Chapter 46

The cave was indeed guarded by at least eight Black Ring cultists. They stood around chanting in their demented tongue. They were all humans. But the one that caught my eye was extremely large, obese in fact, and heavily armored with a large hammer on his back. He had a bald head and a discerning look in his eye. Despite this, I walked out with the rest of my company behind me. All eight cultists looked our way. The obese cultist was the one to address me.

"Do you sssserve the God King, ssscum?" he said with a serpent-like hiss. If he were an ordinary human, I would have interpreted that hiss as a mockery of lizard speech.

"We're here at the behest of Almira," I said slipping into the groove of my persona. Firm, yet having some leeway to give the impression we were under the influence of a succubus. It seemed to work because the bald cultist raised his brows.

"You ssserve the great Almira?!" he asked. I nodded my head along with the others. "The Sssallow Man will want to ssspeak with you. Take thisss…"

He reached behind him to present a hand mirror to me. It was completely black, like the mirror at the Lumbermill but only smaller. Staying in character, I took the mirror and looked into it. At first, the glass was black. Then a sickly haze formed, like sand upon a pond. The haze shimmered and became a face. An imp-like face looking straight at me. From the look he gave alone, I could feel his hate pour into me. He didn't speak a word, but I felt him ask a question in my head.

Who are you?

I kept my composure and responded with a strong voice in my head.

I am a servant of Lady Almira. She told me to assist you.

The hate and suspicion of the creature suddenly eased. He bought my bluff. A moment later, he sent more thoughts into my head.

Alexander! His head! Bring it to me! Do it and I will give you what you desire. A new you. All of your flaws, gone forever! Do this, and you will have it!

A moment later, his image faded back to black. I exhaled and put the mirror down.

"What did Sssallow say?" the obese Black Ring cultist said. I kept my composure and responded.

"He wants us to deliver Alexander's head to him."

"You?!" the cultist said in surprise. "We were to get hissss head. But the ssshreikers made it impossible to get to him. Now, we are ordered to ssssstand here."

I could sense his jealousy slowly turning to rage.

"Well I apologize that you won't get your chance because we've already got is head."

I shook my backpack with my shoulders. He tilted his head in disbelief.

"I suggest you get out of the way," I said. "We'd like to present his head in good condition to the Sallow Man."

He stared at me for a moment. The other cultist crept closer with their hands ready to draw their weapons. I could feel the tension in my stomach build but my training kept it from affecting my persona. A moment later, the obese cultist raised his hand signaling the others to be at ease. He then stepped aside leaving the path to the cave wide open.

"You may passsssss," he said with a polite gesture. I nodded in return.

"The mistress thanks you," I said.

"Sssssshe is mosssst welcome," he bowed his head.

Without hesitation, the four of us walked past the cultists into the cave. We exhaled in relief once we were out of earshot.

"What did you see in that mirror?" the Red Prince asked me.

"I saw the Sallow Man," I said. "He wanted us to kill Alexander and bring his head to him."

I looked over at Ifan with the enchanted cowl brought back over his head.

"But I don't think we're going to need to do that since we're here already."

"But is that the only thing you saw?" the Red Prince asked.

I glanced at the mirror again before I put it onto the ground.

"I don't think this is the correct mirror. I think the one we're looking for is like the one Ifan looked at when we were at the Lumbermill."

"Oh," the Red Prince said. "Then we've no time to waste then."

We looked deeper into the cave. The cave itself was short with a large crevasse blocked by a large boulder. In front of the boulder was an altar of sorts with two candles that lit as soon as we got close. I could see a diamond shaped indent in the center, most likely the place to put Alexander's head. But we had a heart of a lizard instead.

"See anything?" I asked Ifan.

He looked around with cowl over his head. A moment later, he walked past the altar to the boulder. He reached out to touch it. But instead, his hand passed through it. It wasn't a boulder; it was an illusion. He looked back at the rest of us and gestured us to follow. We did so, passing through the boulder one by one. Once we were all through, we found ourselves in a tunnel that led to a left turn. We followed it, keeping our footsteps quiet. When we turned the corner, we found ourselves on a ledge overlooking a large underground room with architecture not unlike the Temple of Zorl-stissa. We crawled to the edge and observed the chamber. There were several elements of a camp strewn about, with tables, chairs and maps. But to my surprise, it looked empty. No one was here. At least it looked that way.

I looked over at Ifan. He looked over the scene a moment more before he crawled back from the ledge. He huddled us together and whispered about what he saw. Five minutes later, the Red Prince walked down the slope to the left leading down into the chamber alone. He kept his wits about him, keeping a keen eye out. When he made it to the bottom and reached the center of the chamber, a tall, skinny man appeared before him. His skin was the color of leaves in late autumn mixed with shades of mossy green. His face was the same as it was in the mirror; an impish appearance with two burning green eyes. It was the Sallow Man for sure. The Red Prince stood firm looking at the monster. The Sallow Man raised his slender hand to the Prince, the nails on each finger razor sharp.

"Now," Ifan whispered to me.

I stood up on the ledge and waved my arms. From a corner of the compound, an oil barrel disappeared and reappeared just behind the Sallow Man. Ifan's aim was dead on when his fire arrow hit the barrel just as it was about to hit the floor. The fire erupted enveloping the Sallow Man along with three Black ring cultists who were invisible just a moment ago.

The Red Prince drew his sword and shield. He tuned to his right and channeled a wade of source into his arms. With all his might, leapt into the air and slammed his sword into the ground. A shockwave coursed though the ground in a wave in front of him. Two cultists appeared and were knocked off their feet to the ground. The Red Prince wasted no time and immediately rushed over to skewer his venerable opponents.

On another ledge on the left side of the compound, Sebille emerged from behind a stack of crates and brought her blades down on a spot near the edge. A cultist spellcaster appeared and Sebille maneuvered her daggers to the cultist's throat.

Meanwhile, I channeled my source and unleashed a large beam of lightning at the exact spot Ifan told me to aim several paces behind the Red Prince. The lightning hit its mark as another cultist appeared flailing his arms in shock. The lightning then jumped from him to another cultist that appeared followed by another.

Sebille leapt off the leftside ledge and landed onto the third cultist, forcing him to the ground before stabbing him in the back of the neck. She then rolled off her victim and maneuvered herself to the second electrified cultist. Before the cultist recovered from the shock, Sebille pressed her daggers to the cultist's neck. She sliced his throat open, his blood gushing out as he fell to his knees. She didn't need to worry about the last cultist in line because Ifan wedged a perfect arrow through the cultist's head causing him to fall to his knees too.

That was all the Sallow Man's bodyguards dealt with from what Ifan saw through the cowl. I immediately took ahold of Ifan and carried him into the air with my wings. We floated down to the ground just as the Red Prince and Sebille came together before the flames Ifan set at the start with my help. I let Ifan go and retracted my wings. All four of us stood in ready position as the flames died down.

The Sallow Man was still alive. His entire body was burned to a crisp. All his brown and green skin was charred back. But his eyes still burned green with rage.

You will die for your deception!

His thoughts burned into my head. Along with his words, I felt his intentions. I knew what he was going to do once he defeated us. He lifted his hands left and right. In a flash of green, a thick haze enveloped us. I couldn't see anything around me. Not even my companions. I could breath okay in the haze, but I felt myself get nervous as I felt exposed. I thought about launching myself into the air to get clear. But something caught my attention.

"Mahailia, behind!" I heard Ifan's voice shout to my right. Instinctively, I ignited my whip and swung it behind me. I saw the chain gaze against the outline of the Sallow Man. But as soon as I saw him, he disappeared into the haze. Again, I was looking around me to see where the Sallow Man would strike next.

"Red, left!" Ifan shouted again. From somewhere in the haze, I heard a clang of metal. I only hoped it was the Red Prince blocking the Sallow Man's attack. I realized Ifan was calling out the Sallow Man's attacks with the cowl to see through the haze.

"Sebille, duck!"

I heard something slimy whiz through the air and land far away. A silence followed. I kept my senses alert, waiting for Ifan's next call. But I heard Ifan grunt as I heard him roll to my left. I realized that the Sallow Man was going after Ifan to stop his use of the cowl. I crept through the haze towards where I heard Ifan last. When I got there, I felt Ifan's hand on my arm. Once I was oriented with Ifan's direction, I stood in front of him.

"Direct my shot," I whispered so only he could hear. I inhaled and held my breath. I waited a second. Then two. Then three. Then f-

"Left!"

I twisted myself to the left and unleashed my new ability thanks to my amulet. The lightning flowed from my maw and enveloped the Sallow Man. To my surprise, Sallow Man didn't retreat into the fog. Instead, he was stunned in the electrified cloud. When the cloud dissipated, I caught the vague outline of Sebille leaping onto the Sallow Man from behind him. A moment later, I felt the body of a lizard dash past me. What followed was a series of slices and bashes against bare flesh. I only stood there with Ifan holding my arm unable to intervene without having my partners getting caught in the crossfire of my magic. But my worries were alleviated when in a whoosh, the haze was lifted. I looked behind me to see Ifan's face under the cowl. He let go of my arm and exhaled.

"You good?" He asked.

"Yes," I said. I looked in front of me to see the cause of the haze being lifted. A lizard and an elf stood over the corpse of the Sallow Man with proud smiles on their faces. Not only that, but the lizard held the head of the Sallow Man in his hand.

"Your communication skills on the battlefield proceeds you, Ifan," the Red Prince said.

"You're welcome," Ifan replied.

The Red Prince smiled back at him. But his smile disappeared when he looked around the room. A look of concern came over him.

"I don't see any mirrors here," he said.

I looked around the room myself. He was right. There weren't any mirrors like we saw at the Lumbermill.

"Perhaps they're further in," Ifan said pointing at stone doorway at the back wall of the chamber. The Red Prince felt some relief come over him.

"Maybe that's what this unlocks," Sebille said. When we looked at her, she was standing over one of the nearby cultist's corpses with a newly acquired key in her hand.

"Let's find out," I said with a gesture to lead the way. Sebille did so. She put the key into the lock and the door swung right open. Sebille walked in first followed by the rest of us. The short tunnel lead to another room. A room about half the size of the previous chamber. It was a makeshift study of sorts. There were bookshelves, candles and torches everywhere. Straight ahead was a desk and behind that, the dark mirror the Red Prince was looking for. But there was something else between us and the desk. Or rather, someone.

"Oh, Godwoken – such a pleasure! Did you miss me? Wait! Don't answer that. Of course you did."

The voice was unmistakable. I stood in front of everyone to address the skeleton.

"Windigo," I said crossing my arms. "I was wondering if you were ever going to come back to make life more difficult for us the four of us."

The undead witch leaned forward, her white hair waving from her nonexistent scalp.

"My Lord's given me another chance; such is his grace and wisdom," she said proudly. "As for you, well – you're out of chances. How many you had by now, I wonder. Two? Three? A hundred? It must all be a blur for you!"

When we encountered her outside Fort Joy, I remember feeling intimidated by her presence. But now, I only felt mildly annoyed. She wasn't a threat anymore, only an inconvenience.

"Will it be worth it, though?" I said. "You know we're more powerful and you're going to lose harder this time. We don't have to fight this time."

The skeleton gritted her teeth.

"By all means. Sheathe your weapons. Sway me with reason. Why not lay out a picnic, while you're at it? We'll be best friends in no time."

Her bony hands ignited, one with fire and the other with lighting.

"You do way too much talking and not enough dy-."

I stepped to the side. Ifan launched an explosive arrow at the skeleton. It landed square into her chest and exploded. An eruption of bones ensued, sending bits and pieces everywhere. When the smoke cleared, the mangled remains off the witch was on the ground in front of the desk. Her skull was still intact but attached to her neck at an odd angle. She turned her skull to look at me.

"Every time. Every time, Godwoken!" She shouted in what I could only describe as desperate anger. "Why. Can't. I. Just. KILL YOU?!"

It felt pitiful seeing her like this. Her skull tilted away and looked up at the ceiling of the cave.

"It doesn't matter," she said in a familiar obsessive manner. "He'll fetch me, like he always has. He won't deny me his glory, his presence, his scent…"

With that, her bones, both near and far, all dissolved in the same green light when she disappeared the first time. She was gone. For now.

"How many more times until she gives up?" I asked.

"Hopefully this was the last one," the Red Prince said.

With the immediate threat dealt with, his eyes rested on the dark mirror. He handed the head of the Sallow Man to Sebille and walked around the desk to stand directly before it. I walked up beside him and observed him as his attention was completely consumed by the mirror. I looked into the mirror but didn't see anything but the same black I saw in the small one. What he was seeing was something he could only see. After fifteen seconds being almost in a trance, the Red Prince blinked and gasped.

"You okay?" I asked. "What did you see?"

"I saw…" the Red Prince looked around for a moment to piece everything together. "Sadha. She's alive."

A good sign so far.

"But do you know where she is?" I asked.

The Red Prince racked his brain.

"I also saw… a great cathedral."

I cocked my brow. I remember seeing a great cathedral not just a week ago.

"Was it the same cathedral of-?"

"ARX!" the Red Prince shouted. "Sadha is in Arx. At the Lizard Consulate, she's there."

My eyes widened. The Lizard Consulate? That was the place I was going to stay when I arrived at Arx with the envoy.

"Why are all the bad things happening at Arx?" Sebille asked. "First the Dwarf Queen wants to unleash Deathfog, then an Archdemon takes shelter there and now the Lizard Princess is being held there too?"

It was quite a string of bad occurrences for the city.

"It is odd," I said. "Regardless, I think we have our first destination to get to once we finish our business here."

"Apparently so," Ifan said. "But I think we should focus on the moment instead of the future."

He looked down at the desk. On it was a long golden hilt. At first, I thought it was the hilt of an ax without the top part on it. But when I looked closer, I saw the shape was similar to the blueprints I saw on the tablet I gave Almira. Right next to the hilt was an open journal. It was open on the most recent entry. I read through it and looked up with a smile on my face.

"It's the first half of the Swornbreaker," I said. The Red Prince flinched, immediately taking the hilt into his hands. He looked it over with excitement on his face. But then his face turned into a face of concern again.

"If that's the case, where's the other half?" he said.

"The journal here says it's most likely hidden within the Council of the Seven," I said.

The Red Prince sighed with relief. He took his backpack off his back and strapped the hilt to the outside of the bag.

"Well that's convenient," Sebille said. She looked at the head of the Sallow Man the Red Prince gave her. "Anyway, I think it's time we get back to Alexander to drop this off so we can actually open the council."

"Righto," I said. I walked in front of the desk. "Time to go."

Everyone else placed a hand on my back. I placed my hand on the pyramid strapped to my hip and focused my mind. An instant later, we were teleported out of the Sallow Man's lair to the other side of the island.


Author's Note: Wow, that was easier to write than I was expecting. I'm certainly making the most out of all the free time I now have on my hands thanks to the quarantine.

As always, thank you for reading my story and a review goes a long way. See you next chapter. And remember, stay home and keep washing your hands.