From nearby, a female elf walked up to us. She wore an extravagant dress of branches and leaves.

"I am the Scion of the Mother Tree," she bowed before us. "Her heart speaks through me."

Instinctively, I took a step to the side so that I was between her and Sebille.

"Did you want something from us?" I asked the Scion. She nodded.

"The Mother is in danger. A shadow hunts her. You must rid us of the shadow. The Shadow Prince is on this island, seeking our annihilation."

Both the Red Prince and Sebille stepped in front of me.

"Where is he?" they asked in unison. The Scion had a hesitant look on her face when her eyes graced the Red Prince, but it returned to normal when she addressed Sebille directly.

"He is a lizard. No doubt he slithers close to the temple of his fork-tongued goddess."

She turned around and pointed through the branches. In the distance, passed the side of the mountain, there were ruins of a shrine where the lava from the volcano flowed directly under.

"It is time for vengeance," the Scion continued with her eye on Sebille. "You must cut off its breath, then bring me its heart! But beware, for he brings the shadows with him."

Sebille made a glance up at the Red Prince. They shared a smug grin. Sebille then nodded to the Scion. She replied with a nod and retreated from where she came. When Sebille and the Red Prince looked at me, they all had the same look in their eyes.

"We'll confront the Shadow Prince right away," I said. Both elf and lizard bowed their heads gratefully. The Red Prince then glanced at Sebille.

"Once I get him to tell me where Sadha is, you are free to skewer the bastard how you see fit. Deal?"

"Deal," Sebille replied. But then her smug grin disappeared when she looked over at me with a concerned look. "Are you ready for this?"

I heard the song return to my head, along with the dreadful feelings I harbored when I sung it. I took a deep breath.

"I'll do what needs to be done," I said. Sebille gave me a reassuring nod.

"You ready, Ifan?" Sebille asked him.

Ifan took a very deep breath and composed himself.

"I'm more than happy to put a twisted mastermind in the ground to help a friend."

Sebille nodded her appreciation.

"But wait," I said. "Once we deal with him, we'll need to come back here and deal with… the Mother Tree."

There was a pause within the group.

"We-" Sebile spoke. "Or rather, I, will deal with that problem when we get back. Right now, we should focus on the Master and the Sallow Man. Good?"

I kept a concerned eye on Sebille for a moment before looked at the nearby branches. I was very concerned about what was going to happen with my knowledge of what the Mother Tree intended to do should her power return. But I told myself we were going to address that problem when we got to it. I took a breath and answered Sebille.

"Good."

She looked to Ifan.

"Good," he said.

Then the Red Prince.

"Good," he said.

Sebille smiled.

"Off we go then."

She led the way back to the side entrance. Before we descended the vines, I whistled the tune to the elf guard who acknowledged it was correct for our return. Once at the bottom, the vines were pulled up. Before we moved further, Sebille placed her pyramid behind one of the nearby rocks.

"A little shortcut to get us back when we finish our business on the other side of the island," she said.

"Good thinking," the Red Prince said. "Now, off we go."


After trekking through the overgrown ruins for an hour, and evading several Black Ring patrols, we arrived at the edge of the temple of Zorl-stissa. The temple was in ruins with streams of lava flowing down the volcano right underneath everything. Somewhere in the middle of it was the Shadow Prince.

"We're going to need a plan," I said.

"I have a few ideas," Ifan said.

"Then let's share them," the Red Prince said.

We huddled together and got to work.

Several minutes later, I took out a scarf I took off a dead Magister and wrapped it around my neck, concealing my amulet. The Red Prince walked in front with me by his side while Ifan and Sebille followed behind. We crossed a decayed stone bridge stretching over a stream of lava. The heat from the lava was very hot. I imagined Ifan and Sebille were, as humans would say, sweating like pigs. Which was an odd saying because pigs didn't really sweat. Regardless, we made it across the bridge to find ourselves in a large courtyard. Ahead of us was an altar of sorts. But what drew our attention was the wall to our left. Specifically, the small archway running through it to a new section of the ruins. We couldn't see what was on the other side, but we heard something from behind the wall. It was the tune of Sebille's slave song. The Shadow Prince was behind the wall.

I signaled Ifan and Sebille. They moved to the side of the wall out of sight. Meanwhile the Red Prince looked over at me and gave me a nod. I nodded in return and followed him into the archway. When we emerged to the other side, we found ourselves standing in the middle of another large courtyard surrounded by large pillars stretching high above. Most of them were broken, but one in the far-left corner was still intact. Behind us, two elevated platforms emerged from the wall. Around the courtyard was a cliff that lead to streams of lava below. And right in the middle of the courtyard was a large red tent along with several Black Ring corpses laying dead in a pile to our left.

Sitting in a wooden chair in front of the tent was a lizard. A lizard with scales of pitch black. When he sensed us approach, he opened his eyes to reveal two dark pupils with small splinters of yellow surrounding them. We stopped and his gaze locked on both of us. A shadowy grin grew on the edges of his mouth. He stood from his chair and astutely walked to us. He stood directly before the Red Prince. Both men looked at each other as if they were looking in a mirror. A prince of bright red and a prince of dark shadow. I stood to the right of them watching them stare at each other.

"Red Prince. At last we meet."

The Shadow Prince's voice reflected his appearance. Dark, menacing, yet alluring and seductive in a way. He then bowed with the deference of a noble among nobles: swinging ever so playfully between sincerity and sarcasm.

"The Shadow Prince," the Red Prince replied crossing his arms. Rather than his cocky demeanor he had when I first met him, he had a much more composed and cooler attitude. "I must say I'm not too pleased to have to meet you in the flesh."

"It is understandable," the Shadow Prince replied. "But for me, it is a pleasure to meet you with your awareness of my presence. How often I've stood by you but an arm's length away, a shadow within the shadows: untouchable. Almost like meeting an old friend."

The Red Prince cocked his head. He kept his sharp eyes narrowed on him not breaking eye contact once. The Shadow Prince continued.

"I suppose I should start with an apology for the attempts on your life. Talk about getting off on the wrong foot, wouldn't you say?"

"Failed attempts remember?" the Red Prince coolly replied. "They were nothing I nor my faithful follower here couldn't handle."

The Shadow Prince's gaze rested on me. When I looked into his eyes, I felt as if he was evaluating me. I kept my cool not breaking my gaze from him.

"You must be…" the Shadow Prince narrowed his eyes before they widened when he realized who I was. "Mahalia. Sourcerer and aspiring diplomate of the House of Law. Daughter of merchants Riza and Kella. Highest honor student of the academy and betrothed to the noble Brell."

I tilted my head.

"You're very well informed," I said crossing my own arms.

"It is my duty to know things," the Shadow Prince replied. "For without knowledge, there would be chaos, both within and out of the Empire."

He then returned his gaze to the Red Prince.

"And with knowledge, I had to act."

He crossed his arms and started to pace in front of us.

"If things were different, I would have been content to let you live, my dear Prince. Let you play the emperor from your golden throne in your golden city. Alas, certain events beyond even my control were set in motion. Ripples became waves. And so, I arranged for you to meet with an unfortunate, self-inflicted end."

The Prince raised his brows and so did I.

"Did you expect me to have my throat torn out by my playmate?" he replied. "Or did you hope I would survive and become exiled so you could have your lackeys finish me off then?"

"I will admit there are margins of error to compensate for. But under the current circumstances, after what you put in motion despite my best efforts, I believe there's an opportunity that can happen without the need for your death."

"Do tell," the Red Prince said narrowing his eyes. The Shadow Prince sighed and continued to pace again.

"It's almost a pity we find ourselves on such opposite sides. All because of who you are, and all because of who she is. It was Sadha who set events in motion, Red Prince. If you were the ripple, she was the wave. She's a tidal wave that will take wing, become a murder of dragons, red as the setting sun that will alight every corner of this world with the terrible splendor of fire."

I tilted my head.

"So, you're against the idea of our people becoming dragons again?" I asked.

"Quite so," he replied. "For it is murder they would commit, and it would be murder that would be committed upon them."

"How so?" I asked.

"When our people were dragons, the power we had was the jealousy that all other races united against us. They brought us to the brink of extinction. No-one knows what happened next. Was it wizardry? Was it Zorl-Stissa who took mercy on us even then? Suddenly we were dragons no more. Lizards instead. And as lizards we flourished and built an empire once more."

It was just as the Red Prince predicted the day after I scolded him.

"But the House of Dreams trades in prophecy," the Shadow Prince continued. "They've always known we could be dragons again, for 'one day a man and woman will be born, and their skin will be red, and the fruit of their union will be Great Red Dragons'."

I looked over at the Red Prince. He made a sideways glance at me without any indication of his feelings about the prophecy he was a part of.

"And what right do you have to interfere with our people's destiny?" the Red Prince said. The Shadow Prince's eyes narrowed. I could sense his irritation.

"Listen to me!" he said raising a single finger. "I am the House of Shadows. This is my role. I see the great games in motion: allow them their flux when they advance for good, cut them short when they advance for evil, even if that means doing evil."

It took a great effort from me to not roll my eyes.

"The renaissance of dragons would spell the end of our race, plain and simple. To that end I needed you to die, but you proved to be all too worthy an opponent. An opponent I would not see an ally."

The Shadow Prince took a step closer to the Red Prince.

"Ally with me, Red Prince. Find Sadha… and kill her. If she births dragons, all other races will unite against us. And this time, they will destroy us for good. We were spared last time. The condition of our continued existence was that we'd never let the dragon roar again."

I looked over at the Red Prince and he looked over at me. I said nothing but gave a look of 'how do you want to go about this?' Eventually, the Red Prince grinned smugly and shook his head. He brought his hand to his chest and presented himself proudly to his audience of one.

"I am the Red Prince. Your role in this story is over. I am its sole protagonist. Sadha may indeed be dangerous. I may decide she must die; I may not. But it will be my decision. You're out of options, master of shadows. Tell me where she is."

The Shadow Prince's stone face of confidence cracked. I could tell the Red Prince had checkmated his opponent by calling his bluff.

"I truly have no choice, have I?" The Shadow Prince tightened his fist. He was defeated at this part of the game he played. I could tell it did not sit well for him.

"Very well: I must put the fate of all lizards in your hands. But beware, Sadha is ultimately dangerous. Not only will she be the mother of dragons, I fear she's fallen in with an old enemy. Them."

He pointed to the pile of Black Ring corpses to the side.

"Yes," I said. "We've put two and two together and figured out she's sworn to the God King."

"I applaud you for figuring it out on your own," the Shadow Prince said. "But if you are to find Sadha, you may need to use the Black Ring's magic. Particularly the magic that pertains to the creature that leads these cultists at this moment."

"The Sallow Man?" I said.

"Indeed," the Shadow Prince replied.

"Well, that's convenient because we're in the process of finding him now. It would most certainly help us if you knew exactly where we can find him. Can you help us?"

The Shadow Prince looked to the hills around the mountain past the lava flow. He pointed at them.

"From what I've learned, the Sallow Man hides in a cave alongside the mountain guarded by an entourage of the Black Ring's most devoted followers."

He looked directly at the Red Prince.

"If you manage to get in, either with bloodshed, evasion or your words, you'll need to look into one of his mirrors. Mirrors like his will read your mind and show you what you desire. A word of warning though: he is like a shred of nightmare ripped from the dream realm, set loose in reality."

I relaxed my stance.

"The two of us have faced monsters and demons alike," I said. "I'm sure we can handle another monster with the proper preparation."

The Shadow Prince looked over at me with intrigue.

"I admire your confidence, dear Mahalia. You seem to have inherited quite the resolve in your travels. From what I've learned, you've never left the Empire prior to your departure for Arx and never was forced to take a life either in defense or by choice.

I smirked.

"Being thrust into the unorganized world tends to do that to people. I'm alive now because I learned what needs to be done."

"Hmmm," the Shadow Prince gave me a pondering gaze. "In that case, despite our differences with you aiding the Red Prince, I believe we can work together for something different. Something that needs to be done for the greater good."

I made a glance at the Red Prince. He nodded his head and took a step back to pardon himself.

"Are you talking about the Mother Tree?" I asked the Shadow Prince. He raised his eyebrows.

"Do I need to give you a full explanation of what the Mother Tree is?" he asked.

"I think I know enough," I said. "Speaking of which, I believe I have something of yours."

I turned my head back to the archway and whistled loudly. A moment later, Ifan and Sebille emerged. Sebille's hands were bound behind her back by a rope while Ifan held her. He walked her over to me and the Red Prince. He put her onto her knees and took a step back. The Shadow Prince walked over and stood several paces in front of the kneeling captive. I watched as Sebille lifted her head and her eyes locked onto her prey. The eyes of predators locked with one another.

"Sebille," the Shadow Prince said. His voice sounded like a disturbed father happy to see his beloved child again.

Sebille narrowed her eyes, sharp anger burning within. Suddenly, she leapt onto her feet, her bound hands brought in front of her. Ifan lunged himself at her, but Sebille was too fast. With speed and grace, she twirled her body around Ifan, planting precise jabs into him while drawing a knife from his belt. She kicked him to the ground and, with a single slice, cut the rope freeing her hands. She lunged right at the Shadow Prince. I reached for my wand and the Red Prince drew his sword. But the Shadow Prince did not move and simply snapped his fingers.

Sebille froze, merely feet away from the Shadow Prince. The Red Prince and I froze too. But unlike us, Sebille froze involuntarily. She dropped the dagger and stood at attention. Her face was contorted with anger and frustration. She gritted her teeth while giving me a begrudging look. The Red Prince and I holstered our weapons and watched the scene play out.

"Here you go breaking my heart," the Shadow Prince sighed.

Sebille's body shook, as if to unfreeze herself but to no avail. Ifan walked to my side, rubbing the bloody nose Sebille gave him. The Shadow Prince looked over at me.

"How exactly did you come across my treasured assassin?"

"She said she needed help to find you while putting a needle to my throat. So, I decided to play along with my Lone Wolf here after I learned of her true purpose."

The Shadow Prince looked back at Sebille in surprise.

"Ah. So, you finally remember, child."

"I remembered the horrible pain you've caused me," Sebille said through her gritted teeth. She looked down at her scar. "I remember Stingtail burning your brand into my flesh while you stood and watched."

She slowly regained control of her hand and drew her needle from her belt. She looked down at it through her grimaced face.

"I remember the first kill: how she screamed as I plunged this into her again and again until her screams were no more."

She locked her gaze onto the Shadow Prince once again.

"I remember how I crawled back into the box and your voice telling me I did well but next time I would do better."

She took a step forward. Her arm was pulled back, ready to thrust her needle forward. But she wouldn't be able to. With another snap, the Shadow Prince forced her to attention again. She kept her needle in her fingers but was unable to move it. The Shadow Prince's face showed disappointment. He closed the distance between them and looked down into her eyes. Slowly, he brought up his hand and placed it onto her unscarred cheek. Even from where I stood, I could feel the cold of his touch creep down my spine.

"I don't begrudge you your freedom, Sebille," he said. Sebille managed to pull her cheek away from his hand but could move nothing else. The Shadow Prince started to walk around her slowly now.

"Your escape relieved me of having to witness your death by your own hand: the inevitable last command. I would have watched you, like I have all this time, glad to see you live, sometimes even laugh."

He stood before her again looking deep into her eyes.

"I'm very fond of you, you know," he said.

Sebille's body fidgeted again. The hate in her eyes burned hot.

"The feeling's not quite mutual."

Her hand holding her needle slowly moved. Once again, she was gaining control of her body.

"Not yet."

With another snap, this time from a different finger, Sebille fell to one knee. She was bowing before him. The Shadow Prince glanced over at me.

"My apologies," he bobbed his head courteously to me and the Red Prince in turn. "It has been so long since I have seen my most treasured assassin again."

"Mmmm," I said. "I understand. However, can we get to the proposal you have for me before you continue with your reunion spiel?"

The Shadow Prince looked down at his slave, assessing the control he had over her before walking over to me.

"So, you know about the Mother Tree's ultimate plan, do you?"

"She wants to have her roots spread and destroy everything that isn't elf?" I replied.

"That is the basic summery," he said. "But there are some details that need to be said so you may understand."

He took a step back and showed his hand to Sebille.

"She is the Prime Scion. For it had to be her. The other Scions knew and welcomed her: they sought out their own killer. It was all so very elegant. What I did had to be done. I had to be the orchestrator, for I am the House of Shadows. I am the fate-weaver. I am the hand that guides a blind world."

"Get to the point," I said with slight impatience.

"The point is the Mother Tree and her Scions do not seek to carve out their own part of the peace in this world, they seek to carve out the whole wide world for themselves. They want their roots to conquer every last inch of Rivellon. World domination. The prevalence of one race over all others, that is what they desire. That is what I counteract."

"And you want us finish what you've started?" I said.

He gracefully bowed before me and produced something from his pocket. He brought his hand up to reveal something familiar.

"Take this to the Heart of the Mother Tree. Once it is set, a barrel of deathfog with emerge and destroy the Mother Tree once and for all. Once it is done, the world will be safe from the destruction that would be brought by her and her Scions."

My eyes narrowed at the same device Ifan destroyed in the Caves of Reaper's coast. I stared at the device for a while, pondering what I was to do if I accepted.

"I've learned a lot from my time outside the Empire," I said. "Before, I believed talking and negotiating to people was the ideal way to achieve prosperity."

I slowly lifted my hand and took the device from his cold hand. I continued to look at it.

"But now, I've learned some people cannot be reasoned with. If the world is to be safe, some sacrifices must be made."

I looked up at the Shadow Prince.

"If there's no other way to save people who'll inevitably be killed, then I'll do what I must."

I opened my backpack and dropped the device into it. The Shadow Prince wore a pleased smile on his face.

"I am glad you see it my way," the Shadow Prince said.

"Yes, well… if you don't mind, I think I'll leave you to handle your slave as you wish. The Red Prince and I have business to attend to."

"Of course," the Shadow Prince said. "We all have our part to play."

He bowed to me. He looked over at the Red Prince.

"I do hope you will have the wisdom to become the savior of all lizards, dear prince. Go now and become the true emperor of our people."

The Red Prince simply gave a curt nod. He looked over at me and I nodded to him.

"Thank you for your assistance," I said. "I hope we speak again in the future."

"I most certainly hope so," the Shadow Prince bowed. I turned around along with the Red Prince. As we slowly walked toward the exit, with Ifan following by my side, I heard the Shadow Prince snap his fingers again and speak to his slave.

"I hope you understand that I have truly redeemed you from a killer of millions to the savior of millions."

I looked down at Ifan walking between me and the Red Prince.

"I don't begrudge you your freedom, Sebille. But alas, now that you are here, you leave me no choice."

Ifan looked up at me from below the enchanted cowl. He whispered.

"One on each platform. One on the pillar. Two flanking both sides."

I looked at the Red Prince. He narrowed his eyes.

"Goodbye, my child."

We stopped.

"Sebille, sh'ialyinou."

I spun around to see the Shadow Prince hesitate as my voice contested his. I sung the last verse with the volume of an opera singer.

"SEBILLE, NA CHARLEN DE'VOT!"


Author's Note:

Accompanying music: The Night King – Ramin Djawadi

To address some criticism I received, I chose to side with Alexander on this because, like everything else I've done in this story, I'm looking to cut out all the unnecessary padding with the exception of some side plots that'll come into play later. Since the game offered this blatant shortcut, I'm going to take it. But I will ask, did I give a compelling reason why my characters would go through with this?

The next chapter is already in the works. Hold tight. It'll be out by Saturday.

As always, thank you for reading my story and a review goes a long way. See you next chapter.