The Sentinels of Wizgrad

Book 1

Battle of Souls

By Pegs Hampton

Copyright © 2018 Pegs Hampton.

All Rights Reserved.

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1 - Taken Spirits

Chapter 2 - Bittersweet Reprieve

Chapter 3 - The Legion

Chapter 4 - Heiress

Chapter 5 - Morgoth

Chapter 6 - Reunion

Chapter 7 - Hot Temper

Chapter 8 - Silver Lining

Chapter 9 - Mining for Excuses

Chapter 10 - Lifting Spirits

Chapter 11 – The Greelong

Chapter 12 - Corpse City

Chapter 13 – Revival

Chapter 14 – Departed

Chapter 15 – Greater Things

Chapter 16 – Beginning

Chapter 17 – Sickness

Chapter 18 – Necromancer

Chapter 19 – Deceased

Chapter 20 – Grave Choices

Chapter 21 – The Amulet

Chapter 22 – Family Soul

Chapter 23 – The King

Chapter 24 – Green Stee

Chapter 25 – Tongues

Chapter 26 – The Hornburg

# Prologue

Twenty-five years earlier

Iris's legs pained her with every step, but the beating she would receive if she was late would hurt more. She could almost feel the crack of the leather belt across her back just thinking about it.

It's not my fault those horrid boys bully me just because of how I look. It was hardly my choice to have this horrid skin, Iris thought as she looked at her pale grey hands and quickened her pace. She was unsure why she bothered, she would get a thrashing regardless; those bullies had stolen half the bread her mother had sent her to get.

She rounded the corner of the underground cavern she called home, which was one of thousands in this system. Iris hated living in the dark; she longed to see the outside, smell the fields of luscious green grass and look upon the endless emerald seas, but her entire life had been inside that one dull cavern.

Iris was so enthralled by her daydream that she missed the jut in the floor. Her exposed foot stubbed the rocky ground, sending a jolt of searing pain through her toe, like someone had pulled off her toenail backwards. Her already-ripped cotton trousers snagged and yanked her leg back. She threw her hands in front of her to cushion the fall, launching what was left of the bread to the floor with her.

Iris's palms took the brunt of the fall and flared red raw, stinging. She turned over to hold her foot, which was in greater pain than her hands. There was blood under her toenail.

Suck it up, you need to hurry, Iris thought as she rocked back and forth, holding her toe. When she finally released her grip, even more blood was on her foot, and when she turned over her hands, there were several cuts from where she had fallen.

The sound of footsteps came her way and her heart stopped as she expected her mother to be approaching like thunder, ready to punish her. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realised it was just one of the elders. They were sour and ancient but had never physically harmed her. This one looked like most Darkskins; deep purple skin with large pointed ears that stretched over his head and a thin complexion. Iris kept herself low as the elder passed, looking at her with disdain. The elder stopped inches from the bread and scoffed at her.

"Your mother is waiting. Best you hurry," he said.

Iris quickly picked up the bread and walked away hastily, sucking in the pain but still hissing with each step on her injured toe. She went to brush the dirt from the bread, which only spread blood onto it and made it worse.

She's gonna kill me for this, Iris thought in a panic. Tears began to form in her eyes. She was fed up with being treated how she was. She was tempted to run away; it was not like anyone would miss her. But she had no idea where she would go, or what she would eat or even how she would convince the guard at the gate to let her go.

It was too late now anyway, she had rounded the last corner to her home and her mother had seen her, as she was standing in the doorway. Iris expected her to shriek, like she always did, but she just looked at Iris with infuriated displeasure.

"I've had it up to my ears with your disrespect, child," her mother said, raising her hands to touch the tops of her ears.

"Sorry, Mother. It won't happen again," Iris lied, keeping her head low.

It's not like I had a choice.

"It's Virwe, to you. If you were sorry, you wouldn't return late with whatever the hell you call this," Virwe cried. Virwe snatched the dirtied bread in one hand and pinched the top of Iris's much shorter ears with the other.

The piercing pain throbbed like fire as Iris was pulled into the house.

"Of all the children I ended up with, you are the worst. Disrespectful and useless little wench; can't even get a loaf of bread!" Virwe shrieked.

Iris's body filled with pent anger. She swiped her hand back with as much force as she could and swatted her mother's hand from her ear. Virwe's grip came loose, but Iris felt a fingernail cut into her ear and draw blood.

"Maybe if you didn't treat me like crap, I might actually respect you. You think I want this to happen every day? It's like you want it to happen!" Iris shouted back. Heat rushed to her face and warm blood trickled down her ear.

Her mother's face scrunched up in anger. Iris noticed her own hands clench tight, crushing grit into the cuts.

"How dare you talk to your mother like that!" Virwe yelled. She threw the bread aside and leaned over to pick up the belt that was nearby on the unit. Ready and waiting, as it always was.

It that one moment, Iris snapped. She was sick of getting beaten; sick of being bullied, punished and cursed. She would rather risk running away than staying there another moment. She wanted to see the rest of the world, no matter what she had to do or how painful it was.

Iris was tall enough now to easily reach everything in the kitchen, which included the large knife that she quickly grabbed and held tightly in her hands, pointing it at Virwe.

Even if it kills me, I have to leave this place. Nothing could be worse than this.

"I wish I didn't have a mother!" Iris yelled, gripping the knife harder in her hands, unsure if she would really be able to use it.

"Then it's a good job she's dead!" Virwe yelled.

Iris's racing mind drew a blank. She was unsure if she had heard the wrong words, or her mother had gone insane.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Iris shouted, her anger replaced with confusion.

"Oh, how I have been waiting so long to tell you. You didn't really believe I was your mother, did you? Look at you, filthy Greyskin," Virwe said, looking Iris up and down as if she were a half-decayed rat.

"But... how? Why?" Iris said, confused. Her mind raced with thousands of questions, all rushing in her head and trying to occupy her concentration all at once.

"You should be grateful you're even alive. You arrived on the back of some filthy mongrel in nothing but a wrap of cloth, with some stupid parchment. Fifteen whole years I've had to deal with you. It was by MY good grace that I fed you and raised you!" Virwe yelled.

Iris was speechless. She had no idea what to say. How could she respond to something like that? She had always known her skin was not the same, but she never once thought she might have been adopted. Why had this woman taken Iris in and raised her, when she so blatantly hated her?

"Now put the knife away, child," Virwe said in a gentle tone.

Iris pulled her concentration away from her rampaging thoughts and gripped the knife tightly again, holding it out at arm's length towards Virwe.

What parchment? She never said any of this before. Is this all some fake story to put me off?

"Give me the parchment! It's mine!" Iris demanded, furious to think that her so-called mother could have been hiding something from her.

Virwe huffed deeply and threw the belt down. Her enraged face never changed expression. She pulled a rope necklace from her throat, which had a single key attached to it. She walked to the end of the kitchen, pushed the key into a hidden drawer in the corner and opened it. From the drawer she retrieved a small, yellowed parchment, folded and sealed with black candle wax.

"Take your parchment and yourself out of this place and never come back," Virwe said with venom in her voice. She threw the parchment on the floor in front of Iris's feet, keeping her distance. Iris could not quite determine the look on Virwe's face. It almost looked like fear. Surely not.

Iris picked up the parchment but kept her eyes on her adopted mother as she did so. Despite her curiosity to look at the parchment, she knew that staying there any longer was a bad idea and besides, it was not like she could read, anyway.

"Now leave, before I get you killed," Virwe yelled.

Iris ran for the door and pushed it open with such force it slammed against the stone wall with a thud that echoed down the cavern.

"And you can leave that knife here, or I'll kill you myself!" Virwe yelled as Iris ran away as fast as her legs could carry her. She threw the knife down on the floor, not bothering to look back as she ran, clutching the parchment so tight she was worried she might rip it. She did not stop running until she reached the gates to the outside world, beyond which she had never been.

The large metal gates reached from floor to ceiling. This was the only way in and out of the cavern. On the other side of the gate stood the solitary guard.

"What do you want now, Greyskin?" the guard said with disgust.

"To leave," Iris replied sternly.

"Has your mother given you permission?" the guard replied, indicating that he knew Iris was not the woman's daughter. Perhaps he had overheard the shouting. Echoes travelled far in the tunnels.

"My real mother is dead, but yes, she has," Iris replied, which got a shocked response from the guard, though it quickly turned into a forced laugh.

"Get lost, before you regret it," the guard said. He turned around and walked off.

"Let me leave. I have permission," Iris begged, but the guard ignored her.

Iris heard the unmissable snicker of the three bullies that had picked on her barely an hour ago. Her heart sank as she knew they would come for her and the parchment.

She would not let them have it, ever.

"Let me go, please," Iris begged again, quietly enough that the bullies might not hear. She tucked the parchment into the side of her ripped trousers.

"Look, boys, it's muddy Greyskin, back for fun already," the largest bully called.

"Could you not get enough?" another one said, which got snickers from the other two. They were slightly taller than Iris and always hung around as a trio.

"Go away, horrible bullies," Iris cursed.

"Ohh. Did you hear that, boys? I think she just insulted us!" the biggest bully said, faking a shocked and hurt expression.

Iris walked backwards as the bullies approached, until her back finally touched the large metal gate. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She knew they would try and take the parchment and she could not let them. It was all she had. It was all she truly was in this godforsaken cave. She was so close to being able to leave. Why was this happening?

Just as she thought things could not get worse, an arm wrapped around her chest and pulled her tight against the gate. The guard groped Iris as he held her there.

"Get off me!" Iris yelled, but both the guard and the bullies just laughed as she struggled to get free.

Iris noticed the larger bully eye the parchment in her trousers and ice gripped her heart. Her entire body raced with adrenaline as the bully came close.

"What do we have here?" the larger bully said as he leaned forward to grab the parchment. Iris threw her head forwards and cracked her forehead on his nose. She both heard and felt the nose break and the bully grunted in pain as blood rushed from his nose.

The other two bullies laughed, until the larger bully looked at them in anger.

"Get it," he spat, pointing at the parchment.

Before Iris could give it any thought, she was leaning back, removing the dagger from the sheath on the leg of the guard and jabbing the blade into the guard's arm.

The guard shouted in unexpected pain and released her. Iris held the dagger out at the two remaining bullies, stomping towards one of them, ready to take her revenge.

They stared at her in disbelief as she held the guard's blade in her hands. Their looks of horror flipped her insides and she realised just what she had done.

"Right, that's it!" the guard said and she heard keys jangle as he hastily went to unlock the gate.

The three bullies scarpered.

Iris had no idea what to do. Her only option was to try and run past the guard and escape.

The guard opened the gate but then swiftly closed it behind him, locking away Iris's only chance of freedom.

"Give me back the dagger and I may just let you live," the guard said.

Horror and dread smothered Iris. She knew the guard would not let her go. Why had she been so stupid, just for a piece of paper?

"I didn't mean to. I was scared and..." Iris began to say, but she stuttered and knew it would not matter what she said. She put the dagger on the ground and stumbled backwards, away from the locked gate. She glanced at the lock in the hope that the guard had left the key in, but to her disappointment, he had not.

The guard smacked her across the face, hard, with the back of his hand. She felt the impact of his gloved hand smash against her jaw. It felt like someone had hit her with a wooden club. Stars flittered behind Iris's eyes as she stumbled backwards.

A strange, metallic screeching noise came from the metal gate, but Iris could not see past the guard, who stood over her, dagger in hand.

"Foolish child," the guard said.

"Please don't kill me. I didn't mean to," Iris pleaded.

The guard did not care. He had revenge on his mind and red in his eyes. He would kill her there, just metres away from her freedom; freedom that she deserved. She did not belong here. She never had.

A deep growling noise came from behind the guard. His face became suddenly pale and his expression full of dread. The guard turned, spinning his blade as he did, but he was too late. A huge wolf, easily the size of a horse, leapt at him, sinking its massive jaws into the guard's arm and sending him to the floor.

Iris heard the snapping of bone as the wolf bit through the guard's arm in one bite, eliciting a scream that echoed down the cavern. The wolf's hind legs were jutting out in front of Iris's face, the deep grey fur ragged and unkempt.

Iris did not move, paralysed with terror as the wolf tore the throat from the guard, silencing his cries of pain.

Iris knew that now was her time to escape, but her body would not move.

Before Iris could think on it any more, the wolf turned and looked at her. It had a strange expression in its pale blue eyes that Iris could not quite comprehend. It seemed to regard her with a mixture of annoyance and content.

The wolf barked at her, covering her in blood.

Iris was sure she was going to be eaten alive.

She covered her face with her arms, but no pain followed.

The wolf continued to bark at Iris and she was sure she heard it sigh.

She felt something gently jab into her leg and screamed in fright. She cautiously looked down to see the wolf prodding her with its nose, its blood-soaked jaws not far from her face.

Iris looked into the wolf's eyes. She could sense there was more to this wolf than other creatures. Her heart told her that there was nothing to fear, but her mind screamed for her to run.

The wolf stepped back and gestured towards the broken gate with its nose. The metal lock had been crushed in the wolf's huge jaws and the door was open.

Was the wolf inviting Iris to run? She was still alive, so it obviously did not want to eat her.

"Guards!" came a yelp from a resident just down the cavern. It would not be long before a swarm of Darkskin guards came running towards them.

The wolf rolled his eyes at Iris, barked at her and lay down on the floor, keeping its face towards her. It gestured with its nose as if inviting her to sit on its back.

"You want me to... sit?" Iris asked, unsure why she was speaking to a wolf.

The wolf nodded in response, which was even more surprising than its previous actions. The wolf again gestured towards his back.

Iris heard the heavy stomping of guards already coming up the cavern towards her.

The wolf looked in the direction of the noise, then turned to Iris and growled at her, giving a forceful look.

Iris felt for the parchment tucked into her cotton trousers before she cautiously moved a hand towards the wolf's head. The wolf did not move as Iris's hand reached its forehead and touched the thick fur on it.

"It's the Greyskin kid; she's killed Bilse!" yelled the reinforcement.

Fear filled Iris's chest and yanked at her stomach. She hated being afraid. She just wanted to be somewhere else; somewhere far away from this place.

She heard the wolf growl again and nudge her hand away from its head. In fear of the reinforcements, Iris practically leapt onto the wolf's back. The fur felt soft and reassuring, like she had always belonged there.

The wolf stood up fast, almost throwing Iris from its back.

She leant her body forward and grabbed hold of the wolf's fur with both hands, gripping tight. The wolf must have noticed as it bounded towards the open gate as the guards approached.

The thunk of a bowstring resounded behind Iris and her heart stopped as she waited for the arrow to kill her. She heard the clank of an arrow hit the gate nearby and buried her head in the wolf's fur, allowing herself to breathe again.

The wolf kept running, out of the cavern and into the open countryside.

Minutes passed and the wolf did not show any signs of stopping.

Something about this wolf filled Iris with feelings of reassurance and protection; things she had never truly felt until now. She also felt whole, as if her entire life so far, she had only been half of who she really was.

She was finally free; free of accusation and blame, hatred and racism. If only for a little while, she was free.

Iris could smell fresh air for the first time in her life. She had only ever smelt the slight breeze that would occasionally waft from the gates.

Iris slowly raised her head to look at the wonders of the natural world outside of the cavern. She knew it was night time; she had seen glimpses of night and day from the gates and could tell.

A large, bright moon and thousands of stars dotted the sky above. It was such a marvel, just to see the sky. It was so big, she could scarcely believe it.

All around Iris were wild meadows and tall trees. The smell of fresh flowers and something salty reached her nose and she could feel a chilling breeze rush against her skin, sending the tiny hairs on her arms and legs sticking up on end. The rustle of parchment drew her attention away from the wonders around her and, taking out the parchment, she glanced at it eagerly. It had the letters ZELKITH written on the back... not that this was any use to Iris, as she could not read.

She buried herself deeper into the wolf's back, taking in its soothing warmth.

The words from her adopted mother came to Iris as the wolf continued to bound further away from the Darkskin caverns.

'You arrived on the back of some filthy mongrel in nothing but a wrap of cloth, with some stupid parchment.'

Her heart exploded with emotion. The mongrel Virwe referred to was this wolf. She knew it in her heart. She could feel it. Her eyes filled with tears and she sobbed deeply as she let the raw emotions from countless years of torture and abuse out in the open.

She felt the agonising pain of her past crush her heart and soul as she released her sorrow. There were no words to describe her relief; a lifetime of misery was coming to an end, just on the brink of her getting herself killed.

She wailed loudly into the soft fur of the wolf, her tears streaming down her face.

Iris was finally free.

For now.

# Chapter 1 - Taken Spirits

Present Day

Iris had no idea why that memory had come to mind. The remnants of past emotions bubbled up inside her as she glided her hands along Zelkith's fur. She had learned that the word on the back of the parchment was a name. Iris was unsure if it was her name or not, but it felt right for the wolf to be named it instead.

She had attempted to open the parchment many times since she had left, but it was magically sealed and she knew only one person who may be able to help. The only problem was, he did not like her.

There was hope that another person may yet help, but in her heart, she knew he would not be able to.

Zelkith had barely left Iris's side since the day he had rescued her. Even now, two and a half decades on, Zelkith would curl around Iris like a parent protecting its pups from the cold.

Iris pushed away her negative thoughts. Today was a happy day for her; it was the first day of a joining ritual for a small tribe she had lived amongst since she had left.

The tribe travelled throughout Aceon and despite not having a permanent place to stay, she had a place she could call home and a group of people she called her family.

She enjoyed the travelling. It meant she could see new things all the time and she was curious to learn.

A twinge of guilt itched her stomach as Iris realised she had not thought about searching for her real parents for some time. She was certain they were no longer alive, but her curiosity drove her to find out who they were and why they had left her in that cursed Darkskin cavern. Perhaps it would shed some light on why she had grey skin, which she had discovered was unique.

She got herself up from the bed of leaves that both she and Zelkith slept upon. The warmth from Zelkith left her skin, sending shivers down her spine.

The golden rays from the sun beamed on the tanned leather of the tent around Iris, lighting the inside enough for her to see clearly. She lifted a small leather rug that sat in the middle of the circular tent and retrieved the parchment from underneath. She wanted to show the parchment to the tribal leader, Sithembile, an elderly man that was the heart of the tribe.

Sithembile was the first human Iris had met that did not look down on her or judge her because of her skin colour. His non-judgmental values had allowed Iris to begin living among the tribe and today she was to be officially welcomed as one of them. She was to partake in a ritual that was rarely performed.

Iris did not like to ask favours from others, but today she felt comfortable enough to ask Sithembile to help open the parchment and read it for her.

She looked at the yellowed parchment, undamaged despite its tortured journey, and wondered what could be written inside. This gave Iris a mixture of conflicting emotions that made her stomach unsettled.

She was so pleased to finally have somewhere to call home, but what if her parents were still alive? What would happen if the words inside meant she would have to leave the tribe, after only just becoming one of them? Would the urge to find out be strong enough that she would leave? Her real parents blatantly did not want her; why else would they have left her in some horrid Darkskin cavern?

Either way, she wanted to know. Why would they have gone to the effort of sealing a parchment magically if it was not important?

The light inside the tent brightened as Zelkith walked out, the deep rays of the sun rushing inside as the opening parted. Iris soon heard a rushing stream of liquid hit the floor outside as Zelkith relieved himself.

"Must you do that so close to the tent?" Iris said, not overly concerned about it.

Zelkith let out a whimper that was more of a deep sigh. Iris talked to Zelkith as if he were more than just wolf. He seemed to understand everything she said and reacted and felt emotions in the same way she did.

Iris could hear the soft talking of several tribesmen outside. One of them went by the name Tassarion, although everyone called him Tass. He was a handsome Fairskin who, like her, had earned his way into the tribe and into the hearts of many. Over the last few years, Iris had begun to feel affection for Tass. He was kind and thoughtful and treated Iris like a princess. Just the thought of it made her stomach flutter, like thousands of butterflies trying to escape.

The first thing she was going to do after the ritual was ask for his hand in partnership; something she could not do until she was an official tribe member.

Iris jumped when she saw Zelkith's dark grey head peering at her through the tent opening, a look of boredom on his face. This was not the first time Iris had been standing there in a daydream.

"I'm coming," Iris huffed. She tucked the parchment in her cured leather skirt and made her way out of the tent.

The humid warmth of the woodland outside struck her like a wall. This was a rarity in Aceon's typically cool climate.

She spotted Tass looking at her, which made her stomach flutter again and her cheeks heat up. His enigmatic smile filled her with warmth, dissolving the concern she had for today's major event.

"Good morning," Iris said to the small group of tribesmen outside, with a wide grin on her face, looking directly at Tass. His golden hair seemed to gleam brighter than she had ever seen before, and his smile sent a shiver through her body.

"A perfect morning," Tass said with a grin.

Several of the other tribesmen gawped at Tass and his blatant brashness in ignoring the rules. No one was allowed to speak to Iris today, but Tass purposefully looked at Zelkith as he spoke, which only gained more frowns from the others.

Iris struggled to contain her laughter, her shoulders shaking silently as she shyly looked down to hide her face and walk away.

The rule had one exception, the tribal leader, Sithembile.

Iris closed her tent and with Zelkith by her side, made her way to Sithembile, who resided in the largest tent at the back of the camp. All the men of the tribe nodded with a smile as she passed. Wafts of cooking meat and spices teased Iris's uneasy stomach, ready for the tribe to eat in celebration of today's event.

Iris stood in front of Sithembile's tent, her chest filled with uncertainty and worry. Zelkith just shook his head and pulled open the tent gently with his teeth.

Sithembile was sitting on the floor, facing the opening. He spotted Iris the moment Zelkith opened the tent. There was no turning back now, not that Iris had any intention of it.

Low-lying smoke trickled out of the opening of the tent and the strong smell of burning incense filled Iris's lungs as she took in a deep breath.

Sithembile's gentle smile eased Iris's nervousness. His wrinkled and knowing face regarded Iris with the same caring manner that he always had.

She stepped inside the large tent, the smell of incense overwhelming her nose and chest and making her head feel heavy. The entire tent was filled with smoke and Iris could just make out blobs of glowing candlelight dotted around them in a large circle.

In front of Sithembile was a small table, barely an inch tall, made from woven straw. Sitting on the table was a hand- sized wooden bowl, carved from the bark of a unique white tree that Iris had only heard stories of.

Sithembile had told her that thousands of these trees were spread around Aceon, but despite their unique, bright white appearance, they were difficult to find, even for the most experienced adventurer.

This bowl was the tribe's most sacred possession. The inside was stained a crimson red, remnants from decades of use in the ritual Iris was about to take part in.

"Why the worried look, Iris of the woods? Today should be a day to rejoice and celebrate," Sithembile said, drawing her gaze into his weathered eyes.

Iris reached to her side and touched the parchment that she had tucked into her skirt. Her mind rushed with conflicting choices: should she ask Sithembile to read it to her now, or wait until after the ritual was complete?

"What troubles you, child?" Sithembile asked in a concerned tone.

Zelkith nudged Iris in the arm and nodded his head, indicating to her that now was the right time to ask.

"I... have a favour to ask, but I am afraid to ask it," Iris said timidly.

Sithembile's expression did not change, nor did he say anything. He simply sat and waited for Iris to ask her question.

Her heart tugged heavy in her chest and her stomach churned and squeezed at her insides, the nerves building inside her. Iris plucked up courage from deep within and before she could change her mind, pulled the parchment from her waist and held it out in front of her.

The parchment hung there for several long moments while Sithembile regarded it, expressionless. Iris could feel the uneasiness in the room, as if she knew she had done something wrong, but was unsure what.

Sithembile closed his eyes and left them shut.

Iris waited for so long that she thought he had fallen asleep, but she knew not to disturb him.

Eventually, his eyes opened.

"Wait here, child," Sithembile said, getting up slowly from his prolonged seated position and walking out of the tent, leaving Iris and Zelkith alone.

"Did I do wrong?" Iris asked Zelkith. Zelkith made the wolf equivalent of a shrug.

What if I cannot become a member? Will I be punished for asking such a thing before I am one of them? Perhaps the punishment is to never be allowed to become one of them, Iris worried. The constant thoughts of paranoia ate away at her as she waited, making time feel slow.

Iris heard the flap of the tent open and turned.

"Come with me, child," Sithembile said, holding open the tent. He looked at Iris with a stern expression which made her stomach sink. She had never seen a look so serious on his face before.

Iris tucked the parchment back into her skit and grabbed hold of Zelkith's fur as she followed Sithembile out of the tent. He led her past Tass in silence, which made her cheeks flush hot in embarrassment. She felt like a child all over again, being scolded and escorted away in front of everyone.

Don't start thinking something that you do not know is true. He may not be angry at all. Perhaps its worry, Iris thought, but Sithembile's face said otherwise.

He took her out of the main encampment and she knew where he was taking her now.

They walked in silence for the next thirty minutes, which made Iris increasingly nervous about what was about to happen. As she expected, they were going to see Ulwazi, a rude and selfish member of the tribe who had no desire to see any of the members at all. He was Sithembile's brother and the only one in the tribe that could use magic. They called him a Shaman, a Sorcerer that could contact those in the spirit realm.

Iris should have suspected that Sithembile would take her to see Ulwazi, considering the parchment was sealed by magic, but he sent shivers down her spine and gave Iris the creeps.

He was the only one in the tribe to give her that look of hatred; a look she had seen so often in her life.

Iris looked at Sithembile as he led the way. She felt reassured, knowing that as long as he was with her, she would be OK.

They were getting closer now.

The first indication was the dreadful smell of rotting animal corpses that brought bile into her throat. She swallowed it down hard, knowing it would only get worse the closer they got. Swarms of flies dissipated like clouds as they passed decomposed animal skulls, dangling from the tree branches above them.

A small clearing in the forest revealed a dark grey, circular tent. Deep purple smoke rose from a hole in the middle and seeped out of tiny gaps in the bottom.

The skeleton of a large animal was propped up above the tent entrance with two large poles, making it look like a skeletal door frame. Dozens of animal skulls on spikes were dotted around the tent and Iris's eyes started to go hazy. Her stomach clenched tight, and not just from the dreadful smell.

Sithembile walked up to the tent entrance and turned to face Iris and Zelkith with a look of impatience. Iris slowly followed, using Zelkith to stop herself from falling over and landing on one of the spikes. The ground beneath her began to sway.

She stood inches from the tent entrance. The smoky smell made her mind feel distant from her body.

She looked to Sithembile; there were two blurry images of him in her eyes and she knew she had to enter on her own. She did not want to go inside. Fear clutched her heart with an icy grip, warning her not to enter.

She hesitantly slipped through the tent door, her body moving without any conscious effort. She felt as if she were one of the nearby skulls, watching with unemotional awareness.

The inside of the tent was full of purple mist. Countless animal skulls hung from the top of the tent. Iris could not see Ulwazi anywhere, but she could feel his judgmental gaze piercing into her soul.

"You hold something of magic," came Ulwazi's sinister and guttural voice, which somehow echoed even inside the small tent. The voice made Iris recoil. She had the urge to turn and run, to escape the lingering feeling of doom around her.

Zelkith and Sithembile are outside; they will keep me safe, Iris told herself, but she felt lost, as if inside an impossibly big space.

"Bring it to me," Ulwazi ordered.

Iris took several steps forward and two half-decayed cat heads swung in front of her, their eyes missing and flesh half-rotted.

The rotten smell lingered through the acidic smoke that filled the tent. Iris pushed the heads out of her way and came across several more. Eventually she saw the outline of Ulwazi in front of her.

Ulwazi was several heads taller than Iris and scrawny, to the point that he almost looked skeletal himself. He had a large staff in one hand, from which the purple smoke was pluming, and was holding his other hand out towards Iris, palm up. He wore no clothes, but was covered in the bones of animals, fashioned cleverly to cover his torso, arms and legs.

Iris took another step closer and Ulwazi's face became clearer, even through the blurry fog that smothered her eyes. He was frowning deeply and had a look of intolerance on his face.

"The spirits are impatient. Give it to me," Ulwazi snapped, gesturing urgently with his free hand.

Iris looked down at the parchment in her hand, taking in every aspect of it, suspecting that this would be the last time she would see it.

Ulwazi's methods were not often gentle.

She took in the bold lettering of ZELKITH on the underside of the still-pristine yellow paper.

She did not want to let this man have the parchment. It was the only link she had to her real parents. She realised the dilemma, though: if she wanted to have it read, she would have to let it go.

Without warning, Ulwazi snatched the parchment roughly from her hands and threw it down onto a rickety wooden table to his side.

The parchment landed inside a small circle of lit candles which glowed a dim purple in the smoke. There were several strange symbols around the candles, drawn in salt that had been stained a crimson red from fresh blood on the table.

Ulwazi reached over to his side, opened a small metal cage and pulled out a cat by the scruff of its neck. He let go of his staff, which hovered in place like it had been stuck in the ground, and pulled out a small dagger.

The cat yowled and Ulwazi gutted it mercilessly; blood and entrails smothering both the parchment and the candles. Iris was so shocked that the emotions inside fought each other, with no single one able to prevail. She had seen animals slaughtered before, but it was never pleasant. Yet through that came an undying sense of longing for the parchment, as if it were a child she had given up for assault.

The purple globes of light were snuffed out in the spatter of blood and guts. The blood washed over the salt-written runes and smudged their appearance.

Iris let out a startled yelp as Ulwazi shouted, "THE STAFF, NOW!"

Iris was transfixed on the gushing blood of the recently-murdered cat, but she felt her body move and her hand reached out for the staff.

Her surroundings seemingly disappeared, like she had been sucked into a whirlpool and taken into another world. It was like her spirit was travelling away from her body.

Iris was thrown into a place that filled her with horror. She was standing in the middle of what was once a thriving town, but now devoid of life and freezing cold. There were icicles hanging from rooftops and snow covered everything in view. What was most frightening were the residents; a huge gathering of them approached her, with the intention to kill. They were not alive, but walking corpses.

Something in Iris's heart told her that these creatures were being controlled by someone; someone close to her.

This was a warning; a warning that if she should fail her destiny, the world of Wizgrad would end up like this.

A window next to her smashed as a figure leapt out of it and moved towards her. The sudden noise made her jump and she was vaulted from the frozen town and into a long, white, marble hallway.

She was looking down at her hands, which were holding two rather unique-looking weapon handles. They were made from intricately carved gold and the guards were shaped like snakes eating their tails. At the bottom of both handles were large crystals.

Iris felt her heart swarm with protection for these objects. It was vital that she kept them close.

She looked up to see who had given them to her but found that she was now standing in front of a plain, marble wall with a small crystal that illuminated a long hallway. The crystal was hung slightly on the wonk and Iris realigned it. Everything went pitch black and she found herself standing in a tiny cavern.

She stepped forward and something metal crunched underfoot. She leant down and picked up two halves of a black coin. Each half had a faint blue line. These would align when the pieces were put together.

Something told Iris that the coin had already been broken in two before she'd stepped on it.

Iris placed the two halves in a small pouch on her waist and looked up at a stone statue of a Darkskin, which looked remarkably real.

The statue gave off an aura of familiarity and comfort that Iris would not have expected from a statue. She looked down at her hand, which was holding one of the weapon handles. It now had a blue, glowing sword coming out of it.

Without any extra thought, Iris plunged the sword into the statue's chest and knew in that instant that the statue was more than just rock. There had been someone alive in there... until she had killed him.

As Iris removed the blade from the statue, she felt her spirit rush back into her mortal body. She felt a dagger in her hand and Ulwazi was standing in front of her. Ulwazi had a pained and shocked expression on his face and looked down at Iris's feet.

Iris followed his gaze and saw the bloodied dagger in her hand, then looked up at the wound in Ulwazi's chest. The reality of what had happened sunk in and dread filled Iris's heart.

She had stabbed him.

# Chapter 2 - Bittersweet Reprieve

Iris watched in horror as the life drained from Ulwazi's face and body. Her own body went numb and she dropped the dagger on the floor. Her hands shook frantically and she stood frozen, unsure whether what she was seeing was real, or just another vision.

It was not until Ulwazi fell to the floor and his outstretched hands ran down Iris's leg that she knew it was real. She let out a scream as the hand gripped her trouser leg and she stepped back.

"What's going on in there?" came a call from Sithembile, which sent waves of panic through her. Her hopes and dreams of becoming a member of the tribe were gone, forever. There would be no coming back from this. She would be surprised if Sithembile did not kill her himself.

Sithembile stepped through the tent to look upon Iris standing over Ulwazi's bleeding body. His eyes opened wide in shock as he took in the sight.

"I didn't mean to! I wasn't... I mean I..." Iris pleaded, stumbling for the words to explain what had happened. The truth was, even she was not sure.

Sithembile's face went red and the muscles in his arms tensed as he looked at Iris with seething anger. Iris had seen him lose his temper before, and it was not pretty... and that had been for something minor.

Sithembile picked up a spear from beside him and pulled off a rotten animal head, throwing it aside. He pointed the spear at Iris aggressively, forcing her to step back.

"You were supposed to be one of us," Sithembile hissed angrily through gritted teeth, holding back tears.

"It was an accident... I..."

"How dare you!" Sithembile interjected, thrusting the spear towards Iris and forcing her to back away further. She felt her head and back press against the inside of the tent. There was nowhere to go. She was trapped.

"I trusted you. You were supposed to be one of us," Sithembile said in a mixture of anger and sorrow. "I should have listened to Ulwazi. He told me about you. Disgusting Greyskin," he added, his tone full of bitterness and spite.

The words stabbed Iris in the heart. The happy world she had known since her escape was now crashing around her. Everything she had dreamed of had been ruined because of some stupid piece of paper. She was so shocked by this sudden outburst from Sithembile that she barely comprehended his next words, nor cared about the consequences.

"It pains me to do so, but for this... I must end your life," Sithembile said. He pulled back his spear, ready to thrust it into Iris's chest. It was what she deserved; she had murdered Ulwazi. Besides, what was worth living for, anymore? All her dreams had been shattered into tiny pieces. She had nothing left.

Sithembile hesitated; only slightly, but enough. Zelkith leapt up onto Sithembile, his massive body bringing Sithembile down with ease. Zelkith's powerful jaws clamped around Sithembile's neck, crushing flesh and bone. Sithembile struggled for a few moments but was powerless against Zelkith and gave up quickly.

Iris heard every sound; every crunch of bone and spurt of blood as Sithembile was slain before her eyes. She stood, blank-eyed and lost, unable to take in what was happening.

Her legs were paper, unable to hold her weight any longer.

She fell to her knees, into the pool of blood that was forming beneath her.

Iris had destroyed everything.

Her mind was spinning in confusion and the pain consumed her. She cried for what felt like an eternity, her mind pacing between the guilt of murdering two people and the loss of the life she always dreamed of. Perhaps it had been too good to be true. Either way, it was gone now; replaced with the emptiness and hopelessness she knew all too well.

She had to run away from all this mess, away from life. What else could she do? Say it was an accident?

She wanted to say her goodbyes to Tass before she left for good. She had no idea what she would say, or why she was even bothering, but her gut told her she needed to, if only for her own sake.

Iris looked down at Sithembile's body. Part of her resented him for his two-faced persona. He had been happy to call her a friend one minute, then a 'disgusting Greyskin' the next. That one moment of anger told Iris everything she needed to know, but still she could not help but feel sadness for his death.

Iris left the tent without turning back. She could hear Zelkith following her but was too ashamed to look back. The dangling skulls seemed to glare at her with prejudice, despite having no eyes. It was like Ulwazi's spirit was inside them all, trying to seek revenge for his death.

She walked hurriedly past them and into the woods, back towards the camp for the very last time. She barely took any notice of the walk back. What would she say?

Before she knew it, Iris had stumbled into the camp, which was full of the tribesmen she had grown fond of. Tears began to swell in her eyes; she would never see any of these people again and it hurt inside.

"Iris? Are you... aaah!" screamed one of the maidens as she looked at Iris and saw her blood-covered clothes and hands.

What an idiot. How stupid could I be, thinking I could just waltz back into the camp, smothered in blood!

The scream instantly caught the attention of everyone around. Several people ran over, including Tass.

"What the heck has happened? Are you alright?" Tass asked, taking Iris by the hand and inspecting her for injuries. She could feel his gentle touch as he checked for a wound Iris knew was not there. The way Tass had disobeyed the rules by speaking to Iris warmed her, but that warmth turned into a pit of sorrow deep in her throat that threatened to choke her.

She would never see him again.

"I'm fine... but..." Iris began to say, but she stopped before she started to cry.

What was she going to say? She was fine but Sithembile and Ulwazi were dead? That she had killed them? That it was their blood that covered her clothes and stained her hands with murder?

"Sithembile... he was with you. Is he...?" came the concerned voice of a tribesman.

Iris did not know what to say, what to do. She shook her head and pointed in the direction of the tent.

"Ulwazi..." came the voice of a second tribesman, who clearly did not trust Ulwazi. The two tribesmen looked at each other, took hold of their spears and made their way to the tent.

Iris cursed to herself. Why had she pointed them to the evidence of her murders? What was wrong with her?

She needed time to escape before they found out. It had been a stupid idea, going back and saying goodbye to Tass. She should have just left.

It took several moments for Iris to realise that she was squeezing Tass's hands tightly. His usual pale white skin was smothered in blood.

A group of six tribesmen followed the other two into the woods and towards Ulwazi's tent.

Iris felt panic starting to seep in. She wanted to say goodbye and leave, but she knew that now she was back, there they would not let her out of their sight.

"Let's get you cleaned up, shall we?" Tass said, interrupting Iris's chain of thought. She looked at Tass and nodded, taking in all his features. It was nice to be next to him and cared by him, which only made the bitterness of the situation worse.

The maiden walked over with a damp cloth. "I can help, I'll just—"

"NO!" Iris snapped angrily. The maiden looked at her with concerned eyes, shocked at Iris's sudden outburst. Iris wanted to be alone with Tass. That way, she might actually have the chance to say goodbye to him, alone, before she left. She could distract him with something and sneak away afterwards.

"I... want to be left alone, please," Iris said softly, trying to explain her behaviour. The maiden smiled grimly and turned away without another word.

Tass looked at Iris with sad eyes and began to pull away from her, but Iris clutched his hand tightly and pulled him back.

"I'd like you to stay," Iris said to him as he looked at her questioningly.

"Very well," was all Tass said.

He took her to a small and secluded place in the forest, only a couple of minutes away from the camp. There was a waterfall that dropped into a pool of water where the tribe would wash and bathe. Iris did not hesitate to drop herself into the water, clothes and all.

She rubbed her hands with more force than necessary, watching the blood seep into the water around her, diluting until it could no longer be seen. She continued to rub her hands, but it still felt like Ulwazi's blood was on them, clinging on in defiance.

"Just what happened out there? I've never seen you so worked up before," Tass said. He was now standing in the water next to her.

"Nothing, nothing," Iris said, laughing nervously.

"Nothing?" Tass said, knowing it to be a lie. "You come back barely able to talk and smothered in blood. And now you're rubbing your hands clean, like you've just committed murder," Tass said.

The words hit Iris like a hammer to an anvil. Her body pumped with adrenaline and fear clogged her chest.

"I didn't mean to," Iris blurted out, admitting her guilt.

Now that Tass knew what she had done, was he going to try and kill her, too? She did not think she had the strength to defend herself against him, nor did she want to.

Iris could see Zelkith behind them, his legs tightened and ready to pounce into the water.

Tass just looked at her with wide eyes, perhaps also pondering his choices. Iris noticed him check where Zelkith was. He was planning on doing something, she could feel it.

"Why?" was all he said.

"I just told you, I didn't mean to! Ulwazi... he cast some spell and I was not in this world and I woke and had a dagger in my hand and Sithembile got angry and attacked me and—"

"Calm down, calm down," Tass said, touching her gently on the shoulder. "I know you would never do that on purpose," he said with a smile that looked sincere. "But it is going to be a problem," he added.

"What am I going to do?" Iris asked.

A cacophony of shouts echoed from the camp. Had they found out already?

Tass looked at Iris in concern.

"We need to get out of here, quickly," he said with urgency. He swiftly pulled Iris from the water and led her into the outgrowth.

"Wait, will you not get in trouble?" Iris said, realising that if Tass was willingly helping her, this made him just as guilty.

"I'm sure I will, but it's worth it, to be with you," he said with a smile that made Iris's heart thump with anticipation.

Tass was willing to give up his life here, without a second's thought, just to be with her.

Iris's heart began to melt and her worries waned slightly as she briefly imagined her life with Tass, free from worries and loneliness.

More shouts distracted Iris from her daydream. They had become louder. They were coming.

"Quickly," Tass said, urging Iris further into the outgrowth. The thick leaves and branches pulled at her hair and tugged at her clothes as they rushed through the forest. Iris's skin felt raw from all the rough branches that cut and scraped against her as they ran, but she did not care. She deserved to be in pain for what she had done.

"In here, quickly," Tass said. He gestured towards a small opening in a rock that looked barely big enough to get through. He led the way, turning sideways and squeezing himself through the gap. His hand appeared from the darkness beyond, gesturing for Iris to follow.

Something about the cave seemed ominous and sent a shiver down her spine. Iris pushed the thought aside and took Tass by the hand, squeezing herself through the tiny gap in the stone.

"I come here when I need some time to myself, away from it all. Away from the tribe and prying eyes," Tass said.

An acrid smell reached Iris's nose. It reminded her of Ulwazi's tent and she felt herself gag at the thought. Tass gripped her hand tightly, tighter than seemed necessary, but Iris thought nothing of it.

It was pitch black in the cavern and the floor was uneven and difficult to traverse.

A soft blue glow emanated from behind her and the floor began to rumble and judder.

Zelkith barked loudly as a huge boulder moved across the entrance and shut him outside.

Iris's heart pounded in her chest as panic began to run through her body.

She had no idea what was going on. She wanted Zelkith next to her, more than anything. She suddenly felt vulnerable, and the way Tass was gripping her was worrying.

"Tass?" she asked.

"Don't worry," he said in a calming manner.

Iris felt her body relax at the simple words. They would need to find a way to get that boulder moved, to let Zelkith inside. He was continuing to bark frantically.

"It will be over soon," Tass said in a sinister tone that seemed very out of character.

Tass pulled Iris around roughly and pushed her to the floor, keeping his grip tight around her wrists.

In that split second, he turned from a hero to a monster.

Panic ran through Iris and she desperately tried to free her arms and kick out with her legs, but Tass's grip was too tight and he kept his weight on her.

"Stop!" Iris screamed, but he would not listen. She felt his hand tug roughly at her hair, yanking her head back as he leaned close to her ear. His hot breath made her skin shiver and crawl. She struggled again, but he kept her from moving.

It was useless. He was too strong for her and there was nothing she could do.

"The less you struggle, the less it will hurt," Tass said through his teeth. Iris felt his hands reach under her skirt and towards her undergarments. She clenched her legs tightly but could do little else. He had his weight on her legs, stopping her from kicking.

Tass pulled so hard on her garments that they almost tore in two at the seams.

"Why are you doing this? I thought you..." Iris began, helpless, trying to understand.

"You really thought someone like me would like a Greyskin monster like you? This is what you deserve. Something like you does not deserve to be alive, let alone a part of my tribe," Tass said sinisterly.

The words hurt Iris almost as much as his actions.

She had never been wanted there at all. The entire thing had been a lie.

Her heart was hollow and empty. Nothing mattered anymore.

"I really must thank you. After all, now that Sithembile and his brother are dead, everyone will look to me to lead. The tribe is mine to do with as I please," Tass added.

He pulled up Iris's skirt and she felt his body press against hers.

This was not the first time she had been picked on or physically assaulted, but she could not let Tass have his way without some attempt to escape.

"HELP!" Iris screamed at the top of her lungs. She heard Zelkith bark louder and louder, but there was nothing he could do.

"HELP, HELP!" Iris continued to scream until Tass pushed her face into the rocky ground below, smashing her teeth against her lips and cutting her face in several places.

With one hand, he forced her neck against the floor and roughly pushed her legs apart with his knees. With his other hand, he began to hastily pull down his sodden trousers.

Tass slowly licked Iris's ear and his rancid breath ran down her neck, sending cold shivers through her body.

"Scream again and you'll regret it," Tass threatened, pushing her face harder against the rock.

"You are free to choose, but you are not free from the consequence of your choice," came a third, unknown voice from the blackness of the cave.

Iris felt Tass's arms clench and, to her relief, his body moved away from hers.

"Who was that?" Tass said firmly, but Iris could hear the tinge of concern in his voice.

"Your demise," came the reply.

Tass's weight was suddenly removed from her and she heard his body slam against the opposing wall, thrown up against it by the unknown assailant.

Iris turned over and pushed herself to the back of the cave, covering her legs as best she could. Her clothes were still wet and cold to the touch, but Iris could scarcely feel it.

She sat in silence and listened to the swish of a blade and the screams of agony from Tass.

Moments later, the commotion had stopped and only the groans of pain from Tass could be heard.

She heard the faint footsteps of the third person approach and stop just in front of her.

"Stay where you are," the voice said simply. It was not threatening but said in a way that suggested it would be a bad idea not to listen.

The midday light rushed inside the cavern as the boulder moved, illuminating the scene before her.

Tass was propped up against the cavern wall. What was left of him, anyway. His arms and legs had been removed and displayed in front of him as he bled to death. He looked at his own limbs and up to Iris in horror and shock.

Iris felt pity for him, but she did not feel sorry. He had got what he deserved. But the person who had overpowered him so easily must be extremely dangerous.

Iris glanced up to see the one who had done it, expecting a huge, hulking human. Instead, she looked upon the rather small figure of a Darkskin. He regarded Iris with the same look of pity she had given Tass.

Before Iris could say anything, she saw Zelkith leap through the gap and towards the Darkskin.

# Chapter 3 - The Legion

Zelkith's teeth were heading straight for the Darkskin's neck when suddenly the Darkskin vanished from view and Zelkith was left snapping his jaws uselessly in the air.

Zelkith stood in front of Iris, guarding her from danger. He remained there for several moments, sniffing the air, before finally relaxing slightly. Zelkith then glanced at the pitiful remains of Tass and seemed to stare in disbelief.

More shouts came from outside, which caught Iris's attention enough for her to look away from Tass.

She had to get out of there. She would now be blamed for Tass's death as well as Sithembile and Ulwazi's.

Iris stood up slowly, attempting to rearrange her damp skirt over her legs to cover herself up. She thought about saying something cruel to Tass for what he had done but decided against it.

When she took one last glance, she saw that he had stopped breathing.

Iris walked out of the cave and left Tass there. She stood at the exit, looking out into a forest that now seemed so unfamiliar and scary.

The members of the tribe were out there, hunting for her, and she did not know the forest as well as they did. Zelkith tugged on her arm gently and guided her through the trees and away from the cave.

Zelkith quickened his pace, sniffing the air as he took Iris through the woodland. He changed directions many times before stopping abruptly in a tiny clearing and turning around.

Zelkith backed up against a tree and growled heavily, which filled Iris with concern.

She ran to his side for protection.

Iris heard the footsteps of someone running towards them and from the side of a tree, one of the tribesmen ran at her with a spear in his hand.

The tribesman stopped in place and looked at Iris with wide eyes.

"RUN! You need to—" he began to shout, before a sword was thrust through his back, the blade now sticking through his chest.

Iris could not stifle her scream. As the tribesman fell to the floor, the human responsible was revealed; a tattered-looking man with a beard and sabre that made Iris assume he was a pirate.

"Nice," the pirate said with a sneer as he closed in on Iris. More pirates appeared from around the trees but did not get too close. They were looking at Zelkith warily.

Zelkith barked loudly as one of the pirates raised his sword for attack, which frightened him enough to stop.

"Afraid of a little dog?" said another, who had just appeared. He was much taller and broader than the others.

"No cap'n, just—"

"Then kill it, and don't spoil the girl," the captain replied, gesturing at Iris.

The pirates gathered together and ran at Zelkith with their swords raised. Zelkith leapt onto one of the pirates, sending him to the floor. One of the others managed to swirl his blade in the air and cut one of Zelkith's legs. Zelkith whimpered loudly and bit down on the pirate's neck.

Zelkith jumped forward and turned to face the other two pirates, barely showing any pain from his injury.

Iris could hear the downed pirate gurgling blood and bleeding to death.

Two pirates looked at each other with a nod before attacking in the same way.

The captain began to approach Iris cautiously, trying to avoid Zelkith.

Zelkith bit the sword arm of one of the pirates and threw him into the other, before leaping at the captain and clamping his teeth down on his captain's arm.

The captain grunted in pain and punched Zelkith in the head several times, so hard that Iris could hear the thuds. Zelkith bit down harder and the captain screamed in pain, pulling his sword free and raising it in the air. Zelkith pushed his weight against the captain and sent him toppling to the ground, his arm bent out of shape and bleeding heavily.

"Five hundred Tado for whoever slays the wolf!" the captain yelled through bleeding teeth.

A dozen more pirates came out from their hiding places behind the trees and surrounded Iris and Zelkith, leaving them no room to escape.

Several of the pirates gathered back to back and separated Iris and Zelkith. Iris heard Zelkith bark and growl as he leapt in to attack, quickly followed by shouts of pain and loud whimpers and squeals from Zelkith.

It sounded like more than just men attacking Zelkith. Iris could hear the sound of metal against metal.

She could see the captain behind the line of pirates, a look of fear across his face as he slowly walked backwards and sneaked away from the fight.

The pirate next to Iris thrust a sword at her, but a flash of movement sped in front of her and the outline of a person stood in her way. As quickly as the figure appeared, it ran to the side and dispatched another pirate with ease.

Iris noticed the captain bump into something that neither Iris nor the captain could see.

As the captain turned, the figure of the Darkskin that had saved Iris in the cavern appeared. He was looking at the captain with the sinister grin of someone who knew exactly what was going to happen.

The Darkskin pulled out a dagger that was large enough to be a short sword and, in one swift movement, pushed the blade under the captain's exposed armpit and removed his arm.

Iris almost screamed as a pirate moved to attack the Darkskin from behind, but he ducked and pushed the pirate's blade into the captain's chest. He then cut the pirate's arm off at the elbow, spun on his heel and thrust his dagger into the pirate's heart.

As quickly as the Darkskin appeared, he vanished from view.

Iris saw Zelkith on the floor, smothered in blood and breathing heavily. It was clear he was seriously injured. She ran over to him, but a pirate came at her with his sword.

"Out of my way!" Iris yelled, putting all her weight into one mighty push that sent the pirate toppling to the floor. Iris bounded past him and ran to Zelkith as fast as she could, beginning to cry before she even got to him.

She knelt and wrapped her arms around the wolf and cried.

It was her fault that this had happened. Zelkith was the only thing in her life that she knew without a doubt loved her for who she was.

She heard the snicker of someone behind her and her heart leapt out of her chest.

Iris looked upon a single pirate standing above her, his grin showing blackened or missing teeth.

Iris's guilt instantly turned into anger. It was not her fault; it was these cursed pirates!

She pulled out a sword from a nearby body and lunged at the pirate recklessly.

She narrowly missed the pirate's sword, completely missed her own attack and ploughed into him. They fell to the floor, Iris awkwardly landing on top of the pirate. She wrapped her hands around his throat, gripping as hard as possible and choking him, her nails drawing blood from the side of his neck. The pirate brought his sword up and clumsily slashed it against Iris's cheek. She rolled to the side and stood, bumping into another pirate's back.

She stumbled backwards and away from the threat, which was now several pirates, all with eyes on her. Her anger had faded and fear ran through her body. Fear for herself and for Zelkith.

Someone ran at her and Iris held up her hands in defence, but the figure stood in front of her, between her and the pirates. It was the short figure that had protected her before, the one that had sped away so fast that Iris had no time to look at him properly.

Now that he was stationary, Iris could tell the difference between him and the Darkskin that had saved her from Tass. He had long, straight hair, wore simple, brown clothing and held a gnarled wooden staff in his hand. His long, white ears were only just visible through his hair, which gave him a look of vulnerability.

Is he a Fairskin? His ears look the same as the Darkskins, Iris thought as she glimpsed the back of this stranger's head.

"Cleric!" the Fairskin shouted, ignoring the taunts from the pirates.

Iris cringed as the pirates lunged for the Fairskin simultaneously. The Fairskin did not even flinch as he deflected their blows and dispatched them with incredible speed. Iris noticed that he did not actually kill any of them, but either broke their bones or knocked them out.

The battle around her fizzled out and the forest fell quiet. A female human was kneeling in front of Zelkith and had her hands on Zelkith's wound. She shook her head and turned to face the Fairskin with a grave look on her face.

Iris felt her heart clench. She had heard stories of the Clerics' magic that could fix almost any wound. If she could not help Zelkith, he would most definitely die.

"We need to get him to Sylvar. This is beyond me," the Cleric said with urgency in her voice.

"Will he survive?" Iris could not help but ask in desperation, clutching her hands.

The Cleric looked to the Fairskin briefly before turning to face Iris.

"If he is not healed quickly, no," the Cleric replied in a blunt manner that hit Iris like a hammer.

"How long?" the Fairskin asked.

"An hour, maybe less," the Cleric replied.

Zelkith is going to die and it is all my fault. I wish today had never happened.

The Darkskin appeared from the shadows beside them and looked at the Fairskin with a grin.

"What's it to be, Commander?" the Darkskin said in a sinister tone. "Save the wolf and be reprimanded for abandoning the mission, or let it and the girl die alone in the forest?"

"I'll do anything! Please," Iris begged, tears already starting to stream down her face. The way they talked made Iris feel small and worthless, but she would do anything to help Zelkith.

The Darkskin whistled and grinned at Iris's words, looking over her body in a way that made her skin crawl. The Fairskin, Mireylon, the Darkskin had called him, ignored the gesture and looked deep into her eyes.

"I will save the wolf... on one condition," Mireylon said. Just those few words filled Iris with hope that Zelkith may yet live. She would do whatever he wanted.

"Anything," Iris said sternly through tears. She anticipated the condition somehow involving her body. What else would a band of warriors want with her? If it meant saving Zelkith's life, she would deal with it.

"That you accompany the unit and return to our stronghold to become one of us," Mireylon said.

Iris stood stunned for several moments, unable to speak. In some strange way, she would have preferred some sexual favour rather than this odd request to join them, whoever they were. At least that way it would be over and done with it.

What choice do I really have? I cannot let Zelkith die, I just cannot. If I have to go with these people, that will be the price I pay. It's not like I can ever go back to the tribe again... if there is anyone left alive.

Guilt knotted her insides as she thought of all the innocent people of the tribe being slaughtered by the pirates.

"I agree," she said. She had no desire at all to join them and would leave the moment Zelkith was healed, but for now, she had to play the part and make them believe she would stay.

"Then it's a deal," Mireylon said.

"You really believe her? She will run the moment she gets what she wants. I can see it in her eyes," the Darkskin said in a cold, matter-of-fact way. It was like the Darkskin could read her every thought; like her mind was open and vulnerable to him.

"I care not what you see, Vesh, oh great reader of minds. Just keep her alive," Mireylon said in an authoritative tone.

"Yes, Commander," Vesh huffed as he slipped back into his surroundings and disappeared.

Mireylon somehow managed to lift Zelkith on his own. His long, wooden staff, which he held underneath Zelkith, started to glow a light green. Without a moment's pause, he ran off through the dense woodland at incredible speed.

The three of them moved on, away from the place Iris had known as home for the last year to meet up with the rest of the group. Everything around her seemed suddenly foreign, scary and unknown. Without Zelkith beside her, she felt vulnerable and alone, yet she knew that the Darkskin, Vesh, had his gaze on her the entire time. A cold chill ran down her spine as she thought of his sinister demeanour, yet she knew his skill with a blade would protect her from harm.

Iris kept to the rear of the group as they walked through the forest. She watched one member, a short, stubby Dwarf with a large ginger beard that stretched in a long braid almost to the floor. The Dwarf lagged behind slightly and seemed approachable enough to talk to.

"Excuse me, I don't mean to be rude but... who are you?" Iris asked as politely as she could.

"Dakho, Commander of the Silver Snake and the most handsome of them all, ya ken," he replied in a thick accent while raising his eyebrows up and down suggestively.

Iris was so distracted by his mannerisms that she barely took in what he had said.

Silver Snake, as in the Legion of the Silver Snake. I heard they were a freelance group of warmongers and feared by many, Iris thought.

"It's an honour to meet you, Commander Dakho," Iris said, bowing slightly and forcing a fake smile, while still trying to keep up with the others. If they were as feared as she had been led to believe, she had to be careful, and flattery always seemed to work well for her.

"Oh, the honour is mine, lass. I ain't seen one like you before," he said, taking her hand in his own thickly calloused fingers and inspecting her skin.

"Where are we going, Commander Dakho?" Iris said quickly, eager to change the subject before it turned into one about her skin.

"South, to Broken Cart Ranch," Dakho replied, his thick accent rolling heavily on the 'r's.

"A farm?" Iris said out loud before she had thought better of it.

"It ain't the farm we want, lass, it's the owner. Worthless scunner of a human," Dakho replied, spitting at the mention of this owner.

"Oh..." was all Iris said, unsure what exactly he expected her to say. Thankfully, Dakho did not press further into the situation and continued to talk about himself for the remaining two hours of the journey.

When they arrived at Broken Cart Ranch, the group swiftly stormed the place and dispatched two poorly-dressed guards with ease. Iris waited in the distance, pondering what this poor farmer must have done to deserve this punishment, if he had done anything at all. She watched Dakho drag the farmer out of the ranch by his hair and throw him into the dirt, stuffing his face into the boggy mud. A strange sight to behold, such a small figure throwing a human around like a rag.

Iris could see the human begging for his life, but Dakho continued to ignore him. He talked so self-righteously and was proud of his acts, yet here he was, torturing an innocent farmer.

"Don't look so grim, he deserves it," came a voice from behind Iris that startled her. She clenched her fists and turned to fight but stopped when she noticed it was the Darkskin, Vesh.

"He's done nothing wrong," Iris argued, without thinking.

Vesh raised an eyebrow and glanced from Iris to the farm.

"You think enslaving hundreds of humans, starving them to near death and whipping them for joy is 'nothing wrong'?" Vesh said.

"I err... he... what?" Iris said, confused as to what Vesh was implying.

"You have no idea who we are, do you?" Vesh said with a smile on his face. "What a sheltered life you must had lived," he taunted.

"My real mother gave me away to an abusive family and I have spent my entire life in fear because of this horrid skin," Iris snapped. Now it was Vesh's turn to be lost for words, yet he did not show it on his face.

"I know you are the Legion of the Silver Snake, but I don't know who you are," Iris said a few moments later, unclenching her fists and breaking the awkward silence.

"To put it simply, we aim to stop slavery and live in peace with all races in Wizgrad. Or, at least, that's what we try to do," Vesh said.

"That... sounds impossible," Iris said, looking down to her feet. She thought of Sithembile, how he had lied to her for years.

Surely Vesh is not telling the truth? He seems so abrupt and rude that words of living in peace with others do not seem right, coming from him, Iris thought.

"Even the most unimaginable things are possible," Vesh said, looking down at his hands. "Besides, I like the colour of your skin," Vesh said, disappearing into his surroundings before Iris could say anything.

She knew he was telling the truth. She could tell, deep down in her bones, which only put her more on edge.

Iris continued to watch Dakho, but now in a different light. The owner had been slain and Dakho was helping unshackle the slaves and group them together.

She heard Dakho's speech over the field, telling the slaves they were free to do as they pleased, while also offering them a meaningful life and place in the Legion, should they wish to join. Most of the slaves agreed to this, with only a dozen deciding to stay and keep the farm between them.

It was a further three days' journey back to the Legion stronghold; a huge stone structure that sat in the middle of an aged forest. Iris had not felt as lonely on the journey as she expected, but now that she was there, she was eager to see Zelkith again.

Mireylon greeted her as they entered and personally led her through the stronghold corridors so that she could see Zelkith.

"You'll be pleased to hear that your Remnant is healing well," Mireylon said as he approached a pair of large, solid wooden doors. Iris barely acknowledged the words, all her focus on the anticipation of seeing Zelkith again.

"I don't know what I would do without him," Iris said.

Mireylon looked at her, slightly bemused. "Nothing, I suspect," he said, before pushing open the door to reveal yet another long corridor.

This corridor was completely different to the previous stone-built part of the stronghold. The entire hallway was made from shiny white marble, from floor to ceiling, and tiny crystals hung from the walls, shining a brilliant white and lighting the way.

Iris noticed that one of the crystals was wonky. She stood there and gawked for several moments, her fists clenched tight in fear.

It was identical to the crystal she had seen in her vision in Ulwazi's tent, shortly before she had stabbed him.

Iris turned to face Mireylon for reassurance, but the room flickered with light before falling into utter darkness. Something otherworldly stole her breath and clutched her chest and lungs. She struggled for air, her heart raced and she wanted to call out for help, but she could not.

Iris felt faint, the lack of air causing the world around her to spin and stars to appear in her eyes. She collapsed to the floor and her consciousness slipped away.

# Chapter 4 - Heiress

Iris awoke to a jolt of pain and the bed beneath her suddenly moved, like a giant had swept her off a table top. She clutched onto the frame but the movement had stopped.

Iris heard grunts of pain just beside her from whoever had crashed into her bed.

An ominous voice barely resonated into Iris's fuzzy mind.

"You won this time, traitor, but mark my words... I'll take my revenge," came the cold and sinister voice, which made Vesh's seem friendly.

She heard the clunking sounds of someone heavily-armoured running into the room, each step shuddering the floor.

"What the hell is happening?" came a deep, booming voice.

"Assassin," said the familiar voice of Mireylon, who sounded as if he was also just beside Iris.

"For the girl? Who is she?" replied the voice.

Iris did not let on that she was awake, but the pain in her back was surmounting fast; she would not be able to fake it for long.

The grunts of pain turned into hisses of effort as the injured person moved away.

There was a long pause before anyone spoke.

"I believe she is the heir," Mireylon said.

Iris felt her body freeze. He dared not even breathe.

"To...?" The deep voice asked the question Iris was thinking.

"The Legion," Mireylon said.

Iris could feign sleep no longer. "What?" she said as she shot up from the bed. Her head was spinning and not just from the news she had just heard. A sick feeling ran through her body. She instantly regretted getting up so fast.

Mireylon came over and comforted Iris for a few moments in silence, giving her water and supporting her back.

"But neither Biren nor Airianna had any children... Did they?" came the booming voice.

Iris rubbed her eyes clear to see a huge Ogre standing in front of her, wearing silver armour and wielding a hammer that was longer than Iris was tall.

"It's all too coincidental," Mireylon said, pondering. "Her age, her origin, her skin colour," Mireylon said.

Iris cringed at the mention of her skin colour, but she did not sense any aggression in the way he said it. She had never heard of either Biren or Airianna, but if Mireylon was insinuating that she was the heir to the Legion, then surely they had once ruled the Legion.

Iris looked at Mireylon in confusion. There was no proof. The only evidence she did have had been destroyed by Ulwazi.

"Where is Zelkith?" Iris asked, pulling the bedsheets tightly around her and looking around frantically for somewhere to go.

"Plode, will you fetch her Remnant?" Mireylon asked, looking up at the huge Ogre that stood in the doorway. The Ogre, Plode, nodded and left the room.

This was not the first time Iris had heard Zelkith referred to as a Remnant, but she had no idea what it actually meant.

"Sssso, what doesss this mean?" came a voice from the corner of the room. Iris looked to see a red-skinned, lizard-like humanoid called a Seckle sitting in the corner, feeding stitches through a large wound in his arm.

"I don't know... but it's not safe for anyone to know, not yet..." Mireylon said.

"Because of...?" the Seckle said.

"Mmm..." was the response.

"Will someone please explain what in Wizgrad is going on?" Iris asked.

"I have strong suspicions that you are the child of the Legion's founders. As much as I would love to tell you about them, I know very little. What I do know is that you are in grave danger and we need to get you somewhere safe," Mireylon explained, not telling her anything that she had not already guessed.

"Is the Legion stronghold not safe?" Iris asked, not realising how offensive this may be until after she had said it.

Mireylon looked at the red-scaled Seckle, the blood dripping from the wound in his arm as he continued to stitch.

"Apparently not, anymore..." he said solemnly.

"You don't even know if that's true. No doubt I'm the unwanted child of some wench that dumped me on the doorstop to the Darkskin caverns," Iris said angrily.

"She isss right, Lon. We have no proof. You told me they both died... surely someone would have known if they had a child?" the Seckle said, reaffirming what Iris felt was true in her heart.

Before any more could be said, Iris saw Zelkith's head appear through the open doorway. Her heart leapt for joy and she pulled herself out of bed swiftly, throwing the blanket that covered her aside and getting to her feet.

As soon as she stood, she knew it was a mistake. Her heart skipped a beat as her legs gave way and she began to tumble.

Zelkith's eyes opened wide as he leapt into the room and threw himself under Iris's feet.

Iris felt Mireylon grab hold of her shoulders at the same time as she fell into the huge, furry mass of Zelkith. Iris wrapped her arms around Zelkith and squeezed furiously, as if the tighter she did so, the less likely he would be to leave her again.

Mireylon let go of her shoulders and walked to the corner of the room where the Seckle was sitting. The large Ogre, Plode, followed and they all began to murmur quietly.

Every once in a while, they would glance at Iris and then back to each other. She knew they were talking about her.

"We need to get out of here," Iris whispered into Zelkith's ear. Zelkith pulled back uncharacteristically and looked Iris in the eyes, shaking his head.

"No? Why?" Iris asked him.

Zelkith just raised his eyebrows.

"Oh yeah... sorry. Still feel a little groggy," she said, remembering he had no way to tell her anything other than simple messages. She noticed that his ears were trained on Mireylon and the others, listening in to their conversation.

"Don't tell me it has anything to do with that ridiculous heir thing?" Iris said. Zelkith looked back at her but did not respond. She could see the hesitation in his eyes, as if he was frightened to answer.

"Zell?" she asked again, her hands squeezing into fists.

Before Zelkith had a chance to respond, everything turned black and a tremendous boom shook the entire room.

The sound was so loud it was like a mountain crashing down upon them. The lights came back on again, but this time they were dim and flickered on and off.

A gentle green light emanated from the corner of the room, coming from Mireylon's wooden staff. Mireylon and Plode were staring at each other with grim faces.

"What's going on?" the red-scaled Seckle asked.

"We need to get her out of here, now," Mireylon said, looking at Iris with a grave expression on his face.

A second, less violent boom shook the floor once again, dislodging small particles from the ceiling. The lights continued to flicker and dull and even the light from Mireylon's staff seemed to struggle.

"Are you strong enough to carry her?" Mireylon said, looking directly at Zelkith.

It was unusual for others to realise Zelkith's intelligence. Iris wondered if it had something to do with that strange Remnant title he had used.

Zelkith nodded and lowered his body so that Iris could climb on.

"Keep close," Mireylon said.

Plode held out his arm and stopped him, stepping in front. "I will lead," Plode said in deep, authoritative tone.

"I'm the Commander, I should—"

"Then you will die... and you know it," Plode interjected before Mireylon could speak further.

Mireylon did not answer this time and allowed the huge Ogre to lead.

The red-scaled Seckle crept to the back of the line and kept a wary eye behind them.

They soon came to the long, white, marble hall where Iris had fainted before. She was glad that this time she was on Zelkith's back, but the flickering lights made her nervous and she gripped Zelkith's fur tighter than before.

"Here, take this," the red-scaled Seckle said gently to Iris, handing her a small dagger. She looked at the dagger. It was so similar to the one she had stabbed Ulwazi with, she could practically see the blood rushing down its blade and over her hands.

She instinctively let go of the blade, causing it to fall to the floor with a clang. Mireylon and Plode turned, weapons ready, their chests rising and falling quickly.

"Sorry..." Iris said, embarrassed. She turned to face the Seckle but could not look him in the eyes and just stared at her hands.

"I'm sorry, erm...?" she said, looking up at the Seckle. She had no idea what his name was.

He picked up the dagger and sheathed it into a holster on the side of his leg.

"Zeek," he replied and looked Iris in the eyes. "I have ssseen that look many timesss," Zeek hissed, but with a grim smile that suggested he knew the feeling all too well.

"Does it ever go?" Iris asked as the group continued slowly down the hall.

"No," Zeek replied abruptly, "but it will fade with time," he added.

Plode stopped in place as countless people came bounding down the hallway towards them. Iris could no longer just lie on Zelkith's back, she had to know what was going on. She pulled herself upright and straddled Zelkith as if he were a horse, grappling with his fur to keep herself steady.

A group of four people was running towards them. Each and every one of them was covered in blood; whether it was their own or that of others, it was hard to tell. A small, ruffled, brown-haired Fairskin at the rear of the group was throwing her hands in the air and blocking the entire hallway with thick tree roots that shot up from the floor.

Iris noticed Dakho the Dwarf amongst the group as well as two large, cat-like humanoids called Kijjiar. She had seen them before on her travels: strong, stern and heavily religious creatures.

"What's happened?" Mireylon asked.

"Everyone's gone mad I tell yee!" Dakho said, panting for breath.

"The troops just charged into the officers' meeting and started killing! We are the only ones who escaped," said one of the Kijjiar, the female and larger of the two.

"I did find it strange that I had seen no one since the first attack," Mireylon said.

"We need to get out. It won't take 'em long to find their way around," Dakho said, gripping a large, bloodied axe tightly in his hands.

"That was exactly what we were trying to do," Plode said.

"One small tremor and you all run away to save your own skins!" hissed the female Kijjiar, pointing the sword at Mireylon's neck. Iris could see the fury on her face and the muscles bulging in her arms and legs.

"It was not our lives we were trying to save, Liammar, but hers," Mireylon said, pointing at Iris.

Iris instantly felt everyone's gaze on her, judging her, as if the blame were all hers. She wanted to shrink into Zelkith's fur and disappear. None of this was her fault. She did not want to even be there.

"You planned to desert us, just to save some new recruit you want to bed?" came the sinister voice that Iris instantly knew to be Vesh's, from within the group.

"Bless my soul," said the female Fairskin with the crazy brown hair. "Get out of my way," she said a moment later in a completely different tone, as if she were two people stuck in the same body.

She pushed her way past the small group, shoving aside what appeared to be nothing, until Iris saw Vesh land on the floor and quickly disappear again.

"You know who she is, don't you, Thorna?" Mireylon said rhetorically to the crazy-haired Fairskin.

She approached Iris with eyes filled with awe.

"I have been waiting for, yes... I know," Thorna said, walking towards Iris and outstretching her hands.

"Let me see your hands," Thorna said, snatching them with a fearsomely strong grip that belied her tiny size. She turned Iris's palms upwards and inspected them carefully, as if reading a book.

"Yes... it's her. I can see it. Dear, you must take these," Thorna said. She reached underneath her skirt in an awkward manner that made Iris feel uncomfortable.

Shouts and bangs were coming from beyond the root structure that blocked the hallway and the tips of spears and swords were starting to pierce through. Thorna seemed to untie something from around her leg at such a leisurely pace that Iris had to hold back the urge to help or at least hurry her along.

"Need to speed things along, Thorna," Vesh said as the face of a horrid, green-skinned creature poked through a gap in the roots.

"They can WAIT," Thorna yelled, throwing one of her hands towards the wall of roots. The roots burst into life and knotted themselves back together in a thick, tangled mess. The head of the green creature dropped to the floor with a thud.

Shortly after she had finished untying what was around her leg, Thorna presented it to Iris, as if it were the crown jewels being presented to a monarch; getting down on one knee and holding them up in open palms.

"Are those... Biren's weapons?" Mireylon said in amazement as he stared at the items being presented to Iris.

Iris stared down at two immaculately-carved golden sword hilts.

These are the ones from the vision I had in Ulwazi's tent. The same place as the crystal that was on the wall; both of them here. Does that mean the other visions are going to come true? All those dead people in the frozen town... surely that could never be here? Iris mused.

Each hilt was just like she had seen, shaped in a figure of eight and carved to look like a snake eating its own tail. Neither hilt had a blade attached to it, but there were large diamonds in the back of the pommel.

Iris was hesitant to pick them up. They looked incredibly expensive and she hardly deserved them.

"Take them. They are yours now. He called them Limbo," Thorna repeated, gesturing again for Iris to take the items.

Iris leant down and lifted the two hilts carefully in her palms.

"I thought they were lost when Biren died?" Mireylon said in surprise.

"You all believe the lies fed to you, because you could not know the truth," Thorna retorted.

Mireylon stood shocked, unsure how to respond.

"We can talk about this later, eh? We need to get the hell out of here," Dakho said, interrupting the tension.

The shouts from beyond the wall of roots were getting louder as the traitorous members of the Legion hacked their way through.

Thorna looked up at Iris sternly. "Keep them safe and hidden," she said, gesturing to Limbo, the two golden hilts Iris held in her hands. Thorna passed her the leather strap that she had tied around her leg so that Iris may also hide the hilts.

Iris awkwardly strapped them under her leg in a similar place to Thorna, the others all anxiously waiting as she did so, making her increasingly nervous as she fumbled with the warm leather straps.

The now larger group turned back and away from the wall of roots in the hope that they could circle around to an exit before they were surrounded.

Before they had even run several metres, a large group of traitorous members approached from the front.

Thorna raised her hand and made a wall of roots to stop them, which also blocked the group inside the hallway.

"What are you doing, lass? We can't just stay 'ere!" Dakho shouted at Thorna.

Thorna ignored him and ran straight past, towards the first wall of roots.

"No, but if we are going to fight our way through, this way is closer," Mireylon said, turning around and running with Thorna.

The lights in the hallway flickered and began to darken, causing Thorna to slow down and eventually stop. She turned to face the second root wall with a fierce look of determination.

The lights in the hallway had darkened and it was close to complete blackness. Just a sliver of light remained in the two crystals closest to the first root wall, illuminating the group in a silver light.

Thorna closed her eyes and raised her hands in the air towards the first root wall.

A series of rumbles and bangs quickly followed and the shouts from the traitorous Legion members ceased. Plode, the Ogre, had one palm on the wall and turned to look at Thorna in shock.

"Did you just cave in the ceiling?" Plode asked.

"There can be no distractions, you know that!" Thorna shrieked.

The entire group turned so that the root wall was to their backs and stood there, weapons drawn. Iris could feel their tension and nerves as they stood and waited for the unknown foe.

Iris wished she had taken that dagger from Zeek. All she had was a pair of handles as defence, now.

Zelkith started to sniff the air out of curiosity and began to growl.

"What's wrong?" Iris asked nervously. She felt cold breath against her neck and it sent a shiver down her spine. It was like a ghost had just rushed through her body.

Iris turned her head just as a blade flew past her face and clanged into something just beside her ear. She turned to see that the blade had been thrown by Vesh, who was now running towards her with another blade already out.

"What the—" was all Iris managed to get out before she felt a sharp pain in the back of her shoulder that caused her to scream.

Mireylon had already dashed across the hall and towards Iris but sped past her and crashed into the wall.

Zelkith bounded forward in one large leap, Iris barely holding on, then turned to face whatever had stabbed Iris in the back. Pressed against the wall by Mireylon was a sinister-looking human that stared at Iris with menace.

She instantly knew it was his cold breath she had felt on her neck and it made her shiver to her very core.

"You chose a stupid time to make your move," Mireylon taunted.

The human grinned at him, blackened teeth and all.

"Oh... I think not," he said, all too knowingly.

A moment later, something massive crashed into the wall of roots at the other end of the hall. It made the floor shudder and everything around them fell into complete darkness.

The lights began to flicker rapidly, like the wings of a desperate fly caught in a spider's web. The human had escaped from Mireylon's grip and was now standing behind a huge figure at the end of the hall, grinning.

The roots around the huge figure were burning, but this did not seem to affect the figure at all. It was almost as tall as the hall itself and dominated the space around it.

The figure was clad in black armour with sharp spikes and shapes that only increased its menacing look. It had deep- set, red eyes that almost seem to glare with fire.

Iris gripped Zelkith tightly. The figure glared straight at Iris with a heart-stopping gaze. It raised its sword and pointed it directly at her. The figure yelled in a deep guttural voice that made Iris's body freeze with fear.

"Greyskin!"

# Chapter 5 - Morgoth

Iris sat frozen on Zelkith, cold sweat sticking to her back, unable to tear her eyes away from the monster's glare.

She was completely out of her depth. She was like an ant sitting amongst bickering gods. She could do nothing but sit in fear.

Her first instinct was to run, to hide and get away, but the way behind her was blocked and she knew it. Even Zelkith had backed himself up to the root wall and away from the hulking figure that seemed to frighten even the strong warriors of the Legion.

"Oh Morgoth. How did you end up like that?" Thorna said as she regarded the hulking figure with a look of pity.

"That thing has a name?" Iris asked in surprise.

"Yes. He used to be one of us," Plode responded.

Iris felt guilty for calling him an 'it', whatever remained of him, but no one commented on what she had said.

Plode was the first to run in and attack. He held his huge hammer in the air above his head as he charged towards Morgoth. Morgoth finally tore his gaze from Iris as Plode bounded towards him and watched calmly, barely moving at all.

Plode swung the hammer down at Morgoth, who swiftly blocked it with a huge black shield that was easily the size of a door. The hammer smashed against the shield with such force that Iris even felt a shockwave blast against her face from the impact.

Morgoth seemed to take the blow as if it were nothing but a roll of parchment hitting against him. He dodged a further attack from Plode and thrust out with a grim and horrid-looking black sword.

Plode narrowly dodged the blade, using the handle of his hammer to deflect it. The horrid black sword smashed against the floor, sinking straight through the white marble. As the sword pierced the floor, the lights flashed dark and an instant later the remains of what looked like an arc of lightning were scorched into the floor, almost reaching Iris.

Fresh fear smothered Iris's senses. This Morgoth was powerful beyond belief and she understood, in that moment, why the others feared him.

She frantically looked for a way out, despite knowing there was not one. As she looked around at the dim hallway, there was one light that shone brighter than the others; the only crystal that hung on the wonk.

She recalled the vision of her pulling that crystal back into place, but there was one major problem... it was right next to Morgoth, who seemed reluctant to move from his spot.

It was as if Morgoth knew that he had to stop Iris from getting to that crystal, but this only made Iris more determined.

Thorna was the next to run in and attack. The tiny- framed Fairskin with crazy hair looked so frail compared to the two massive Ogres. Iris was sure she was going to get crushed.

A huge root sprung up from the ground and wrapped itself around Morgoth's neck, just moments before Thorna leapt up into the air holding nothing but a tiny dagger.

Morgoth kicked Plode in the chest so hard he was thrown several feet back down the hallway, while thrusting his shield at Thorna.

Thorna pulled herself over the shield like an acrobat and landed on Morgoth's shoulder. Morgoth dropped his sword and grabbed the root that was around his neck, but it was too late; Thorna had her blade in the air and was ready to plunge it deep into Morgoth's chest.

Thorna held the blade aloft for several moments, before turning to her side and slashing it in mid-air.

Iris saw the black-toothed assassin land on the floor with a large gouge on his chest, bleeding profusely. The large, black hand of Morgoth grabbed Thorna by the ankles, lifting her from his shoulders with ease and holding her in front of him, like an unwanted garment.

He threw Thorna at Plode as Plode charged at him. Thorna crashed into Plode as he attempted to catch her. She hit Plode's open arms and the two of them stumbled backwards.

The root around Morgoth's neck had rapidly decayed and crumpled to the floor, as if thousands of years of rot had beset upon it instantly.

"Your mercy will get you killed, Thorna," Morgoth taunted in a mocking tone.

"This is different," Thorna said sternly, picking herself up and dusting herself off.

The black-toothed assassin had tipped some liquid onto his chest and the bleeding had stopped instantly.

He vanished again into the surroundings, much like Vesh could.

"Do not intervene," Morgoth warned to the black-toothed assassin.

Something sharp tore across Iris's ear, sending a shockwave of pain and fright through her. She yelped and turned, thinking it was the black-toothed assassin, but instead, a spear had found its way through the root wall and had come close to stabbing Iris in the back of the head.

Zelkith instinctively moved them forwards and away from the wall, but that also brought them closer to Morgoth. They were trapped. They all were.

This time, the others charged at Morgoth in unison; perhaps together they could finally defeat him.

Zelkith and Iris kept their distance from both the wall and Morgoth, Zelkith keeping a wary eye on everything around him.

Iris could not help but keep looking at the wonky crystal. She needed to get to it; something told her that it was their only way out.

"We need to get to that light," Iris said into Zelkith's ear. Zelkith looked up at her with a questioning and fearful look in his eye.

"That night, when I..." Iris began. She shook her head, unable to finish the sentence. "I had a vision, and that crystal was in it," she explained, hoping that Zelkith would trust her.

Morgoth battled against the group with ease. It was as if he was toying with them. He repelled and deflected the attacks so skilfully it was unreal. The others all panted for breath and struggled to dodge or block his attacks.

The spears and axes from behind the root wall were making progress and soon a face appeared through the roots, bloodied and eager to kill.

Iris leant in close to Zelkith. She could feel his heart as it thumped heavily. She felt him look behind, take a deep breath and tense his muscles.

It was time. They could wait no longer.

Iris grabbed hold of Zelkith's fur in her hands as he bounded down the hall with a speed Iris had never experienced before. The cold air within the hall rushed against the sweat that dripped down her forehead. Every footstep bounced through her body as Zelkith ran towards Morgoth without hesitation.

Zips of magic whizzed past her like mosquitoes rushing past her ears, flapping against her body like thick strands of spider silk.

Morgoth's petrifying glare set upon Iris as Zelkith bounded towards him.

Morgoth slammed his shield into the ground, causing a shockwave of flames to knock her allies to the ground, like the peak of a ripple in water.

Zelkith leapt into the air, clearing the flames that raced across the walls and floor at great speed. A blast of wind hit Iris with such force she thought she was going to fall off Zelkith's back.

As they landed, Morgoth raised his sword in the air and swung it towards them. There was no way Zelkith could slow down now. The blade raced towards them at an incredible speed. The force of the blade sliced through the ceiling like butter as it came toward them.

Zelkith leapt towards the blade, almost matching its speed with his own. His teeth sunk into Morgoth's forearm and stopped the attack, but he lost almost all his momentum.

Iris saw Zelkith clamp down his jaws and the black armour started to crumple under the force.

With a bellowing cry of pain that sounded more like a guttural roar, Morgoth swung himself around and threw his arm towards the wall with such force even Zelkith could not hold on.

The world turned itself upside down and Iris felt herself tear free from her grip on Zelkith's back.

A high-pitched yelp echoed down the hall as Zelkith smashed against the solid marble wall.

Iris's back crashed against the wall, too, stealing all the air from her lungs and ravaging her back and shoulder with unimaginable pain. She fell to the floor, wheezing and desperate for air.

Iris heard the heavy metal boot of Morgoth stand beside her as her body screamed for air. She forced herself to look up and saw him above her. She was tiny and useless compared to the mammoth size and strength of Morgoth.

Her eyes were blurry and her muscles stung with pain, like thousands of needles jamming into her limbs.

"Finally, I take my revenge," Morgoth growled through his teeth.

Revenge? Revenge for what? What is happening? Why do all these people think I am someone I am not?

Iris watched helplessly as Morgoth raised his sword in the air. The light around him dissipated, seemingly being sucked into the blade. Iris could barely breathe, let alone think about moving.

Morgoth seemed to hold the blade in the air longer than Iris had anticipated. Had she moved, she could have got out of the way, but now it was too late and all she could do was watch.

"NO!" Thorna yelled.

Tiny roots appeared from the ceiling and began to grapple around Morgoth's wrist, but they snapped under the weight, barely slowing the blade.

Morgoth's eyes seemed to peer straight through Iris as she pulled up her arms in a futile defence against the attack. Iris's sight went dark, instantly followed by a thunderous crack so loud she felt the impact throughout her whole body. The pressure on her chest was not as painful as she had expected and flutters of magic tingled over her arms and face.

She could hear faint cries, then everything was unclear and quiet, like she had been pushed underwater. An overbearing ringing drowned out most of what she could hear, which turned words into mumbling gibberish.

As the light began to filter back into the room, Iris could see the brown, frazzled hair of Thorna just in front of her. Pressed against Iris's chest was the tip of Morgoth's black sword, completely through Thorna's chest, and warm blood trickled down the blade and onto Iris.

"Move," Thorna hissed through gritted teeth. Thorna's arms shook as she attempted to keep the sword from going any further. Despite the warning, Iris sat there, stunned. It was as if she had been the one stabbed through the chest. She was not worth anyone risking their lives for, let alone sacrificing themselves for.

Zelkith bit down on Iris's arm and pulled her away, moments before Thorna's strength waned.

Morgoth's sword pierced the wall behind them, impaling Thorna to it.

Zelkith dropped Iris to the floor and barked loudly into her ear, snapping her back to reality.

Thick, green roots exploded from Thorna's arms and engulfed the blade sticking through her chest.

Morgoth released his grip on the sword and moved away before the roots took hold of him.

The roots at the other end of the hall were beginning to shrivel up and allow the enemy to filter through.

Mireylon and the others were taking up a defensive position. The two Kijjiar had large patches of burnt fur on their mostly-exposed bodies.

Iris had no idea how they had stopped the fires. The walls and floors had been charred black.

Plode was charging towards Morgoth with a fierce look on his face. He swung his huge hammer at him, but Morgoth twisted to the side, grabbed the hammer with his free hand and threw Plode to the floor.

Iris finally took in what was going on around her. These people, who she barely knew, were fighting for their lives, just to protect her. They truly believed she was the heir to the Legion, and whether they were right or not, if she did not do something, they would all die.

But what could she do? She had two weapons that had no blades and no magic.

As if the world had been listening to her, the wonky crystal lit up brightly from the other side of the hall.

That was her task. That was what she could do. She could lead them all out of there.

Iris shakily stood herself up.

Filled with tenacity, she lifted her feet and began to run for the crystal.

Iris heard a loud crash as Morgoth slammed the hammer against Plode's chest as he lay exposed on the floor. The impact literally pushed Plode into the ground; a blow that would surely be fatal.

Morgoth's malevolent gaze instantly turned back to Iris and her tenacity slipped away like water through her fingers. She backed herself against the wall. She knew the crystal was close to her; she could see the light bounce off the floor.

Somehow, Iris managed to claw back a tiny amount of her courage. She shimmied against the wall as Morgoth came towards her, holding Plode's hammer aloft and pointing it at Iris aggressively.

She could see that there was no help for her now. Plode was not moving and Iris was unsure if he was even alive. Zelkith was clearly too injured to move and the others were busy stopping the remaining Legion troops from getting through the now open hallway.

Iris could sense the pure hostility in Morgoth's eyes. She knew that if she did not do something fast, she would die, just like Thorna and Plode.

The adrenaline pumped through her body and her hands started to become sweaty. She squeezed them tight in a fist and the muscles in her arms tensed.

Morgoth stomped towards her with heavy feet and held out the hammer, ready to strike. Iris raised her hands above her head and gingerly wrapped them around the wonky crystal on the wall.

Iris pushed the crystal up into place at the last moment, bracing herself for the hammer to smash against her face.

She leaned back to press herself against the wall, but felt nothing behind her. Her heart skipped a beat as she helplessly stumbled backwards and onto the floor.

The hammer flew towards her, but then smashed against a thin blue veil that hung where the wall had once been.

With a hideously loud crash, she watched as Morgoth was thrown to the other side of the room by some strange magical force.

Zelkith managed to move out of the way before Morgoth crushed him.

Zelkith ran towards Iris, straight through the veil, as if it didn't exist.

The air around her was cold and a strong, earthy smell reached her nose and filled her lungs. It reminded her of the day she had escaped from the Darkskin caves and sorrowful nostalgia swept over her. She longed for that feeling of freedom and peace again. Instead, her entire world had been ripped apart and she had been thrown into some insane journey that was so unbelievable she wondered if she were dreaming.

Morgoth stood awkwardly and shook himself down before again glaring at Iris with menace. He grunted loudly, almost like a rhino getting ready to charge. He ran towards Iris with fury, letting out a war cry that reverberated in Iris's chest.

Zelkith stood himself in defence and growled, but Iris could see that his leg was injured.

Morgoth came at them with all he had. He got within a metre, but the moment he reached the blue veil, something threw him back against the wall with the same force as before.

Curious, Iris walked forward with an outstretched hand, but her hand slipped straight through without any resistance at all. She quickly peered around the corner and saw Plode coughing and spluttering, but alive. The rest of her allies were getting pushed back and clearly struggling.

Iris saw that Morgoth was completely dazed and slumped against the wall. If she was going to do something, now was her chance.

"QUICKLY! IN HERE!" Iris yelled at the top of her lungs. Her allies turned and noticed Iris leaning out of a gap in the wall that had not been there previously.

"Help me," Iris pleaded with Zelkith. She knew he was injured, but she could not leave Plode out there, knowing he was still alive. There was no way she would be able to move him on her own.

Iris ran back into the hallway and reached out to grab Plode's outstretched arm. He pulled Iris with far too much force and she toppled to the floor. She got herself back up and this time she leant back and pulled hard, while making sure she did not fall.

Zelkith tugged on Plode's armour and started to drag him along the floor.

Morgoth was beginning to come back to his senses.

Iris and Zelkith managed to slide Plode against the white marble floor to safety, past the thin, blue veil barrier.

Iris noticed Thorna pinned against the wall, her dishevelled and limp body slumped over Morgoth's black sword.

The guilt of her death wrenched on Iris's heart. Someone was dead, all because she hadn't moved out of the way.

Morgoth stood up and shook off his dizziness.

Iris knew the others would not have much time to escape.

"Fall back!" came a yell from down the hallway.

Zelkith leapt towards the veil and turned to face Iris. He growled deeply and Iris was about to question why, when she felt Plode's presence behind her.

"Move your dog out of the way," Plode ordered.

Iris was almost pleased that he was being unpleasant to her. Maybe they would start realising that she was just some useless Greyskin, which everyone else seemed to know.

"Even if I wanted to, I can't," Iris said, deciding to ignore the dog remark.

Before there could be any further argument, some of her allies began to bundle into the small space behind the veil, forcing Iris to stand flat against the wall. Zelkith and Plode were pushed past Iris and down a set of unsteady stone stairs.

Dakho was the first to run inside, followed by Zeek and one of the Kijjiar.

Iris watched as Morgoth clutched Plode's hammer tight in his grip, ready to attack.

He swung it towards Mireylon, who dodged it with his incredible speed. Then Mireylon started to move away from the hall and towards Thorna's impaled body.

"She's dead," hissed the female Kijjiar, grabbing Mireylon's arm and yanking him away, lifting his feet from the ground.

As they passed through the blue veil, Iris was sure she saw Morgoth standing over Thorna's body, and in the blink of an eye, a sense of pity and remorse smothered his face, to be replaced with a grin a moment later.

As quickly as the wall had disappeared, it came back, plummeting them into pitch blackness and sealing Iris and everyone else away from the enemies outside.

They awkwardly made their way down the uneven stone stairs.

The hairs on Iris's arms began to stick up on end as the air got even colder and the smell became musky.

They found flat ground but stopped moving forwards and instead walked around in a circle.

"It's a dead end," Plode said, unimpressed.

Without warning, an old torch set ablaze above Iris's head, bathing the small cavern around them in a deep orange glow and revealing something in the centre of the room.

Iris stared in shock. A pair of grey, stone eyes glared straight at her, inches away.

# Chapter 6 - Reunion

Something metal crunched underfoot as Iris stepped back and away from the stone face that stared at her. Once Iris had got over the initial shock, she could see the statue had a calming and serene expression on its face.

She leant down and picked up what appeared to be two halves of a coin. She had seen all of this in her vision in the tent. She wondered if the note she had been given by her real parents was supposed to have gifted her with these visions; signs of things she had to do.

"Bless my axe," Dakho said in shocked awe.

"So, this is where he went," said Vesh.

Iris turned to see Vesh standing at the stairway and felt guilty that she had forgotten about him when they were all trying to escape.

"It's just a statue," Plode grumped.

The female Kijjiar leaned over and inspected the broken coin in Iris's hand with scepticism.

"I'm not so sure about that," she said, looking at the coin and the statue in turn.

"What is it?" Iris asked. She had never seen anything like it before. At least, not in person, anyway. She remembered it from her vision, but that was not quite as vivid as holding it in her hand.

"We call it a Jemute. At least, we would if it was not broken. Have you ever seen it like that before?" she asked the male Kijjiar. He just shook his head.

"It's a long story, but I believe that was, or perhaps is, your father's," the Kijjiar said sincerely. Her tone was so pleasing that Iris had no desire to argue that it could not be her father trapped in that statue.

"That's all great, Liammar, but we are trapped in a cave," Plode said to the female Kijjiar.

"Aye, and it's freezing me wee regions as we speak," Dakho promptly added, gesturing downwards.

"Well, what do you suggest we do, then?" Liammar retorted, ignoring Dakho's comment.

The group started to argue about what they were going to do, all but Mireylon, who said nothing and kept out of the argument entirely. He had a solemn look on his face. It was clear Thorna had meant a lot to him. Either the others were refusing to acknowledge her death, or did not care. Iris imagined they were trying their best to push their feelings aside.

Iris reached down to her legs and to Limbo, the golden hilts that Thorna had given her. If what she had seen in her vision was true, she had somehow used one of these bladeless swords to stab the statue with.

But that would mean my father gave me a vision, to kill him in his statue. Not only that, but there is no blade on this. I couldn't stab anything even if I wanted to. It makes no sense!

The argument started to boil up around her. Voices pummelled her ears and pounded in her head. She could not have imagined officers and such esteemed members of a group arguing and bickering like children.

Iris knelt to speak to Zelkith.

"I think I know what to do but... I'm scared to do it," Iris said to him. Zelkith looked at her momentarily before gesturing up at the stairway behind them. Was he indicating that she had to pluck up the courage to do what was necessary, as she had done in the hallway?

Without asking for anyone's opinion, Iris gripped Limbo tightly in her hands, ready to plunge what should have been a sword into the statue. She hoped that just performing the action would be enough, but what happened next frightened even her.

As if Limbo was listening to her, a bright blue, glowing sword appeared from the hilt, its glow lighting up the cavern around them in a gentle hue.

The room suddenly fell silent as everyone stared at the sword in Iris's hand.

Before anyone had the chance to say anything, Iris closed her eyes and studied her hand.

"I'm sorry," she said as she plunged the sword deep into the statue's chest.

The sword cut through like thin air.

Iris opened her eyes to see the statue begin to crumble to the floor and turn to dust. Beside her, a small figure had also turned to dust, which she had not seen before.

In place of the statue stood a pale blue Darkskin ghost, dressed in a strange set of armour that gave him the appearance of a snake. Beside him, coiled up, was the ghost of a snake larger than Iris had ever seen before.

The Darkskin ghost looked at Iris with a beaming smile and eyes containing both joy and sorrow. The ghost turned around in a circle, inspecting everyone around him slowly. Even Plode had gone silent and Vesh was no longer keeping himself camouflaged.

"I was not expecting my release to be so... impersonal," came the words from the ghost, which rushed around the room like whispers in the air. "However, I am glad, for I have many warnings you must all know before I finally depart from the realm of the living," he said in a serious tone. The ghost looked to each person with a stern expression on his face.

"I cannot say how I know these things, but listen carefully, for I will not have another chance to repeat this," the ghost began, a sense of dread clear in his voice.

"You must find my brother, Astrid, and retrieve the amulet that he has hidden. A being of incredible evil is trapped within the amulet and you must stop it, whatever the cost, or all of Wizgrad will fall under its rule. Its evil influence has already begun to seep into Wizgrad and, already, all of Talimara has perished under its influence. Deep in the temple is a journal that contains a secret that must be found before the enemy destroys it," the ghost said.

At those words, Liammar let out a shriek of horror and began to sob.

The ghost walked over to Liammar and went to place a hand on her shoulder, but it merely glided straight through.

"There is still hope that your child lives, for she is the one who must decipher this journal. However, before you set out for Talimara, you must liberate the Gnomes before the evil takes full influence over the Dwarfs," the ghost said in its whispery voice.

The ghost then walked up to Zelkith and knelt before him.

"Zelkith. Our meeting may have been brief, but you have been more than a loyal companion and held your word without complaint. I could not have asked for a better companion for my daughter and I am sorry that I was forced to take away your speech. I gift back to you what was once taken, with the addition of what little magic I have left. I give it to you as a boon for your sacrifice," the ghost said, gently placing his hand above Zelkith's back.

Waves of blue light fluttered over Zelkith's fur, leaving permanent tribal-like markings all over his body where fur had been previously.

Zelkith merely nodded in appreciation and smiled.

The ghost then stood and looked at Iris with a warming smile.

"My beautiful daughter," were the first words he said to her, which sent waves of emotion rushing through Iris. Mostly she was awestruck that this was really her father, speaking to her from the spirit realm. She also felt anger rising in her chest... how dare he leave her like he had?

"I am truly sorry for abandoning you. Both myself and your mother regret it more than anything. Zelkith will be able to tell you why it had to be, but knowing of all your hardships without being able to do anything was agonising beyond words.

Remember that those hardships have shaped who you will be for the rest of your life and sometimes the lessons and gifts of life come wrapped in pain and difficulty.

I have no doubt that what is to come will be filled with those gifts... just remember that somewhere amongst the pain there is a blessing in disguise or a lesson to be learnt.

I am certain that you will play a vital role in what is to come," the ghost said.

Iris watched and listened, despite the conflicting emotions raging inside her. The ghost had begun to fade and Iris was finding it difficult to see him.

"I am sorry that this has been fleeting, but I will not be able to keep hold of my grip on this realm much longer," the ghost said.

A deep rumbling began to shudder and shake beneath them and Iris wondered if Morgoth had somehow found a way past the barrier.

"I will open the way for you all to leave. It is not an easy path, but it will eventually lead you out to safety," he said.

He looked to Iris one last time, with a smile.

"I love you, Iris, my precious daughter. I will be watching over you with your mother," he said before finally disappearing.

Iris stood, wordless. She had just met her real father for the first time and it was not in the way she had expected at all.

Despite the rage that swelled within her, Iris did not want him to go. She had so many questions and things she wanted to say, but now she would never be able to.

Iris wondered if it was worse that she had met his ghost. Even if he was only a shell of his former self, it was contact she had never expected.

He was dead. She would never be able to actually meet him. She should be grateful that she had even got to see him at all, but it seemed so bittersweet. She was not sure whether it was worth the pain that was building in her heart. What was worse for her were the ramifications of what it meant to be his daughter.

There was no longer any doubt that she was the heir to the Legion. She had no idea what these people would expect from her. She barely knew what the Legion stood for, let alone how to run it, or what was left of it now that this evil had split it asunder.

She wondered if she had become bitter over the years, but she would hardly say she would miss her father nor have any particularly strong feelings about him. What she did worry about was what had been planned for her and what these commanders expected from her. She was the last person who deserved to run this new Legion.

Perhaps it was a blessing that it had been overrun with traitors... assuming that none were with her in this room.

Iris could see that everyone was looking at her as if they expected her to instantly know what to do. All she wanted to do was get out of there and hide somewhere.

Loud bangs and crashes were beginning to echo down the stairs. It would only be a matter of time before Morgoth made his way past the barrier.

"We need to leave," Iris said.

A sense of urgency ran through her. The floor began to tremor and tiny pieces of the ceiling started to fall.

"NOW," she ordered, which quickly prompted the others into action.

Dakho was the first to run through the new opening provided to them, which was the perfect size for him to fit through. It was more difficult for Plode, who was easily three times as large as Dakho, in height and width. Plode awkwardly scraped his way through the opening, with some shoving from Liammar.

Everyone else slowly filtered from the room until Iris was the last one inside. At least... she had thought she was.

"Vesh?" Iris called out behind her.

"Here," came his voice from within the tunnel entrance.

Iris quickly ducked under the opening and looked one last time at the ashes of her father before heading deeper inside.

The floor beneath her began to sway back and forth, like the entire tunnel had been placed in a rocking tub of water. She felt like an animal trapped in a cage, thrown from side to side.

The swaying continued for several minutes in the pitch-black tunnel. Pieces of dust fell into Iris's hair and loud crashes and thuds resounded around them.

"Is it over?" Dakho asked.

"There will probably be an aftershock, but that's the worst of it," Vesh said.

"An earthquake?" Iris asked. She had never experienced an earthquake before.

"Yes. A powerful one, too," Vesh replied.

A flame appeared out of nowhere. Iris noticed that Plode was literally holding the flame in the palm of his hand.

"Mireylon," Plode said questioningly, as if he knew what he wanted. Mireylon said nothing, but he held out his hand and a large piece of wood appeared from his palm and eventually fell to the floor.

Iris had never seen magic displayed so freely. Usually it was hidden or only used in extreme cases, but these people seemed to use it for whatever purpose they wanted.

Vesh picked up the stick, wrapped a torn piece of clothing around the top and then pulled out a small vial of liquid from under his leather tunic.

"What the hell is that?" Dakho asked as Vesh poured the thick, black liquid over the cloth, which seemed to ooze over it rather than soak into it.

"A slow-acting poison that melts the digestive tracts of its victims, but also burns very slowly," Vesh said, shoving the newly-formed torch into Plode's palms and setting it on fire.

"Here, hold this," Vesh said to Dakho, handing him the torch.

The moment Dakho took hold of the torch, Vesh disappeared into his surroundings.

"Hey, wait! What am I supposed to do with this, eh?" Dakho complained.

"It's standard for the slowest to lead, and since you have the shortest legs, I nominate you," Vesh retorted, his voice seemingly coming from thin air.

"Now hold on just a minute," Dakho argued, but there was no point; Vesh was nowhere to be seen.

"We should go," Iris said. She was beginning to feel claustrophobic in the tiny cavern. She needed fresh air and was desperate to be in the open.

The group began to struggle their way through the tunnel.

As predicted, a second aftershock came, but it did not seem to affect them much inside the tunnel.

Vesh would appear at random intervals and guide them on the correct route or warn of any dead ends.

"I'm sorry, but I need to rest," Iris said shamefully.

She desperately wanted to get out of that tunnel, but she was nowhere near as physically fit as the others and her stamina was running on empty.

She had no idea how Plode had managed to keep going either, considering how injured he was and the fact that he struggled more than anyone to traverse the small gaps and crevices of the cavern.

Mireylon made a small pile of sticks and piled them up on the floor. Plode used the torch to make a small fire and the group gathered around for warmth. Even Vesh came back and joined them around the fire.

They sat in quiet for some time, most of them just staring at Iris. This was not unusual for Iris, to have people staring at her, but she knew this had nothing to do with her skin colour, for once.

She was at least used to the glares of dislike and angst, but this was as if they were constantly looking at her for some wisdom or guidance, all because she had suddenly been discovered as some otherwise lost heir to a now broken Legion.

"Let me get this clear... what is it you all expect of me?" Iris said bluntly as they all looked at her.

The group looked at each other but said nothing.

"Looks like they speak as much as you do, Zell," Iris said to the wolf sarcastically. She may as well be talking to the walls.

"We don't expect anything from you, dear," Liammar said.

"Then why do you all keep staring at me?" Iris asked.

Liammar sighed deeply. "The Legion has... slowly but surely, been fragmenting since your parents passed away."

"If you expect me to step into my parents' boots, don't. I am nothing like them and never will be. I'm not some magical offspring. I'm the half-caste reject they threw away," Iris snapped.

She turned and walked away from the fire and into the darkness. Zelkith went with her, leaving everyone else around the fire.

They let her rest, undisturbed, which only gave Iris more time to stew on the negative and angry thoughts bubbling in her mind.

Once she was out of that tunnel, she would leave them all to whatever tasks they had been given and go her own way. She was not bound to them, nor their quests.

Her father was hardly the person to tell her what she should do and where she should go. She had lived her life without them so far and would continue to do so.

# Chapter 7 - Hot Temper

The freezing wind showered Iris with snow and hail, smothering every part of her body, despite the clothing. The chill penetrated her bones and she shivered uncontrollably, standing in the middle of a strange and unfamiliar town.

Iris wanted to get out of the cold. She would be able to take cover in the nearby houses. They looked abandoned, anyway.

She dragged her feet through the snow and barged her way into a small house. The windows were broken and let in so much wind, it barely seemed like a reprieve at all.

The room felt dark and uncomfortable and Iris decided to leave.

She turned to open the door, but it was gone, as were the windows. She squeezed her hands tight and looked down to her waist for some kind of weapon, but she had nothing.

The wooden flooring behind a nearby door groaned and creaked as someone approached.

Iris was trapped.

Her hands began to sweat as she frantically looked for some kind of way out.

Everything fell silent. Not a single creak, groan or bluster of wind.

The door smashed open. A decrepit and decayed-looking human barged through, its teeth rotten, giving off such a foul smell it made Iris want to gag.

It lunged at Iris but she turned to run, only to be grabbed by someone who had been hidden behind her.

Iris screamed as she woke from her nightmare, no doubt waking anyone else who had also been sleeping. Her face and palms were sweating profusely and she was panting heavily.

Liammar was gently holding Iris on the shoulder.

Iris could not believe she had fallen asleep inside the tunnel. Her back ached and complained as she sat herself up.

"Bad dream?" Liammar asked gently, offering a hand to help Iris up from the floor. Iris accepted. Her grip was strong and firm, but not painfully so.

"Something like that," Iris said.

It had felt like another vision, similar to the one she had experienced in Ulwazi's tent. It had a sense of realism that seemed to go beyond just a normal dream.

"I know how you feel," she said, rubbing her paws together. "The first time I was reborn, I had nightmares about my death for many years. But eventually they fade, as I am sure yours will in time," she added with a smile that did not quite reach her ears.

"Thanks, I think," Iris said.

Nightmares about her death? Did I hear that right? Besides, the thought of having any more of these vision-like nightmares is hardly comforting.

Iris did appreciate the attempt at comfort, however. She knew that the other races had some strange customs and beliefs.

"I am sorry for what I said yesterday. It was unjustified and unfair," Liammar said sincerely.

"I'm the one that should be sorry, for snapping the way I did," Iris said.

"You had every right to. We all know you are not your parents, and we don't expect you to be like them. We are equally as shocked as you are. For all we knew, they never had any children. Your parents had a profound effect on all of our lives and we are indebted to them," Liammar explained.

"So, protecting me is simply repaying a debt? Thorna sacrificed her life because of a debt?" Iris said with a snarl. Liammar thought for a few moments before responding.

"Please do not take it the wrong way. We would do anything to help the innocent. It is what we do. We do, however, understand that this is all a lot to take in and we will respect your wishes," Liammar said. She then left Iris to herself once more.

Iris sighed deeply as she composed herself. Now she was not so certain what to do. The nightmare had felt like more than just a frightening dream. She did like the idea of being able to help those who could not help themselves, people like herself and her past self. If she could stop just one person from having the dreadful upbringing she had, it would be worth it. Yet however much she wanted to be able to do it alone, she knew that would never happen.

Iris would need to learn how to fight, read and write and maybe even learn how to disappear, like Vesh.

She would decide when they got out of the tunnel, but for now, she was in two minds about what to do.

They regrouped. Iris noticed that most of them took extra care not to look at her, although as the tunnel became narrower, that was not so much of a problem.

They continued for what felt like several more hours and Iris's stomach began to growl and complain. It had been quite some time since she had last eaten. She could not even remember when. Thankfully, they had come across fresh running water on their journey, but water could only quench so much.

"So, my father said you can speak?" Iris said to Zelkith as they stopped to rest while Vesh went to discover which fork in the tunnel was the right one to take.

"Can you really... talk? You have been even more quiet than usual," Iris added.

Zelkith looked at Iris for a short while, as if debating what to do. He cleared his throat, much like a person would, and opened his mouth.

"I have spent most of my life wanting to speak again, and now I have nothing to say," Zelkith said. The words were spoken clearly but in a deep, gruff and gravelly voice.

Iris's eyes opened wide in disbelief. No matter how prepared she had made herself in her head, to actually hear and see Zelkith talk was a shock.

"So, why would my father take away your speech? I don't understand," Iris said.

Zelkith seemed to take his time to respond, in no rush to answer hastily.

"I do not believe your father was responsible for my loss of speech, but I do believe he was the vessel," Zelkith said.

"I don't understand. Vessel? He said himself that he took away your speech," Iris argued, trying to piece together the information in her head.

"He said he was forced to take away my speech, making me believe that it was not of his choice. I have lived several lifetimes for my species and seen things that made me question just how thin the veil is between life and death.

Now that I have seen your father in what appeared to be the spirit realm, I believe that we are influenced by those who have passed on, far more than we think," Zelkith said.

It was like he was talking in some strange riddle, but Iris got the idea.

"I can attest to that," Liammar said as she sat down nearby. "Having been in the spirit realm several times and returned, I have felt just how close we truly are to the spirit realm," she added.

"What... did it look like?" Iris asked.

"There really was nothing to see, or smell, or touch, or hear. It was more a blissful feeling of weightlessness. You could sense those in the physical realm, almost like floating in water. You knew they were there, but could never truly touch them," Liammar explained.

"Sounds like ma stomach! I know it's there but the food never really touches it," Dakho interrupted, rubbing his grumbling, oversized belly.

"We are not far from the exit. I also need to eat," Zelkith said.

It was still so strange to hear Zelkith talk, but Iris liked it. It warmed her heart to know that he could finally express himself and she could ask all the questions she wanted to ask.

"How can you tell?" Iris asked, holding back the urge to ask random questions.

Zelkith turned to Iris and sniffed purposefully loudly. She mouthed an Oh as she realised it was the smell.

"This way," came a distant call from Vesh as he ushered them in the correct direction.

"Could ye not have taken us the correct way, instead of that agitating shadow?" Dakho grumbled as he pointed at Vesh.

"Yes, but that provides none of you with any life experience. Besides, that would not have been as fun, would it?" Zelkith said in a pompous manner before strolling off towards Vesh with his head held high.

"Has he always been that snobbish?" Dakho grumped at Iris.

Zelkith turned and grinned at Iris.

"I think so, yes," Iris replied.

As Zelkith had said, they were indeed close to the exit and within thirty minutes they had finally reached the end of that dreaded underground tunnel.

Iris could just make out a blanket of shimmering stars through the canopy of trees above them. She closed her eyes and took in a long, deep breath, the fresh smell of nature filling her lungs. The gentle wind brushed through the crimson autumn leaves, which rushed around her feet like graceful dancers.

The gentle trickle of a stream nearby held the promise of fresh fish and food the following morning. Dakho decided to run straight over to the water and feverishly slash his axe into it.

"You won't get anything doing that, dumbass," Vesh said, grabbing hold of Dakho's axe.

"Let go, snake," Dakho cursed.

Iris heard Zelkith bark and knew what it meant without him needing to speak. She followed the barks and eventually found him standing in front of a large bush smothered with berries.

"Thanks, Zell," Iris said, stroking him gently on the head and hugging him. "Do you even like it when I stroke you?" she asked.

"I... have become accustomed to it," Zelkith said, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with her question.

The guilt pulled at Iris's already aching stomach. Had she been doing something for all those years that he had hated?

"I understand it is a sign of affection for you. That is what I appreciate the most," Zelkith said with a smile, obviously noticing Iris's facial expression. He turned and walked away, no doubt to find himself something to eat while Iris was content with the berries.

They were juicy and ripe and what Iris had lived on for years in the autumn. Whether it was because she was so hungry or not, they were delicious and she had cleaned the entire bush of berries by the time she had had her fill.

The group decided to rest up until sunrise.

"Any idea where we are, Lon?" Dakho asked Mireylon, who was looking livelier than before, but still said little.

"Northern end of Snakes Forest, I think. On the eastern side," Mireylon said.

"It took us all that way?" the male Kijjiar replied in surprise.

"Aye. Underground mines can be misleading," Dakho said knowingly.

"Talking of mines, how far is it to the Dwarven mines?" Plode asked.

"Perhaps a week, depending which route we take," Dakho replied, which started a large discussion about which way they should go. Iris kept out of it.

She was still in two minds about whether she should even go with them. It was not like she would be of any help, anyway.

"You should go with them," Zelkith said, making Iris jump. She rolled her eyes to herself. This would take some getting used to.

"Why? I am no use to them," Iris replied.

Zelkith sat in thought for a few moments, no doubt trying to come up with some stupid reason for her to go, such as a ridiculous talent she did not have.

"You may not have any use at the moment, but in time you will learn what your purpose is. You heard what your father said: you have a vital role to play," Zelkith said.

"I didn't have a father. Not one that mattered," Iris snapped. She stood up and walked away from both Zelkith and the rest of the group.

Zelkith jumped in front of Iris and stopped in place, a stern and aggressive expression on his face.

"This is not just about you anymore," Zelkith barked.

Iris turned nervously, to see everyone now looking at her. It was like being a child again, being scolded by her adoptive mother.

"No, your father was not there for you. How selfish it was of him to die at your feet, just to make sure you were taken somewhere to be fed. How selfish it was of him to forestall his leaving from the physical realm so that he could speak to you once more, however brief," Zelkith said angrily.

Iris gave him a purposeful look of disbelief. She was far too angry to care about some ghost that claimed to be her father.

"He chose his own path. He was not in pain," Iris argued.

"He was in agony, but you were too selfish to look past your own pain and see it," Zelkith barked.

Now that Iris actually looked, she could see the pain in Zelkith's eyes.

Zelkith walked past Iris to join the rest of the group.

Perhaps he was right, but rage was boiling inside her and she refused to listen.

She could survive on her own. She did not need him anyway.

Iris stormed away by herself and did not look back.

She started to get a pang of regret for leaving Zelkith but pushed it aside and squashed it.

It was his choice to go with them, as it was hers to go alone.

She had an entire day ahead of her, a fresh new day that she could do whatever she wanted with.

Iris strolled through the woodland, following a small stream and picking berries as she went.

She wondered what she would do with her life without Zelkith. She had no interest in meeting new people or making a new life, like she had with the tribe. Every time she had tried, something had gone wrong. She was content this time to be on her own.

Iris continued to walk for most of the day, then stopped to bathe in the stream. She was glad no one had come after her. She had no desire to deal with anyone, in her current state of mind.

How dare they all expect me to lead them, like I was born for them. None of this was my choice and none of it is my responsibility.

The wind began to pick up as the light faded from the sky.

Iris missed having Zelkith there to shelter her from the cold and keep her warm as she slept, but she would make do. She found a particularly large tree within the woods and leant down beside it to rest. She did not feel particularly sleepy. Whether it was the cold or the concern keeping her awake, she was unsure.

The sounds from the creatures in the night used to comfort her, but now every screech and rustle set her on edge and made her feel worried.

Iris slowly felt herself fall into a restless sleep, only to have the same nightmare vision she had experienced in the cave.

She awoke with a gasp, her face and body hot and sweaty and her breathing frantic. She looked over to Zelkith for comfort, but quickly realised he was not there.

Iris was alone. Utterly alone, in the middle of a cold and haunting forest. She started to regret her rash decision to leave on her own.

But the whole idea of trying to save all those people and battle some evil being frightened her. Besides, the last thing she wanted to do was encounter Morgoth again.

Iris was suddenly aware just how vulnerable she was. Morgoth was hellbent on killing Iris. If she was being targeted by the enemy, there was no way she would be able to protect herself and she was hardly that far away from the Legion stronghold.

Something rustled in a nearby bush, spooking Iris so much she yelped and stood up frantically. She felt stupid when she realised it was just a rat, but it was enough to make her feel uncomfortable about staying where she was.

Iris decided to head back the way she had come. At least she knew that way was safe... or had been during daylight. In the darkness of the night, however, it was like an entirely different world. However, there was no way she was going to stay where she was any longer.

Iris jumped at every little movement and every overhanging tree branch that brushed against her face or shoulder. She was barely thirty minutes into walking and already felt lost. It was like the entire world had shifted as the night crept in. Places and landmarks previously easy to see in the light seemingly different or gone entirely.

She missed having Zelkith with her already and it had not even been twenty-four hours.

So long as I backtrack, I should be able to catch them up. They can't have got much further than I had. Not that I have any idea where they were going.

If she kept walking, surely she would find something? There was only so far the woods could go. If she could just find the water again, it would be a start.

The cold of night only got worse and a thick fog was starting to form.

"I FOUND TRACKS," came a yell from someone that must have only been a short distance away.

Iris's heart leapt from her chest and adrenaline thrashed through her veins.

She had to get out of there, and fast.

Iris began to run in the opposite direction, pushing past the overhanging branches.

"This way!" came the shout again. They were definitely on her tracks.

Iris's leg got snagged on a thorn bush. The cloth ripped as she pulled at it without care.

She could hear several more shouts now, all getting closer and following her. How could they track her so fast? She started to weave between trees to try and make her path unpredictable.

Several more shouts came from around her, closing in from each direction. Iris continued to run regardless. Her legs began to throb with pain as she realised she had run through a thorn bush.

"Gotcha!" said a sinister voice as something grabbed Iris's shoulder tightly. Iris's reflexes kicked in; she spun around and smashed her fist into the assailant's face with all the pent fury she had inside her. She was so angry at herself for running away, for thinking for even one moment that she would be OK on her own.

The assailant let go and Iris turned to run, but as she did so, another assailant was closing in on her, his face angered. Three others came at Iris from different directions, boxing her in as she backed away in the only direction that was left to her.

The first assailant's nose was bleeding heavily and he held his sword out, ready to kill.

Iris kept edging backwards, but one of her feet slipped and she almost fell.

She regained her balance and looked back to see a vertical drop behind her. The fog clouded any ability to see how far down it was, but judging by the look of it, it would mean certain death.

It seemed like her only options were death by sword, or by falling. At least she had some ability to fight these people, even if it was hopeless.

Something otherworldly grabbed the back of Iris's top and yanked her backwards. Her heart jumped out of her chest as she lost her footing and fell.

# Chapter 8 - Silver Lining

Iris fell for barely a second before hitting the floor. Someone smothered her mouth tightly to stop her from screaming. Whoever it was was incredibly strong and kept her pinned to the floor without any effort.

"Do not move, foolish girl," came a whisper that Iris was sure was Vesh. Iris nodded frantically. She just wanted to get the hell out of there and away from danger. She felt a swell of relief rush over her, but his words filled her with guilt and embarrassment. She was stupid for having run away and she certainly knew it now.

"She jumped," came a call of surprise from above her.

"That didn't look like jumping to me," said another assailant, his voice directly over Iris's head.

Iris heard a gurgle above her and felt something hot and wet splash onto her chest. There was a quiet thunk as a body was placed beside Iris. Iris had to cover her mouth to stop from screaming. The soldier's glazed eyes were permanently fixed in an expression of shock. His neck had been cut so deeply it had almost decapitated him.

"Salem?" said one of the other assailants, who also made the mistake of leaning over the edge. Vesh quickly made easy work of him, too, and this time just let him fall towards them and over the edge.

Vesh then leapt up the embankment and Iris heard the crunch of bone as he plunged his sword into the last assailant. Vesh landed in front of Iris an instant later, making her jump despite his command not to move.

Vesh grabbed Iris's arm and pulled her up roughly, almost causing her to fall forwards onto her face.

"Do you still have them?" Vesh asked sternly.

"Have what?" Iris asked innocently.

"Limbo," Vesh said, pressing on Iris's legs where she had Limbo hidden. In all the panic, she had totally forgotten she had them.

"You're as brainless for leaving on your own as they are for letting you," Vesh cursed. He pulled her along by the arm mercilessly.

"I can walk by myself," Iris snapped, attempting to pull her arm away from his grip, but failing.

"Then stay close. I won't come back for you again," Vesh said in a manner that suggested he was not joking.

Vesh rushed through the foggy woodland at an excruciating pace and Iris could barely keep up. She had to practically jog through the entire night, panting heavily.

"Wait... did you watch me bathe?" Iris said, a hot flush reaching her cheeks.

"Focus on where you are going," Vesh replied.

"You did, didn't you?" Iris snapped.

Vesh stopped suddenly and turned to face Iris with a face of fury.

"Yes, and if I hadn't kept watch over you, you would be dead. Now focus," Vesh said angrily.

They journeyed long into the following day and Vesh ignored any attempts that Iris made to converse. He would give simple commands to eat, drink or rest, but that was it.

Iris quickly learnt not to bother speaking at all, which gave her plenty of time to mull over her mistake.

A week passed as they followed the tracks of the group Iris had left behind. In the distance, Iris could see huge mountains that stretched so far into the sky, the clouds spread around them and snow dusted their tops.

Iris could just see a huge set of stone stairs that had been carved into the mountain itself and led to an opening so large, Iris was surprised the mountain had not collapsed into it. To the side was a huge block of stone smothered in tiny people. From that distance, they looked like ants crawling over dropped food.

"Is that the Dwarven mountain?" Iris asked.

"Yes," came Vesh's simple reply.

"Does that mean the others are here?" Iris asked.

"Very likely."

"You don't like to talk much, do you?"

"No. Follow me," Vesh said, walking away from the main entrance to the mountain city.

Iris followed Vesh as he went so far around she could no longer see the entrance and they continued to follow the mountain.

After a short while, Vesh walked right up to the mountainside and started to climb.

Iris did not argue, despite having no inclination to climb that mountain. If Vesh thought she would be able to climb the entire mountain, he had another thing coming. However after almost an hour of climbing, just as Iris was about to complain, Vesh stopped in placed and began kicking the floor with his boot.

Vesh leant down and started to heft a huge rock. Iris watched his muscles tense as he lifted it without any help at all. She expected him to throw it down the mountainside, but instead he placed it down nearby.

Underneath the rock was a small, circular, metal grate. A foul smell wafted up from it that made Iris turn away and pull a face.

"There is no way I am going down there," Iris scoffed.

"That's exactly where you are going. Even if it wasn't the only safe way into the city, it's the one you deserve," Vesh said.

"Are you seriously still angry at me for walking off?" Iris grumped.

Vesh ignored the question and pulled up the grate, revealing a tunnel so small Iris had a feeling she would not physically fit in it.

"You first," Vesh said.

Iris knew it was pointless to say anything, but going down some stinking, tiny tube was not exactly what she had been expecting.

Iris took a deep breath and sighed out as much of her fear as possible. She slipped one leg in, then the other and took several more deep breaths before sliding herself into the tunnel.

The moment she let go, Iris slipped down the pipe with ease. It twisted and turned frantically, throwing her from side to side.

Eventually the tunnel opened up and Iris flew through the air, landing roughly on her hands and knees on a hard stone floor. Iris heard Vesh coming down the tube after her and swiftly moved out of the way.

Vesh landed on his feet with a level of grace that made Iris feel about as elegant as an Ogre. The pungent, foul smell was ten times worse now that she was down here.

Iris looked around and saw that they were inside a dungeon.

Vesh had deliberately taken her directly into one of the cells and there was no possibility of getting back out the same way.

"Surely the others didn't get in like this," Iris said, looking at Vesh with an expression of displeasure.

"No, they would have walked through the main entrance, but as someone ran off on their own, we do not have a Dwarf to gain us entry," Vesh retorted.

Iris had no comeback. She merely crossed her arms and huffed.

"SOMEONE HELP!" Vesh yelled at the top of his lungs.

"What the hell are you doing?" came an angered voice from the only prisoner inside the adjacent cells. Iris turned to see a huge figure, almost as tall as Plode. It was a Greelong, an eagle-like creature with thick, sturdy legs and long arms below a pair of massive wings.

"HELP, HELP!" Vesh continued to yell.

"Are you trying to get us killed? If you don't shut up, I'll make you," the Greelong squawked, only adding to the noise.

A heavy clunk from a nearby door resounded through the dungeon.

Vesh smiled to himself and vanished into the surroundings. Iris could just make out his faint movements as he got himself into position near the door.

Soon, a stubby Dwarf clad in armour from head to toe strolled down them between the cells.

"If yee so eager for a skelping..." cursed the Dwarven jailor. He looked into the cell where Iris was standing and did a double take.

"Who the hell are you? How did you get in here?" he asked in shock.

"I'm really sorry, Mr Dwarf, but I think I am lost," Iris said in the most innocent voice she could muster.

The jailor fumbled around with a large ring of keys before eventually finding the correct one.

"The gods certainly gifted me with a—" he started to say as he walked into the cell, but was cut off short, literally. His head rolled to the floor and into Iris's cell and Vesh chucked his body in after it, carelessly.

"You didn't have to kill him!" Iris said in shock.

"Seriously?" Vesh responded with a raised eyebrow.

"You, beaky. When do the guards change shift?" Vesh asked the Greelong.

"Let me out and I'll tell you," the Greelong bargained.

Vesh regarded the keys he held in his hand for a moment, then shrugged and stuffed them into one of many pockets on his leather armour.

"Nah, I can risk it," Vesh said and walked away.

Iris followed closely, not willing to risk falling behind.

"Wait... it's an hour from now. Please, set me free," the Greelong begged.

"Let's go," Vesh said, ignoring the Greelong's plea and slowly pushing open the large door of the dungeon.

"Aren't you going to set him free?" Iris asked. She could see the heartbroken and depressed look on the Greelong's face even from the other side of the dungeon.

Vesh hushed Iris and gave her an evil glare. He peered around the door for several moments.

"Do NOT let go of my hand," Vesh said and grabbed Iris's hand tightly. Iris felt something rush over her body, as if she had been smothered in wet leaves. She could almost see the veil that covered them, making her blend in with the surroundings.

So, Vesh did use a spell to keep himself hidden... no wonder it works so well.

Vesh led Iris out the door and into a long, dark, stone corridor with sturdy wooden doors on each side. There were tiny slots with bars at waist height, which Iris imagined was head height for the Dwarfs. Iris could see six guards in total, running the length of the corridor.

Vesh paused, pressed his fingers against his lips and then pointed at Iris's feet. She was hardly trained to be stealthy, what did he expect?

As they approached the first set of guards, Iris could see just how close they were going to have to be just to get past. Vesh turned himself to the side, extending his arm and walking sideways like an upright crab. Iris mimicked him as best she could, their fingers only just touching as they slowly edged past the guards.

One of the guards sniffed the air as Iris passed and gurned in displeasure.

"Did you just let rip?" he said to the other.

Iris's heart started to pound in her chest and her palms became slippery. She almost let go of Vesh's hands in a reflex to squeeze her fist tight.

"Me? Don't go blamin' me again," the second guard responded.

They made it past the guards and Iris breathed a silent sigh of relief, but she was feeling even more anxious about the next pair of guards, now.

Vesh gave Iris a thumbs-up, before pointing to her eyes and then her feet again.

Right, focus on my feet, Iris told herself.

They slowly made their way to the second set of guards and repeated the process.

A loud bark resounded in a door next to them, one that Iris instantly recognised. The bark startled her and her hand pulled away from Vesh's.

Iris felt the magic around her stop instantly. She stood right in the middle of the two guards, completely visible. Her heart stopped and her body froze as she stood, flummoxed.

To Iris's astonishment, the guards barely hesitated to swing their weapons straight at her. Vesh grabbed one of the guards and threw him into the other, with a crash.

Zelkith began to bark ferociously as the fighting ensued. Vesh leant back and kicked the cell door where the barks were coming from with all his might, but it barely even budged. He threw the ring of keys at Iris, who caught them awkwardly.

"Get them open," he said, gesturing to the cell doors.

Vesh kicked the closest Dwarf to the floor and, in one swift movement, decapitated the other while ripping the axe from his grip. He threw the axe up slightly in the air to get a feel for its balance.

Iris saw that one of the Dwarfs was running away towards the exit. A loud metallic thud resounded the next second and the guard had an axe lodged in his back, thrown from Vesh almost twenty feet away.

He stabbed the closest Dwarf in the chest and kicked his body out of the way, leaving three more Dwarven guards coming at him.

Iris started to panic. Her hands were shaking and the keys rattled everywhere. How was she supposed to know which key was for which lock?

She stopped trying to analyse them and decided to start putting them in, one by one. The first did not work. Iris pulled that aside and tried a slightly larger key, which only just fit in the lock.

"Move!" Vesh yelled from down the corridor as he fended off two Dwarfs. Iris turned just in time to see an axe coming straight for her. She ducked, dropped the keys and narrowly missed the axe, but a sturdy metal boot came flying towards her knee so fast she had no time to react.

The boot crushed Iris's knee with an agonising crunch. Iris screamed as her knee bent backwards and the bones inside snapped and broke.

The Dwarf slashed his axe against the key, which was still jammed in the door; snapping the key inside the lock.

Iris continued to scream in pain. She could think of nothing but the agony.

Iris's vision had gone blurry and she was sure a strange, blue light was coming through the bars of the room Zelkith was being held in.

The Dwarf smirked as he lifted the axe high in the air, ready to finish the job and end Iris's pain.

A bark like nothing Iris had ever heard came from behind the door. It was so loud that the entire door shook and caused the Dwarf above her to hesitate.

Iris awkwardly grabbed a Dwarven blade from a nearby dead guard and pointed it at the Dwarf standing over her.

The Dwarf's smug expression quickly returned as he lifted his blade in the air.

Another bark followed, this time even louder and so powerful that it tore the door open, which smashed into the Dwarf with enough force to crush him against the opposite wall.

Vesh was still struggling with the two Dwarfs. Axes and swords were flying so fast, Iris could barely keep up, just watching.

Iris knew that bark had been loud and would draw more attention, but her broken knee was throbbing with so much intensity that tears were streaming down her cheeks as she dragged herself towards the room Zelkith was in.

Iris eventually pulled herself in and gasped in shock. The blue markings around Zelkith were shaped almost like a pair of wings. It was like nothing Iris had ever seen before. Just what sort of magic had her father given to him?

Zelkith had been chained to the wall with a huge metal collar.

Iris grabbed the keys that were nearby and pulled herself along the floor, using her good leg to help her.

The bones of her broken leg screamed with unbelievable pain with every movement, but Iris had to at least free Zelkith before she fainted.

Zelkith pulled on the collar to try and reach Iris. The magical blue wings came towards her like wisps of seaweed floating in the ocean.

As Iris pulled herself close, the blue wings wrapped around her broken knee. She screamed in pain as the magic pierced through her body, stitching it back together, causing pain far worse than when the Dwarf had broken it in the first place.

Several agonising moments later, the magic died down and the blue markings on Zelkith's body faded into silvery blue fur.

Iris could feel that the bone had repaired, but her muscles still felt torn and she knew she would not be able to walk properly for some time, if at all. The fog around her eyes lifted, but most of the pain in her leg was still there.

"How did you do that?" Iris asked in shock.

"I am not really sure," Zelkith replied.

"Oh..." was all Iris could think to say.

"How on earth did you get in here?" Zelkith said appreciatively. Iris fumbled with the keys, trying them in the lock on the collar as quickly as she could.

She could hear the clangs and bangs from Vesh behind her. He could only keep them at bay for so long.

The lock on Zelkith's collar clicked open as Iris found the right key. She pulled the collar off and Zelkith was out the door like an arrow.

Iris promptly heard the Dwarfs scream, then fall silent. Shortly afterwards, Zelkith walked back into the room with blood dripping from his jaws.

"Iris, the keys!" Vesh demanded from the doorway, without any regard for her leg. Iris threw the keys at him and he ran around the corner to begin opening the other doors.

"Vesh knew of some secret entrance that happened to lead here. What happened to you?"

"The moment we approached the main city, we were apprehended and thrown in the cells. We did not even get a chance to set foot inside," Zelkith said. "It was a good job you weren't with us, as we would have all been trapped," he added.

Iris still felt guilty for running away. It didn't matter that it worked out for the better; it was the wrong thing to have done.

Mireylon stood outside in the hallway, his lower body covered in roots to conceal his private area.

"Free the others, I'll get you some clothes," Vesh said, looking Mireylon up and down with disapproval. Mireylon disappeared from view as he went to open the other doors.

Iris had no idea where Vesh was going to find clothes big enough to fit Mireylon, let alone Plode the Ogre and Zeek the Seckle.

"I'm still sorry," Iris said.

"And so you should be," Zelkith said sternly, but a smile quickly crept onto his face. "It's a lesson learnt. Get on," he said, gesturing towards his back.

Iris might smell disgusting, but at least she was clothed.

# Chapter 9 - Mining for Excuses

Vesh was back by the time all the doors had been opened. Everyone was still alive, albeit a little bruised and beaten.

Vesh had managed to liberate several larger pieces of clothing for Mireylon and what looked like a set of curtains for Plode to wrap around himself.

"How dare they treat me so dreadful. A Dwarf should never do that to one of his own," Dakho said as he finished slipping into the armour of one of the killed guards.

"We won't have long. We will have to fight our way to the Gnomes," Vesh said.

"You didn't bring us any clothes," said Koruko, the male Kijjiar.

"You're a giant cat, you can do without," Vesh retorted.

Mireylon had made Plode a giant wooden club with his magic to use as a weapon, while the others had taken weapons from the Dwarfs.

Vesh pushed open the door slightly and disappeared. Mireylon stood with his ear next to it, listening.

Without notice, Mireylon pulled the door open and ran into the next hallway with incredible speed. The others followed behind and within a matter of minutes, they had dispatched every guard in the entire hallway.

As they left the dungeons, they started to walk as a group, as if they were meant to be there.

Iris looked around in awe at the craftsmanship of the Dwarven city.

The entire city had been carved into the inside of the mountain. Intricate statues of Dwarfs were dotted amongst broad buildings that seemed to flow straight into the mountain's rocky interior.

Dakho walked up ahead to lead the group to the Gnomish part of the mountain.

Iris felt many eyes watching her as she rode on Zelkith's back. She attempted to keep her face neutral to hide the pain in her knee that throbbed with every step Zelkith took. Zelkith towered over many of the Dwarfs, even on all fours, and the civilians gave them all a wide berth.

They eventually passed the grand, vast spaces of the main city and into a suburb that was smaller, yet much brighter.

Perfectly-squared metal buildings towered above them at least forty feet into the air. Gnomes rushed around the narrow streets, barely taking notice of the group as they walked through.

Iris watched in fascination as they ran from building to building, carrying stacks of parchment or flasks full of liquid and sometimes strange objects that Iris had never seen.

All the buildings had small crystals for lights, which had been cleverly embedded into mirrors to make them shine over a wide area. Tiny metal animals and bugs rushed around the floors between the Gnomes' feet.

Eventually, they came to a large, metal building that had been given slightly more room than the others. It sat on a platform, raised slightly off the ground.

"The King is in there?" Iris asked.

"He is not a King, per se, but aye. This is the largest laboratory here. Doubt he would be anywhere else," Dakho said. He took one step onto the metal platform and the lights around the laboratory flashed a fierce red.

"Warning. Hostile threat detected. Threats will be terminated in 5..." came a mechanical and odd-sounding voice from the laboratory.

Dakho hastily stepped off the metal floor and the lights stopped flashing red.

"Well... that was unexpected," Dakho said.

"I will try," Liammar said, climbing onto the metal floor. The lights, again, went red and the same mechanical warning was issued.

Everyone but Iris had attempted to stand on the platform, but the alarm sounded every time.

"I don't understand. Why would the Chieftain forbid us entry?" Liammar said in confusion.

Iris, now the only one that had not yet tried, climbed onto the platform and expected the lights to turn red, but nothing happened.

Iris turned around, joyful that there was something she could do that the others could not. It did not matter how minor it was; she was actually useful.

Then it suddenly hit her: she was now responsible for convincing this Chieftain that he was in danger. What did the Chieftain look like? Would he even talk to her? What should she say?

"What do I do?" Iris asked, bemused.

"Just ask for the Chieftain. Tell him to get out here," Dakho said confidently.

"Right," Iris said, doubting it was going to be as easy as that.

She walked up to the main door, which slid open sideways, into the wall.

"Step inside," said a voice that sounded like a child's. Iris did as the voice commanded. The strange door behind her slammed shut with a bang and two Gnomes came out from two hidden doors in the sides of the small, white, painted room Iris was now standing in.

One of the Gnomes walked straight up to Iris with a small sword in hand. The handle had strange cogs around it that whirled with a blue light.

"Are you with the Legion of the Silver Snake?" the Gnome asked accusingly.

Iris was unsure whether to lie or not. Were these Gnomes seriously going to kill her if she said yes? The Gnomes must have known that the Legion was outside. It seemed like such an obvious question to ask.

"You could say that," Iris responded before she could think better of it.

"Put these on," the Gnome said, unimpressed, throwing Iris a pair of odd-looking pieces of rubber. The Gnome pointed down to his feet, where he wore similar looking pieces over his shoes.

"This way," said one of the Gnomes, who then led Iris through one of the hidden doors.

She was taken down a brightly-lit yet dull-looking corridor with no doors anywhere and metal flooring throughout. The corridor eventually came to a small archway. Iris had to crouch down in order to get through.

Inside was a long table covered in papers, with dozens of Dwarfs and Gnomes seated around it. They all looked at Iris, which made her feel extremely nervous. Were these Dwarfs traitors, like her father said? What should she say?

"She said she was from the Legion," said one of the Gnomes with a scoff.

"Is that so?" said one of the larger and fatter Dwarfs from around the table. He got off his chair and approached Iris with his best attempt at looking intimidating, which, despite his stature, was working. "What brings you here?" he asked.

Iris noticed his hand stray towards the handle of his weapon.

"My... father told me to pass on a message to the Chieftain," Iris said.

Technically, she was not lying. She hoped it was vague enough that he would not question it.

"Oh, and what is this message?" the Dwarf said, walking closer.

Oh crap. I should have thought of that, what on Wizgrad should I say? I need to say something, anything, before he becomes even more suspicious of me.

"He said that, erm..." Iris said, struggling to think of a viable excuse.

"Who even are you?" the Dwarf said, grabbing hold of his weapon. "Wait... your skin. How did you get past the barrier?" he gasped in realisation.

The lights inside the room flashed intermittent red and white, which was accompanied by a loud screeching noise that resounded throughout the room. In that moment, a flash of light lit the room and was so bright that Iris was blinded for several moments. She heard a different, high-pitched screech that sounded like hundreds of bats crying at once.

Once her eyes adjusted, Iris realised that half the occupants of the room were on the floor, convulsing. Small jolts of electricity were bouncing along the ground and the smell of scolding flesh filled the room.

Iris quickly realised it was only the Dwarfs that had been electrocuted, including the cocky one that had stood in front of Iris.

"Greetings, I am Gelmink," said one of the Gnomes as he approached Iris. He wore a long, white jacket that was covered in pockets, with pieces of wire and tools hanging from each one. His arms were smothered in gadgets, too.

Iris felt a sigh of relief inside. It seemed the Gnomes meant her no harm.

Judging by what they have just done, I don't think we need to be convincing them of the Dwarfs' evil. It seems they already know.

"I am Iris."

"Good to meet you, Iris. How many did you bring?" Gelmink asked.

"I don't understand," Iris said, bemused.

"How many troops did you bring?"

"Erm, six?"

"You managed to get that many? Very impressive," Gelmink said as he ran down the corridor, which was still flashing red and white and blasting out that horrid noise.

Iris followed him as he ran outside the metal laboratory and looked upon the small group of allies. A huge mob of Gnomes surrounded them, holding out strange gadgets and weapons offensively.

Every single crystal in the entire gnomish town was flashing the same red and white lights and the noise resounded throughout.

"What the hell is going on?" Gelmink said. He rushed over to the rear of the group with equal hostility.

"Dakho?" Gelmink said under his breath.

Dakho turned with a blatant look of concern.

"Get your people away. We are here to help," Dakho begged.

"Where are the rest of your troops then, Dwarf?" Gelmink said.

"Troops? The ones that slaughtered half the officers and almost killed the rest of us?" Dakho retorted, gesturing to the rest of the group.

"Did you not get my message?" Gelmink asked. The group looked at Gelmink with confusion.

"Oh dear... I guess this is our six hundred trustworthy troops?" Gelmink said, looking at Iris.

Iris just shrugged. She did just say six.

Iris heard a deep set of horns rumble through the town, barely making itself heard over the blaring sirens.

"The Dwarfs are coming. We don't have much time. EXECUTE PLAN C!" Gelmink yelled.

The red and white flashing crystals suddenly turned deep yellow, turning the entire town golden.

Panic ensued. Gnomes were rushing about even faster than they had been before, but this time they were all heading in one direction; running towards Iris and the huge laboratory. Hundreds of Gnomes were streaming towards the main door.

Once the white painted room was full to the brim of people, the door closed.

The Gnomes quickly gathered outside the door, waiting.

Iris had no idea what was going on. Were they all going to hide in that steel building or something?

"We must hold back the Dwarfs until all my people are out," Gelmink ordered the group. "Follow me," he said, rushing into the crowd of Gnomes and disappearing among them.

Somehow, the rest of the group managed to keep track of him, despite running against the stream of Gnomes.

Iris hastily got onto Zelkith's back as he followed the group. She had no idea what she was going to do. It was painful enough just to walk.

The further from the laboratory they got, the clearer Iris could hear the screams of agony and pain in the distance. She gripped Zelkith tightly with one hand and clutched her stolen Dwarven dagger with the other.

I will do whatever I can to help. So long as I stay with Zelkith, I should be safe.

The group barged through the swarm of Gnomes and closer to the commotion at the other end of the town. A line of Gnomes stood their ground behind a line of metal-looking humanoids that were hastily being destroyed by the Dwarfs.

Zelkith took a more defensive position, keeping Iris away from most of the fight. The rest of the group spread themselves out along the line, showing no hesitation in running straight to the front of the fight.

Iris watched as Plode swung his massive club around, tossing Dwarfs about like they were fallen leaves. They flew through the air and crashed down around him.

There was now a clear gap between the line and the Gnomes that were attempting to flee.

Iris looked back to see the door to the laboratory open, completely empty of Gnomes. More of them flooded inside and it closed again, but it was going to take time. There must be thousands of Gnomes backed up, waiting to get inside.

Zelkith jolted into a sprint without warning, almost flinging Iris from his back. He was bounding towards a Dwarf that had found his way through the line and was heading for the civilians behind. Iris held on tight as he ran for the Dwarf at full speed.

The Dwarf stopped and waited for Zelkith to come, grinning as he held his axe ready in his hand. Iris felt useless with just her measly dagger that was barely the length of her hand.

She felt the muscles in Zelkith's body start to tense up and knew he was going to do something unexpected.

She threw the dagger aside and leaned down along his back, grabbing hold with both hands.

As expected, Zelkith darted to the side almost in an instant, before leaping forward and onto the Dwarf.

Iris heard the screech of metal and crunch of bone as Zelkith crushed both armour and flesh with his powerful jaws.

"Hold the line!" Iris heard Mireylon yell.

Before there could be any time to think about what had just happened, Zelkith bounded off again towards another stray Dwarf.

Iris looked up to see that more than just a few Dwarfs had made it through, now. Arcs of lightning shot from the hands of several Gnome Sorcerers, killing Dwarfs instantly.

Four of the Dwarfs were now running straight for Zelkith and Iris. Zelkith looked behind them, to see screaming Gnome women and children watching in horror. Their panic-stricken expressions only worsened as they attempted to force themselves further into the crowd of waiting Gnomes.

Zelkith stood his ground and growled loudly. The Dwarfs weren't put off; they seemed to grin in anticipation at their bigger and stronger adversary.

Iris wished she had not thrown the dagger away.

Zelkith inhaled deeply and let out a bark that echoed so loudly it seemed to bounce within the entire town. Iris could feel the power of it through her legs as she sat on top of him. A gust of wind blasted onto the Dwarfs and they almost stopped in place at the strength of it.

The Gnomes had turned around and looked at them in astonishment, no doubt wondering what had happened. The Dwarfs, however, were steadfast and continued their charge.

Zelkith waited until they were almost upon them before he darted to the side, dodging the multiple axes that came at him. Iris kicked one of the Dwarfs in the head as they passed, but it was like kicking a stone wall and the impact jarred her already painful knee.

Something grabbed Iris's ankle and yanked her from Zelkith's back. She felt the joint in her knee tear from its socket and she howled in pain.

Iris smacked the hard floor and the wind rushed out of her, cutting short her scream.

She looked up at the four Dwarfs that were now standing over her and noticed that one had a bloodied nose. He kicked her in the gut with his metal boot.

Iris wheezed, desperately trying to breathe through the pain.

The other three Dwarfs had disappeared and Iris could just make out Zelkith growling and barking nearby. She would have to fend for herself or die.

Iris noticed her discarded dagger on the floor, only a few metres away from where she lay.

She kicked out with her good leg, catching the Dwarf in the groin. She heard him groan and scrambled along the floor as quickly as she could, grunting at the pain in her dislocated knee.

The dagger was close; just a few arms' lengths away. Iris could hear the heavy footsteps of the Dwarf behind her. Her heart pounded in her chest so fast it pushed her to move quicker.

A steely grip wrapped around her ankle. Iris's fingertips brushed the handle of the dagger as she was pulled away from it. The Dwarf turned her over and snarled, covering Iris's face in blood and spittle.

Zelkith now had almost a dozen Dwarfs surrounding him and the front line was having to pull back. There was no hope for Iris now.

The Dwarf smashed his helmet into Iris's face, hitting her on the forehead like a boulder.

The world beneath Iris began to sway and she went lightheaded. She could barely see, just blurry shapes and movements, but she could make out the Dwarf raise his axe in the air above her head. 

# Chapter 10 - Lifting Spirits

Iris heard a clash overhead as someone intercepted the attack. She could hear shouts and screams around her and just make out the small Gnomes rushing past her as she lay on the floor, barely able to function.

"Are you OK?" Mireylon said. Iris heard the words but they did not sink in. It was like she was floating on a cloud.

She felt her body being lifted from the ground and carried away at great speed. She knew it was Mireylon; she could see the staff clutched in his hands and hear his voice, despite not taking in a word he said.

She could see the laboratory coming towards her at great speed, with Mireylon pushing Gnomes aside frantically. She heard Mireylon exchange a short message with someone as he placed Iris in the room just inside the laboratory.

Mireylon then disappeared as quickly as he had come, leaving Iris surrounded by panicked Gnomes, desperate to escape.

Once the room was packed full, the large sliding door closed tight. Not a moment later, the entire room began to move downwards, as if falling slowly into the ground.

Iris wondered if she was imagining it, but she could see the rock passing in front of her where the door once was. The entire room really was sinking into the ground, yet not one of the Gnomes seemed concerned about it.

The room eventually came to a stop, revealing a long tunnel ahead that barely looked like it was big enough for the Gnomes to pass along, let alone Iris.

She felt her body being dragged out of the room and placed against a wall on a narrow ledge away from the path. One of the Gnomes said something to her, but her head was spinning so much she did not hear it properly.

The Gnomes then walked away, leaving her propped up against the wall, in the dark and on her own. She watched as hundreds of Gnomes walked along a narrow pathway that zig zagged along the wall of a vertical ravine.

The Gnomes had stopped coming out of the room and the doors closed. She could hear a constant dull rumble emanating through the wall on her back. A moment later it stopped, then started again.

The doors opened once more and hundreds of Gnomes poured from the room, all following the same narrow path.

Iris could only just make out the Gnomes. Why was it that she was the one that always needed saving? Mireylon may have had good intentions, but it was as if she were such a hindrance to them, she had been placed far away and out of harm, so as not to cause more trouble.

Iris was angry at herself for being so useless. She wanted to be able to fight, to stick up for herself and protect others, like they did. It was a strange feeling. She had never had the desire to protect anyone other than Zelkith, but these poor Gnomes did not deserve to be slaughtered.

After sitting for some time, Iris's head was starting to straighten and her sight was returning to normal. The doors to the strange room opened and this time she could hear groans of pain.

As the Gnomes came out, many of them were covered in blood.

Iris clutched her hands tight with worry. If these Gnomes were being hurt, it was not a good sign for the group holding the line.

She thought about running into the room, going back up and fighting on the front line, but she knew it would be hopeless. She was in no position to fight, and, as angry as she felt, she would be of no use anyway.

Iris wanted to help the Gnomes somehow. Perhaps she could do something.

She slowly stood, finding her balance as she walked from her hidden corner towards the flow of injured Gnomes.

This time, things seemed very different. Before, they had been rushing, but it was orderly. Now they were running out in panic, caring little about those around them.

A female Gnome holding a child was pushed out of the crowd and towards Iris. Both Gnomes were covered in blood and the mother's eyes were swollen, red and streaming with tears.

She looked up at Iris, full of hope. It was a look that Iris had very rarely received.

"Please help. My son, he's..." the mother began to say as she laid the small and fragile Gnome child on the ground. Iris had no magic in her at all. Did this Gnome think she was some kind of Cleric? A Sorcerer that could heal physical wounds?

"Please, you must help!" the mother begged. Iris desperately wanted to, but what could she do?

She knelt to get a closer look, peeling away the child's plain white jacket to reveal a deep wound in his chest.

Her heart dropped in her chest, like an anvil had just been tied to it and thrown into the ravine nearby. She had learnt from the tribe that putting pressure on a wound would help stop the bleeding, but one like this would surely be fatal. The mother's sobbing only made Iris's guilt worse.

She had to do something.

Iris placed her hands on the boy's chest, pushing the wound closed as best she could. Ideally, she needed to somehow stitch it back together, but she had nothing on her at all.

"Mummy, it hurts," the child sobbed as he struggled to breathe.

"It will be fine. This lady is here to help," the mother said reassuringly, although Iris could hear the lack of conviction in her words. She knew Iris was no Cleric, which only made Iris's heart sink further and further. She felt defeated. She could feel the poor child's life drain away and it was as if her own heart was bleeding.

Iris closed her eyes to try and stop her tears from showing. With every passing second, the child's heartbeat weakened feebly. It was so visceral, as if she could somehow connect with the child's body and feel as he did. She could see the child's injuries so vividly in her mind; all she wanted to do was heal the poor child.

Iris felt useless enough as it was. She begged for something to save this poor child's life, for someone else to be able to help, but the realism sunk in; she knew it was not going to happen.

Iris willed the injuries to heal, to close up and stop bleeding. She tried to squeeze the wound closed, as if the tighter she did so, the more likely it was for the child to survive. She wanted the boy to fight and continued to imagine the wounds healing themselves.

She kept her eyes closed the entire time and, in her mind, could almost see the wounds healing and closing. She could do nothing else, as the reality of what was really happening was too painful to think about.

She just wanted to disappear again, but the daydream of her healing the boy was so vivid and blissful that she could not let go of it.

Iris continued to imagine the child's injuries healing completely, but her hands were still covered in blood and failure. The child's heartbeat had slowed dramatically and he was only just breathing. Iris knew he would not have long to live.

"Bless the maker. I have to apologise, but at first I did not think you were a Cleric," the boy's mother said sincerely.

Iris opened her eyes. Did she just imagine that, as she had everything else? Had she slipped from consciousness and this was another of those vivid dreams?

The child's mother was looking at her with an expression of gratitude.

"I'm... not," Iris said. She looked down at the young child in sorrow, but saw something she did not expect.

Iris pulled away her hands to reveal that the boy's wounds had sealed shut. He was lying with his eyes closed and his chest rising and falling slowly, as if he were simply asleep.

Iris looked at her hands in disbelief. Surely someone had intervened? Perhaps a vial of that strange liquid the assassin had used had fallen into the wound? Iris had always been told she had no magical ability at all and would never be able to cast a spell.

"Well... whatever you are, I cannot thank you enough," the mother said, full of appreciation. She hugged Iris tight. The Gnome's short stature meant that she was squeezing Iris's injured knee, but Iris did not have the heart to say anything.

"I won't forget your kindness," the mother said, picking up the child and moving to the back of the group. Those few simple words resonated deep within Iris's heart. She grinned from ear to ear as she saw the child being carried away, somehow healed and alive. She wished she knew what had happened; if it truly had been her that had healed the child.

The walls nearby rumbled violently and Iris stood near the doors, waiting for the next group of injured Gnomes to come out. She doubted she could do what she had just done again, but would try and help however she could.

Iris knew something was amiss. She could hear that something was wrong and felt the adrenaline run through her chest, clutching her heart.

The moment she heard the screams, she turned to run and get away from the door.

Iris had barely turned when a shockwave of air and debris crashed into her back and sent her flying through the air.

She landed roughly on the ground and felt herself skid along the floor. Her legs suddenly lost contact with the ground as they fell dangling over the ravine.

Iris clawed the ground with every ounce of effort in her, her nails almost ripping off as she stopped herself from falling.

Her hands grappled with a jagged piece of rock and she held on with all her might, jolting to an abrupt stop.

She watched as pieces of rock and debris fell into the ravine below her, falling so far into the darkness that she did not see or hear them land. It was enough to give her the strength to hold on, but there was no way she would have the power to pull herself up.

Iris heard groans and complaints from people above her. She had no idea what had happened, but could not believe that anyone had survived.

"We must hurry. It will not take them long to figure out where the cavern leads," said a voice from the walkway above Iris.

"HELP!" Iris cried out. Her arms were starting to weaken and her hands were opening out slowly, leaving her barely hanging on with her fingers.

"Iris?" Zelkith said, rushing over to where Iris was hanging. "We need help here, now!" Zelkith called urgently.

"I can't hold on much longer," Iris said as she felt her strength wane. Something shook the ground and made her fingers slip down further.

Iris gritted her teeth as her grip loosened, but it was not enough.

The floor jolted again and she let go, but as she fell, a sudden sharp pain ravaged her arm. She screamed at the pain as her fall abruptly stopped.

Zelkith had grabbed her the only way he could, by clamping his jaw around her arm. The bite was so strong that Iris was sure her arm was going to come off.

Mireylon almost threw himself off the ledge as he rushed out and grabbed Iris's shoulder, pulling her up and away.

Zelkith loosened his jaw as Iris was pulled to safety.

She felt warm blood pour out of her arm and was sure some of her bones were broken, but it was better than falling to her death.

"Are you hurt?" Mireylon asked.

"Just my arm, and back," Iris said with a hiss, revealing her other arm, which had a clear outline of Zelkith's teeth imprinted on it in large puncture wounds.

Zelkith looked at them in horror and his face filled with shame.

"This will hurt," Mireylon said. He slowly placed his hand over the wounds. The wounds started to sting and then Iris felt a strong constriction around her arm. Mireylon moved his hand away to reveal a wrapping of wood around the wounds, which stopped the blood from rushing out.

Zelkith opened his mouth as if to say something, but closed it again.

"We must hurry," Gelmink said in Mireylon's ear, clearly not wishing to disturb him.

Mireylon raised Iris to her feet and kept close to her as they made their way along the narrow path with the other Gnomes.

Gelmink was the first to step on the path; a shallow indent in the wall that was big enough for him to fit into comfortably. Dakho was next to step onto the rock. His stubby gut meant that he had to shuffle along sideways to follow.

Liammar and the other Kijjiar did not seem to struggle, as they both got down on all fours and walked along the shallow walkways like domestic cats. Liammar groaned that it was embarrassing but the others chose to ignore the comment.

Vesh suddenly became visible and stood near the ledge for several moments. He leaned down, removed his boots and took off his gloves, exposing his bare feet and hands. He strapped the boots and gloves to his waist, looping them through hoops on his belt.

He then proceeded to walk along the wall, placing his hands flat against it and slowly peeling off both his feet and hands as he shimmied along. It was like watching a Darkskin-shaped gecko.

"Zelkith, you go next," Mireylon said.

Zelkith looked at the path dubiously.

"If you stumble, I can steady your fall with roots, but I need to be able to see you," he added.

Zelkith dubiously went next, his bulky frame making it awkward for him to manage the walkway.

"Stay close to me," Mireylon said. Small loops of root appeared in the vertical wall around head height in front of Mireylon. He grabbed hold of a loop and used it as a handhold as he almost leant over the ravine below. Iris was not sure she would have enough strength to do that, especially with her injured arm, but she had little choice.

"What about Plode?" Iris asked as she looked at the massive Ogre. His feet were almost the same size as the walkway itself. She had no idea how he was going to get across.

"He can take care of himself," Mireylon said with confidence.

Iris took hold of the first root, unsure whether it would be strong enough to hold her weight. She reached out with her arm and took hold of the other root, quickly realising that it would easily take her weight.

She started to shimmy along the walkway. Her other arm was wrapped so tight, it was difficult for her to get any grip with it, but she managed to slowly follow Mireylon.

Mireylon kept checking on both Iris and Zelkith, warning Zelkith when he was getting too far ahead.

Iris felt reassured by his consistent checking, which, despite being a little too much, she actually enjoyed. It was nice to be cared about and she felt her cheeks warm slightly at the thought.

Mireylon must have noticed, as he smiled, making Iris blush further and look down at her feet. She instantly regretted looking down, as the vertical drop to the ravine was tantalisingly close to the heels of her feet. She quickly looked up and grabbed the root above her, holding it tightly.

Iris looked across to see that she had barely moved at all and had a long way to go.

"I won't let you fall," Mireylon said, gently touching Iris on the shoulder. Iris just smiled back. Despite his kind words, she did not feel overly reassured after looking down into that ravine.

The mountain around them continued to rumble and shake as they carried on with their awkward journey along the narrow path.

They continued for almost an hour at a gruelling pace. Iris just wanted to stop and sit somewhere, but she knew that would not be an option. She had occasionally spotted the Gnomes in the distance, casually walking along the path.

They came to a halt without any warning and stopped for several long moments.

"What's the problem?" Plode said from behind her.

"Bridge," Mireylon said.

Iris peered around to see Zelkith standing hesitantly at the edge of the ravine, with a thin, stone bridge barely the width of Iris's foot stretching across a twenty-foot gap. The other side had a much larger path and once there, it would be far easier for them to walk.

Iris watched as Zelkith bunched up his legs, ready to leap, when something violently shook the floor beneath them. Zelkith missed his footing and practically leapt into the ravine.

At the same time, a large rock fell onto Iris's chest, knocking the wind out of her and tearing her grip from the root she was holding.

Mireylon outstretched his hand and a large blanket of woven roots stitched themselves underneath Zelkith, but Iris fell silently.

She saw Plode hold out his hand, but he was not fast enough.

Iris felt her vision go as dark as the ravine.

This is it, I'm dead.

She passed out before she hit the bottom.

# Chapter 11 – The Greelong

Iris was not entirely sure if she was even alive. It felt like a dream, but it was like no other dream she had experienced before. She could see her body lying on something that was moving, her bones broken and deep gouges everywhere, but she could feel no pain. She looked down on herself with a sense of pity similar to that she had experienced with the Gnome child.

She imagined her bones repairing, much like they had when Zelkith magically healed her knee. Somehow that pain seemed to penetrate whatever strange dream she was in.

Out of nowhere, something picked her up and threw her off that ravine again. She felt the weightlessness in her body and her heart stopped. She could hear the screech of disturbed bats ringing in her ears and this time she felt the impact of the floor on her back.

She awoke from the strange dream in a foggy daze.

Constant, irritating, squeaks and bumps suggested she was being pulled along on some sort of wagon. She could hear the sniffling of people next to her, but she could not make out who or what they were. Her mind drifted back into a fog and she passed out once again.

This time she awoke on a freezing cold floor. Her arms and legs started to shiver violently and a putrid smell rushed into her mouth.

Iris coughed uncontrollably for several moments, which sent throbbing pain through her body. She sat herself up and rubbed her eyes clear so that she could see where she was.

"Didn't get far, then?" came a nearby voice.

As Iris's vision cleared, a shiver ran through her, which had nothing to do with the cold floor. Thick, metal prison bars separated Iris from the Greelong in the Dwarven cells; the huge, bird-like creature that had tried to barter with them before.

The Greelong looked even more worn and ragged, now. He was severely underweight and was sitting on the floor with his legs crossed, looking directly at Iris.

"How am I here?" Iris said, still confused. Last thing she clearly remembered was watching Zelkith almost fall into that ravine, and then falling in herself.

"The same way everyone else got here," the Greelong responded in a matter-of-fact way.

"But I fell... I should be dead," Iris said, more to herself than in response to the Greelong.

"Amazing what you can survive when you are like us," the Greelong said.

"What do you mean, like us?" Iris asked, bemused. The Greelong looked at Iris with scepticism for several moments.

"You are joking, right?" the Greelong asked, unsure.

Iris had no idea what he was on about and just shook her head.

"Bad luck for you, then," the Greelong said, closing his eyes.

"Tell me what you mean," Iris said, but the Greelong did not respond.

Iris quickly gave up trying to get his attention. Perhaps she could get out... but she had nothing on her.

Her heart jolted as she remembered Limbo, but when her freezing cold hands touched her bare skin, she quickly realised they had been taken.

Iris felt stupid for even checking at all. Of course they would have been taken. She was lucky they had left her clothes on.

Iris awkwardly walked up to the bars and grabbed them tightly, the cold steel sapping away the small amount of heat in her hands. She attempted to yank the bars, but they did not budge.

"You really thought that would work?" the Greelong said sarcastically.

Iris felt slightly stupid, but she had to try something.

"What did you mean, like us?" Iris asked again.

"Actually, I think you're right... you're not like me at all. It seems you're the one with the bird brains," the Greelong said.

Before Iris could retort, she heard something rattle in the nearby wooden door. Someone unlocking it, most likely.

"Little Fairskin, listen carefully. Do NOT heal until after they have finished," the Greelong said sternly, his large, black eyes looking straight at Iris.

The door swung open with a thud and a fully armoured Dwarf stormed towards Iris with menace. He hastily unlocked her cell door and pushed it open with far more force than was necessary.

Iris was in two minds about whether she should try to fight the Dwarf or not, but her fear took over and she just backed away.

"Who was the double-crosser?" the Dwarf shouted at Iris angrily. "TELL ME!" he added, thrusting his axe at Iris threateningly.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Iris retorted. She was not threatened by bullies anymore; all those years of enduring it as a child had hardened her. Her anger shrouded her better judgement as she stood firm, despite the Dwarf being fully armed.

"We will see about that," the Dwarf threatened, jabbing the handle of his axe into Iris's stomach. The impact winded her and she fell forward, clenching her stomach. The Dwarf then grabbed a fistful of Iris's hair and yanked her forwards.

Iris's anger once again got the better of her. She was sick of being bullied and beaten. It was like she was a child once again, unable to do anything.

Iris grabbed the cell bars with her hands and fought against the Dwarf as he yanked her hair, but she held on tight. The Dwarf pushed the axe against her neck. The sharp edge stung as it cut into her skin just enough to make it bleed.

"Keep fighting, lass, and I'll just kill you now," the Dwarf threatened.

"You won't, because I have information you need," Iris said smugly, taunting the Dwarf. The Greelong behind her was now standing at the edge of the bars, watching.

The Dwarf grunted loudly, grabbed the side of Iris's head and pushed it hard against the metal bar beside her.

Stars swam in her vision and she felt dizzy and disorientated. The Dwarf again pulled her along by her hair and she could do little to stop him.

Iris somehow managed to wrap her foot around the bars as she was dragged and her scalp burned with pain as the Dwarf yanked at her hair.

She hung on with all her might. Her head throbbed and her scalp was so painful it felt like the top of her head was going to be ripped away.

Eventually the Dwarf got bored playing tug of war and stomped towards Iris's leg with his axe, ready to lop off her foot.

In desperation, Iris barged into the Dwarf, her shoulders taking the brunt of the impact. She used her arms to lift him off the ground.

They smashed against the metal bars of the adjacent cell and Iris felt a sharp, cutting pain in her upper chest that pushed against her ribs.

She heard the snapping of bones and a grunt as the Greelong broke the Dwarf's neck through the cell bars.

Lightheaded, Iris slumped to the ground with the now-dead Dwarf. She felt her consciousness beginning to slip away, the blood oozing from her chest with every heartbeat.

"Finally, I'm free!" the Greelong exclaimed.

Iris heard the jangle of the keys as they were pried from the dead Dwarf's body.

Iris's vision blurred as she lay on the floor, the Dwarf's body in front of her.

The door to the Greelong's cell opened and he leaned down, picked up what Iris assumed was his axe and strolled away.

"Help," Iris managed to rasp. It was barely audible, but the Greelong stopped abruptly. He turned around, walked up to Iris and put his face close to hers.

"You once left me to die. Now I return the favour," the Greelong said heartlessly. He walked away without even bothering to look back.

Iris wanted to say it was not her choice to leave him there, but nothing that came out of her mouth was audible.

Her vision faded and she slipped out of consciousness.

Iris awoke to the sound of loud thuds and bangs. She'd had another dream where she had been able to heal her body while asleep. The arm and leg she had fallen on had gone numb, but as she touched her chest with her other hand, she realised that the wound had closed and just dried blood remained.

"Considering you have no idea, you heal faster than any Cleric I have ever seen," came the familiar voice of the Greelong. He was sitting on the floor, pushing against a thick wooden door that jolted with each thud and bang.

"No thanks to you," Iris said as she pushed herself into a seated position.

"I think you will find that it is thanks to me that you are alive. Had I not killed that Dwarf, he would have killed you," the Greelong said arrogantly.

"Then you left me to die," Iris said, irritated.

"Granted I did, but now I know your potential as a Cleric," the Greelong said.

"My... potential? I can't even use magic," Iris said, pressing her hand where the wound had been on her chest.

"You really think that healed naturally?" the Greelong said.

"I... No... but how?" Iris asked, bemused.

"Should we survive long enough, I can teach you," the Greelong replied with a grunt as a particularly large thud hit the door.

"We? I wouldn't trust you over a murdering thief," Iris retorted.

The Greelong smiled arrogantly. "Whether you trust me or not is irrelevant. If you want to get out of here alive, you have no choice," he said.

Iris wanted to retort, but she could not think of anything to say. Unfortunately for Iris, the Greelong was right; she would not get out on her own.

"And what am I going to be able to do, exactly?" Iris said.

"Hold this door for me," the Greelong said, gesturing to the door behind him.

"What exactly is that going to achieve?" Iris argued.

The Greelong's expression quickly lost its patience.

"If you want me to explain the plan to you, very well," the Greelong huffed. "You originally came here through a hole in the roof of your cell. I intend to get us out the same way you came in," the Greelong explained.

"You really think I'm going to fall for that?" Iris said with a snicker.

"Do you have a better idea?" the Greelong said.

"Then why do I have to hold the door?" Iris said.

"Because you won't reach," he replied smugly.

Iris turned and looked at the hole in the ceiling. It was at least twenty feet up, far beyond her reach. She went to shout that even he was not tall enough, but he had extended a pair of huge wings either side of him before she could say anything.

"But... what about me?" Iris asked.

"As soon as I get a hold, I'll lift you up," the Greelong said.

The shouts and bangs from behind the door were becoming increasingly loud and the hinges looked like they were starting to come loose.

"If you want to live, you better be quick. This thing won't hold much longer," the Greelong said, indicating the door.

With no other real choice, Iris hesitantly walked up to the door and pushed against it. The Greelong edged out of the way while still putting some pressure on the door.

"Don't let them through," he said, as if Iris needed reminding.

Iris instantly noticed the force against the door as the Greelong moved away. She threw herself down on the floor and had to use both her legs and her arms to push against it.

The Greelong strolled towards the cell at a leisurely pace, stretching his wings as he did. He stopped inside the cell and looked up at the hole in the ceiling.

Iris struggled against the relentless bashing against her back. The door hinges groaned and complained as the assault seemed to strengthen.

The Greelong bent down low and leapt up into the air, reaching up as he did, but his effort was in vein. There were still several feet between his hands and the ceiling. He flapped his wings several times. Iris imagined he had not had the chance to use them for some time. His cell had barely been big enough for him to stand in.

The Greelong leapt again, this time using his wings to launch him further into the air. His clawed hands scraped the ceiling and he fell to the floor again.

Iris could feel the door on her back start to loosen at the top hinge.

"You need to hurry!" Iris yelled as she stood herself up and leaned against a higher part of the door.

A mighty crunch sounded behind her as the top hinge broke free.

"I know!" the Greelong screeched back. He leapt up once more, his arms reaching up inside the hole, and grabbed on tight.

The door behind Iris completely gave way and Iris had no choice but to run for the Greelong.

His eyes opened wide as he watched the door smash behind Iris and saw her run towards him.

The Greelong pulled himself up in a frenzy, clawing and slashing his way through the small hole in the ceiling.

By the time Iris got there, just his bird-like legs were hanging from the hole.

She risked a glance behind her to see an angry Dwarf with an axe in hand.

She leapt up to grab the Greelong's leg, but knew instantly that she would not make it. Her fingers scraped the talons on the Greelong's foot, but her hand slipped past.

Before Iris had even realised, there was a sharp, stabbing pain rushing through her forearm and her body was suspended in the air.

The Greelong had ripped his talons through her arm as if she were prey that had been plucked from the ground.

Why can't I be saved by people with hands?

Iris lifted her legs as the Dwarf swung his axe at her.

She was easily high enough now to avoid the axe swings below, but she still felt vulnerable as her body hung from the ceiling.

Iris gritted her teeth as the Greelong pulled her up into the tunnel and out of the reach of the Dwarfs. That was until something ripped into her leg and she screamed in pain.

Iris looked down to see an arrow sticking through her lower leg and cursed at the Dwarfs as the Greelong continued to pull her, with little care for her arm.

Iris yelped in agony as the arrow snapped against the ceiling; too long to fit through the gap while still in Iris's leg.

"Stop screaming, it's deafening," the Greelong hissed as he pulled both himself and Iris up the slippery hole, keeping hold of Iris with his talons.

"It's bloody painful! Why else would I be screaming?" Iris shouted back as the arrow shaft scraped along the sides of the wall.

Soon the shouts and screams from the Dwarfs faded away into echoes. The pitter patter of arrows and objects being thrown up into the hole resounded below Iris's feet; too far away to be of any bother now.

They continued for what felt like an eternity, slowly going up in the pitch black, foul-smelling tunnel. With every movement, the arrow moved and scraped in Iris's leg, but the Greelong had at least managed to adjust his grip and was holding onto Iris's arm with his palm rather than piercing it with his talons.

The Greelong did not say anything, but Iris felt her wounds repair through the Greelong's feet as they travelled further up, proving that he was definitely a Cleric.

"How far does this thing go?" the Greelong said, slightly out of breath.

"I... don't know. It didn't feel that far when we were falling," Iris responded.

"Quiet," he whispered, as if suspicious of something. Iris held her breath, but heard nothing.

"What is it?" Iris asked quietly.

"I'm unsure, I think... Brace yourself!" the Greelong shrieked.

Iris then heard it; something coming down the tunnel towards them, and fast.

She pushed herself against the side as best she could, the Greelong doing the same; crushing her arm into the wall as he did.

Iris felt the impact through the Greelong as something big landed on him and jolted his grip on the tunnel wall.

His claws tore free from the walls and they both began to fall.

# Chapter 12 - Corpse City

Hideously loud screeching echoed down the slippery tunnel as the Greelong buried its claws into the sides. Somehow, the Greelong had managed to slow down enough to stop their descent, but Iris was sure they had fallen well over halfway.

"You're in my way, Pidgeon," came a familiar voice in the darkness of the tunnel that made Iris jump. She had not expected the object to be a person; least of all for it to be Vesh.

I can't tell if Pidgeon is really his name, or if Vesh was insulting him.

Iris felt the grip on her arm tighten so much that she thought the Greelong was going to crush it.

Perhaps it had been an insult, judging by his reaction.

"Don't kill him!" Iris exclaimed as she heard the barely audible sound of Vesh removing the blade from his side.

"Iris?" Vesh asked in confusion.

"Yes, it's me! This Greelong is helping me escape," Iris said.

"Are you hurt?" was the first thing Vesh said in response.

It was a strange thing to ask, considering that his normal demeanour was uncaring.

Iris was not sure how to respond. The question seemed so out of place, she struggled to say anything.

"She will live, so long as you get the hell off me," the Greelong said with a sense of menace.

"Was that a threat?" Vesh hissed.

"Get your vile body off me before I take you both down with me into the pit of angry Dwarfs below," the Greelong argued back.

Iris could tell he was serious.

She heard the sigh of relief as Vesh somehow lifted himself off the Greelong.

"It's about a mile up to the surface. I will lead," Vesh said.

The Greelong just grunted and continued his ascent.

"Where is Zelkith, and the others?" Iris asked.

"Zelkith is with most of the others, accompanying the Gnomes to a safe haven somewhere in the east," Vesh said. His voice came from much further above her than she had expected.

"What do you mean, most?" Iris asked.

After a long pause, Vesh finally replied with a huff.

"Liammar and Koruko have gone to Talimara city alone, against your father's warning," Vesh said.

The Greelong chuckled at the comment.

Iris wanted to say something. How dare he laugh at the fact that her friends were recklessly going into danger? She thought better of it, considering he was carrying her up the tunnel.

"What's so funny that you cannot contain yourself, Pidgeon?" Vesh snapped, saying what Iris wanted to.

"What, is her father like a god or something? Against your father's wishes," the Greelong mocked, making a girly voice and chuckling again.

"Her father was Biren. You of all people should know to show some respect," Vesh replied harshly, to which the Greelong had no reply.

The closer they got to the top, the more freezing cold but fresh air buffeted them, and Iris could do little to shrug off the chill.

Iris was so exhausted, she could quite easily sleep under the stars, yet she had done none of the climbing. She could not imagine how tired the other two must be; especially the Greelong.

Iris slumped against the hard rock of the mountainside. Her arm ached from being pulled up the tunnel for hours on end and her leg throbbed with pain, the arrow still embedded inside. The freezing cold stone was both comforting and painful. The Greelong walked up and looked at the arrow shaft sticking through her lower leg.

"This would be the perfect time to teach you, but frankly I am too tired," the Greelong said quietly. He gently placed one hand on her leg and the other on the arrow shaft. Iris hissed in pain at the touch, but knew he was trying his best to be gentle. Her stomach filled with shame that she did not even know the Greelong's real name.

"How can I thank you, when I don't know your name?" Iris asked.

The Greelong looked Iris in the eyes. "This is going to hurt," was all he said.

"Like it didn't alr... aah!" Iris yelped as he yanked the arrow shaft from her leg. She instantly felt a strong sensation of warmth and pleasure rush over her leg, particularly over the wound.

After the Greelong had healed Iris, he shook his wings in the air several times, flapping them with great gusts of wind that buffeted Iris with cold air.

Without another word, the Greelong leapt from the mountainside and, within moments, had vanished into the distant sky.

"What do you want to do?" Vesh asked Iris out of the blue as he watched the Greelong disappear.

"Why are you asking me?" Iris replied.

"Because I can go wherever I want. You, however, cannot go alone," Vesh said.

"I don't need a bodyguard," Iris huffed angrily. She was going to thank him for coming for her, but his attitude quickly changed her mind.

"Until you can take care of yourself, I will protect you. Now choose: Zelkith and the others, or Liammar and Koruko," Vesh said, giving her an ultimatum.

Iris knew that she would have no choice to go anywhere on her own and it was a stupid idea anyway.

Her heart wanted to go to Zelkith; she just wanted to hide herself in his fur and disappear from the craziness that seemed to be happening.

However, her stomach lurched at the thought of leaving Liammar and Koruko to walk into their doom.

She barely knew the two of them, but they seemed friendly, and from what she suspected, had known her parents quite well. She could not ignore her father's warning for them not to go alone. She had to go with them, whether it was what she wanted to do or not.

"Liammar and Koruko. The others will be fine," Iris said, almost regretting it the moment she had said it.

It was too late now, she had said it.

"Then we had best be on our way. It's a long way to Talimara city and they've had a two-day head start," Vesh said.

I have always wanted to see Talimara city. In the stories, even the Darkskins said it was magnificent. They called it the golden city.

Vesh stood up promptly and put his hand into a small satchel hanging by his side. He pulled out Limbo; the two golden sword hilts.

Iris's heart skipped a beat of relief at the sight of them.

"These are yours," Vesh said simply.

"I thought they had taken them."

Iris took the two handles to see that the leather straps had been broken and repaired again.

"Where were they?" Iris asked.

"I found them snagged on a rock below where you fell. Must have been what broke your fall. When I saw the Dwarf tracks, I knew they had found you," Vesh explained without Iris having to ask further.

Iris strapped Limbo back around her inner thighs and followed Vesh as he swiftly walked down the mountainside.

They continued in silence for what felt like most of the night. Iris was almost ready to tell Vesh she wanted to stop and rest, but as the sun began to rise in the sky, her tiredness started to fade, like the darkness.

They eventually came to a large river that cut through the mountains. There was a well-travelled path on the other side that ran alongside the river. Vesh paid a man to take them across in his ferry.

He gave Iris the chance to change her mind about where they went, but she had made her decision and she would stick to it.

Travelling on the path was much easier on Iris's feet and dozens of wagons and pilgrims passed them.

That night, Vesh paid for them to sleep at an inn, and Iris slept like a baby on the soft, feathered bed. She was sure Vesh had sat up all night, watching the door.

The following morning, by a stroke of luck and forceful persuasion, Vesh managed to get them a ride on a wagon for most of the journey to Talimara city. Even by wagon, it took them the best part of a week, but it gave Iris ample time to rest and heal.

"This is as far as I can go," the trader called out as he stopped at a turn in the road.

"Very well," Vesh said and he leapt from the back of the wagon.

"Thank you, trader, we are in your debt," Iris said with a smile. The trader did not return the smile but nodded his thanks as Iris jumped down from the wagon.

She instantly felt the heat on her face as she left the cover of the wagon. The ground was dry and dusty and the surroundings were baron and empty.

"How far is the city?" Iris asked as Vesh began to lead the way down a rugged and uneven sandy path.

"Under a day, should the path not prove troublesome," he replied.

Iris's mouth felt dry and she tried her best to shade her face from the blazing heat pounding down on her.

They soon found themselves between two large sand dunes that seemed to sway and move with the wind. Iris shielded her eyes as best she could from the constant barrage of sand that rushed around them, but grit constantly got in her eyes.

Vesh stopped suddenly and held his hand out to halt Iris.

"Show yourself," Vesh shouted into the distance.

Iris glanced up to the top of the sand dune and caught sight of a winged figure. The barrage of sand made it tricky to see but it became clearer the closer it came.

"You again," Vesh said, sliding his weapon back in the holster.

"Against my better judgement to stay away from you, I promised Iris I would teach her," the Greelong said, gesturing aggressively at Vesh.

"Where did you go?" Iris asked.

"To eat, and think."

"I will scout ahead," Vesh huffed.

"Before we start, I want to know your name," Iris insisted.

The Greelong looked at Vesh nervously, who was only a few metres in front.

"Tell her, Pidgeon. I know who you are," Vesh said without even bothering to turn.

"You knew, yet you said nothing," the Greelong shouted angrily at him.

"Nothing I say can change what has happened. You should be thanking me," Vesh said calmly.

Iris could see the muscles in the Greelong's arms clench tight and he leapt into the air, using his wings to push him faster than Iris expected.

In the blink of an eye, Vesh had drawn his sword, spun around and intercepted the Greelong mid-air. He used the Greelong's weight against him, pushing him against the sandy ground below and plunging his sword into the Greelong's arm.

The Greelong looked at Vesh with daggers in his eyes, yet Vesh remained calm.

"You killed him," the Greelong hissed through his pain. Iris rushed over as fast as she could to stop the fight between them, or at least try.

"He begged me to," Vesh said.

"Get off him," Iris said. She pushed Vesh off the Greelong. He did not stumble or fall but allowed himself to be pushed away, withdrawing the blade as he did.

"You're hurt," Iris said, placing her hands over the bleeding wound in the Greelong's arm.

"I've had worse," the Greelong said. He placed his hand over the top of Iris's and she felt the warmth spread through his hands and into the wound.

Vesh strolled out of view.

Iris could feel the wound closing through her hands, but unlike with the child, she could not sense the wound itself.

"Why could I not feel it, like before?" Iris asked.

The Greelong gave her a bemused look and Iris explained her experience with the young Gnome boy in the cavern.

"That makes sense. The more desperate the patient is, the easier it is to feel. The body's instinct to survive stretches out to a Cleric's senses, but even that can be difficult to sense in some," the Greelong explained.

"Why would some be harder to sense?" Iris asked.

"There are many reasons. They may wish to die or have been trained not to fear death... just to name a couple," he explained.

They almost stumbled into Vesh, who was standing in the middle of the sandy path. He turned to them both with a grave expression on his face. "Something is wrong."

Iris kept as close as she dared. The Greelong was clearly not comfortable with getting any closer to Vesh.

Something serious has happened between them. I wonder what it was? The Greelong said Vesh had killed 'him'. Killed who?

"I have never heard Talimara so quiet," the Greelong said with caution in his voice.

"It's not just that... don't you smell it?" Vesh said quietly.

"Death..." the Greelong said in a knowing voice.

The smell was faint, but it was there. A hint of rot that filled Iris's mouth with a rancid taste. She hadn't been around death that much. At least, not the smell.

The three of them continued cautiously, the smell only more potent the further they went. They made their way over the top of a large sand dune and Talimara city revealed itself over the horizon like a bright, golden sunrise.

The first thing that came into view was a large, golden sphere perched on top of a huge spire made of yellow stone.

It was like the Kijjiar had attempted to mount the sun on top of the sky.

The spire seemed to get taller and taller as Iris walked and eventually the top of a massive cathedral-like building started to appear, all made from the same yellow stone.

The entire city appeared to glow with the same golden light. She truly understood the stories told of the golden city as more and more of the city started to reveal itself.

Then the gravity of her father's warning came to Iris. The city that, at first, had a pleasant and warming golden glow descended into a cruel and horrifying crimson; the blood-stained floor now a permanent red from the blood of thousands of dead Kijjiar, just left in the scorching heat to rot.

Iris could just make out two figures standing amongst the countless deceased. She imagined them to be Liammar and Koruko. At least they were alive. Iris wondered if they had missed whatever threat it was that her father had warned them about.

Vesh seemed to relax slightly and made his way down the slope into Talimara city.

The smell of the dead rushed into Iris's nose with a gust of wind and sand. She could not stop herself from retching at the taste of it in her mouth and the putrid, acidic smell that pierced the back of her throat.

"I'm sorry," Iris managed to mumble as the Greelong stood over her.

"Don't be. Everyone does that, the first time," he said.

After she had composed herself, they walked further in to the foul-smelling city of Talimara.

Iris knew that war meant casualties and death, but to see it on such a scale was horrifying. All those innocent people, slaughtered, in what she imagined would have been a vibrant and beautiful city.

"Do you ever get used to it?" Iris asked.

"With time you numb yourself to it, but you never get used to it," the Greelong responded.

"Death is what makes us live in the first place," Vesh interjected.

"Or a heart," the Greelong snarled.

Vesh just waved his hand in the air to disregard the comment and strolled off in front towards Liammar and Koruko.

"The person you were talking about earlier... who was he?" Iris asked the Greelong once Vesh was out of earshot.

"He was... my—" the Greelong began to say before he was interrupted by an almighty scream of "NO!" in the distance.

Iris looked around in a panic to see that Vesh had disappeared and Liammar and Koruko were surrounded by over a dozen Seckle.

They were all fully armed and did not look like they were giving Liammar and Koruko a pleasurable welcome. From what Iris could see, they had already begun to fight.

# Chapter 13 – Revival

Iris felt the urge to run over and help, but what could she do? She had no idea how to fight and the only weapons she had were a pair of golden sword handles.

She noticed Vesh appear behind a Seckle in the distance and take him down with ease. He made his strike and was gone within a second.

Iris could hear a harsh hissing sound from behind and turned to see the Greelong standing over her, protecting her from four large Seckle.

They all had large swords and were approaching cautiously.

"Stand back," the Greelong said to Iris.

"I can help, I can—"

"No, you will only get in the way," the Greelong said sternly.

Iris felt her heart sink at the bluntness of the comment.

She knew she was no use in a fight, but to be told it so frankly was hurtful.

Iris could sense the aggression from the Seckle from where she was standing, so edged herself away, conscious that there may be other Seckle around.

"You picked a bad time to re-join the Legion, Grivash," one of the Seckle said to the Greelong.

Grivash stood his ground despite being outnumbered.

The Seckle began to surround him, going both left and right. They had no interest in Iris at all; it was as if they knew she was no threat to them.

Iris felt anger start to build up inside her. She would show them how much of a threat she really was. All she had to do was figure out that strange hilt weapon and she could do something.

One of the Seckle launched an attack, an overhead assault aimed at Grivash's neck. At the same time another Seckle attacked from the opposing side, aiming for Grivash's stocky, feather-covered legs.

Grivash fully opened his wings into the face of the first Seckle, startling him and throwing his attack off balance. He then lifted off the ground with a flap of his wings, dodging the lower attack, then jabbed his talons into the Seckle's eyes and grabbed the Seckle's head, before twisting it and snapping the Seckle's neck.

Grivash turned to face the three remaining Seckle, talons out and at the ready. In a flurry of attacks, the Seckle swung their swords at Grivash frantically. He dodged them with ease, knocking them aside and into each other, then broke the neck of another Seckle as he spun around.

Iris gasped as one of the swords made contact, piercing straight through Grivash's arm, yet he gave no indication that it had caused him pain.

He kicked the Seckle away, knocking him to the ground, while the blade remained wedged in his arm.

Grivash yanked the sword out and thrust it into the heart of the third Seckle as he came at him with another attack.

Iris was shocked to see that there was no blood coming from Grivash's arm. She could barely even see where the sword had pierced.

Grivash left the sword in the other Seckle and flapped his giant wings, leaping into the air and landing on the last Seckle he had kicked to the floor. He plunged his huge talons into the Seckle's shoulders and took off into the air, carrying the Seckle with him.

He flew impossibly high, until he was barely even visible, then out of nowhere, the Seckle's body came flying down to the ground and smashed against the floor with a hideously loud crunch.

Moments later, Grivash flew down and landed beside Iris as if nothing had happened.

Iris was awestruck at how easily he had defeated four strong enemies. She wanted to be like him; strong and confident.

"We should see if the others need healing," he said.

Iris nodded and followed, unsure what to say or how to word the question she wanted to ask. She was so focused on what she should say to Grivash that she almost forgot about the stench of death as they walked into the streets of Talimara.

Now that she was closer, it was even worse; both the smell and the sorrow. It was not just Kijjiar men that had been killed, but women and children too. Their bloodied bodies and twisted faces only added to the anguish of the already tragic loss.

Iris held back the lump in her throat and did her best not to throw up. She was no medical expert, but this could not have happened too long ago, perhaps just several days.

She approached Vesh, who was standing in plain view, holding his head down low and barely moving.

She could hear Liammar and Koruko sobbing, slumped over what Iris could see was a much smaller Kijjiar.

Iris gave them some space and glanced to Vesh briefly, as she stood there feeling completely helpless.

Vesh glanced at Iris and despite him wearing his normal bland expression, she could see sorrow creeping through his eyes.

"Grivash?" Liammar said, confused, as she looked up, her fur soaked with the tears that were streaming down her face. "Grivash. My daughter, help!" she said urgently, revealing the small female Kijjiar child in her arms.

There was a deep gouge in the child's neck and blood soaked the child's lifeless body.

Liammar's plea for help crushed Iris's heart and she felt tears well up in her eyes at the sight.

Grivash sheepishly walked up to them and touched the side of the child's neck, feeling for a pulse. He closed his eyes and shook his head.

"You must be able to do something," Liammar begged.

"I'm a Cleric, not a god," he said.

Liammar snapped and started to argue, leaving the child in the arms of Koruko.

Iris blanked out from the shouting and grieving mother, wet, salty tears running down her cheeks and into her mouth.

She walked over to Koruko, her heart so heavy it was unbearable. An innocent child did not deserve such a fate. Why did it have to be like this?

Koruko looked at Iris with a grim face as she approached, but he said nothing.

Iris knelt in front of them and gently placed a hand on the child's chest. The blood was still warm, stuck to the child's fur like oil. Iris closed her eyes, deep in sorrow, then something pricked her senses, as if a ghost had attempted to grip onto her.

Iris instinctively grabbed the feeling tight. The ghostly grip was slipping away but she squeezed firmly, refusing to let it go. There was life yet in the child, buried somewhere deep in her heart and seeping out with each passing second.

She used her senses, much like she had with the Gnomish child. She could feel the injuries and knew how to repair them, but what she felt the most was the child's heart.

Something told her she would have to make a sacrifice to save the child. She had no idea what it was, but she would gladly pay it to save Liammar and Koruko's child.

With that thought, she felt the sacrifice being taken, forcibly ripped from her body. Every cell in her body shot with agonising pain, like she had been stabbed in every conceivable place, and she knew her body had changed. Iris did not understand what exactly had changed, but it was a heavy price. Perhaps Grivash would know.

She could not help but cry out in pain, at the same time as the child gasped for air. Iris could feel the child's heart thumping through her chest, and whatever sacrifice she had made, it was worth it.

The others looked at both Iris and the child in astonishment.

Iris fell back to the floor, her entire body exhausted, tired and throbbing with pain.

"How is that possible? The child was dead," Grivash said.

I guess he doesn't know how I did it, then. I am as clueless as ever, but at least I am useful... even if I don't know how I did it.

"Chipa!" Liammar exclaimed and threw herself at both her daughter and her husband in an almighty hug, crying happy tears.

"I have seen some things in my time, things that were close to being miracles, but I have known only one person in history with the ability to bring someone back from the dead," Grivash said as he looked at Iris with a sense of awe.

"She was not dead... not entirely," Iris said, not really sure herself.

"I felt no pulse or life inside her. Whatever skill it is you have, there is no doubt about your heritage now. It is imperative that we find a healing Cleric to teach you," Grivash said.

"No," Iris said abruptly, which made Grivash double-take at her audacity. "I want you to teach me, not just to heal, but to fight like you, like the Fairskin battle Clerics," Iris said, finally telling him what she wanted.

"But you have so much potential as a healer. Think of the good you could do," Grivash said, trying to convince her.

It was too late. Iris had made up her mind; she wanted him to train her and she would not stop until he did.

"If I truly have that much potential, imagine how strong I could be as a battle Cleric. I'm begging you, please teach me," Iris said sternly, making sure he knew she would not take no for an answer.

I will not be useless anymore. Whatever it takes, I will be someone of worth.

Grivash paused for some time and after looking at the others, nodded in agreement. "Fine, I will teach you. But heed my warning: this will be tough, painful and draining. I will not go easy on you, even when you want to give in and beg for me to stop. Do I make myself clear?" he said with an air of seriousness that Iris could not ignore.

Iris swallowed the fear that was suddenly sticking in her throat and nodded consent.

"Then we start first thing tomorrow as we journey. For now, you should rest," Grivash said.

Liammar and Koruko walked up to Iris with huge grins on their faces. Their daughter, Chipa, was in Koruko's arms, sleeping, but very much alive.

"There is no way we could ever hope to repay such a miracle. You have our eternal gratitude," Liammar said, kneeling in front of Iris and placing her face on the ground.

Iris was not sure what to say. She did not want favours or gratitude. She would have done it regardless, despite not knowing how.

Warmth spread throughout Iris's body. She had done something useful. Not just that, but almost impossible. She found it hard to contain the joy that flourished inside her.

"My father mentioned that there was a journal inside the temple," Iris said.

Now that Iris thought about it, it was uncanny how much of what her father said had been true.

She pulled out Limbo and stared at them as she mulled over everything in her head.

These were my father's. I wonder where they came from and how they work?

Her father had said that she would play a vital role in what was to come. Perhaps healing those who protected her was the role she would play.

They continued on in a group, Vesh still keeping a wary eye out for more danger.

They were not disturbed as they made their way to the huge temple that Iris had seen from a distance. Standing in front of it, it was even more impressive. How was it possible for a building to be so tall and still stand? She wondered if magic had been involved, but from what Iris had learned of the Kijjiar, Sorcerers were rare among them.

The golden sphere at the top looked like a sun in itself, reflecting light in all directions.

Hundreds of huge yellow stone stairs led up to two thirty-foot-high, arched wooden doors with gold-studded supports. They had been left open, displaying the interior in all its glory.

Iris could see the inside of the dome from where she stood. It somehow radiated the light from outside and bathed the inside of the temple in an orange glow.

As they climbed the stairs, the sheer size of the temple was too much for Iris to comprehend. Massive, thick stone supports held up parts of the building; a space so vast it looked big enough to fit half of the city inside. When Iris reached the peak of the stairs, she could see the bodies inside the temple; thousands of them slumped over rows and rows of prayer mats.

What was most shocking was the hulking figure clad in thick, black armour, standing amidst the bodies with a grin upon his face.

Iris felt fear clutch her heart tight with adrenaline as blood rushed through her body.

It was Morgoth.

The very essence of the temple felt drained and dulled, as if Morgoth was stealing the light away from around him.

The others drew their weapons the moment they saw him but kept their distance, not approaching recklessly.

Morgoth stood stock still and just glared as the group warily got closer, passing the threshold of the temple.

"You will die for this," Liammar hissed furiously.

"Strange you should say that; your King and Queen said just the same," Morgoth said, standing aside and gesturing to the floor where two golden-armoured Kijjiar lay dead. "Such a shame your daughter survived. I see the Seckle were as incompetent as I expected," he added with menace.

Koruko took a step behind the others, keeping their daughter as far away from Morgoth as possible.

"You will pay for what you have done, Monster!" Liammar yelled, but she was grabbed by Vesh before she could charge in on her own.

"We go in together," he said and disappeared into his surroundings.

Grivash stood forward in an offensive stance, ready to join the fight.

Iris wanted to help, but she was frightened she would only get in the way, just like before.

"The Dwarfs failed to persuade you, I see," Morgoth said, looking at Grivash. He did not respond.

Liammar began to circle to the left while Grivash went to the right.

Morgoth did not seem fazed in any way by his foes. His deep crimson eyes gazed at Iris once again, penetrating her skull and filling her with a chill.

"Do not fear, Greyskin. Your death will be quick," Morgoth said, completely unaware of the short sword looming over the back of his shoulder.

Liammar and Grivash must have noticed, as they charged in at the same time.

Morgoth reached his arm up and intercepted Vesh's attack as if he had expected it all along. He grappled with Vesh's arm, throwing him over his shoulder and into Liammar.

They crashed together and landed in a heap on the floor.

With his other hand, Morgoth grabbed his sword and swung it at Grivash.

Grivash dodged, but not before the blade cut a huge gouge into his chest. He stood motionless for a few seconds while he healed himself and Morgoth used that time to thrust his door-sized shield into Grivash's face, knocking him to the floor.

"Weaklings," Morgoth spat in disgust.

Grivash's head lolled back and forth in a daze as he struggled to steady himself.

Liammar practically shoved Vesh out of the way and charged at Morgoth on her own.

In a flurry of clangs and thumps, Liammar skilfully dodged every attack that Morgoth could throw at her. Any hits that she landed herself bounced harmlessly off Morgoth's armour.

Morgoth somehow managed to get the upper hand and pushed Liammar back. He parried an attack with his shield with so much force Iris cringed at the impact, which knocked Liammar to the floor.

Morgoth raised his sword in the air for a killing blow, but this time failed to see Vesh as he plunged his sword into Morgoth's exposed armpit.

Morgoth roared in pain and dropped his sword as Vesh's blade went straight through the back of his shoulder. He spun and smacked Vesh with his shield, sending him flying across the room and landing with a crash into a pile of dead bodies.

Morgoth turned to Liammar but was too slow. With a screech of hatred and anger that filled the hall, Liammar thrust her sword through Morgoth's chest. Black blood dripped from the tip that now jutted out of his back.

"Mark my words: I will slay every last one of you," Morgoth managed to cough with his final breath as he hit the floor like a boulder thrown from a mountain.

Iris rushed over to Grivash, who was barely able to sit himself up.

"Are you OK?" she asked, knowing that he was not, but unsure what else to say.

"Just dazed. He hit me harder than I anticipated," he said.

Iris helped Grivash stand, which almost pulled her over in the process.

"Can you make sure he is dead?" Liammar said, standing over Morgoth's body.

Grivash placed his fingers on Morgoth's neck and after a few moments took them away.

"You pierced his heart... what was left of it," Grivash said.

Relief rushed through Iris and the tension inside her oozed away.

Finally, he is actually dead. Perhaps now this venture will not be so perilous. We might actually be able to do as my father asked of us.

# Chapter 14 – Departed

Once Grivash had checked the others' wounds, they searched the temple together for signs of the journal that held some sort of secret.

They spent many hours scouring the bodies for tomes and checked any hiding places that they could think of. Even in the underground cellars, they found nothing.

"We have searched everywhere and found nothing but more and more of our dead," Liammar said, depressed.

"I never realised just how vast the temple was until now," Grivash said.

"Me neither," Koruko agreed. He was still carrying his daughter; his arms straining with the weight.

They made their way back to the main hall of the temple, which had taken them several hours to search on its own. It was so vast, they could quite easily have missed something.

As they entered, Iris gasped in shock as a loud yell filled the room.

"TO ARMS!"

Liammar drew her sword so fast Vesh had barely finished shouting by the time it was drawn.

Trepidation filled Iris and her body tensed, ready to either fight or run. In the corner of the hall, Iris could see something on fire, but no living soul.

"Where?" Grivash asked, looking around.

Iris did not understand why Vesh was on edge, either.

"Morgoth. He's gone!" Vesh exclaimed.

The words hit Iris like a rock and she suddenly felt vulnerable. He could be anywhere, waiting to ambush them, or for Iris to be on her own.

With the commotion and concern for Morgoth's whereabouts, no one seemed to notice or care much about the burning object in the corner of the room.

Vesh seemed to scan the floor around him as if Morgoth could be hiding underneath one of the bodies.

"No blood..." Vesh murmured to himself.

"Erm, should someone check what that burning thing is over there?" Iris said, pointing to the far corner.

Liammar bounded towards the burning object, leaping over the bodies at speed, making sure not to touch them where possible.

Iris followed her, just much more slowly and less elegantly, tiptoeing over the dead. She saw Liammar stomping on a hefty tome that was ablaze, trying her best to put it out. Next to the tome was a dead Kijjiar dressed differently to the others Iris had seen. Most wore armour or very little, but this female had an elegant, purple, hooded robe with yellow patterns over it. Iris could not help but look down at her own attire; a torn and tattered skirt and top.

"That was Ri'nara, one of the few Sorcerers among us," Liammar said after she had put the fire out.

"What a beautiful robe," Iris said.

"She was as kind as she was powerful. I am sure she wouldn't mind you borrow... taking it," Liammar said.

"The tome?" Iris asked, trying to change the subject. As much as she would love a nice robe, she was not comfortable with the prospect of taking a dead person's clothing.

Liammar cautiously opened the book and large clumps of steaming ash fell to the floor. However, several pages remained entirely untouched by the fire. It looked strange, like someone had purposefully placed them in afterwards.

"Useless. The only pages that survived have nothing on them," Liammar said as she flipped the blank pages back and forth.

"It's magic, Mummy," came a little voice from behind Iris. It was Chipa, Liammar and Koruko's daughter, who had slept solidly since Iris had healed her.

"I can see that, darling, but the pages are blank," Liammar said, kneeling to show Chipa the book.

"Only magic people can see them. Ri'nara was going to show me, but..." Chipa said, looking down at the dead Sorcerer. Her eyes started to water and her lips quivered as she struggled to hold back her tears.

"She did love to show off," Liammar said in a forced, cheery voice.

"She was teaching me," Chipa said, outstretching her hands. A small globe of light appeared above her hands; a strained flicker of blue that hovered for a few seconds before disappearing.

"Did you have any idea about this?" Liammar said to her husband in shock. He shook his head in both denial and surprise.

"Ri'nara told me not to tell anyone. She said it would take me away from my friends and from you. I didn't want to leave," Chipa said through tears.

"We should leave," Vesh said, walking up to them with concern showing through his blank facade. "There must be others, but I can't sense them, and that's troubling me," he added.

"We must perform the ritual on the King and Queen. It pains me to say it, but we do not have time for the others," Koruko said.

Liammar nodded in agreement and walked over to the Queen, looking down on her body with sorrow.

"Vesh, Grivash. Make sure she is safe," Liammar said, indicating Chipa.

"But Mummy, I am old enough," Chipa argued.

"No, Chipa... not this time," Liammar said. She leaned down and picked up the Queen, armour and all. Koruko did the same with the King and they carried them through a set of elegant, deep red doors at the other side of the large golden dome.

Chipa walked away in a huff, going to stand near the body of Ri'nara, sniffling away tears. After a short while, she started trying to pull Ri'nara up.

Iris hastily walked over. Both Vesh and Grivash looked at Chipa with uncertain expressions.

Strange that they could be perfectly fine facing sword-wielding Seckle, yet a young child no more than ten seemed to frighten them.

"What are you doing?" Iris asked in as polite a manner as she could, trying not to sound offensive.

"I have read about the ritual. Ri'nara deserves one too," Chipa said as she strained with all her might to lift the Sorcerer's body.

"Can I help?" Iris asked.

Chipa nodded with a slight, appreciative smile. "You can help me carry her," she said.

Iris leant down and carefully put her hands underneath Ri'nara's body. She was shocked at just how heavy she was but tried her best not to show her struggle.

"You should not meddle with the Kijjiar religion," Vesh warned Iris.

Iris ignored the comment while Chipa led her to a small alter at the top of some stairs on the side of the building.

"I trust that Chipa knows what she is doing," Iris finally said back to him.

Vesh and Grivash kept a watchful eye but did not intervene.

The ritual was unlike any Iris had ever known. First, she helped Chipa remove Ri'nara's clothing and then she helped bathe her entire body in holy water that was pumped from a well nearby.

Chipa then proceeded to bless every part of the Sorcerer's body, chanting a song in the Kijjian language as she held her tiny, paw-like hands over the body. She seemed to struggle with the words to start with, but after a few minutes, she had got the hang of it.

After almost thirty minutes of consistent song, Chipa reached over to the Sorcerer's chest and started to pluck a portion of fur. She took several minutes doing this, making sure the exposed skin was perfectly circular.

"I'm sure I read that a Sorceror's robe is to be passed down to the next apprentice before the ritual is finished," Chipa said. She held the robe out to Iris, but Iris gently pushed it back with a smile,

"Then as her apprentice, it is yours," Iris said.

"But it is too big for me," Chipa said

"Try it on. You might find it is just the right size," Liammar said from behind them.

Iris almost leapt out of her skin, then a wave of concern rushed over her. She should not have interfered with their religion.

She wanted to pull away and not get further involved, but it was too late now. She did not want to leave Chipa to struggle on her own.

Iris glanced over to Liammar and Koruko, who were standing nearby and wearing the King and Queen's golden armour. They did not appear to be angry in any way, but it was hard to tell.

"Mummy, Daddy. I'm sorry," Chipa said, hanging her head.

"It's OK, finish the ritual. We will be here if you need us," Liammar said, keeping her distance.

Chipa nodded seriously and pulled the robe over her head. As the robe fell, it changed shape and size, fitting Chipa's body perfectly as it draped elegantly over her tiny shoulders.

Chipa gasped in delight, rubbing her paws gently over the purple robe that now flowed over her. She then proceeded to finish the ritual.

Chipa cupped as much water as she could in her paws and carefully walked back to the body of Ri'nara, taking extra care not to spill any. She then lifted her arms above the patch of missing fur and poured the water through the middle of her paws.

Chipa then stood back. She had a face full of disappointment and sadness.

Iris could see that tears were beginning to well in her eyes and her determination was failing quickly.

Has something gone wrong? Did she not do it right?

She ran back over to the water, cupped more in her hands and then rushed back to the body, this time not caring if the water spilled or not. She again raised her hands above the patch of fur and let the water funnel through her paws.

"Why isn't it working?" Chipa said through tears, looking to Liammar.

"We wish we knew. We had the same problem," Liammar said, reassuring Chipa slightly.

"You did?" Chipa asked curiously.

Liammar just nodded and looked to Vesh, who had the magic tome in his hand.

"Something very concerning has happened here. It's imperative we get that book to someone who can read it," Liammar said with urgency.

"We should find the others. Mireylon may be able to show us the writing," Vesh said.

"Hey, what's this?" Chipa muttered, pulling out a small object from a fold inside the robe.

She held out a small coin with a blue line in the middle. It looked exactly like the one Iris had found next to her father's statue, although, this time, the coin was whole.

Liammar and Koruko's faces fell, both in shock and distress. Iris noticed Koruko grab Liammar's arm and squeeze it tight.

"Did I do something wrong?" Chipa asked in worry.

"No no, of course not, dear," Liammar said reassuringly. She walked up to Chipa with far more haste than Iris thought necessary and closed Chipa's fingers over the coin firmly. It was clear from Chipa's face that she knew something was wrong, which only made Iris worry even more.

"What is it, Mummy?" Chipa asked.

"It's a lucky magic coin," Liammar said with a smile that was far from genuine. "You must keep it with you at all times for it to be lucky. If you lose it, you will have bad luck for the rest of your life," Liammar added sternly.

"Thank you, Mummy," Chipa said, holding the coin tight before placing it back into the robe.

She raced off to the front of the temple to show the coin to Vesh, who had no idea how to react or hide whatever uncomfortable feelings he had.

"We should have told her the truth," Koruko said to Liammar in a hushed voice.

"How exactly am I going to explain that to a ten-year- old, Koruko? Our ten-year-old," Liammar argued.

"You have seen how mature she is. She did the ritual perfectly," Koruko said

"This is different," Liammar hissed harshly. "We cannot tell her, end of story," Liammar added before storming away, leaving Iris standing next to Koruko.

It was her fault Chipa had found the coin. She was the one that had suggested Chipa wear the robe instead of her.

"I'm sorry I let her have the robe," Iris said before she had really thought it through.

"Sorry?" Koruko replied almost offensively.

"If I had taken the robe, Chipa would not have got hold of that coin thing," Iris admitted.

"You think it's your fault? Don't be crazy. When someone is blessed enough to be given the Jemute, it will come to them one way or another," Koruko explained, keeping his voice down so that the others did not hear.

"Blessed? The way you and Liammar were looking at her, I thought it was something dreadful," Iris said, confused.

"It's...complicated. The Jemute has a deep meaning within our religion, but it is not something I would wish on one so young," Koruko said.

The group left the temple of Talimara city, on edge and wary of another attack from Morgoth.

Can Morgoth even be killed? Will I ever stop having to look over my shoulder, just waiting for him to kill me?

Fatigue had begun to set in as they journeyed back along the sand dunes and away from the city. Iris did not complain, however she wanted to see Zelkith again. Despite it being only a week-long journey, it felt like she had been away for months and now that she had time to think about it, she missed Zelkith even more.

Iris's curiosity had been piqued regarding the Jemute and she approached Koruko. Liammar was nice, but reluctant to talk about the Jemute at all.

"If you don't mind my asking... if it's something to do with your religion, why did my father have a Jemute?" Iris asked.

Koruko looked at Iris uneasily at the mention of her father.

"It's far more complicated under the surface, but essentially, those blessed with the Jemute are guaranteed to die by magic within three years," Koruko said

"Die? How is that a blessing?" Iris said, affronted that any religion could count that as a blessing.

Koruko briefly explained that the Kijjiar could live up to nine lives, all with the same body and soul. However, the soul would only return to the body if slain by magic or if they passed away naturally at exactly one hundred years of age.

"Is that why Sorcerers are rare? Could they just kill their kin to make them come back to life?" Iris asked.

Koruko shook his head. "It never worked, but that did not stop them trying, which in turn meant that Sorcerers were hunted and slain.

That was until our current... our previous King and Queen, forbade the act, but gave the Sorcerers somewhere away from Talimara in which to practise their art," Koruko explained.

"So, my father somehow got a Jemute?" Iris asked.

"Yes. Our scholars and the eldest of our kin are yet to understand how or why. Never before has a Jemute been gifted to one other than our kind. For us, it is a blessing, but for your father—"

"It was a death sentence," Iris said, finishing the sentence for him.

Now that Iris understood the ramifications of the Jemute, she knew why Liammar had been hesitant to tell Chipa the truth.

The journey was simple and uneventful. Grivash started Iris's training as promised, which involved him consistently attacking her, raking flesh away with his claws and pinning her to the ground. Each time, he would tell her how she could have avoided it and at the end of each session, would help Iris learn a technique to meditate and focus on her body to heal it.

Every day the pain hurt just as much, but deep down, Iris knew that it was the best and quickest way to learn the skills she wanted.

"But you are too strong," Iris complained as Grivash pinned her down yet again.

"Strength is not what is important. Use your opponent's strength; make it work against them," Grivash said, standing up and releasing Iris from his grip.

"And how am I supposed to do that?" Iris said.

"Read your enemy, read their attacks. Do not just react to what they do; make them follow your lead," Grivash said.

"That's great, but how am I supposed to do that?" Iris said, both agitated and confused.

Grivash did not respond with words, he instead lunged at Iris with his claws. Iris managed to swat away the attack, only to receive another attack to her chest from his other hand.

"Concentrate, focus and learn," Grivash said as Iris reeled backwards away from him.

She focused on the burning wounds in the side of her chest and imagined them healing.

Iris was promptly interrupted by Grivash knocking her to the floor, breaking both her contemplation and possibly her arm. They stopped that session there and Grivash allowed Iris to heal her arm and wounds and they joined the others.

"How do you know where they have gone?" Iris asked Vesh as he continued to lead the group across what seemed like half the continent.

"Even you should be able to track a large group of Gnomes... although I must admit, they have done well covering their tracks, considering how many of them there are," Vesh said as he waved his hands at the floor. All Iris could see was dirt.

"How far away do you think they are?" Iris asked.

"We should catch up to them in a couple of days if we continue at this rate," Vesh said.

Iris's heart started to beat fast. She desperately wanted to see Zelkith again, to run her hands through his soft, thick fur and see his face. She wondered where they were going to hide an entire city of Gnomes. Surely, if Vesh could track them, so could the enemy?

The sun had started to disappear over the horizon and darkness crept in to fill the void. Iris and the others were approaching an ominous-looking forest that would not look inviting in the daylight, let alone in the dark of night.

Something about the forest made Iris uncomfortable, like a silent whisper in her ear, warning of danger. She felt safe enough with the others around her, but that did not stop the worry tugging on her stomach the closer they got.

The others made their way into the forest without any concern at all, which did help ease Iris's worry. She shook her head. Why was she afraid of a few trees? She had lived in the forests and wilderness for years. This was no different.

Iris breathed in deeply and exhaled her unnecessary fears, walking into the forest with her head held high.

"TO ARMS!" Vesh yelled, instantly wrenching her stomach into knots.

Iris looked around for signs of the others but she could not see them. Her heart pounded so hard she could hear it and panic started to set in.

Should she run back out into the open and away from the danger?

She turned to run, but all she would be doing was moving away from the others too.

Iris spun back around and ran forwards as fast as she could. The quicker she found one of them, the better.

"IRIS?" came a shout in the distance. How could they have got so far away already? It had only been a few moments.

She went to call back, but her foot caught on something and she tumbled face first to the muddy floor, smashing the wind out of her lungs.

Iris struggled for air and pushed herself up to her knees. She went to shout out, but just gasped at the sight in front of her.

"Iris, where are you?" came another call from Vesh, slightly closer but still so far away.

Iris wanted to call back, but fear took over her and her mouth just gawped open, silently.

The massive silhouette of Morgoth stood over her, looking down with menace.

He stomped closer, the weight of his metal boots shuddering the floor beneath him.

"Found you," he said with a smile.

# Chapter 15 – Greater Things

"She's here!" Morgoth yelled, although his voice seemed different.

He lunged his hand towards Iris and, on instinct from her training with Grivash, Iris grabbed his wrist and used his weight against him, kicking his ankle and summoning all her might to pull him to the floor.

To both Morgoth's and Iris's surprise, he came tumbling down with a crash.

Iris pinned his arm back, but he did not seem to give any resistance at all.

She wondered why he had called to the others. Surely it would have been better to stay quiet?

A glint of moonlight glanced off the shiny silver armour and Iris suddenly realised she had just thrown Plode to the floor, when he had been offering her a helping hand.

She promptly released him and pulled him up, apologising profusely.

"I'm so sorry, I thought you were... not you," Iris said.

"At least give me a warning, next time you wish to throw me around," Plode said jokingly, dusting mud from his otherwise pristine armour.

"Sorry..." she said again.

"Iris?" came a voice that sent thrills through her body. Iris turned to see Zelkith standing amongst the trees with his beautiful deep grey fur, on which had been bestowed blue markings.

She ran to him and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. Her soul felt complete, as if the last piece of a jigsaw puzzle had been put back where it should be.

"I'm so glad you're safe," Zelkith said.

Iris revelled in the warmth of his fur through her hands. They finally drew apart and Zelkith gave her the once over.

"How are you not injured?" Zelkith asked.

Iris filled Zelkith in on all the details following on from her falling into the ravine.

Zelkith relayed how Vesh had practically leapt off the edge to try and find Iris. He had found Limbo washed up and managed to get them before a large contingent of Dwarfs had arrived at the water's edge to camp.

"That was when you washed up and the Dwarfs took you back to the mountain and Vesh told us his plan to save you," Zelkith finished.

Iris's opinion of Vesh was certainly far better than before. Despite his past, he was not heartless.

"So... where are the Gnomes?" Iris asked.

Zelkith looked up and Iris followed his gaze to the treetops above. It was dark and almost impossible to see anything, but she could just make out barely audible rustles of leaves overhead.

"It was the most illogical place for them to stay, therefore the most unlikely place for anyone to search," Zelkith said.

"Iris, you're wanted," came a hidden voice from the trees. She instantly knew it was Vesh. She should thank him for what he did for her, for coming to her rescue.

"I am?" Iris said, cursing herself for not saying what she wanted.

"Yes," was all Vesh replied, gesturing for her follow. "You too, Plode," he added as he walked off into the woodland.

Iris followed Vesh into a small clearing with a campfire in the middle. Surrounding the fire was the rest of the group she had been separated from while trying to escape the Dwarven city.

Mireylon stood as he saw Iris approach and beamed a warming smile. He picked up a small bowl from beside him and handed it to her.

"I'm glad to see you alive and well," he said.

Iris inspected the bowl curiously, unsure if she should drink its contents or if it was intended for some other purpose.

"It's just water. I imagine, after a week with Vesh, you need it," Mireylon added.

"Thank you," Iris said, drinking from the bowl until it was empty. "But I was well looked after," she added before gently handing back the bowl, hoping that she had not offended him too much.

The water felt heavy on her stomach. It was far more filling than she had anticipated. Mireylon was either not bothered by the comment, or did not show it, smiling as he took back the bowl. The others greeted her warmly as she approached the small campfire.

It seemed everyone was there. Dakho was sitting near a roasting spit, stuffing his face with pieces of meat while the others stared at Iris in silence. Even Grivash had been invited and sat near Koruko, Liammar and Chipa.

A short figure approached Iris and knelt before her. Iris realised it was Gelmink, the Gnome she had briefly met in the Dwarven city.

"I give you my eternal thanks, Iris Kyro. Thanks to your warning, we saved almost ninety percent of our population, which by any standard is remarkably good," Gelmink said.

"You're welcome?" Iris said, unsure. She was not used to receiving praise and most certainly not to being called Iris Kyro. Kyro must have been her real parents' surnames; her real surname. In all the commotion, she had not even thought to ask what it was.

"There is another who wishes to thank you in person, but they could not be here for this meeting. I suggest you see them when this has finished," he added, gesturing to the campfire and the people around it.

"I will... but I am curious," Iris said, piquing the Gnome's attention.

"When we got there, it was like you already knew the Dwarfs meant you harm. How did you know?" Iris asked. Gelmink rubbed his fingers through his pointed moustache for a few moments before he responded.

"We did not know for certain, but we had our suspicions. I have no idea how your father knew of those plans, but I am highly grateful he did, for if he had not sent you, things would have been very different," Gelmink said. He then went back to his spot by the campfire, next to someone Iris assumed was his wife.

Iris sat in a space left for her between Zelkith and Vesh, who had decided not to keep himself hidden.

"It would seem that the warnings received from Biren were more than speculation," Mireylon said, breaking the silence and clearly appointing himself leader of the meeting. "And we are yet to address his most concerning message," he added.

"We also have this to deal with," Liammar said. She gestured for Chipa to show Mireylon the fire-damaged book, which held the magic pages inside, pristine and untouched.

Mireylon took the book curiously and opened it to reveal the pages, gently placing his hand on them.

"Is this the journal Biren mentioned?" Mireylon asked. He closed his eyes for a short moment and sighed deeply. "This is bad news. Without a Kijjian Sorcerer, there is no way to reveal the message hidden within these pages," Mireylon added, handing the journal back to Chipa.

"There... is a Sorcerer that lives, but there is a problem," Liammar said.

"Which is?" Mireylon asked.

"She has no idea how to reveal the words," Liammar said, looking at Chipa, who was now rubbing her hands on the tome with her eyes closed.

"I... might be able to teach her, but it will take time and... I am concerned that a minor will not have the capacity to counter such a strong enchantment," Mireylon said.

Liammar and Koruko looked at each other grimly and Iris wondered if they were thinking the same thing she was: that Chipa would end up killing herself trying to unlock the words in the journal, hence fulfilling the destiny of the Jemute.

"I can do it," Chipa said, full of confidence. "I just don't know how," she added, instantly shattering her own confidence.

"I believe I can teach you, but it will take lots of practice. Are you up for it?" Mireylon said.

"Ready!" she said, snapping her feet together like a soldier. Mireylon nodded and Chipa sat herself down, her face beaming with joy.

Flashes of the countless dead in Talimara city rushed through Iris's mind, mixed with thoughts of what the entire of Wizgrad would look like, should her father's warning be true.

"We have to stop it!" she blurted out loud. She realised she had stood up and almost shouted. Everyone was staring at her in awkward silence.

Iris's cheeks flushed but she did not sit. Now that she was standing, she thought it best to keep speaking.

"We need to find Astrid and stop this being from destroying Wizgrad," Iris said.

"I agree. This has to take priority. Vesh, you are the only one I know capable of finding Astrid. Do you think you could find him and get the amulet?" Mireylon asked.

"I can find him, but I cannot promise he will listen to me," Vesh said.

Everyone fell silent at the comment, as if they knew that Astrid would listen to no one around the campfire.

"He might listen to me," Iris said.

"He will have no idea who you are, why would he listen to you?" Zelkith said.

"Because I have these," Iris said, holding out Limbo. "Surely he will recognise them," she added. She knew they used to be her father's, so surely his brother would know of them?

"As much as I hate the idea of sending you off to another continent, it's probably going to be the only way to get him to listen," Mireylon said.

Another continent?

Iris had always wanted to know what they looked like; how different the people and their lifestyles would be.

"I will go with her," Grivash said.

"Great..." Vesh muttered under his breath.

"As will I," Plode said. Mireylon looked at Plode, perplexed by his response.

"If she is to convince Astrid with those magic swords, I should help figure out how to get them to work before we get there," Plode said.

"I will stay here to help the Gnomes. We could certainly do with some extra muscle," Mireylon said, indicating to Liammar and Koruko.

"We will help. Chipa will need to stay with you regardless," Koruko said in agreement.

"What of you, Pig? Or do you just intend to eat until we are all finished?" Vesh said to Dakho.

"The wild boar here is delicious! Besides, I have some ideas on how to make some defences for the Gnomes. It's the least I can do, to try and mend the damage caused by those horrid, stubby little Dwarfs," Dakho said.

"You do realise you just slated yourself, right?" Vesh said mockingly.

Dakho waved away the comment with a large hunk of boar leg and continued to eat.

"Then it is decided. We shall remain here until your return... hopefully with Astrid and the amulet," Mireylon said.

Most of the group decided to stay around the campfire, but Mireylon stood and walked over into the woods where Iris could just make out Zeek, the red-scaled Seckle. She noticed them talking quietly to themselves.

"I have someone who wants to see you," Gelmink said from beside Iris, making her jump. She had not even noticed him move from the fire.

She turned to see a Gnome woman and a small, Gnome boy. The woman was beaming while the child looked down to the floor, holding his hands in front of him, his face flushed red.

"Go on," the mother ushered, gently nudging his shoulder.

"I... err... want say to..." the boy stuttered, before he went completely silent and his face turned an even deeper shade of red.

"I thank you greatly for saving my son's life. We were most distraught when we learned of your fall but pleased that you have been delivered back to us safely. I owe you a debt I fear I cannot repay, but please, if there is anything you need, just say and I will do my best," the mother said for the child.

Iris knelt to the child's level and gently placed her hand on his.

"I am just glad I was the one that could help," she said, looking at both the child and his mother.

"We best be on our way. Do not hesitate to ask if there is anything you need," the mother said, ushering the boy to follow her.

Iris felt her cheeks flush. She was not used to praise, debts owed or offers of help. She had spent so many years being the brunt of verbal abuse and racism that she had almost forgotten there was kindness left in Wizgrad.

"We leave at first light tomorrow. Get some rest, we have a long journey ahead of us," Vesh said and quickly disappeared from view.

"Definitely glad I am not going," Dakho said with a full mouth.

For much of the evening, the remaining people sat around the campfire and swapped stories. Iris felt a little left out as they all laughed about adventures they had shared and places they had been.

Iris decided it was time for her to get some sleep. She didn't interrupt the story being told, just got up and left. Zelkith followed her and they found a more secluded spot to rest, away from the deep bellowing laugh of Dakho.

"I can't believe this is all happening," Iris said to Zelkith. Zelkith nodded in agreement, perhaps unsure what to say.

"What am I supposed to do, Zell?" Iris said. She noticed she was clenching her fists in Zelkith's fur. "I never thought I would actually leave Aceon."

"I doubt we will be leaving just yet. Somehow Vesh will have to decide which continent to search, all of which are vast beyond measure," Zelkith said.

"That's not very reassuring," Iris said. The mention of vast continents to search made her stomach uneasy. She wanted to see them all, but they had to find Astrid and he could be anywhere.

"You will be fine. We have some strong allies coming with us, you will be in safe hands," Zelkith added, trying his best to sound reassuring. It was not working, but Iris doubted anything would help.

She eventually managed to fall asleep, although she woke up numerous times during the night.

"Time to get up," Vesh said, waking Iris from another slumber she had fallen into. She felt embarrassed as she realised that Vesh, Grivash, Plode and even Zelkith had waited until the last moment before waking her.

Iris sat upon Zelkith's back for the first time in what felt like months. Zelkith had never been bothered by it and it saved her feet from aching on long journeys.

"So, do you have any idea where to start?" Zelkith casually asked Vesh.

"I have some ideas," was all he replied.

Vesh led the way, looking slightly uncomfortable at having to stay revealed for such an extended period.

Halfway through the day, as they journeyed through a dense woodland, Zelkith stopped abruptly.

"I know this place..." he said almost to himself.

"What's wrong, Zell?" Iris said, which stirred the others to stop and look.

Zelkith looked at each member of the group in turn before he spoke. "There is something I must do before Iris and I can continue. Please do not wait for us, we will find you," Zelkith said, turning without waiting for an answer and strolling back the way they had come.

"What is it, Zell?" Iris asked again, and his lack of reply just made Iris increasingly nervous. She racked her brains for where Zelkith could be going, but she had no idea.

Zelkith silently took her down a dirt path. Disturbed birds complained as they rushed away from the giant grey wolf.

Eventually, Zelkith came to a small bunch of tightly knotted trees that crowded part of the path. One of the trees had a large cut in it that had been done many years ago. Iris could not see anything of significance and wondered why he had decided to stop here.

"This is where it all began for you, and us," Zelkith said.

"What do you mean?" Iris asked.

"This is where you were born."

# 

# Chapter 16 – Beginning

Iris looked at the unrecognisable patch of forest where she had been born.

"When I arrived here, I had no idea where I was or how I got here. I noticed your mother struggling down this path, panting for breath and grunting in pain. I ran over with an urge to help her, which was when she clobbered me on the head and almost killed me," Zelkith began, gesturing towards the large cut in the tree.

"To my amazement, I was able to speak and reassure her that I was there to help. I watched as you entered the world and that was when I knew that I was bound to you.

After you were born, I helped your mother and you onto my back and took you to a cave not far from here," Zelkith continued to explain.

Iris could almost see it happening; her heavily pregnant mother fighting off a giant, grey wolf.

"Where was my father?" Iris asked, wondering why he had not protected her mother.

"He arrived at the cave only an hour after your birth, but even I could tell he was not quite himself. It was as if his body was being controlled and only part of his real self was inside. He insisted you were taken somewhere safe," Zelkith said.

"Safe?" Iris said angrily through gritted teeth and clenching her fists. Did her father truly believe that sending her to some abusive Darkskin cavern where she would be constantly beaten and bullied was safe?

Zelkith explained that Biren had somehow been given a message from a creature from the spirit realm. It had said that the Legion was not a safe place for Iris to be raised. He also said that the parchment that Virwe had stolen was also given to him by this creature from the spirit realm. He had then somehow removed Zelkith's ability to talk so that no one would suspect him of being anything more than just an animal.

"What happened to your parents after that, I do not know. All I knew was that I was to deliver you to the Darkskin town in the far north of Aceon. Many times I would see you glance out of the gates and I knew that one day you would eventually get out. Everything from then on, you already know," Zelkith explained.

It took Iris quite a while to take it all in. She knew that Biren had sealed his soul in that statue for forty years, the age Iris was. He must not have had much time left and he knew it.

"Can we stay a little while?" Iris asked. She felt like she could get closer to her mother if she stayed here. She knew many things about her father; his name was spouted out here and there like he was the King of Aceon. But she knew almost nothing of her mother.

"Stay as long as you need," Zelkith said, lying himself down and letting Iris off his back.

Iris walked over to the tree, placing her hand on the cut and trying to feel what had happened there all those years ago. She sat against the tree with her eyes closed for a little while, imagining what her mother looked like, what it would have been like to be raised by loving parents.

After a short while, Iris stood up and climbed back onto Zelkith, holding him tight.

"Thank you, for taking me here," Iris said sincerely, truly thankful that he had decided to take her to the place of her birth and talk to her about how she had come into the world.

She actually felt pity for her parents. How bad it must have been for them to be taken away from their child so soon.

"Any time. This place is important to me also. It was a pleasure to come back," Zelkith said, gently standing himself up.

"Are you ready?" Zelkith asked.

Iris turned back to look at the cut tree one last time. She knew she could come back at any point, but it would be a while before she would be on the same continent again.

"Let's go," she said, swallowing the worry in her gut.

Zelkith followed the others' scents to find his way back.

"So... do you remember anything before... well, me?" Iris asked.

"Somewhat. It's more like a fuzzy memory of a dream... a leftover memory of what feels like someone else's life," Zelkith said.

"That's a shame... Is there nothing specific you can remember?" Iris asked.

"There is, was, a single wolf I remember. She had bright white fur, like a blanket of snow on legs and a smooth, beautiful face with sky blue eyes. But she is the only thing that I can remember with any clarity and I have no idea why. She won't be alive anymore anyway," Zelkith said unhappily.

Iris's stomach clenched with guilt; a horrid, sickening feeling that ran through her body. It was her fault he had lost his previous life.

"I'm sorry... that I took that away from you," Iris said.

"Don't be. What happened was not your choice," Zelkith said.

They continued to track the others by scent when they approached a huge, scorched field just outside the copse of the forest. Iris looked over what she imagined was the burnt remains of a town. The blackened patch of earth had small wooden posts and remains of homes jutting out in odd pieces, all blackened and weathered.

Zelkith spotted the group standing in the centre of a mile-wide circular burn mark in another nearby field. Vesh was kneeling on the ground in the very centre, his hand on the floor.

"What happened here?" Zelkith asked as they approached.

"This," Vesh said, gesturing to the mile-wide scorch of burnt land, "is just a fraction of what that amulet is capable of. An entire town killed... and apparently one of the most powerful Sorcerers to have ever lived sacrificed himself to stop the wielder of the amulet," Vesh explained.

"I have seen many powerful Sorcerers in my time, but never have I known of a battle taking place here, or any of them perishing here," Grivash said.

"This is the final resting place of Hofton, Master Sorcerer of the Legion," Vesh said.

Grivash gasped in horror, while Plode, Iris and Zelkith remained impartial to the news. Iris had no idea who this Hofton was, but he had obviously been someone powerful.

"But he left, to spend the last of his days alone... didn't he?" Grivash said.

"The magic does not lie. I can sense it, even now," Vesh said.

"Is it strong enough to follow?" Grivash asked.

"Possibly... It's faint, but it is there," Vesh admitted. He followed his senses somehow, trampling directly through the remains of the town and out into the wilderness.

Vesh and the others followed these invisible tracks for several days, across hills, through forests and villages. They scoured the northern end of the mountain range called The Great Scar, named so because it stretched the entire length of Aceon, separating the eastern side from the west. The magical tracks became faint, but they knew it would be somewhere close by... whatever it was they were looking for.

Dark clouds covered the sky above, smothering the mountain in an early dusk and bringing bitterly cold winds and flutters of snow. Iris had never realised just how cold the upper mountains were. It was like the ice and snow had somehow penetrated her body to the bone. Her fingers and toes throbbed with pain and even lightly touching things caused her hands to hurt.

It was only an hour from nightfall and they needed to find shelter before it got even colder.

"There was what looked like a large burrow at the bottom of the mountain," Zelkith mentioned.

"Lead the way," Vesh said. It was clear from his voice that he was just as cold as Iris.

Within several minutes they had hastily scaled the mountainside, to the burrow Zelkith had referred to.

"Stay here a moment," Zelkith said as he ventured into the burrow.

A bellowing roar echoed from the burrow, followed by the growl and barking of Zelkith. A spark of fire flashed out of nowhere, flowing from Plode's huge hammer as he pulled it from the holder on his back and charged towards the burrow fearlessly.

Another roar came from within the burrow, which was easily matched by Plode's war cry as he charged inside. A hideously loud thud and crunch stopped the roar abruptly, and an ominous silence followed.

"It's safe," Zelkith called.

The others quickly ventured inside the burrow and Iris instantly felt relief from the wind and snow as she entered.

She put her hands into Zelkith's fur to warm them. Zelkith yelped with surprise and pulled away.

"Your hands are freezing," he complained. "At least warn me before you do that again."

"I'm doing it again," Iris said, plunging her hands deeper into his fur this time. Iris could see his face scrunch up and his body tense as he struggled to acclimatize to the sudden coldness on his skin.

Inside the burrow was the body of a huge brown bear, its head smashed in from the blow received from Plode's hammer.

Iris felt sorry for the creature. It seemed a shame for it to have died just so they could escape the cold.

Plode produced a flame from his hands that lit the inside of the burrow, which now looked more like an underground cave.

To the side of the dead bear was a small, carved piece of stone that resembled a tombstone. It looked worn and crude, but it was obvious enough what it was.

"What does it say?" Iris asked, embarrassed, unable to read it.

"Here lie the ashes of Hofton Uthar, Master Sorcerer of the Legion of the Silver Snake. Died protecting Wizgrad from an unspoken evil," Vesh read out.

"Well, it's clear Astrid is not here," Plode said.

"But how do we find him? Our only trail led us to a dead end," Zelkith asked.

"There is a faint trace of another magic... perhaps it is the amulet," Vesh said.

Plode spent several hours butchering the dead bear. He then made a small fire with his hands to cook some of it for the group to eat.

Zelkith was quite happy to eat the bear raw, but that would not be a great idea for the rest of them.

Feeling guilty for the bear's death, but beyond hungry, Iris was pleased to have hot food. She helped herself to a large piece and took a bite into the succulent, juicy meat. She ate well past her fill, to the point where she was almost ill, not wanting to let any of it go to waste. Somehow, she still managed to lie down and get some rest for the night.

The next morning, the bitter cold from the previous night still lingered in the air. A metre-deep covering of snow had plastered the land and mountains around them.

Vesh led them on a direct path north, following the mountains, but far enough away that they were not bearing the brunt of the cold air that rushed down the mountainside.

It was a further day's walk before they came to a large fishing village which overlooked the vast ocean beyond.

Somewhere over that endless blue water are other places like this, full of strange people and animals.

Iris could clearly see the harbour at the other end of the town. It was full of huge trading boats and ships, many of which were similar to the ones Iris used to watch when she would sit on the beach and look out to sea.

It was approaching the end of the day by the time they entered the town, which was bustling with humans running to and from warehouses, carrying large wicker trays of fish and spices. Consistent shouting seemed to emanate from those rushing around.

At first, Iris was happy in the anticipation of getting close to the large boats, but the moment she entered the town, the townsfolk looked at her with anger and revulsion. To start with, it was just looks, but the further they ventured into the town, the more she heard murmurs and then shouts of protest.

One burly sailor with a club in his hand glared at Iris as she passed, far too close for comfort. "Disgusting," he said, spitting at her.

In a flash, Vesh had rushed in front of Iris and put a blade to the sailor's neck.

"Try that again and it'll be your head flying next," Vesh threatened. That was all the townsfolk needed as an excuse to become violent.

Everyone around them dropped their crates of goods and pulled out or grabbed some kind of weapon; pitchforks, gardening spades or crude swords. They had surrounded the group within seconds, but Vesh did not budge, firmly keeping the tip of his sword against the sailor's neck.

Plode, Grivash and Zelkith surrounded Iris as if she were a Queen to be protected, putting their backs to her and forming a circle.

Iris could see the sailor's expression turn smug as the townsfolk stood beside him. He attempted to push the sword from his throat, but Vesh still refused to budge.

"Do you see this? This vermin wants to kill me!" the sailor said, for all to hear.

"If I wanted to kill you, you would be dead already," Vesh retorted.

Another figure appeared through the crowd: a fat and well-dressed individual with long hair and a golden emblem hanging around his neck. Iris could tell from his posture and the way he walked that he believed himself important.

"Mayor, more bringers of death plague our town. This one in particular wants nothing more than to kill," the sailor said as the figure approached.

"Is this true?" the Mayor asked.

Iris had the feeling that none of the others would have any idea how to solve this problem diplomatically. She did not want to get into a fight with the townsfolk. It would not end well.

Iris pushed herself through the gap between Vesh and Plode and faced the Mayor.

"We are merely seeking passage oversea. We mean none of you any harm," Iris said with as much sincerity as she could muster.

"If you mean us no harm, you will get your friends to lower their weapons," the Mayor said, indicating Vesh.

Vesh looked at Iris with a warning in his eyes not to obey, but she nodded that he should do as the Mayor said.

Vesh reluctantly lowered his weapon and the others followed suit.

"Seize them," the Mayor said abruptly.

The sailor and several of the larger townsfolk leant in to grab Vesh and the others, but they did not stand a chance.

Iris saw Vesh easily avoid the grasp of the sailor. He reached to his side in the same swift movement and took hold of his sword, spinning on his heel to attack.

"STOP!" Iris yelled, but it was too late.

The sword made contact and a spray of blood burst over Iris as the blade ran through the sailor's leg, removing it at the knee.

# Chapter 17 – Sickness

The startled sailor's scream abruptly stopped the townsfolk charging, but they now had a look of hostility that suggested they would rather die than let the group go free.

Grivash had managed to break another sailor's arm and throw him into the crowd before Iris had the chance to shout.

The townsfolk kept their distance and looked at the group with wariness. They all had their weapons at the ready and Iris knew she would need a miracle to solve this now.

Iris moved forward, exposing herself in the hope that she would appear harmless, squeezing her fist tight behind her back. She felt stupid, standing there covered in the blood of one of the townsfolk, but at least Vesh had only removed his leg and not his head, as he had promised.

"Everyone stop. This is only going to end in unnecessary death," Iris pleaded with the Mayor.

"Unnecessary death?" the Mayor scoffed. "Unnecessary death is one of your kind waltzing into our town and slaughtering hundreds of innocent people without reason, before absconding on one of our finest ships and disappearing," the Mayor recited with rehearsed malice.

Iris had never heard this story, but she was hardly going to say he was lying.

"I have not heard about the happenings of this town, but I can assure you that their actions had nothing to do with us," Iris said.

"You say it had nothing to do with you, yet you still spill the blood of our people," the Mayor said, which received applause from many of the townsfolk.

"I mean you no offence, Mayor, but we would have passed through peacefully, had you not provoked us. If you truly care for your townsfolk, then let us leave and we shall not set foot in this town again," Iris said in her best effort to convince the Mayor to call back the foolish humans before they got themselves killed.

Iris could see the Mayor ponder over this.

All was quiet, save for the groans of pain from the legless sailor.

Seagulls cackled nearby and a salty wind gusted through the town, while the waves of the sea slapped against the docks in the distance.

"Be gone, all of you, before I get you all killed," the Mayor said.

Iris wanted to make sure the group took the opportunity and began to turn and walk away, but as she saw the sailor, writhing on the floor, holding his bleeding stump of a leg, she could not leave him like that.

Perhaps if I heal him, the townspeople will look kindly upon us... maybe even allow us passage on a boat?

Iris had heard stories about limbs reattaching, if done soon enough. It was not entirely the sailor's fault he had suffered that injury; he was only following the Mayor's orders.

Iris leaned down and gently touched the sailor's wound.

"Don't touch me! Monster!" he cursed, but Iris ignored it.

"Grivash, the lower leg," Iris said.

Grivash instantly knew what she wanted to do and retrieved the severed limb from the ground.

"What are you doing? I told you to leave," the Mayor said.

"If this is not reattached now, he will be without a leg. Unless you are happy for this man to become disabled?" Iris said in a matter-of-fact way before returning to the task at hand.

"Hold still, this is going to hurt," Iris said to the sailor quietly enough that no one else could hear.

The sailor squirmed and grunted as the leg was pushed back into place but gritted his teeth and squeezed his fists to stop himself screaming.

Iris could feel Grivash's healing as he held the limb in place, but she knew he was holding back, using this as training for her.

She was happy for Grivash's help this time. She could easily feel the injury and now that the other part of the limb was against it, she closed her eyes and focused her mind on the leg.

Iris repaired the bones, reattached the muscles and healed as much of the tissue as she could.

Once she felt happy that the leg had been reattached, Iris stood up and the group left the man as several others rushed around him.

Vesh kept a wary eye on the rear of the group as they retreated to the open fields nearby.

"So, what now?" Plode asked as they walked away from the crowd of townsfolk, who cheered as they departed, as if they had won some great victory.

"I will sneak back in and find out what I can. The trail led us here... but the fact they are human does not bode well," Vesh said.

"Because they hate us?" Zelkith said bitterly.

"Because they are young. None of them will have any recollection of Astrid passing through. Not unless they are old," Vesh said.

Either way, they could not risk going anywhere near the town or heading back until the activity had died down a bit.

Around them were mountains or fields and neither provided ample shelter.

Vesh decided they should stay closer to the mountains for the night, until he had a chance to sneak back in.

Iris felt tired and weary after the effort it had taken to reattach the sailor's leg and she fell asleep within minutes as she lay herself over Zelkith's fur.

Iris was awoken abruptly by Zelkith standing up and barking so loudly it woke everyone else in the camp too. It was the middle of the night and Iris felt groggy and half asleep. Plode also did not seem fully awake and Vesh was nowhere to be seen.

Grivash and Zelkith were instantly alert, however, although it looked like Zelkith was barking at the mountains for no reason.

"Show yourself, human. I know you are there," Zelkith barked.

From behind a large rock on the mountainside, a wooden pole appeared, being used as a walking stick. The burly sailor that Iris had healed appeared, limping.

Iris remembered how painful her leg had felt after it had been healed, and that was merely a broken bone.

The sailor held up his other hand in a sign of forfeit as he slowly approached the group.

"Stop where you are," Grivash said, stepping forward. "Is he alone?" Grivash asked, turning to face Zelkith. Zelkith just nodded a yes.

"I am alone and unarmed," the sailor said.

"Then how did you plan to kill us all in our sleep?" Grivash said abruptly.

Iris could see the offended look on the sailor's face; the look of someone accused of something that they had no intention of doing. A look and feeling that Iris knew well.

"Who are you? Why have you come?" Iris asked, trying not to sound offensive. The sailor clearly did not like her. Why else would he spit at her and call her a monster? What other reason could there be for him to come to them late at night and hide behind a boulder?

"My name is Sigbert. I..." Sigbert began to say, before sighing deeply. "I have come to apologise, for my actions, and to thank you," he said, looking down at his injured, but attached, leg.

"Then why sneak up on us in the middle of the night?" Zelkith asked.

"I was afraid that Darkskin was here. I wanted to be as far away from him before I approached you all," he replied, laughing nervously. He clearly meant Vesh. It was understandable that he would want to avoid him, but Iris could tell he was not being completely truthful. It was not an outright lie, but he was covering what he really wanted to say.

Iris approached the sailor, so that his focus was on her and not the glaring eyes of Zelkith and Grivash.

"Sigbert, why have you really come?" Iris asked.

It took several moments for him to respond, obviously debating whether to lie again or not.

"I'll be blunt. Because you healed me, the townsfolk now believe my father and I are allied with you. We plan to steal back the ship that was taken from us but we cannot crew it on our own. I have come to make a deal," Sigbert admitted.

This time, Iris believed him.

"You want our help commandeering your ship, but in exchange, you can take us where we need?" Iris presumed.

"That was what we had in mind," he agreed

"You don't seriously believe him, do you?" Zelkith said.

"Why would he risk his life just to talk to us? Besides, if he betrays us, I'll have no problem removing more than just his leg," Iris said, giving Sigbert a smug look.

"Tonight will be our only chance. They plan to set sail first thing in the morning," Sigbert said.

"Then that's when we will take it," came the voice of Vesh from just behind Sigbert, which made both he and Iris jump.

Vesh leaned in and whispered something in Sigbert's ear and Iris could see the burly sailor go rigid and his face fill with terror. A cold sweat started to drip from his brow before Vesh casually walked past and stood beside Iris.

"I have a plan," Vesh said.

He briefly explained his crazy idea, something that Iris did not expect someone as cautious and precise as Vesh to come up with.

With hesitant agreement, Sigbert left to start putting the plans in action.

"Stop where you are," Zelkith barked as he walked away. Sigbert stopped and Zelkith walked up to him slowly, walking beside him as if taunting prey.

"The dog... talks?" Sigbert said nervously.

Zelkith stopped in place, cocked his leg and proceeded to urinate all over Sigbert's leg.

"Ugh, you have to be joking me, that's disgusting!" he shouted in protest, moving back and away from the stream.

Iris chuckled at the clear disgust on Sigbert's face. Served him right for saying those horrible words to her.

"And necessary, if you want the plan to work. Besides, I'm a wolf, not a dog," Zelkith said.

After that, the group attempted to sleep for a few more hours.

Instead, Iris lay uncomfortable for the rest of the night, wide awake, her stomach in knots, worrying about the imminent trip overseas with a sailor that, by rights, she should not trust.

What was it like on the boat? What things would she see? She did not even know what continent she was going to. Aceon was home for her; mostly forests and fields, which made her feel comfortable. She did not know much of the other four continents, other than the fact that one was a giant, blistering hot and barren dessert, another a hilly and practically impassable mess of mountains, one a frozen wasteland and the other a mix of all five.

"It's time to go," Zelkith said, nudging Iris up from her unrestful slumber. Her stomach wrenched and tightened now that she had to get up and go.

It was a short journey to the outskirts of the town, down a path that led them along the beach and towards the docks. They kept their distance from the town so that they would not be spotted until the signal.

Iris caught the flash of a swirling light in the distance, perched on top of a tall, tube-like building and almost in the middle of the sea. It was on the end of a line of jagged rocks from the mountains that descended into the water.

The humans sure do make some strange buildings.

A deep, loud horn blasted out in bursts and disturbed Iris's concentration. The sound was coming from the town and she could make out a faint orange glow in the distance.

"That's our signal," Grivash said.

Iris wondered what the signal could be to generate a sound like that.

Plode walked over to Zelkith and sat on his back, much like Iris would. Iris could not hold back a bout of laughter at how ridiculous it looked.

She quickly covered her mouth as the laughter echoed into the town. Iris hoped it would be drowned out by the other shouts.

Plode was huge and made Zelkith look like a furry pony. How Zelkith had the strength to carry him, Iris was not sure.

"Let's go, before we get ridiculed to death," Plode said.

Zelkith charged off towards the town at full pace, carrying Plode easily on his back.

"Remember your training?" Grivash asked.

Iris nodded. She was prepared to fight. She knew there would be no other choice.

"Remember, they will show you no mercy. Just don't get stabbed in the heart or head, understood?" Grivash said.

The thought of getting stabbed anywhere was unpleasant and Iris would hardly have a say in the matter either way, but she nodded in agreement.

"Then let's go," Grivash said, opening his wings and flying into the air.

To start with, Iris thought that Grivash had forgotten her. She lifted her arms up, looking like a complete fool, but he swooped down within seconds and wrapped his arms around her from behind, his claws awkwardly pressing into her breasts. The pressure lessoned somewhat after the initial take off and they began to ascend swiftly now.

Iris had a vision of them landing on the boat and being able to throw the crew overboard, still trying to make sure they did not live up to the Mayor's cruel projection of them.

As she was raised further and further into the air, the 'distraction' that Vesh had set up become perfectly clear. Underneath her, the entire town was rushing around in a frantic panic, everyone carrying pails of water while running towards a building at the far end of the docks.

One of the wooden buildings was on fire and burning at a tremendous rate. With each passing second, the flames got taller, smothering more and more of the building and almost setting the boats on fire.

Thankfully, Grivash was paying attention to where he was going and began to descend towards the docks.

Iris could clearly make out Zelkith and Plode already on the deck of the largest boat. There must have been almost fifty crew members on board, all armed with swords.

The boat had already left the docks and was well on its way out of the harbour by the time Iris and Grivash were descending.

Iris prepared herself as best she could for the battle, but her heart was pounding faster than ever before. It was so strong it was almost palpable, but if she wanted to be stronger, like her parents, she would have to fight.

Grivash flew over the ship and to the other side, placing Iris down near the wheel at the rear end of the battle. He then flew down a set of stairs that led onto the main deck and began to attack their flank, breaking legs and arms and throwing several members of the crew overboard.

Iris steadied herself and drew the plain metal sword she had been using in training. She could make out a figure in front of her and pointed her sword at it.

As her eyes focused on her enemy, she could see it was Sigbert. Sigbert discreetly gestured behind Iris before shouting out for help.

Iris turned to face her foe, a scrawny and nasty-looking crew member with a jagged smile and rat-like nose. Everything beneath Iris's feet began to sway and sent her off balance. She stumbled but kept herself upright.

Her legs became weak and limp, like blades of grass swaying in the wind. A gut-wrenching nausea attacked her insides, forcing bile and vomit into her throat.

Iris dropped the sword and was forced to grab her stomach as it cramped up tight and pushed harder for her to be sick.

She barely noticed the sword fly over her head as she fell to her hands and knees and vomited all over the crew member's boots. Nothing around her seemed important anymore, not the battle, not the other continents or people, just the horrid sickness that was rushing over her. Her face felt drained and her hair was heavy over her face, like someone had just draped the entire ship's sail over her head.

The salty sea air mixed with the putrid, acidic taste in her mouth and all she wanted to do now was get off the ship.

The rat-faced crew member began to laugh as he watched Iris quiver and convulse with sickness. He shoved one of his vomit-covered boots straight into her stomach.

The pain was twenty times as intense as before. The simple kick was far less powerful than the blows Grivash had inflicted on her recently, but with the sickness inside Iris, it was like Plode had just smashed his hammer into her.

She fell to the floor completely, lying on her side and clutching her stomach. The pain wracked her body and stars began to swirl in her eyes. Her face and body started to heat up and sweat was pouring off her like rain.

"Betta clean ma other boot," the crew member said, kicking Iris again with a chuckle of laughter.

Flashing lights swam in front of Iris's eyes and agony erupted through her body.

"Pa, take the wheel," she heard someone say.

"Please, stop," Iris begged, mumbling past the sick in her throat. Her plea only received more laughter, now from several people.

Another boot made contact, this time with her chest, which caused her to lose what little breath she had between the pants of agony. Iris went to plead again, but more vomit came out and her head became lightheaded and fuzzy, like a swarm of bees was rampaging inside it.

"Come to join the fun, Sig?" the rat-faced crew member said. Iris heard a sword being pulled from its scabbard and a heavy stagger that shook the deck beneath her. She had no idea how the rest of the group were doing. She hoped this was not some foolish trap set up by the sailor to prove they were the monsters they seemed.

I should never have trusted him... now I am going to die for my stupidity.

# Chapter 18 – Necromancer

"You dishonourable rat!" Sigbert shouted, plunging his sword into his own crew member's chest.

"Traitor!" the crew member managed to spit as he plunged to the floor.

"Traitor! Sig's the traitor!" came a call from nearby, which was echoed by several others on the ship.

Iris could just make out Sigbert standing in defence. Her eyes were blurry and full of tears as she struggled to keep herself conscious through the sickness and pain. The impacts on her body throbbed with every pulse of blood.

With one ear pressed against the deck, Iris could hear fumbles, falls and shouts all over; some perhaps even underneath her. The thumping and noise only intensified the ache that was rushing from her head to her face.

The swaying of the boat never seemed to stop and the sickness only intensified. Her arms and legs were sapped of all their energy and as more vomit began to force its way up her throat, Iris dragged herself to the edge of the boat.

Every movement used far more strength than she felt she had, but in desperation to get to the edge of the boat, she forced her arms and legs to obey, pushing herself to get there.

She could just make out the edge of the ship and was reaching up when a crew member charged at her from the side. She could not move. It was probably more enjoyable to be stabbed than to endure this horrid sickness.

Someone killed the crew member and he stumbled over his own feet, falling into Iris and crushing her against the side of the ship. She managed to pull away from his limp body, her back propped against the side of the ship.

She made out the blurry figure of a Darkskin approaching her, which she could only assume was Vesh.

"Are you OK?" he asked, grasping her shoulder.

Iris wanted to say that she was not hurt, but if she opened her mouth, she knew she would throw up. She felt far too embarrassed to be sick in front of him, so held it as best she could.

Vesh leaned in closer and lifted Iris's head, a clear look of concern on his face.

His expression quickly turned from shock to realisation as the movement to her head was enough to cause her to throw up again, this time all down herself.

She had never felt so disgusting and embarrassed in her life.

"Oh..." Vesh said, before stepping away and returning to the fight.

Iris's mind went into a complete blur. She understood no words spoken to her and the next thing she knew, her head had been propped over the edge of the boat and her airways felt raw and acidic.

Iris noticed that the noise of battle around her had stopped. A hasty rumble of footsteps continued throughout the ship, but not the panic-stricken rush from before.

It was some time before Iris regained any kind of senses again.

Her mouth was dry and her throat burned like the skin on the back of her neck, which was being scorched by the midday sun.

She slid back down onto the ship's deck, only managing to groan as she did. She expected to see piles of bodies but was surprised to see Vesh sitting beside her.

"Here," he said, handing her a small goblet of water. Iris snatched the goblet and swiftly brought the cup to her mouth. As the cold water rushed past her lips, it mixed with the putrid-tasting sick that remained. This made her gag and she spun herself around and spat overboard, moving more quickly than her body wanted her to. She spilt most of the water as she did so, but there was still a little left. She let the goblet rest on her mouth as she leaned overboard and soaked her dried lips, licking them to try and moisten them.

After that, Iris slowly let the water rush past her tongue, the taste vile at first but quickly washing away as she drank more liquid.

"Sorry," she mumbled, her head still overboard.

"For what?" Vesh said.

"Being like this," Iris said, embarrassed, leaning herself back onto the ship.

Now that she was up, a white-haired man was kneeling in front of her.

"Eat this, lass, it'll help," the old man said with a thick accent, holding out a small pile of wrapped up leaves.

Iris looked at the small wrapping and did not argue or care if it would help or not. Anything was better than feeling like she did.

She placed it in her mouth and was instantly hit with a potent, bitter taste on her tongue. Her face screwed up as she struggled to chew the unpleasant herbs.

Without a word, Vesh held out another goblet of fresh water, which Iris quickly drank to wash away the taste. It barely seemed to make a difference.

"What the hell was that stuff?" Iris said.

"Krellweed. It'll stop ya barfin' on ma ship," the old man replied.

"Stop me what?" Iris asked.

"Vomiting," Vesh translated.

"Oh... thanks," Iris said. Her stomach still churned and threatened to force its contents into her throat, but she somehow kept it at bay.

"Ya welcome, lass," the old man said before returning to the ship's wheel, next to Sigbert.

"So, can you still track the magic?" Iris asked, unsure whether she actually wanted to know or not. They were still going to be at sea far longer than she wanted.

When Vesh did not respond, she instantly took that as bad news. Just the thought of spending months at sea almost made her throw up on the spot. Perhaps they could stop at some places on the way, so that she could get off for a while.

"Vesh?" Iris asked again, looking at him in the hope of prompting some kind of response. If they were going to be at sea for months on end, she wanted to know.

He shook his head in shame. "Not a thing," he said, disgruntled.

Iris's chest sunk at his words and her heart filled with dread.

"So... what are we going to do? Where do we go?" Iris asked.

"Dun't worry, lass. Cap'n Thorley knows just where ya want ta go," the old man said.

She assumed that he was talking about himself, as the captain.

Before she even had the chance to ask where this was, Captain Thorley seemed more than happy to share his story of when he met the Darkskin Necromancer, Astrid.

Iris's ears pricked up at his name. This captain was just the person they had needed to find.

Iris listened carefully. This was her uncle, and she was interested to hear what he was like.

It happened forty years ago, on the day of her birth. That same night, half the town had been killed, as the Mayor had mentioned.

"I was the only one to see the truth. The Mayor has become so blinded by grief that he fails to believe what really happened," Captain Thorley said.

"What happened?" Iris asked.

Over the following two days, Captain Thorley told the tale of how he met Astrid.

Astrid was carrying a great and powerful item that had to be taken far away, but with no money, everyone refused to help. He arrived in the town disorientated and so overly cautious that most of the captains thought he was insane. Every time one of the captains asked for proof of his cargo, he refused to show them.

Captain Thorley had watched Astrid, listened to his pleas and believed him, but there was one major problem: he was still accountable to the Mayor of the town at the time and would not be able to man the ship without his permission.

Astrid refused to give up and went into one of the inns on the docks to beg for a room to stay in. With no money to pay for it, an altercation began.

"I ran outside the moment I heard the shoutin'. As Cap'n, ma lodgings were right next to the inn," Captain Thorley recited as he continued with his story.

He witnessed half of the town surrounding Astrid, swords all pointed at him in accusation. Many of the other captains shouted about wanting the power for themselves, that they were worthy.

"It cannot be used! It must be hidden!" Astrid yelled several times, but none of the townsfolk listened.

The Mayor walked through the crowd and squared up to the unarmed Astrid.

"I watched from down tha docks, next to ma ship. I had a feelin' somethin' weren't right. A horrid cold ran down ma spine," Captain Thorley said as he recalled the story.

He saw the body of a sailor crawl out of the water; a mostly decayed corpse of skeleton and rotten flesh. It clawed its way up the wooden supports of the docks, just behind where Astrid was being forced back by the angry townsfolk, who were threatening to throw him into the sea.

Thorley wanted to shout out, but he was so shocked by the sight that he could not speak.

The corpse continued to crawl up until it was at the feet of Astrid, who was standing inches from the edge of the docks.

The skeleton then raised a sword, holding it out, handle first, for Astrid to grab.

Astrid leaned down, grabbed the sword and plunged it into the Mayor at that time. The sword pierced the Mayor's chest and the skeleton reached over the edge, grabbed the leg of one of the captains and threw him into the sea before leaping up onto the deck.

With the animated corpse causing fear and distraction among the townsfolk, Astrid controlled the now-deceased Mayor and handed the sword to him.

The dead Mayor hacked into the townsfolk, causing only more chaos and confusion.

With several now dead and under Astrid's control, Astrid lowered himself under the docks and sat on a small perch of bones which he had forced into the wooden support.

The fighting above turned into a frenzy, with sailors and captains attacking each other, unaware who was friend or foe. Soon they had all but forgotten Astrid, sitting underneath... apart from Thorley, who wanted to help him, but had no idea how.

Soon the majority of the town, hundreds of people, were all fighting each other.

Thorley kept his distance. He had no interest in getting involved.

That was until a little girl ran towards the battle, calling her father, the Mayor. She was begging him to stop, pulling at his arm, but he was dead, and being controlled by Astrid.

Thorley expected the dead Mayor to turn around and kill the little girl, but he looked down at her, expressionless, then his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

The little girl screamed at the sight but could not escape the Mayor's clutch as he bent down and lifted her into the air. The Mayor carried the child away from the fight and placed her down, before returning to the battle.

The little girl would not give up. She followed the Mayor back into the fight.

"I shoulda done sumthin', shoulda pulled her back or kept her away," Captain Thorley said with deep regret.

Iris could feel the pain in his voice, the guilt of inaction for whatever happened to the little girl, which Iris could only assume was bad.

One of the sailors, in a panic, was attacking everyone and everything. When he saw the screaming little girl running towards him, he did not hesitate to cut her down, moments before being killed himself and becoming one of the animated dead.

It was at that point that Thorley sprang into action. He leapt onto the ship, lowered one of the life rafts and rowed out to meet Astrid. He had to get Astrid out of there, for the sake of his own wife and child.

"I'll take ya whereva ya want, but we cannot command a ship with everyone dead," Thorley said to the distraught and sorrowful-looking Astrid.

"On the contrary, Captain. That was exactly what I had in mind now. Take me to your ship," Astrid called back.

Thorley led Astrid to his ship and when he pulled himself aboard, thirty sailors were standing on deck in a square formation, like a small army regiment.

"Just tell me what you want them to do and they will obey," Astrid said to Thorley as he glanced over his undead crew.

"In hindsight, it was da best crew I'd eva had," Thorley said. "They did not need to rest, did not require food or water and worked to full capacity without complaint."

Astrid and Thorley's journey took them to the eastern side of Hioloth, a jagged and dangerous part of the continent named the Dragon's Spine.

"And that's where we are going? A dangerous, shipwreck-inhabited, inhospitable, storm-ridden part of the continent full of jagged rocks and mountains?" Vesh said.

"Sure are," Captain Thorley said cheerfully, as if he relished the idea of going back.

"What better place to hide something of great power," Vesh agreed solemnly.

Iris agreed that it was the most logical hiding place, but that did not mean she wanted to go there, especially not by boat.

Thorley then continued his story of the adventures he and Astrid had had while finding a suitable place to hide the amulet, the great monster that was slain in order for them to venture into the cave and a strange race of purple, human-like people. They called themselves Pucktytes, and their skin was naturally covered in poison, killing anything they touched.

They did not take kindly to Astrid setting up home in one of their caverns and killing their protector. If not for Astrid's ability to control the dead, Thorley would have most certainly perished.

"One of 'em managed to grab me wrist 'ere," Thorley said, waving a hook that acted as a replacement hand. Astrid had removed the hand to stop the poison spreading and as soon as he had sealed the power deep in the cavern, he helped Thorley to the barbarian tribes in the south of Hioloth. There they parted ways and Astrid returned to protect the power hidden in the cavern.

"I got myself healed and then jumped on one of the trade ships back to Aceon, and my family," Thorley said, finishing off the tale.

Iris was almost sad the story had finished. It had been a welcome distraction from her seasickness and she was excited to learn of the heroism within her family tree. Despite his rather gruesome magic, Astrid upheld his values with the living, like his attempt at keeping the little girl away from danger.

Over the next two weeks, with the help of copious amounts of Krellweed, Plode taught Iris with every free moment he had on the use of magic. Unlike her healing, this involved more than just feeling the magic within her. It required specific and complicated methods. Thankfully Plode had brought with him a small gadget that was used with children that had signs of magic within them.

It was a small, metal stick with a single metal ball at the end, somehow suspended in the air just above it. Plode held it in front of Iris on the first day and manipulated the ball in all manners. He made it spin, roll, heat up, change size and even shape. It was the perfect training tool for her, as the stories were that Limbo could be manipulated into whatever shape Biren wished. In theory, Iris should be able to do the same.

By the end of the second week, she could make the ball slowly roll around the top, but that was as much as she could do.

"It's all about the mind," Plode said, tapping the side of his head. It was a strange comment for an Ogre, a race that was typically not very bright. "You have to know what you want it to do, then tap into your magic and force your will into it, through your hands," Plode added.

Iris had already heard that said countless times, but it was still no clearer.

"Land ho!" came a shout from Sigbert, who was standing up on the crow's nest of the ship.

Iris could just make out the outline of another continent. Her heart leapt for joy at the thought of finally getting off that ship.

"Don't get too excited, lass, we still got another week yet," Thorley said. He explained that getting to the cave, was far easier by ship than by land.

Iris, however, had run out of Krellweed, which meant her daily bouts had turned into hourly ones.

Several evenings later, the sea seemed to rebel against them, rocking the ship up and down frantically as if trying to capsize it. They kept a safe distance from Hioloth as the jagged rocks of the mountains could be disastrous.

A huge crack of thunder jolted Iris awake from a dazed sleep as she hung over the edge of the ship. She was surprised that the frantic shouts from Thorley and Sigbert had not woken her. In the distance she could see a huge formation of black clouds and the wind seemed to be particularly strong.

It did not take them long to hit the storm. The patter of rain against the ship's deck quickly became a cacophony of crashing water from the sky. Thick goblets of rain hit Iris's back like stones being thrown at her.

As the ship raised high into the air and crashed back down on the huge waves, masses of water rushed overboard and sloshed over the deck.

A howling wind racketed through the sails, pulling them so forcefully that Iris was sure they were going to tear apart. Sigbert, Plode, Zelkith, Grivash and even Vesh were running around, following Captain Thorley's orders.

Panic rushed into Iris's thumping chest. She had not even considered the fact that she barely knew how to swim. If she was swept into the sea or the boat went down, she would drown.

"Give me something to do. I can help!" Iris shouted.

Captain Thorley looked at her with hesitation.

The ship groaned and complained at the pressure it was under. Huge sprays of water crashed against Iris's face.

"I need ye to go to the cap'ns quarters 'n stay there," Thorley shouted out.

Iris felt offended that her only use was to hide and cower in the cabin, while all the others risked their lives. She wanted to help, however small the task may be.

"There must be something I can do!" Iris yelled back.

"The cap'n must ensure that all precious cargo is safe. Quickly, go!" Thorley shouted with a slight smile on his face.

Had he really just referred to Iris as precious cargo?

She had turned to make her way to the quarters when a massive wave towered above her; twice the ship's height.

It sailed over Iris and an eerie quiet fell upon the ship as it sheltered them from the rain.

Iris braced herself for the impact.

The wave smashed against the main sails, followed by an ear-splitting groan which bellowed over the raging waves and howling winds. The entire mast snapped at the base, the wood cracking as it toppled over; crashing onto the wheel of the ship, just where Captain Thorley was standing.

Iris had no chance to do anything at all. The wave tore her from the deck and threw her into a spinning daze; deep into the raging sea.

# Chapter 19 – Deceased

Iris smashed against something hard as she was thrown around in the sea like a ragdoll. Something wrapped itself around her arm and snagged itself tight. The incredible pressure crushed her arm as it resisted the sea, which threatened to drag her away and sweep her deeper into the ocean.

As the water rushed over her, Iris realised that one of the ropes from the fallen mast had wrapped itself around her, and was keeping her, at least, attached to the ship.

Massive booms of thunder crashed overhead and flashes of lightning gave glimpses of the anger in the storm. The waves rose and fell, taller than buildings, and bitterly cold rain hammered down.

The mast had fallen squarely on both Thorley and the boat wheel, rendering the ship completely out of control. Sigbert was standing near to where the mast had fallen and Iris could hear his shouts of pain, even over the rampaging storm above. He shouted and tugged and pulled at the mast, but there was no way he would be able to move it.

Plode rushed over to help, but even he seemed to struggle; his muscles bulging to lift the huge mast from the deck. Miraculously, they managed to heft the mast between them and more of the ship broke and splintered as it was dropped beside them.

Sigbert fell to his knees and sobbed.

The boat had now started spinning and tipping. It was only a matter of time before the entire ship would sink.

"We have to abandon ship!" Plode shouted.

"There's no way we will survive out there," Vesh called back.

The ship jolted abruptly and everyone was thrown roughly to the deck. A crash and groan thundered below deck as Iris lay dazed on the hard, wooden floor. She could feel the boat beginning to submerge and scrape against what she imagined was rock beneath them.

Iris awkwardly stood herself up on the rocking, soaking wet and now sinking ship. A bright blue and constant light startled her as she turned, and for several moments, she thought she was in some kind of dream.

A pair of huge, blue, glowing wings floated above her like a guardian angel, solid and steady, despite the raging storm beyond. She could see the four legs of Zelkith hanging from the creature and a long, thick, fluffy tail.

"Quickly!" Zelkith called. The blue markings on his fur had turned darker than the night sky and two huge wings protruded from each side. He was like a wolf version of a Pegasus.

"Everyone on," Zelkith yelled, much louder. Iris did not hesitate to jump on his back and shimmied forward as far as possible. She was desperate to get off that damn ship, which had caused her nothing but illness.

"No, leave him!" Sigbert yelled from the mast.

Plode was leaning down towards Captain Thorley's body, with the intention of picking him up.

Plode argued something back but Iris could not hear it over the storm.

Plode picked up Sigbert and slumped him over his shoulder. Sigbert slammed his fists against Plode's back and cursed with every step. Plode strode towards Zelkith and sat on Zelkith's back, who groaned at the extra weight.

"I don't think I can take any more," Zelkith said with a clearly strained voice as Vesh walked up to them.

"I can take him," Grivash said with disdain.

"I'd rather chance swimming than have you throw me in," Vesh retorted.

A huge wave crashed into the ship and began to turn it over on itself. Zelkith must have anticipated it as he leapt into the air and somehow, with his massive blue wings, kept them above the sea and narrowly missing being caught by the ship.

From above, Iris watched as Vesh leapt from the ship and reached up to grab Grivash's leg as he swooped down towards him.

They vanished from Iris's view as the ship turned over and crashed into a shard of rock which pierced through the hull like a skewer, pinning the ship to the rocks.

"Vesh!" Iris cried out, but there was no way they would have heard her over the raging sea as it crashed against the rocks, spraying water high into the air.

Her heart pounded with despair, but she somehow held on to the thread of hope that they were alive.

Zelkith did not want to linger to find out. She could feel that he was unsteady, with all the weight, and the wind was thrashing them around so violently it was almost as bad as being on the ship. He would not be able to keep them in the air for long.

"We can't just leave them," Iris said, squeezing her fists as tight as she could around Zelkith's fur.

"If I do not land, we will all die," Zelkith argued.

Iris could not disagree. She knew it to be the truth, no matter how hard it was to swallow.

Bitterly cold rain smashed into Iris's face as harsh gales blasted around her, and her stomach was heavy and full of guilt. She felt bad that they had left Captain Thorley on board the ship, but for some reason, Sigbert had chosen to leave him there.

She still held faith that Grivash and Vesh were alive, but with every passing moment they did not reappear, she felt her sorrow deepen. She would not accept that they had died, she could not. Perhaps they just could not get out.

Heavy gusts of wind blasted Zelkith as he unsteadily attempted to navigate through impossibly thick sheets of rain and find somewhere for them to land. He frantically fought against the storm; the wind sometimes forcing him dangerously close to the jagged rocks below.

After what felt like an eternity of following the perilous rocks and crashing sea, Zelkith finally found somewhere safe enough to land. It was still rocky but it was not as steep and Iris could feel Zelkith's ragged breath as he struggled to keep them in the air. She had never known him to be so out of breath and could sense the pain in him as he fought against his own body to keep them safe.

As Iris let her feelings flow into Zelkith, she could sense his muscles tearing and ripping with every flap of his wings and desperately wanted to do something to help.

However, whatever magic or Cleric skills she possessed, for some reason, she could not heal him, despite being able to feel every injury inside him.

They landed roughly as Zelkith collapsed to the floor. Iris held on tight while Plode and Sigbert managed to leap off beforehand.

Both Zelkith and Iris rolled several times on the rocky ground before he stopped. Iris felt his pain in herself and tears began to well in her eyes at his tenacity in pushing himself to keep them safe. Iris managed to heal her own bruises, but she could do nothing for Zelkith.

Zelkith lay there on the rocks, legs outspread, eyes closed and panting heavily. The blue glowing wings had disappeared and the markings on his body glinted a faint blue.

Iris wrapped her arms around Zelkith's neck in an embrace, stroking his head and wishing she could do more.

"You saved us," Iris said.

"Not all of us..." Zelkith panted, regret clear in his voice.

"We must find shelter!" Plode shouted as the storm continued to pick up, thrashing freezing cold rain against them.

"You go on without me," Zelkith wheezed.

Plode leant down and placed his hands underneath Zelkith.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Zelkith barked as Plode lifted him up. "Put me down!"

"If you can't walk, you can't fight back," Plode said. He turned to Iris with a look of slight discomfort. Even for Plode, Zelkith would be heavy.

"Iris, we need to find some shelter," Plode said directly to Iris, as if suggesting it was up to her to find somewhere.

"You know this place as well as I do," Iris responded.

"Ogres are not exactly renowned for their keen eyesight," Plode said, somewhat shamefully.

"They are not renowned for their intelligence, either," Zelkith retorted, but Plode ignored this.

Sigbert was looking out to sea, standing there in the storm as if it was merely a gentle shower. Iris grabbed him by the hand, which startled him away from whatever daydream he had been in.

"We need to go, and I won't leave without you," Iris said, trying her best to convince Sigbert to follow. She could see his hesitation, so she began to walk away, tugging on his hand as she did. Sigbert did not resist the pull and turned and walked with her.

The wind was blowing the rain directly into Iris's face, making visibility poor, even for her. She held her free arm up to shield her eyes as she scoured the surroundings as best she could, looking for somewhere sheltered.

With the others close behind, Iris followed the jagged wall of rock for almost an hour before she literally stumbled upon a cavern entrance. She was sure it was bones she had tripped on, but it did not matter. It was shelter from the storm and it would suffice.

"In here!" Iris called, her voice echoing down the cavern like the thunderous booms that echoed overhead.

The others quickly joined her, eagerly seeking shelter from the elements.

Iris ventured deeper into the cavern and the instant relief from the wind and rain was blissful.

The blissful feeling was quickly replaced with shudders of cold as Iris's drenched clothing sapped up the frigid temperature of the cavern.

Plode gently placed Zelkith down and a small sphere of fire came from his hands. It was not enough to warm anyone, but it did give them a view of the cavern floor, which Iris would rather not have seen.

It was covered in bones of all kinds; animal, human and a mixture of things that were unrecognisable. The thundering echoes and eerie sounds of the wind howling only added to the trepidation creeping through Iris.

What kind of monster has eaten all these people? Where did they even come from? How close are we to a civilised town or village?

"What did this?" Sigbert asked in shock. He was carefully tiptoeing over the bones, but as the entire cavern floor was carpeted with them, it was impossible to avoid them all.

"I don't smell anything in here... not alive anyway," Zelkith said. He was lying down, but this time of his own accord.

Iris hated to see him like this. She had never seen him so injured and exhausted before.

The cold forced her muscles to shudder violently and her teeth clatter together. Iris glanced around the inside of the cavern, surprised at just how much she could still see in the dark. All those years spent in the Darkskin caverns had at least given her some advantage.

In the far corner, she spotted a ragged jumble of what appeared to be small tree branches. She wandered over to find a set of three skeletons around it; a pair of large, flint rocks beside one of them. Had they died trying to start the fire? Who knew, but she was thankful that they hadn't succeeded, as it gave Iris and the others something to burn.

"Plode, over here!" Iris called.

"Where are you?" Plode asked, looking in her general direction. Iris could see him clearly, but perhaps that was because he was holding the only light.

"This way," she called, and Plode hesitantly walked over to her. As he approached the pile of logs, his face lit up in pleasant surprise. He quickly gathered the pieces up into a neat pile and lit them using his magic.

The tiny embers crackled and popped as the fire slowly began to build in size.

Zelkith got up from his rest to wander close to the now warming fire and lay in front of it.

Sigbert sat with his legs crossed and his face tucked into his chest. Tears were streaming down his face, which he tried his best to hide, but failed miserably.

Iris could not help but think of Captain Thorley, Vesh and Grivash as she sat herself against Zelkith. How suddenly and unexpectedly they had gone, without any chance for her to say anything to them.

Grivash had spent every morning training her, and although she still had a long way to go until she was as good as he was, she had grown considerably since they started.

Vesh, despite his sometimes cold demeanour, always seemed to have Iris in mind. He would show signs of consideration towards others, even if they did not see it. She felt safe when he was nearby, which was more often than not, in most cases.

No one spoke as they sat around the fire and warmed themselves. Zelkith was the only one capable of getting any rest at all, or at least, it looked like he was.

Iris thought she saw a figure standing outside the cave, illuminated by a flash of lightning, but a second flash revealed nothing. A figment of her imagination, perhaps, as she was hoping for Vesh or Grivash. It was almost impossible to tell whether it was day or night outside as the raging storm blotted out any light.

It did not take long for the gentle warmth of the fire to bring on fatigue from the past few weeks. Iris had barely slept while on the ship and after recent events, felt herself drift away despite a conscious effort to stay awake.

Iris's eyes fell heavy and her breathing steadied to a slow pace until she did not reopen her eyes.

She dreamed of a strange and very loud hissing noise that sounded so real, but she was unsure what it was.

"No one move," came a concerned voice.

Iris opened her eyes to see Vesh standing next to her in the midst of the cavern, the barely visible embers of the fire illuminating his bloodied face.

Iris rubbed her eyes. Something about this dream seemed odd and out of place. It seemed so visceral, but the fact that Vesh was standing there was proof that it was just a dream.

The others around her awoke from their sleep, blurry-eyed.

"What's going on?" Plode asked as he rose from his slumber.

"Don't... move..." Vesh hissed angrily.

Something nearby began to clatter and shake and out of nowhere, the bones of the deceased people and animals started to reform themselves into moving skeletons.

Instead of feeling fear and worry, Iris was excited. If someone was controlling the dead, it was more than likely her uncle Astrid.

Vesh swung his swords into action, removing the head of one skeleton and pushing away its body.

"Get out!" he cried, urging everyone to leave.

If this was some kind of odd dream, then Iris had nothing to fear.

She stood her ground as a skeleton approached her with a sword in hand.

The skeleton lashed out and Iris dodged the sword. Using a technique Grivash had taught her, she tripped the skeleton over onto his back and smashed his skull into the ground.

The skeleton, which blatantly felt no pain or concern, slashed its sword against Iris's leg. It was in that burning moment that Iris realised it was not a dream. This was actually happening.

Her courage waned and fear rampaged in her chest as she realised just what was on the line now. She could not believe Vesh was alive. How had he found them? How was he still alive? Where was Grivash?

Iris leapt back from an attack from another skeleton and began to make her way to the exit, heading for the stormy weather outside. She was hesitant to go back out there and wondered where her best chances might lie.

Zelkith made sure to keep close to Iris, leaping onto any skeletons that strayed too close. Surely if it was Astrid controlling the skeletons, he would not kill them all on sight... would he?

"Astrid, we have come to talk!" Iris yelled at the top of her lungs.

The skeletons stopped their attack and after several moments, collapsed to the floor; bones scattering like a pile of dropped stones.

Just as Iris thought she had got through to him, or whoever it was that was controlling the skeletons, the bones began to rattle and shake. They formed into large bone cages that sprouted from the ground and wrapped themselves over each and every one of them.

The bones that surrounded Iris crushed down on her with incredible strength. There was no way any of them would be able to escape such confinement.

Several more skeletons reformed, one for each cage, and pointed their swords into the cages, ready to kill.

A large figure appeared from outside the cavern. This one was also in a bone cage but was being carried by several skeletons.

Iris quickly realised it was Grivash.

She was glad to see both Grivash and Vesh alive, but they were now all in great peril.

A second figure appeared from the storm outside. A much smaller figure with long, Darkskin ears.

It must be Astrid... who else can it be?

"I can trust none of you... I cannot... You must all see death, or the entire world will see death," Astrid said in a mad rant.

This is bad.

Just from the way he spoke, Iris was sure he had lost his mind. She attempted to stretch her pinned arm down to grab Limbo. It was now their only hope to survive. Yet the more she pushed and pulled, the tighter the cage seemed to get.

"A name from the past is spoken, but friend or foe, they must die, to protect from the spirit realm," Astrid spurted.

The skeletons raised their swords simultaneously.

Iris pushed her body as much as she could, but it was too late. She heard the sickening thud of swords piercing flesh around her, a split second before an explosion of pain burst through her chest.

# Chapter 20 – Grave Choices

Iris cried in pain as the rusted sword shot through her body, narrowly missing her heart and lungs. The searing agony was constant, a violent pain that seeped copious amount of blood with every heartbeat.

Iris could feel the wound inside her, more than she ever would have without Grivash's training. She worked on stopping the bleeding, even with the sword still embedded inside her. She continued to lean forward, trying to grab Limbo with every ounce of effort she had left.

Soon it was a fight of will more than anything else. Iris's fingertips rubbed across one of the hilts and with a surge of desperation she leaned down and grabbed it.

Iris thought of the sword that she made when she pierced Limbo through the statue of her father. Combined with the training she had received from Plode, a blue glowing sword appeared from Limbo.

Iris slashed the sword towards the skeleton. It cut through the bone cage and the skeleton like they were water, barely giving any resistance at all.

For some reason, the skeleton exploded upon impact and the bones scattered themselves far and wide, hitting the cavern ceiling and walls.

"Astrid, we are friends. Let them go!" Iris cried. She glanced at the others in panic. Every single one of them had been stabbed. There was no way she could heal them all.

"Where did you get that?" Astrid called, charging towards her.

"It was given to me... handed down," Iris retorted.

"From whom?" Astrid replied, still storming closer. Several large, bear-sized skeletons began to rise beside him as he walked.

"Thorna gave them to me," Iris said. The memory of her death flashed into Iris's mind as she said her name.

"They did not belong to her, and they do not belong to you," Astrid snapped, swiping his hand towards Limbo to snatch it from Iris.

Iris pulled her hand back and went to step away. A skeletal hand shot out from the ground and clasped itself around her ankle.

"They are mine, as they were my father's," Iris snapped back, swiping the blue glowing sword across the skeletal hand that had a grip on her ankle.

"Your father?" Astrid yelled back, grabbing the handle of the rusted sword that was still protruding from Iris's chest. Iris grimaced in pain but tried her best not to show it.

"Your... father?" Astrid said, this time a genuine question.

"Yes, your brother, Biren. My father," Iris hissed.

Astrid's eyes opened wide with shock and he let go of the blade as if it was scalding hot. The bone cages and the skeletons crumpled to the floor in a cacophony of falling bones.

"What have I done?" Astrid said, falling to his knees and staring at his hands as if they were covered in the blood of shame. It reminded Iris of how she had felt after stabbing Ulwazi in the tent.

Iris felt she should go to Astrid, but her friends were injured and they needed help.

Grivash already had his hands spread over Plode's crumpled body, but that still left Zelkith, Vesh and Sigbert.

She was so concerned about the others that as she stepped forward, the jolt of pain in Iris's chest reminded her of the sword that was still stuck in her chest. She slowly pulled the blade out, closing her eyes and trying her best to focus on healing herself and not the pain.

It took her much longer than she wanted, but she knew that if she rushed, it would not end well.

By the time she had finished healing herself, Grivash had finished with Plode and was tending to Zelkith. Iris ignored the murmuring from Astrid. He would have to wait.

Iris knew that, logically, she should heal the most wounded first and Sigbert definitely looked to be in bad shape, but her heart went straight to Vesh. Seeing the blood rush from a wound in his chest was heartbreaking. She had already suffered the pain of believing he had died; she had no desire to watch it happen in front of her.

"Get him. I've had worse," Vesh said, gesturing towards Sigbert.

Vesh did seem to be handling it much better. He had already removed the blade and was rubbing some strange ointment over the wound.

Iris knew it was the right choice, but her heart still did not want to do it.

She could not refuse Vesh's gesture and, as she took in the situation again, realised how selfish her original decision had been.

Iris ran over to Sigbert, who by now was coughing blood while clutching the blade in his chest. She placed a hand on his chest ready to remove the blade, feel the injury and stop the bleeding.

What she felt, however, was haunting to her. It was as if she knew that he would not survive. His lungs were full of blood, and the angle of the blade meant that taking it out without damaging something major would be almost impossible.

She felt the pain hit her. A bottomless pit of guilt opened inside her stomach and her eyes welled with tears.

They had only just met each other, but he had put his life on the line to help her. Not only that, but he had just lost his father because of her.

It was her fault. All of it.

Iris could tell by the distressed expression on Sigbert's face that he knew his fate as much as Iris did. His lips quivered as he attempted to force them shut and force a look of bravery on his face.

She had saved that little boy, and even brought Chipa back to life. This should be easy. Yet for some reason, Iris could not do it. She attempted to heal some of the wound, but it was a constant fight. It was as if his body was fighting her off, pushing her away and making her feel numb to his injury.

She recalled something Grivash had said to her, when she had explained to him about saving the Gnomish child.

'Why would some be harder to sense?'

'There are many reasons. They may wish to die.'

Iris wondered if that was why Sigbert's body was pushing her away. Had he given up on life?

"Heal, dammit heal," Iris grunted as she struggled to hold on to the feeling in his body. Her heart started to race as she began to panic. She could not let him die.

"Stop," Sigbert said, weakly grabbing her arm.

Iris knew it took all his strength just to do that. She looked at him to see tears run down the side of his face, which instantly hit Iris with guilt and sorrow.

"Why won't you heal?" Iris cried, frantically reaching out with her magic to find the injury. The more she panicked and cried, the worse it became and the less she was able to do.

Sigbert went to reply, but blood ran from his throat. His eyes stared wide at Iris as he drew his final breath, then gave a gurgling exhale that had no indication of a peaceful passing.

Sigbert's eyes glazed over, his body fell limp, and all movement in him stopped.

Iris's heart plunged into a pit of sorrow. It felt like it was being stabbed with daggers. Tears ran down her cheeks and quickly became bitterly cold in the cavern.

The murmuring from Astrid suddenly caught Iris's attention and her sorrow rapidly turned into anger.

This was his fault. It was fortunate that no one other than Sigbert had died. Had it not been for Grivash, they would have.

Iris stamped her feet as she stood herself up and charged towards Astrid with fire in her eyes. She pulled out Limbo, turning it into a fierce, glowing blue sword.

Astrid was kneeling on the floor and looking at his hands, muttering something Iris did not understand.

At first, she had thought of Astrid as a powerful and kind-hearted person, but now all she could see was the pitiful and heartless shell of his past.

"This is your fault!" Iris shrieked, jabbing the sword at him in anger.

Astrid's eyes opened wide and he stumbled backwards as Iris came towards him relentlessly.

Astrid had to stop as he hit the solid rock behind him.

Iris brought the blade so close to his neck that it started to draw blood.

"You killed him. You almost killed us all!" Iris cried. She had not felt this angry since she had pointed that kitchen knife at her adopted mother, Virwe.

Astrid just stared at her, completely silent, as more blood ran down his chest.

"Give me one good reason I should let you live," Iris said, frowning so deeply she could feel the muscles in her eyebrows hurt.

Astrid remained silent. Not a word even attempted to escape his lips.

Iris pulled the sword away swiftly and stomped away. "Why my father told us to find you, I have no idea," she said.

"You spoke to Biren? How?" Astrid said, the first of his words that had sounded somewhat sane.

"You deserve no answers, you vile monster. No relative of mine could kill an ally in cold blood and not care," Iris snapped.

Astrid looked to Sigbert's body and regarded it for several moments, not giving a single indication that his death bothered him in the slightest.

"I can bring him back, if that would redeem me in any way to you," Astrid said, almost pleading.

"Bring him back? As one of your soulless, skeletal puppets?" Iris cried in anger. How dare he suggest something as heinous and despicable as that? Yet despite how evil it seemed, she could not bear to see Sigbert's lifeless body, not when there could be a way to bring him back.

But having a moving corpse was not bringing him back. He would be nothing more than a walking piece of meat. She could not allow Astrid to do it.

"It is possible to bring him back with a soul, but if he is not revived now, that opportunity will be forever lost," Astrid said, interrupting Iris's chain of thought and throwing complications into her head.

Iris looked at Sigbert's body. Could Astrid really bring him back? With his soul intact? She hated having to make quick decisions, let alone about something as major as this.

Iris looked at Vesh. For what, she was unsure. Perhaps for some kind of confirmation on what to do. Vesh had an uneasy look on his face and when he met her gaze, he shook his head as a no.

But she did not want Sigbert to be permanently dead; not if she had the option of bringing him back.

Against Vesh's advice and her better judgement, Iris agreed for Astrid to do it.

Astrid stood up cautiously and walked over to Sigbert's body. He kneeled in front of him and pulled out a small dagger.

Astrid pushed the tip of the dagger against Sigbert's forehead and cut a cross in it. Tiny amounts of blood seeped from the cuts.

Astrid began an eerie series of chants, which echoed in the cavern's depths, only adding to the disturbing and uneasy tension squirming inside Iris.

The others kept a wary distance from Astrid as he worked. Even Iris took a step back.

The chanting got louder. Astrid smeared his fingers in the blood from Sigbert's forehead and rubbed it against Sigbert's chest. He then raised the dagger and plunged it into the blood, stabbing Sigbert's body where his heart was.

Iris gasped with shock, covering her mouth as an icy hand of shame and guilt gripped her heart. She should never have agreed to this. She had known it was a bad idea.

It was too late to change her mind now.

The others watched anxiously, following Astrid's every movement as he chanted strange words.

After several moments, Iris could see what looked like a small, glowing, faint blue ball, hover down from above Astrid.

It was being pulled towards Sigbert and it was clearly forceful; the ball of light trying its best to escape whatever spell Astrid had caught it with.

The ball slowly lowered until it was around Astrid's head height.

Astrid stopped chanting abruptly, raised both hands and clasped the ball between them. He then thrust the ball of light into Sigbert's chest, pushing down hard as he did so.

Iris expected Sigbert to gasp for air, but there was nothing.

Astrid began to chant again, this time even more loudly.

An extremely faint blue shimmer of light surrounded Sigbert, like a glimmer of sunlight in a sunset spread flat across the horizon.

The light faded and Sigbert opened his eyes. Without any hesitation, his arm shot up and his hand clasped itself around Astrid's neck, clearly trying to choke him.

"What have you done to me?" Sigbert said, but it was not his voice. It was gravelly and distant, as if spoken by someone or something else. It reminded Iris of when her father had spoken to everyone from the spirit realm.

Astrid was completely unable to reply. He tried to pry Sigbert's hand off his neck, but it was hopeless.

Iris cautiously walked forwards. It had been her choice, not Astrid's. It should be her that paid the price.

"Let him go, Sigbert," Iris said, which caught his attention.

Sigbert threw Astrid back with inhuman strength, sending him flying through the air and smacking into the wall of the cavern with a thud.

Sigbert swiftly got up and charged towards Iris, no doubt to do the same thing to her.

"How could you let him do this to me?" Sigbert shouted. Iris winced and closed her eyes as he got within reaching distance but felt no hand on her neck.

"Answer me!" he shouted.

"I... I couldn't stop him; he only did as he was asked," Iris said weakly. She felt intimidated by Sigbert now. His anger was evident and the lack of breathing filled Iris with chills.

"Who in all the seas of Wizgrad would ask him to do this?" Sigbert replied, gesturing to his exposed chest.

Iris expected to see a gaping hole from where Astrid had thrust the dagger, but it had sealed into a scar, along with the cross on Sigbert's forehead.

"I... I did..." Iris said shamefully. She looked up at him and could tell that his rage was only building. "I couldn't bear seeing you like that, just lying there, lifeless," Iris began to explain.

"And now I get to walk this place lifeless," Sigbert interjected. "I feel nothing anymore. I curse you, for you have forever cursed me!" he yelled. He turned purposefully, giving Iris the cold shoulder and walking away wordlessly.

Sigbert disappeared into the storm, the fierce wind and rain seemingly swallowing him up.

Iris was about to shout that he would die if he went out there, but the reality of what had happened hit her. He would now forever be an empty shell of what he used to be.

"Why did you even suggest such a thing?" Iris snapped at Astrid.

"Do not blame me for your choices. I merely gave you the option," Astrid said, holding his hands up in innocence, both palms smothered in Sigbert's blood.

"Not if he would end up like that!" she shouted, pointing outside to the raging storm.

"His soul is intact, as I promised," Astrid replied.

"That's not bringing him back. Now he will be like that forever," Iris snapped.

"In case you had not noticed, I master the dead, not the living. The choice was yours to make. The responsibility is yours to deal with," Astrid said.

"That's not the point," Iris blurted, knowing in her heart that it was true. It pained her too much to admit it; admit that he was right and she was wrong. He was nothing like the Darkskin Thorley had described in his story. He was sinister, arrogant and smug.

"And what is the point, niece? Why did my brother send you here? Clearly not for pleasantries," Astrid said.

Iris was so angry she did not want to respond. How could he just change the subject, as if nothing had just happened? The more she thought about his manner, the more agitated she became.

"He sent us to find you and the location of the amulet," Vesh interjected before Iris could blurt out something she might later regret.

"For what reason?" Astrid said defensively.

Iris could see Astrid was readying himself for a fight.

"We have to find a way to destroy the evil being inside," Vesh explained

"I will never reveal its location. Even if my brother were standing right here, I would not tell him," Astrid said sternly.

"Then I will find it myself," Vesh said, disappearing into the darkness.

Dozens of skeletons rose from the ground, blocking the way deeper into the cavern. That movement made it blatantly clear in which direction the amulet was kept.

Iris knew that Vesh could find it. With his tracking ability, he would have no problem.

"You will die before you find it!" Astrid shouted.

"I wouldn't be so sure," Iris said.

"Trust me, he will," Astrid replied with certainty.

Iris could tell Astrid meant what he said, but that did not mean it was true. Regardless, Iris would not just let him journey alone.

She forced her legs to move towards the huge guardian skeletons; big, hulking, bear-like creatures that stood on their hind legs. She walked within inches of them, but they did not budge. Iris felt Zelkith, Plode and Grivash stand at her side, protecting and following her.

"Let us pass, or we will force our way through," Iris said, not even bothering to turn to face Astrid.

"I cannot allow you to go in there," Astrid said.

Iris turned to face him. Her conviction was assured, there was no way she would let Vesh venture in alone.

"Biren entrusted us to destroy the amulet, one way or another. I do not care if you forgo his mission, but if you ever try and get in our way again, you will be the one I will destroy," Iris said, making sure to look Astrid straight in the eyes.

Iris would not turn her attention away until she knew the warning had sunk in, or the skeletal bears moved aside.

Several long moments passed and neither had budged one inch.

"Very well," Iris said. She turned back, clutched Limbo and made it into a long blade. She swiped it in a large arc in front of her, severing the skeletal bears' legs in a burst of scattered bones.

With the others close by, she ventured deeper into the cavern, making sure not to look back at the excuse of a relative standing behind them.

# Chapter 21 – The Amulet

The tapping of feet echoed down the dark, endless cavern. The silhouette of Vesh appeared moments after the altercation with Astrid. A flurry of heat rushed into Iris's cheeks as Vesh gave her a smile; an expression he would rarely show.

With pride swelling in her chest, Iris confidently led the way deeper into the pitch-black cavern. The fire coming from Plode's hand abolished a tiny amount of the darkness, but it was barely enough for Iris to see over an arm's length in front.

It was not long until they came to a wall of bones, spread from floor to ceiling. The wall rattled and moved, as if alive.

So, he's still trying to stop us, even when I made it perfectly clear what would happen if he did.

Iris cautiously took a few more steps closer, gripping the hilt of Limbo tight in her hand. Zelkith purposefully pushed himself close to Iris's leg, which filled her with reassurance.

The wall somehow made a horrid, ear-piercing screech that penetrated through Iris's skull, like someone swinging a ball and chain inside her head.

Hundreds of skeletal arms lifted themselves up, popping out from the wall like a porcupine raising its spikes. Each arm was clutching what looked like a leg bone with string attached, to make a bow made of bone.

More arms appeared from the wall and pressed skeletal arrows against the bow strings.

Iris's heart pounded. She looked around for cover, but the cavern had been carved clean of obstructions or hiding places.

"Fall back," Iris ordered urgently. She turned to run, but there was a row of half-decayed men standing behind them. Their grey skin and fetid smell made it perfectly clear that Astrid had no intention of letting them past.

These undead men, more ghouls than men, were armed to the teeth with large metal shields and weapons and wore plated armour.

Iris was now stuck on two fronts. There was little chance that they could make it past either wall without serious injury.

The others clearly knew it too.

Iris turned to face the ghouls. At least the group might stand a chance against them.

"CHARGE!" Iris roared, running towards the ghouls. Her chest pounded with heavy thuds and her throat knotted up as she ran towards them.

The rest of the group followed Iris's order without hesitation, keeping side by side with her.

Iris focused her mind on Limbo, ready to strike down her nearest foe.

The ghouls stood shoulder to shoulder and rammed their large shields into the floor, creating a wall of metal and, again, blocking their way. A second row of ghouls leaned over the top of the shields, pulling back their own bows and arrows.

"Huddle close!" came a frantic cry from behind the row of ghouls.

It was Astrid, his face smothered in fear.

Iris was unsure if she should trust him, but the desperation in his cry seemed genuine and they had little choice.

A deep rumbling vibrated underneath Iris's feet, shuddering her legs and making the floor beneath them sway like an earthquake.

"Together!" Iris called urgently. She could hear the tension in the bowstrings behind her, even from where she was standing. The twang of countless bowstrings then came from behind her as the wall of bone finally released its flurry of deadly arrows.

The ghouls released their arrows at the same time and Iris's heart leapt into her throat. She could hear the arrows as they whistled through the air, the breathing of her allies next to her, the soft fur of Zelkith.

The ground beneath Iris's feet cracked open and a sea of white bone flew up from the ground behind her to protect her back. She quickly glanced over to see the rest of the group similarly had a small covering of bones protecting their backs, almost like half a bird cage had been used as a shield.

In front of her, the floor seemed to flow, as if someone were lifting a veil of brown cloth in front of them.

All of this happened a split second before the arrows reached them. Iris heard the thudding and clanging of bone arrows smashing against the defensive walls.

She noticed that Plode had leant down to the floor and had his hands pressed against the ground. Sweat dripped from the side of his head as he stood himself up, pulling his hands from the floor. As soon as he did, the veil of mud in front of them dropped back into the ground.

The wooden arrow shafts snapped as the mud pulled back down into the earth.

Iris cautiously looked behind her, but the protective bone cage was still sturdy.

Without needing to watch her back now, Iris charged forward, gripping Limbo in her hand as she prepared to dodge another flurry of arrows.

The twang of arrows from behind her caught her attention, throwing her focus off as she turned to check that the new protective wall was still there. As she turned back, it was too late to prepare herself for the second flurry of arrows careening through the air towards her.

Iris felt the air pressure next to her drop for a split second and Zelkith bellowed out a bark that was so loud it literally blew the arrows off course, forcing them to crash into the floor harmlessly.

Beside her, Plode had used a small shield of mud to defend himself.

Vesh had disappeared and Grivash was now flying along the ceiling.

Grivash swooped down into the ghouls, crashing into the wall of shields and knocking several aside to make a break in the wall. It was enough for Iris to run towards the undead ghoul on the right-hand side.

"Jump on," Zelkith said and without hesitation, Iris grabbed a fistful of fur and pulled herself onto his back. Zelkith leapt into the air, straight towards the gap in the ghouls' defences.

The chilling air of the cavern rushed past her face as Zelkith sailed completely over the wall of shields and landed on an unsuspecting ghoulish archer.

There was no expression of pain or surprise as Zelkith plunged his teeth into the archer's neck.

Iris jumped from Zelkith's back and slashed the blue, glowing sword of Limbo into the nearest ghoul.

The blade slashed across the ghoul's chest, but there was no reaction or facial expression as the blade sliced through rotten flesh and bone.

To Iris's surprise, the ghoul leaned forward with an arrow clutched in his rotten hand and plunged the blade deep into her shoulder blade.

Iris shrieked in pain as the arrow ripped through her leather tunic and skin, the rough bone lodging itself between the bones and muscles in her shoulder.

In her pain she dropped Limbo, robbing her of both a weapon and the light that it provided.

All the others had joined the fray now, frantically attacking and defending against the undead men that easily outnumbered them.

"What the hell?" Vesh cursed. Iris watched as he adeptly dodged a ghoul that was still attacking despite having had his head removed.

"You have to go for the heart, it's the only way to stop them!" Astrid called from behind as he plunged what appeared to be the spine of a creature through the back of one of the ghoulish archers.

The spine-like spear tore through the exposed chest of the archer and at the end of the spear was a bright red heart, enveloped in a faint blue glow. The glow quickly dissipated and the light snuffed out. The ghoulish archer slumped face-first to the floor with a crash.

"That would have been useful information before we ventured down here," Iris snapped. She leant down and picked up Limbo. Her injured shoulder screamed in protest at just being moved, sending waves of agony through her.

"You should all count yourselves lucky I am helping you and not them," Astrid said angrily.

Iris paid for her wounded shoulder in kind by stabbing Limbo at the ghoul's chest. She missed at first, her aim was inaccurate in her right hand. The blade plunged deep into rotten flesh, but swiped to the side as she awkwardly tried to pry it free, which must have caught the undead archer's heart in the process.

He fell to the floor, emotionless and silent.

The creepy way they died filled Iris's stomach with uneasy knots, especially when she thought of Sigbert and the fact that now, he was essentially the same as these ghouls.

I can't believe I actually let Astrid bring him back. He may have his thoughts, but to have no feelings... He might as well not have a soul at all. What have I subjected him to?

"Iris!" Zelkith called, which pulled Iris out of her depressing thoughts. He was pinning down one of the armoured ghouls, but with no way to get to his heart, it was up to Iris.

Iris pushed her body forward, doing her best to ignore the agony tearing into her shoulder. She stood over the pinned ghoul and, with much better precision this time, plunged the blade into his heart. The blade rushed through the armour as if it were cloth.

Two armoured ghouls came at them from both sides, catching Iris off guard.

A flash of blue erupted from Zelkith as two large wings burst from the sides of his chest, flaying into the two ghouls and sending them toppling to their backs.

Zelkith leapt onto one of the ghouls to pin him down while Iris awkwardly dispatched the other. She turned to see Vesh making easy work of two on his own, throwing a knife into one of them while skilfully pushing his blade through the chest of the other.

Grivash and Astrid had made quick work of the archers; Grivash using his talons to literally rip out their hearts.

Plode was using his hammer with devastating effect. Several times Iris felt the cavern shudder as Plode smashed the hammer into the chest of a downed ghoul. The hefty weapon crashed into the armoured chest of the ghouls and crushed it so much it destroyed their hearts.

Very soon, all the ghouls had been dispatched, but the thuds of arrows still hammered against the bone cage wall.

"Why didn't you just call them off?" Iris snapped at Astrid as he approached warily.

"I cannot. Nothing down here is in my control," Astrid admitted.

"So, you what... decided to come here and give us advice after it's too late, then proceed to tell us to be thankful?" Iris argued.

"I erm... You have..." Astrid said, indicating to his own shoulder. Iris suddenly remembered the arrow that was lodged there. Astrid's arrogance and smug attitude had infuriated her so much she had forgotten about it.

"Grivash!" Iris called. She was unsure what to do about something that was lodged inside her shoulder.

Grivash walked over with a queasy look on his face, as if he knew too well the pain she was in.

"Arrows are a pain, literally. We will have to cut it out," Grivash said.

Now that Iris was focusing on the arrow in her shoulder, it seemed to be even more painful than before, as if just thinking about it intensified the pain.

"Well, as you have already healed the entry wound, it's going to hurt even more," Grivash said.

"Huh?" Iris asked, reaching her hand up to the wound, carefully touching the still extremely sensitive area where the arrow was.

To her surprise, the wound had healed itself. Iris had not even realised she had done it. She certainly did not remember specifically thinking about it.

Iris cringed at the idea of cutting open the wound again, but she had to get it out, one way or another.

"On three," Grivash said, putting his hand on the arrow shaft while Vesh placed his dagger on her skin.

Iris took in a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for the pain.

"One," Grivash said.

Iris screamed as Vesh sliced open her skin and Grivash yanked the arrow out, head and all.

Within moments he was healing her shoulder, the soothing, euphoric feeling of the magic caressing the injury back together.

Iris noticed Astrid standing nearby, watching anxiously. She felt agitated just by his presence. Why was he still there? She held her tongue, squeezing her fists in a silent protest. He was keeping that cage of bone up, protecting them from the wall of strange, bone arms and arrows.

"How do we get past?" Vesh asked openly, not directly asking Astrid, but aiming the question at him.

"Believe it or not, that wall is one living thing. It will have a heart, just like the ghouls we just killed," Astrid said.

"So... find the heart, kill the wall," Vesh said.

"Precisely," Astrid said.

They all stood close to the bone cage, waiting for the next thud of arrows to slam against it before Astrid lowered the cage.

They waited for several long moments, but nothing came.

"It knows we are waiting," Zelkith said, pressing his ear against the bone cage.

Astrid sighed deeply, pressing his hands on the bone cage. "On three," he said.

Vesh was standing next to Iris. He had a throwing knife in his hand, ready to end the fight in an instant. Iris glanced at him and nodded. Perhaps he had the same idea she did.

"One," Astrid called.

Iris swiped Limbo in front of her, slicing through the bone cage wall and causing the entire thing to burst into hundreds of pieces.

Vesh ran into the bone cage as it was still falling, pushing past the toppling wall and vanished into his camouflage.

Iris pushed past the tumbling wall, large pieces of bone falling like oversized hail. She got through in just enough time to see the throwing knife plunge deep into something in the upper right corner of the wall.

Several arrows fired before the bone wall was dead and toppled to the floor itself. All but one arrow hit the floor harmlessly.

When Vesh appeared, the arrow was jutting from his chest.

He stared at Iris, wide-eyed in shock, before falling backwards to the floor.

"VESH!" Iris cried.

I don't think my heart can take any more punishment.

It was like she had been struck in the heart with the arrow. She had only just got him back, how could he be so reckless?

Guilt ransacked Iris's stomach and she swallowed down bile that was trying to force its way out.

This was all her fault.

Iris leaned in close and pressed her hands on Vesh's chest but noticed instantly that the arrow was actually tucked under his armpit.

He had not been hit at all.

Vesh pulled Iris in close and her heart fluttered with adrenaline.

"I don't trust him," he whispered in her ear.

Iris did not trust him either. It seemed too out of character for Vesh to fake injury, just to say something he would normally have just said out loud.

Iris felt embarrassed and incredibly stupid. She could still feel the heat on her cheeks.

For some completely stupid reason, I thought he was going to kiss me.

Instead, she had been duped for some useless information.

A mixture of worry, anger and embarrassment flashed through her.

Iris sat up and slapped Vesh so hard across the cheek that her hand stung in a thousand places.

"Don't you ever do that again!" Iris shouted.

She was not really sure what exactly it was she did not want him to do again; dupe her and pretend he had been injured, or pull her close, as if to kiss her, and then not do it.

Now it was Vesh that was embarrassed, left on the floor with a bright red cheek. He disappeared while still on the floor, which left the others looking at Iris with bemused expressions.

"Lead the way," Iris said to Astrid, changing the subject as soon as possible in the hope no one would ask what had just happened.

"You really trust him?" Zelkith asked under his breath.

Astrid did not hesitate to lead.

"He could easily have left us to die back there, but he didn't," Iris replied hesitantly.

It was a good job Astrid was leading them, as the cavern turned out to be a labyrinth of mazes and impassable ravines; reminding Iris of when she had fallen in the Dwarven mountain. She kept her distance from the edge.

Using his magic to control the bones of the dead, Astrid made long bridges for them to cross and told them where to step so that they did not set off the traps he had set.

They'd had several hours of constant descent, deep into the cavern, before Astrid stopped.

In front of the group was a small, insignificant-looking archway.

Underneath, sitting on top of a small pedestal of stone, was the amulet. It was a tiny, ghost white piece of rock barely the width of Iris's little finger. It pulsated a faint glowing blue, which reminded Iris of the ghoulish hearts. This one, however, looked as if it were beating. It was encased with a small, silver clasp and chain.

This was supposed to contain a being of unfathomable power and destruction, but all Iris could see was an odd piece of jewellery.

"Is that... it?" Iris asked aloud.

Astrid stared at the object with a look of terror. Sweat dripped off his face and he was edging backwards. "This was a bad idea... we shouldn't be here," he said nervously.

Iris was not going to waste any more thought or stress on such a small object. It was time they left that forsaken cavern and returned home to figure out a way to destroy the amulet. Perhaps she could even use Limbo... it seemed to destroy everything else with barely any effort.

Iris stroked Zelkith's fur for reassurance, but he gave her a discomforting look which prickled her with uncertainty.

She pushed the feeling aside. Someone had to take this thing and it did not seem that anyone else had the courage to do so.

Iris could understand why. Even from here it gave an aura of power. A power that said that it was not to be messed with.

She thought of the huge scars in the fields where the battle had taken place. Was this little thing powerful enough to create those?

The amulet was barely a few steps away from where everyone was standing. It was tantalisingly close.

Iris inhaled deeply and, filling herself with courage, took a step forward.

"NO WAIT!" Astrid yelled, but it was too late.

As Iris planted her foot on the floor, it sank down several inches with a clunk, into a perfectly formed square.

Whatever trap had been set, Iris had just sprung it.

# Chapter 22 – Family Soul

A high-pitched whistle caught Iris's ears moments after the trap had been sprung. A fierce gripping sensation wrapped around her shoulder and Astrid yanked her to the side, almost throwing her off the edge face first and into the abyss.

Her chin slipped over the edge and her heart chilled with fear. The fright of her fall came to mind in a panic and she frantically pushed herself back up onto the ledge, with some help from Zelkith.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Iris snapped, but she saw that Astrid on his knees, clutching his chest.

"To fulfil my promise to your father," he grunted, clearly in agony.

"Which was what?" Iris asked. She could not see an injury on him. What kind of pitiful trap could do so little damage?

"That I would protect you, even at the cost of my life," he said with a smile that did not reach his ears.

That was when Iris saw it; the hurt in his face. It had been there the entire time, a pain that ran deep into his very soul.

I have done nothing but show him hatred and anger, but not once have I tried to see it from his point of view. He is all that is left of my living family and he just leapt in front of a trap to save me.

He had only done as his brother, her father, had asked him to.

Hidden the amulet.

Iris leaned down to apologise and heal his injury, however small it may be. She put her hand on Astrid's shoulder to get a sense of it, but instead faced fear like nothing she had experienced before.

It was like a rabid dog was barking and snapping its jaws at her, defending the injury and preventing her from getting close to it.

Her hands snapped back, lest she get bitten.

"Grivash, I need your help," Iris said with uncertainty.

"You cannot heal it. No cleric can," Astrid interrupted before Grivash even came close.

"Clergy Perniciosa," Vesh murmured under his breath and with his eyes closed.

Iris looked at him, bemused by the random words.

"Clerics' Bane. It's extremely rare and extremely... potent," Vesh added.

A poison? Iris guessed.

"There must be something we can do," Iris said in a panic.

Astrid began to chuckle slightly before he clutched his chest and coughed up blood.

"I never thought it would be this painful," he grunted. "Someone take the amulet, but make sure to not touch it directly," he added.

Iris cautiously walked up to the amulet, taking extra care not to step on that stone again.

"Here," Vesh said, holding out a small, inverted and empty coin pouch. Iris took the pouch and used it to quickly pick up the amulet, as if she were trying to catch a bug she did not want to touch.

She turned the pouch back the right way and tucked the silver chain inside, along with the amulet. She briefly looked inside to see the pulsating amulet, throbbing with power.

Iris pulled the strings of the pouch tight and tied it to the inside of her leg, where she kept Limbo. The sooner it was out of sight the better. It was not something she wanted to be carrying around publicly.

Out of sight, out of mind, Iris thought.

"We need to get out of here. I don't particularly want to die down here," Astrid coughed.

Iris turned back the way they had come, and that was when it dawned on her just where they were.

They were standing in the middle of a tiny rock platform, surrounded by a pitch-black ravine. She had not taken much heed to the dangers, with Astrid creating the bridges and walkways for them.

Astrid shakily outstretched his hand and a weak, rickety bridge made of bone started to form. Sweat was pouring from his face already and his other hand still held his chest. The bridge was more of a long, thick spine that stretched across the width of the cavern, like a jagged pole.

"Quickly, it won't hold for long," Astrid said. He slowly limped his way towards the bridge.

Iris would be surprised if he even made it across.

She ran over to help, lifting him up under the arm and giving him as much aid as possible. She again tried to feel for the injury, but it lunged at her senses and forced her away.

Plode walked over and picked Astrid up with ease, lifting him on to his shoulder. Astrid grunted in pain but did not attempt to fight back.

"This thing better hold," Plode said as he bounded towards the rickety bridge.

Vesh was first to go across, his feet practically gliding over the long spine, making almost no sound as they did so.

Iris went next, taking her time to step in the right places and not slip.

It was like she was performing a circus tightrope act, but with no safety nets and a fatal drop beneath her. The muscles in her legs tightened and tensed as her balance began to waver.

Iris anxiously looked behind her to see Zelkith slowly taking his first steps onto the bridge.

Astrid grunted loudly in pain and the bridge shook violently.

Iris gave a scream of panic as her foot slipped. She tried to grab the bridge as she fell, but the moment her fingers wrapped around the bone, they slipped away.

Iris felt the clasp of a hand around her wrist and looked up to see Vesh... although what she saw looked impossible.

Vesh was hanging upside down on the bridge, the bare soles of his feet the only thing holding him to the bridge. It was like he was some kind of Darkskin gecko.

Iris stared wide-eyed at the sight.

How is this possible? Is Vesh some kind of Sorcerer? But it's like no magic I have ever seen...!

She couldn't believe Vesh was even able to keep himself on the bridge, let alone hold Iris's weight as well. Wet beads of concern dripped down Iris's face as she hung helplessly.

"I'll explain another time," Vesh said. He began to lift her up, the muscles in his arms tensing as he pulled, but his feet keeping perfectly still.

Their faces practically rubbed as she was lifted. Iris planned to whisper a thank you into Vesh's ear, but as his lips passed her eyes, the urge to kiss him overwhelmed her.

She pressed her lips against his. They were warm and sent a buzzing sensation rampaging through her stomach, but she quickly pulled back when she realised he did not return it.

Almost as quickly as the urge to kiss him came, she realised how stupid it was. She was unsure how else to thank him, as he seemed not to care for her opinion.

Vesh did not comment and Iris could not see the reaction on his face. He pulled his knees up slowly and pulled Iris up high enough for her to wrap her arms around the bridge. Vesh deftly pulled himself back up and lifted Iris to her feet.

"And people used to call me a freak..." Plode said sarcastically as he regarded Vesh.

"You still are," Vesh retorted. He took hold of Iris's hand and heat rushed to her face.

Her stomach began to tingle as he led her across the remainder of the bridge. His hands were calloused and rough, but despite that, his grip was gentle and comforting.

When they got to the other end, she was somewhat disappointed when he let go. Iris wanted to gauge his reaction to what had happened but he seemed to be doing his best to avoid any eye contact with her.

Iris watched anxiously as the others crossed the bridge, apart from Grivash, who had the smart idea of just flying across instead.

"Not sure why I didn't think of that," Zelkith said as he watched Grivash fly. Zelkith used his magic to manipulate the blue markings along his fur and turn them into two huge wings.

Zelkith mastered his magic almost instantly, yet I have barely grasped the magnitude of what I can do.

They did not seem to glow anywhere near as brightly, but Iris was hardly surprised. It had not really been that much time since the shipwreck and Zelkith had expended all his energy that night just to get them to safety.

"I have an idea," Plode said as they regarded the next gorge. He walked over to Iris and placed a massive hand on her injured shoulder. She winced at the pain but tried her best to hide it.

A shiver of magic washed over her from Plode's touch, much like Vesh had done in the Dwarven dungeons. Pressure was lifted from her feet; it was an odd sensation, like she was floating on the spot while at the same time touching the ground.

"I don't like to use that magic on people, but I do not think it any more dangerous than relying on Astrid to make us bridges," Plode explained.

"What is it? I feel like I'm floating," Iris said.

"I made you lighter."

He then did the same with Vesh and Astrid. Now Zelkith could easily take their weight on his back while Grivash took Astrid.

Zelkith managed to fly them over the next set of gorges with ease.

Grivash was more than capable of carrying Astrid, who had clearly been malnourished for some time and probably could not have been made any lighter.

It was much faster getting out, but Astrid's cries of pain became increasingly worse. There would have been no way to get back using his bridges while he was in that condition.

Zelkith groaned in relief as they all dismounted after the flight over the last gorge. Iris was the first to walk up into the cavern entrance. It was now eerily quiet and still. The raging storm had subsided, replaced with a soup-like fog which teetered just inside the cavern.

Plode had carried Astrid the remainder of the way and sat him down near the fire; now just crimson embers.

Astrid looked incredibly pale and was coughing up large amounts of blood.

"We need to do something," Iris said to Grivash.

"It's like he said: it cannot be healed," he replied.

"I can't just let him die," Iris said.

"It's the ugly truth of life," Astrid said somberly. "We must all pass into the spirit realm sooner or later," he added.

Iris had no idea what to say. She had only just met Astrid and from the minute she had, she had treated him with distrust and anger. This was her only living relative and he was now going to die because she was so arrogantly impatient. If she had just waited and been patient with him, she could have avoided all of this. What had she done wrong, for all these terrible things to be happening to her?

Astrid began coughing and grunting, in agonising pain. It was horrific to watch, knowing there was nothing she could do. Nothing she could say to comfort him. Nothing to ease the pain.

She hated it. Hated being so useless and powerless.

The dagger-like pain in her heart only twisted further the more she realised it was all her fault.

Iris just knelt beside Astrid, holding his shoulder and doing her best to keep back the tears that were welling up in her eyes.

"I think... it's time to join my brother's spirit. Promise me you will do whatever it takes to destroy that thing?" Astrid asked with a disgruntled grin.

"I promise," Iris said, her voice cracking as her emotion got the better of her.

"I always wondered if I could bring..." Astrid began to say.

Then his frantic breathing and grunting came to a stop and he died.

Iris could not stop the overwhelming sorrow in her heart. Tears streamed down her face and chin and she sobbed into the lifeless body of the only true relative she would ever meet.

She cried for several hours until there were no more tears left to cry. She was angry at everything, even the weather. Why was it not stormy anymore? The cold, wet and insurmountable amount of rain was like the sorrow and pain, and the gale force winds were like the anger inside her for what she had done.

Zelkith came and lay down beside her, knowing that she did not want to leave Astrid's side.

Fatigue set in and with the faint warmth of the embers nearby, Iris fell into an uneasy rest.

The following morning the fog had passed, leaving just gloomy grey clouds. Iris began piling up the skeletal bones around Astrid. She knew they would not be able to perform any kind of ritual or burial for him, and this was the best alternative she could think of.

The others began to join in and soon they had covered him in a huge mound of bones.

Iris knew it would be a long journey back home to Aceon. With no ship to sail back on, or captain to man a ship, they would have to journey south over the mountains to find the nearest civilisation big enough to even have sailing vessels.

They silently agreed that it was time to leave.

"I will catch up with you," Iris said to the others. They did not argue the point and left Iris and Zelkith alone in the cavern.

"Farewell, Uncle. I hope you forgive me. I will never forget you," Iris said, placing her hand on the bed of bones.

She tried to channel her grief into action; the faster she could find out how to destroy that amulet, the better.

Zelkith silently stood nearby as Iris mulled over her actions.

"What kind of person am I, Zell?" Iris asked sincerely.

Zelkith just raised an eyebrow slightly.

"I was cruel and horrid to my only living relative from the second I saw him and now he is dead because of me," Iris admitted.

"You did as anyone else would have done in the same situation. You cannot blame yourself for how fate rolls its dice," Zelkith said.

"That's not really helping," Iris said. She allowed herself one last glance at the bone grave before turning and leaving the cavern.

The others were standing outside, waiting for her to finish before they set off over the mountains.

The air was warmer outside than it had been down in the cavern, but the wind chilled her cheeks and body.

There was no clear path over the inhospitable mountains, just a series of huge, jagged rocks that jutted out into the crashing waves of the sea. The only way was to climb; a painstakingly long and arduously slow process. It took them hours to make what seemed like no progress at all.

It was not until Iris looked behind her and saw just how far they had climbed that she realised how much ground they had covered.

The constant fight against the bitter winds kept her mind off the burning in her legs and arms. Her stomach cramped and complained as it begged Iris for food.

It growled loudly as she thought of how unlikely it was that they would find any food for some time. The entire place was barren of life. There were not even any tiny plants to eat.

Before the day was over, they had managed to traverse two mountaintops, one so steep that Zelkith and Grivash had to fly everyone across. Yet despite this, there was an endless sea of mountaintops and those far in the distance towered over the ones nearby. Their large, white tips boasted of freezing cold temperatures, which made Iris shiver.

Vesh spotted a small portion of the mountain that gently sloped into the sea like a little bowl and suggested it would be a good place for the night.

Exhausted, everyone made their way down to what turned out to be a rather pleasant little cove tucked in between the mountains.

The breeze was still cold, but it smelt nice and the sea waves were gentle as they politely lapped into the cove and drifted away.

As Iris sat and watched the waves, she spotted a dark shape move within the water and quickly realised it was fish.

"Fish!" Iris blurted out.

Plode's eyes opened wide and his face beamed with a smile that threatened to fall off his face. He practically threw himself to the floor and dug his hands into the stone beach. A large, thin wall exploded out of the sea, blocking off the small bay.

Plode charged into the sea in a flamboyant manner, diving in deeply, armour and all.

After he had thrashed around for a little while, he came back out with a huge fish in his hands and the same beaming smile.

Plode bashed the fish against a nearby rock, stuffed it on the handle of his hammer and used his fire to roast it.

The smell of the fresh fish made Iris's mouth salivate and her stomach grumble loudly.

No one spoke as Plode carefully roasted the fish with a focus like no other.

The moment it was finished, Plode pulled it off the handle and took a huge chunk out of it, practically tearing off half the fish in one bite.

Everyone, including Iris, gawped at Plode as he happily sat and ate the entire fish to himself.

"What?" Plode said with a mouthful of fish. "You can get your own."

"I'm not surprised Ogres look like oversized, walking pigs," Vesh grunted.

Plode just grinned at the comment. He did not care; he'd had his food.

Grivash and Vesh managed to catch several large fish and, with Plode's reluctant help, made a small fire to cook them on and keep warm.

Fresh juices slipped down Iris's throat with every bite of her fish. The hot, succulent meal was just what she needed after the last couple of days.

Iris had barely eaten a quarter of her portion by the time she was full. She handed the rest to Zelkith, who must be the only one able to eat faster than Plode. Zelkith literally wolfed it down; within a second, the entire thing had gone, bones and all.

As the night drew in, they slept under the stars. The wind eased up until all Iris could hear was the gentle lapping of waves in the distance.

The following morning, Plode caught two dozen more fish and cooked them for the journey, which turned out to be incredibly wise. It was a further two weeks of hellish travelling before they saw the first signs of life, by which time Iris was more than fed up with eating fish and spending days at a time looking for a water source.

At the bottom of a distant hill sat a quaint little village surrounded by fields for cattle and crops. As the group made their way down the mountainside, it was evident that something was horribly wrong.

All the cattle were dead and the crops were withered and black, yet the small thatched houses did not appear abandoned.

Zelkith's nose crinkled in disgust as they caught a breeze from over the fields, carrying with it the smell of something rotten. At first, Iris thought it was from the dead cattle, but something about it was distinctly wrong.

They carefully approached one of the houses and Iris peered inside. On a table were two small bowls with a modest serving of porridge inside each one. One of them, however, had been knocked on its side. There were clear signs of a hasty retreat, items scattered haphazardly all over the floor, and it looked like it had been recent.

Iris lifted her hand to knock, but Vesh hastily grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

"Don't touch anything, any of you," Vesh said in a fierce and stern voice.

"What's happened here?" Iris asked, carefully taking back her wrist.

"I don't understand how, but it smells like this entire place has been smothered in Clerics' Bane," Vesh exclaimed.

# Chapter 23 – The King

Iris scrunched her elbows in tight in fear that she might bump into something and be poisoned.

Vesh insisted that everyone carefully go back the way they had come.

They followed the trail of death for several miles; a long, thin line of dead grass that zigzagged awkwardly over the fields.

The trail eventually led to what looked like a substantial town in the distance. Various large grey stone huts with reed-thatched roofs stood at the top of a hill. There were various smaller buildings dotted around nearby that stretched out into nearby fields.

The distant sound of raised voices reached Iris's ears, coming from a large group of people standing in a circle around something just inside the town.

Iris could not help but notice how similar the people looked; all tall, broad and with distinctive silvery blond hair that swayed low down their backs.

A tinge of concern pricked Iris's senses. These people did not look overly hospitable and whatever had happened to cause them to crowd in a large circle could not be good, especially with the mile-long trail of Clerics' Bane.

Regardless of the situation, they had to find a way to get a ship off Hioloth and back to Aceon.

The closer they got, the taller the people seemed. They were almost as big as Plode, which only made Iris increasingly anxious.

One of the much smaller people, more than likely a child, glanced behind him and saw Iris and the others. He pulled on the arm of one of the adults.

The adult arced his neck and regarded the group with surprise.

"CAHOO," the adult belted out at the top of his lungs, fully turning to face them. He was like an oversized human, with huge, bulging muscles that were clearly defined through the leather strap of clothing that ran over his shoulder from one side of his body to the other. He had thick, blue tattoos all over his body and face that looked similar to the markings on Zelkith. Iris noticed that every single one of the villagers had identical tattoos covering them.

The adult leant down and picked up a bright silver axe and a rounded wooden shield, before he started a deep guttural growl. Everyone around him mimicked his actions, both men and women armed with weapons and shield.

As they bellowed out their calls simultaneously, the voices seemed to louden with each second. They then smashed their weapons against the fronts of their shields.

Despite there being only around twenty people, Iris felt overwhelmed, as if standing in front of an army of thousands.

With every shout, they took one large step forwards, the calls and thuds of weapons getting faster.

Fear tugged on Iris's stomach. What were they going to do? It was clear they would blame the Clerics' Bane on them; a bunch of strange races appearing from nowhere.

It was like a parade of angry elephants was stomping its way towards them.

Zelkith stood in front of Iris and growled angrily, his huge, sharp teeth bared at the group of angry blond-haired villagers. His markings seemed to glow a bright blue even in the daylight, and Iris could not help but notice how similar they looked to the tattoos on the people.

The blond-haired people had also noticed this and the leader of the group slowed to a stop. They all stared at Zelkith.

The leader's eyes opened wide and he muttered something which Iris would not have understood even if she spoke the language.

The leader placed his weapons on the floor and knelt on one knee, facing Zelkith. The rest of the blond-haired people followed suit and within seconds the entire force were kneeling with their heads bowed, all facing Zelkith.

"What on Wizgrad is going on?" Iris asked.

"Beats me. Those Nords always were a bit strange," Grivash said.

"I guess I will go and find out," Zelkith said calmly. He slowly walked up to the leader of the Nords, who bowed his head further as Zelkith approached.

Iris could hear Zelkith speak, but he was too far away for her to understand what he said. The Nord replied without lifting his head at first.

Zelkith spoke again and the two of them seemed to exchange words.

Curious, Iris walked a bit closer and caught a glimpse of the leader's eyes glance to his silver axe on the floor. Immediately afterwards, the leader leant forward for his axe and shield.

Zelkith promptly stepped on top of the axe and growled deeply.

The man withdrew his efforts to pick up his weapon. He turned on his heel and swiftly ran into the town.

"What did he say?" Iris asked.

"I have no idea," Zelkith replied bluntly.

The remaining Nords still kneeled with their heads bowed, not moving at all in an eerie quiet. The gentle sobbing of someone in the town carried itself over the fields.

Iris peered over the heads of the Nords to see a single, elderly Nord, her ghostly white hair hanging over her face as she knelt on the cobbled stone floor. Beside her was the contorted body of an elderly male Nord. His skin was deep purple and the way his body was posed suggested he had been in great pain before passing.

Now that Iris was closer to the town, she glanced around to see that it was well established. Market stalls lined the cobbled streets, between rows and rows of houses and, in the distance, set into the mountains, she could see various mines, all with large metal machinery outside.

A wide and fast-running river cut through the middle of the town without constraint. To the right was a large, arched stone bridge that connected the two halves of the town together.

The same blond-haired Nord that had run into town was swiftly walking back, followed by a scrawny, short-haired Nord with tattoos that, although similar, were distinctly different. He had to almost jog just to keep up with the broad leader, but at least he wore more clothing than the others.

The leader again approached Zelkith but gave Iris a wary look before kneeling before him and bowing his head.

The scrawny Nord awkwardly bowed his own head before speaking in a language that Iris could not comprehend.

"I do not understand your tongue," Zelkith said aloud.

"Ah, speak Aceonic," the scrawny Nord said in a very broken accent.

"Can you explain what is happening?" Zelkith asked.

"Speak not well, but I try," the Nord interpreter said. "We pay respect to one that save us, great Cesenar, that have marking of Nord and speech of human," he continued.

"Save you? But we only just arrived. How could I have saved you?" Zelkith said.

The scrawny Nord interpreter spent several moments going over what Zelkith had said in his head before he spoke.

"Not able speak good, but show much easier," he said. He pulled out a small wand from his side and swished it into the air.

A strange vision of crude pictures floated in mid-air, like the blots of light that appear in your eyes after looking at a bright light.

It depicted a large group of Nords, with their blond hair and blue tattoos, all fighting against an army of large, black-winged monsters.

The vision depicted them slaying the monsters, and then a sun and moon rising and falling alternately, as if to show the passing of time.

Images of the black-winged monsters descended from the sky and attacked the Nords. The Nords were slain effortlessly.

Time then seemed to pull itself back and, this time, standing in front of the group of Nords was a clear image of Zelkith.

Now when the black-winged monsters descended from the sky, they defeated the monsters. It was like some kind of prophecy of what was to come.

"Cesenar lead us to victory," the interpreter spoke.

Iris was intrigued by this prophecy, but her stomach cared not, for it rumbled loudly as the smells of fresh cooking caught Iris's nose.

"My companions and I are tired and hungry," Zelkith said, not openly demanding somewhere to stay and eat, but hoping that they would offer.

"I very sorry," the interpreter said sincerely. "Follow me," he added.

The other Nords gathered closer and as Zelkith walked past each one, they stood with their axes and shields and followed close behind.

They all glared at Iris. She could almost sense the hatred in their eyes as they regarded her. She had barely even stepped into the town. Even for her, it was unusual to receive such hostile looks so soon.

They walked past the poor old lady who was still sobbing over the dead body of the elderly Nord. The old lady barely noticed as Zelkith and almost twenty bulky Nords walked by.

Iris wanted to stop and say something, to reassure the old lady, but she had no idea what she would say, even if she could speak the language.

She walked past, glancing behind her guiltily, as if she had been the one to commit the crime.

They were taken into a tall, stone building and were immediately hit with a wall of warmth.

The group were inside a large inn with exposed brickwork on all sides and a large, homely fire on one side. The fire was blazing hot and a single Nord woman was standing nearby, rubbing a dirtied rag over a round table. She had several empty tankards in her other hand as she worked.

The woman turned to see Iris and the others, looking at them with suspicion... that was until she noticed Zelkith. Her mouth gaped open and she dropped a tankard. The tankard hit the floor with a crash that rang out in the silence that followed.

The interpreter spoke to the lady in their native tongue and she hurriedly rushed away behind the bar and through a door.

The interpreter indicated for them to sit. The huge chairs actually looked fairly normal for Plode and Grivash, but for Iris and Vesh, they seemed oversized and silly.

"What do you know of those black monsters?" Zelkith asked.

After a short while, the interpreter responded. "Very old, older than even Fairskin. Nord God only strong to stop, not kill. Our King given vision from God, that they return and that the Cesenar will finally stop forever," he said.

Iris could only assume that 'Cesenar' meant Zelkith explicitly and not all great wolves. The entire story seemed so farfetched, but how else could she explain the reaction of the Nords? How would they have such an accurate depiction of Zelkith? Even down to the markings? Zelkith had not had those long. Iris sometimes forgot that he did.

The female Nord came back through the wooden doors some time later with a thud. She was holding several huge platters filled with food of all kinds.

Iris's mouth was salivating as she watched the gentle steam rise from the large roasted pig brought out next.

The female Nord carefully brought the food over to the table, making sure to lay it in front of Zelkith.

Iris swiftly helped herself to the food. The succulent roasted pig was like nothing she had ever eaten. The incredible and luscious spices mixed with the salty, crunchy skin slid down her throat and filled her with such delight, she wanted to eat the entire thing herself.

It was evident that the others were also enjoying the food as they ate without complaint until everyone had had their fill. Even Vesh was eating without concern.

Iris ate so much that her stomach churned irritably and teetered on the promise of bringing the food back up.

It was not until she had finished eating that Iris realised how strange it was, to be sitting in this place. The foreign Nord lady stood nearby, waiting to bring them more food and drink.

The interpreter kept himself close by but did not interfere. It was not until Zelkith got up that they shared an almost shocked look and rushed over to him.

Zelkith managed to get across that the group wished to rest and they were swiftly hurried into several rooms. The interpreter apologised as best he could for not being able to provide a separate room for each of them, but no one was particularly bothered.

Even the interpreter gave Iris a wary look and seemed to check anything she touched. She was just grateful that they had a roof over their heads for a change and was sure that, by the way these people were treating Zelkith, they would know where to find a boat.

On the other hand, they might not let him leave. Visions of them turning hostile came to mind as Iris daydreamed about what they would do when Zelkith told them they wished to leave. She pondered over the dead Nord in the street, and all the death in the fields. How had so much of that rare poison got there? And why waste it on crops?

Soon her daydreams fluttered away in a fog and she fell asleep.

There were raised voices: shouts of defiance and fear from a helpless woman. Iris was suddenly standing in front of a loud and authoritative male Nord, who was shouting at an innocent young Nord woman. Without any warning, the male lifted a large porcelain jug and smashed it against the female's head.

Iris awoke abruptly to the sound of a smash. She wiped the fog from her eyes and her head cleared as the veil of sleep fell away.

She could hear muffled raised voices below her; a male and female shouting at each other in a language she did not understand. She glanced over to see that Zelkith was awake and alert, looking at Iris with an expression of concern.

"Let's go," Iris said, jerking her head towards the disturbance below them. Zelkith nodded and they got up.

The door groaned loudly as Iris attempted to push it open quietly. She stopped pushing, her heart pounding in her ears. She held her breath and listened.

The argument continued, much louder now that the door was ajar, and Iris breathed a sigh of relief as she pushed herself completely out of the room without a sound. She crept over to the balcony and looked over it.

The inn was full of Nords, all sitting silently and craning their necks up to the balcony as Iris gasped loudly. Dozens of hopeful expressions turned into scorns as they saw Iris peer down at them.

Iris stepped away from the balcony as Zelkith hastily leant over to see. Now the Nords let out a loud, audible gasp.

Zelkith backed away, frowning deeply. Now that they had been seen, they would have no choice but to join them.

A second later the door to the kitchens burst open and the yells and shouts of the female Nord came bellowing out into the otherwise silent inn.

Iris heard the smash of more porcelain, this time inside the hall and much louder, followed by further screams from the Nord woman.

Iris descended the steps warily as the raised shouts came to an abrupt halt. She saw the inn lady that had very kindly fed them the previous night standing in the doorway to the kitchen, blushing a deep crimson and hastily lowering herself into a bow.

The bow was not aimed at Iris or even Zelkith, but a tall, broad and well-kept Nord sitting at the rear of the inn.

Unlike the other Nords, who were all wearing armour, this Nord was dressed in a fine, deep red, felt tunic with gold embroidered buttons and fancy golden stitching. Upon his head sat a crown with three large, deep red stones set into its front.

Iris could only assume this was some kind of King.

The King frowned deeply at Iris as she walked down the steps one at a time, but his face changed the moment Zelkith appeared. Still his eyes did not relax and continued to regard Iris warily.

The inn woman was now grovelling and muttering words at the King, but he was paying no attention to her.

The King turned to a huge armoured Nord sitting next to him, who was almost the size of an Ogre, and grunted a deep, disapproving order.

The Ogre-sized Nord replied curtly, promptly stood and walked over to the inn woman. He seized her roughly by the hair and dragged her back into the kitchen. The woman screamed in protest and the King merely sneered out of the corner of his mouth.

Iris took an instant disliking to the King from that moment. His clear enjoyment of the cruelty shown to the innkeeper was enough evidence for her to know what kind of person this King really was.

If that's what he does to his own people, what in Wizgrad would he do to me if I were not with Zelkith?

The King turned to his other side and gave another order.

A moment later, a short, thin Nord appeared from behind another armoured Nord. Like the King, he was adorned in a fine felt tunic with the same golden thread, but in light green. He wore a strange, square hat made of the same coloured felt and deep black shoes with pointed toes. He had blue eyes, like the others, but short, brown hair and a mischievous look about him. His left ear was adorned with several golden hoops and his grin almost banished Iris's ill feelings towards the King.

"Only me!" he exclaimed in an overly happy voice, smiling at Zelkith and Iris in turn. He then faced Iris with a grim expression on his face.

"It is customary for all to kneel before the King, especially the females," the green-felted Nord said. His words were spoken very clearly and it was evident that he was well-versed in Aceonic, Iris's native tongue. That must have been the reason he was brought here by the King.

"He is not my King," Iris said sternly, looking at the King in seething distaste.

The green-felted Nord turned and spoke softly to the King in their native tongue, after which the King exclaimed what Iris assumed was "What?" and stood abruptly.

The moment the King stood, every single chair scraped across the inn floor and dozens of swords were pulled from their scabbards, all pointed at Iris, irrespective of the fact that the green-felted Nord stood between them.

It would seem that Iris had pushed her luck well past its limit and would pay dearly for it.

# Chapter 24 – Green Stee

The King bellowed an order as Zelkith jumped in front of both Iris and the green-felted Nord, snarling and growling. The King then stopped the guards with an abrupt command, but it took several moments for Iris to realise it was not Zelkith who had stayed his attack, but someone else.

"Jester, get these men to lower their weapons, or the King dies," Vesh said, stern and blunt, emphasising his last word with menace. Despite being much smaller in stature, he was holding back both of the King's arms with one hand and pressing the blade of his sword against the King's neck with the other.

The Jester, as Vesh had called the green-felted Nord, hastily repeated Vesh's words in his own tongue.

A deep frown was forming on the King's brow as the words were relayed to him and after glowering at Iris for several moments, he spoke a single command.

The remaining Nords lowered their weapons, despite their expressions of concern and anger.

The King hastily pushed the blade from his neck and swung around with a speed that belied his bulky stature.

Vesh vanished behind him and with a tumble and crash that happened within a split second, Vesh had thrown the King face-first into a table then pinned him to the floor. This time the point of his sword was lightly pressing against the back of the King's neck.

The Nords all swung their attention to the King, pulling out their swords and surrounding Vesh so closely that even he would not be able to escape.

"STOP!" Iris yelled, which caught the attention of several people, but they ignored her and turned back to Vesh aggressively.

Iris turned to the Jester with anger in her eyes, hardly able to withhold it.

"If your King cannot control his men or himself, then we shall leave," Iris hissed at the Jester.

The Jester hesitantly repeated the words in his tongue, which, to her surprise, got a hearty laugh from the King, despite him being pressed against the floor.

"What woman are you that orders the command of men?" the King said in a language Iris understood. He spoke with a heavy accent, but the anger was clear enough.

"She is my equal," Zelkith said, stepping forward and speaking in a clear voice. "As are all my allies, and you shall treat them as such," Zelkith added softly, but his demeanour changed in a flash. "Mistreat them again and I shall make sure it is you and all of your kin that are slain," he finished.

At that point, Plode and Grivash pounded down the stairs, Plode with his huge two-handed hammer aloft, ready to do battle.

The guards turned to face Plode, but they barely even flinched at the sight of the huge Ogre. He was almost the same size as they were and no doubt did not seem much of a threat.

The Jester began to interpret Zelkith's words, before the King interrupted him angrily. He gave the same order for his men to lower their weapons and they did so.

Sensing that the danger was over for the time being, Vesh vanished from view. Iris just made out the shimmer of candlelight highlighting his form as he leapt up onto the wall behind him like some kind of spider.

A guard offered to help the King up, but he pushed away the hand and stood up himself. A slight trickle of blood was running from his nose and his pride had, no doubt, been sorely beaten, but his stern, chisel, squared face did not soften as he looked behind him warily.

He spoke to the Jester in a much softer voice in his native tongue. He talked for several moments and Iris wondered if the Jester would ever translate the words.

"The King wishes to speak to you all, as the Kings of old would council with their most trusted," the Jester said, indicating to a large table nearby that, until now, Iris had not noticed was empty. There was plenty of space for the King, Iris and the rest of her group.

"He, however, demands that the assassin show his face and sit in a place where he can see him at all times. Should you allow this, he will forgive all misgivings," the Jester added, his otherwise charming face turning serious.

Iris caught Vesh's gaze and nodded. As much as she disliked this King, she could understand why he would want to keep Vesh in his sights at all times.

They still needed to find a way off the island, and if any of these people were able to supply them with what they needed, the King would surely be the one to win them over.

As Iris thought this, she slightly regretted her rash decision to refuse to kneel... but only slightly.

He did not deserve respect. He is no more important than that inn woman he got thrown back into the kitchens, Iris thought angrily, convincing herself that her actions had been justified.

The King followed Iris's gaze to the top corner of the room, but Vesh had already moved away and was stalking around the guards.

Vesh appeared beside Iris, and with Plode and Grivash, they seated themselves at the end of the table, awaiting the King. The King, the Jester and two large Nords sat at the other end of the table. Several other Nords brought over a large, much lower table and put it nearest the King, indicating for Zelkith to sit.

"I shall sit here, beside Iris," Zelkith said, indicating the empty space next to her.

Many of the Nords cringed at the very idea of just being close to Iris, but with screwed-up faces, they did as he had commanded and placed the table next to Iris, avoiding her as if she were some pestilent disease.

Zelkith pushed the table closer so that it was almost touching Iris, leapt up onto it and sat inches away from Iris. Whether this was purely for show or not, Iris could not tell, but she was pleased either way.

The Nords' distrusting and hateful looks towards her made her uncomfortable.

Iris had raised her hand to stroke Zelkith on the back, when the King leapt up from his seat, a look of pure terror on his eyes and held out his hand.

"STOP!" he yelled, looking straight at Iris. "Please, do not touch him, not the Cesenar!" the King pleaded with Iris. His look was genuine, but that only spurred further anger in Iris's chest. She felt a fire rise in her heart and her fists clenched tight.

Iris was prepared to yell, but she did not, relaxing her fists. She decided to defy the King's commands.

Iris grinned wickedly, as if about to do great harm, and lowered her hands towards Zelkith's back. She could see that Zelkith had a stern look on his face, which the King had noticed.

The King cringed deeply as Iris gently ran her fingers through Zelkith's fur. His wary gaze moved to Zelkith and turned to astonishment, which Iris found very peculiar.

The King spoke several words to the Jester, who quickly interpreted them.

"The King honours he who can withstand the touch of the Greyskin," the Jester said, looking at Zelkith. He was slightly hesitant with the last word, and rightly so.

"What insolence is this!" Zelkith barked, leaping over the tables and towards the King. His teeth were inches from the King's face and his deep blue markings glowed bright with his anger. "You sit us down to speak, yet insult those I hold most dear with your very first words," he added through a deep growl. The guards beside the King seemed in two minds about whether to draw their swords.

The Jester hastily interpreted the words, after which the King glanced at Vesh, Zelkith and Iris in turn, a genuine look of horror on his face.

"The King meant no offence, but we Nords are unable to survive the touch of the Greyskin, as you very well saw from the deceased elder in town the day you arrived," the Jester said, speaking for the King.

Iris looked at the others in confusion. They appeared equally puzzled, all except Vesh, who, as usual, had an impassive and unreadable expression on his face.

"How can you know this? Iris has never ventured into this land before a day ago, yet you speak as if she has committed years of murder," Zelkith replied, not removing his gaze from the King, his markings still glowing deep blue.

The King now gave Zelkith a confused look.

"The King was not aware that there were different types of Greyskin from across the sea. Those that are not poisonous to the touch, as they are in our land," the Jester interpreted for the King.

Vesh bowed and shook his head in his hands. "It's as I suspected," he muttered, loud enough for the others to catch him.

The group turned to him in question.

"When I was here many centuries ago, there were legends of a race long past, that were the colour of stone and killed all that they touched, whether breathing or not," Vesh said. The Jester was quietly translating the words into the King's ear as Vesh spoke.

"When I first saw that poisoned farm, I must confess, it did cross my mind, but I cast aside the outlandish thoughts. It would seem they were more than just legends and unfortunately, they misjudged you as one of them," Vesh added, talking directly to Iris.

Vesh turned to the King and, for the first time, Iris could clearly see the wisdom of age in Vesh's face. "Iris is not this race you fear, but a unique child of both Darkskin and Fairskin heritage; an event which has never happened, in written or told history. I believe the Cesenar is no more than Iris's Remnant. It is all of us here that should be bestowing our blessings on Iris, and not the other way around, as you so wrongly assume," Vesh said in such a diplomatic fashion that Iris would never have imagined those words coming from his mouth.

She felt heat rushing to her cheeks. Did he truly feel that way? That blessings should be bestowed upon her? The thought of it embarrassed her, but she tried her best not to show it. It had perished all thoughts of anger and dislike from her mind.

What is this Remnant that I keep hearing mentioned? I must remember to ask when this has all finished.

The King nodded as the Jester continued to speak into his ear. He then stood up. The two Nords beside him stood also, but he gestured for them to sit.

The King walked towards Iris, wary but unshaken as he strode over, his stocky frame easy to imagine under his rich attire. Both Vesh and Zelkith kept an eye on him as he approached Iris, but they did not stir. The King stopped in front of Iris, still out of reach but close enough, and stared intently at her face and features.

"Now I see you, I see you not Greyskin," the King said in an apologetic tone, kneeling. All the Nords opened their eyes wide in astonishment at this gesture and Iris heard an audible gasp from the woman in the kitchens.

Iris held out a hand to the King to help him up.

"Take my hand in friendship and trust, and also accept my forgiveness, for it was rude of me to disrespect the rules of a King while in his own land," Iris said. The interpreter hastily translated the words in the King's ear, but kept a polite but cautious distance from Iris.

The King eyed Iris's hand with concern, gingerly moving his own towards it, but seemingly afraid to touch it.

"My skin is quite harmless," Iris said reassuringly.

The King, either through not wishing to show fear and weakness, or trusting Vesh's words, clasped his hand around Iris's in a firm grip, as if for fear of his life. The grip loosened as he pulled himself up. Iris expected his huge bulk to pull her down to the floor as he rose, but he put almost no weight upon her and held her hand gently in his own.

The King lifted Iris's hand up and she allowed it, her arm raising high above her as he inspected it curiously. The King grinned broadly as he turned over her palm and touched it with his own, heavily calloused fingers.

He spoke firmly in his own tongue, loudly enough for the others to hear and gently released her hand.

"What did he say?" Iris asked the interpreter.

"That you are not of the Greyskins and should be respected above all but the Cesenar, and the King, of course," he replied.

They call them Greyskins, so what does that make me? I am neither Darkskin nor Fairskin and now I am no longer even Greyskin.

Iris had heard the King say "Stee" many times when he spoke to the Jester and wondered if that was his name. It seemed such a strange name to give to a scholar of language and stuck in Iris's mind, whether his name or not.

"The King hopes that his misunderstanding will not hinder our friendship and will ensure that no further hostility is shown to any of the party at this table," Stee said.

No one spoke. They all looked at the King, waiting for his next words.

"He wishes to hear your tale of the Cesenar and of how such a party of unique races came to find themselves in his lands," Stee said.

Zelkith began at once to tell his tale from the beginning, as he had told Iris, skipping over large portions of Iris's personal events. He spoke of when they met Vesh and the Legion of the Silver Snake, of their downfall, the quest that Biren had given them.

The King was patient and listened without interruption. He stroked his yellow beard in thought at many points, looking at Iris and her party in favour.

The tale took almost the entire day and the sun was setting in the small slatted windows of the inn. Food had been brought at midday from the lady who had been thrown into the inn.

Iris quickly learned that she was called Sotgird and was the daughter of the King. She had been told that, for fear of her life, she was not to remain among the strangers. This, however, had been cleared up now and she was allowed to sit with Iris and the others as Zelkith told his tale.

The King sat in thought for almost thirty minutes while he mulled over the tale. The sun had long set and candles had been lit inside the tavern.

"So, what is it that you plan to do? Now that this amulet is in your possession?" Stee translated.

Zelkith looked at the others, but no one else spoke. They were obviously happy for Zelkith to carry on.

"We plan to travel back to our homeland in Aceon and find someone able to decipher the writing in the journal discovered in Talimara city. But for that, we will require passage over the sea and back to our land," Zelkith said.

The King spoke for several minutes to Stee, who listened intently.

"The King would have liked to learn much more about the Cesenar, but this quest is of grave peril and must come first. The King would gladly have gone himself, but he must remain here for his people, and if the prophecy of our people is true, we will see each other again.

The King will arrange for one of our ships to bear you passage back to your homeland, at the earliest, two days from now. In the meantime, he implores that you all enjoy the hospitalities of his people and perhaps learn some of our lore, for it may serve you well.

The King hopes that this inn will provide suitable food and rest for such honoured guests. Were you not in great haste, he would gladly have taken you all to see the castle up in the great mountains in the north.

Eat and rest for the night. Tomorrow an emissary will be here to escort you wherever you wish to go," Stee said.

The King stood at this. Every other Nord followed suit.

Iris felt strange sitting, so she also stood and, to her surprise, the rest of her team did too.

"I must take my leave, for there is much to do. Farewell for now," the King said.

"Farewell, King of the Nords and ruler of Hioloth, until we meet again," Zelkith replied.

The King turned on his heel with this farewell and left the inn, quickly followed by the remaining Nords.

The room fell eerily quiet now that the inn was almost empty.

Iris regarded the rest of the group, all looking at each other but not speaking.

"Well, that all went smoothly," Grivash said.

"Yeah... A little too easy, wouldn't you say?" Vesh said suspiciously.

"Come on, Vesh, no need to be so sceptical. You saw the reaction of the townsfolk at the mere sight of Zelkith. It's no wonder they were willing to do anything they could to help us," Iris said.

"It's my job to be sceptical," Vesh said with a slight scowl.

"Sceptical of what, exactly? The King of an unknown land helping us when we're in dire need of completing a perilous task, when their prophets say that Zelkith is to be their saviour?" Iris said outlandishly.

"Precisely that. You are young and know little of Wizgrad and its inhabitants," Vesh said matter-of-factly. The casual manner in which he spoke made Iris feel like she was a child, which only made the sting worse.

"Oh, that's rich, coming from you, oh ancient one," Iris retorted sarcastically, knowing full well that, for a Darkskin, he was still young himself, despite probably being several hundred years old.

"Young I may be, but I have seen far more than anyone here has. I am telling you that this entire situation is concerning," Vesh said.

"Concerning or not, this is our only way home, and I, for one, am grateful," Iris said, standing up harshly and almost tipping over the chair as she did so. She then proceeded to storm out of the inn.

In her haste to leave, Iris stumbled into a Nord and they both toppled to the ground. The Nord cracked his head on the cobblestone floor beneath them.

Iris gasped with fright and her heart sank with fear that she could have just accidentally killed someone. Why had this person been standing right beside the door? What on Wizgrad were they doing? Images of the townsfolk's evil glares came to mind and Iris imagined herself walking through the town, bound in chains and having rotten fruit and dung thrown at her as she was paraded through the street.

She hastily pushed herself up and noticed that the Nord was quite scrawny and clad in green.

"Stee?" she said, astonished, but quickly noticed a pool of blood forming at the back of his head where it had smashed against the cobblestone floor. His face was impassive and unresponsive. He had been concussed from the impact.

Just as she had feared, a scream from a nearby villager echoed loudly down the street, which only attracted more attention. Several onlookers stared at Iris, open-mouthed at what they assumed was the dead body of Stee.

# Chapter 25 – Tongues

Iris ignored the screams and shouts. She hastily turned Stee over onto his face, which solicited grunts and coughs of stifled vomit from several onlookers.

It was a grisly sight, but with her senses, Iris could feel that it was not a major wound. The matted hair and large chunks of dirt that clung to it made it look worse.

Zelkith and the others had barged out of the door and almost toppled over Iris as she knelt on the ground, desperately trying to heal Stee as best she could.

Zelkith leapt over them and stood defensively in front of Iris as several of the King's guard came rushing towards the screaming townsfolk, weapons ready.

Their eyes opened wide with shock and their expressions instantly turned to anger, but they were confused as to what they should do.

Should they strike down someone they could clearly see was an enemy, or stay their blades, as the King had commanded only a few moments ago?

Without Stee to translate and the King long gone, there was little chance the group could explain anything... not that anyone other than Iris really knew what was going on, as was clear from the bemused look on Vesh's face.

Iris pushed away her straying thoughts and focused on the damaged skull and bleeding tissue on Stee's head.

It did not take long for the skull to mend itself and the bleeding to stop.

Sotgird, the King's daughter, was now peering around the door at the sight on her inn doorstep. She looked at Iris in amazement, but her expression was grave. Iris could feel no hatred in her eyes.

"Water," was all Iris said, but Sotgird did not understand. Iris gestured tipping something into her mouth and then made a fake rubbing motion over the back of Stee's bloodied head.

Sotgird understood that time and hurried away into the kitchen. After a series of clatters and splashes, she came back with two clean rags and a large bowl of water.

She handed the water and one of the rags down to Iris and used the second rag to help with cleaning the wound.

It was clear that Sotgird had no fear of Iris. Even when they accidentally brushed hands while wringing out the rags, she did not flinch.

Iris instantly felt a friendship in Sotgird and wished that she could speak her language so that she could voice her appreciation.

Perhaps, when Stee recovered, if he did not hate her now, he would translate for her.

The guards' expressions quickly turned into those of gratitude once they understood what Iris was doing. They turned, and after several brisk words, the gathering townsfolk dispersed.

Plode carried Stee's limp figure back into the inn. Sotgird led them up to an empty room and Plode lay Stee down on one of the beds.

"What happened?" Zelkith asked.

"When I..." Iris paused, stopping herself from admitting in front of Vesh that she had been storming off. "I stumbled into him as I left. He was standing right in front of the door and we both fell. He hit his head on the floor," Iris summed up.

"Oh..." Zelkith said.

Iris glanced up to Vesh, for some unknown reason, but his face only looked increasingly suspicious, as she had expected.

"I will stay here with him. I don't want him to leave without knowing that it was an accident," Iris said.

"Very well," Zelkith said and lay down on the floor at the other end of the room, where he could see the bed.

The others left, Vesh giving Stee a distrustful glare as he slipped into the shadows beyond the doorframe.

Sotgird stood a while in the room, unsure what to do.

Iris smiled at her and sat herself in the space Zelkith always left for her.

Sotgird lifted her hand to her heart and tears started to swell in her eyes.

She left, gently shutting the door behind her. After a short while, she gently tapped on the door, then came in with a tray.

On the tray were two ornate bowls filled with water and rags to wash with, two goblets of drinking water and a sizeable loaf of bread. Sotgird placed the tray beside Iris.

"Biskav," Sotgird said as she bowed slightly at the waist.

"Biskav," Iris replied, unsure what it meant, but hoping it meant 'thank you' or 'goodnight'. She would try her best to remember the word and ask Stee when he woke.

Sotgird again raised her hand to her heart but did not turn as she gently closed the door behind her.

The rest of the night was uneventful and Stee did not stir once.

The following morning, Zelkith had gently nudged Iris awake.

Iris, at first, was in the fog of a dream and unsure where she was, but after a few moments, the dream faded and she heard Stee grumble and shuffle uncomfortably on the bed.

As the reality set in, Iris hastily stood up and walked over to him. She was so concerned that he would blame her that it was hard not to think the worst.

"How are you feeling?" Iris asked.

Stee replied in his native tongue after several dry rasps. Iris gathered that he probably wanted water. She fetched the goblet left for him and took it over.

Stee shakily sat up, with some help from Iris, and, fumbling with his hands like a blind man, took the water and brought it to his lips.

He took several slow swigs, sloshing it around the inside of his mouth, then handed the goblet back to Iris. He rubbed the crusts from his eyes and, after that, put his hand where his head had hit the cobblestones outside.

To Iris's pleasure, there was no blood on his hand as he pulled it away again. Iris must have healed him well, if she did say so herself.

Stee then said something in his native tongue again, wiping his eyes.

"I'm sorry, but I do not understand," Iris said.

Stee stopped rubbing his eyes at once. He then looked at Iris with mild surprise. When he saw Zelkith also in the room, his jaw dropped.

Sotgird chose that moment to gently knock on the door and let herself in. Stee's face blushed a cherry red as she stepped inside.

He spoke to her in what sounded like stutters in his native tongue. Apparently, comprehending Iris's language was a bit much for him at that moment.

Sotgird spoke at length, gesturing towards Iris every once in a while, holding her chest with the other as she did.

Stee's face turned from cherry red to a deeper shade of scarlet, then his expression changed from astonishment to understanding.

Iris and Zelkith sat in silence. Iris felt like a spare part and in the way. She wondered if she should leave and let them talk.

Before she had come to any kind of conclusion, Sotgird bowed, said "Biskav," and then left.

"I cannot thank you enough, both of you. I owe you both a debt I fear I cannot repay, for if not for your aid and healing, I would surely have perished," Stee said, expressing his gratitude, but the words 'would surely have perished' only made Iris feel dreadful. It was her fault the accident had happened in the first place.

"I am so sorry. It was an accident. I did not mean to harm you or anyone, or would not and—" Iris stopped her rambling as Zelkith placed a paw on her thigh.

Stee was smiling but said nothing.

"It is not your fault," Stee admitted. "It was I that was standing too close to the door. The fault was mine, for getting in your way," Stee said.

"Why were you lurking behind the inn door?" Zelkith asked, a hint of Vesh's scepticism leaking through his voice.

Stee looked down into his lap and sighed deeply.

"I am ashamed to admit that I was hoping to discover where you wished to visit, for I have been given the honour of being your guide for the next two days and wished for it to be the best that we could offer. Instead, I have robbed you both of a night's rest, due to my foolishness. I shall find a suitable replacement at once," Stee said, standing up.

Iris stood and pushed him back down on the bed forcefully.

"No, you will not," she said, more an order than a statement, which surprised both Stee and Zelkith. "I have a boon I wish of you, that only you can provide, so you will stay with us and show us what you first intended," Iris said sternly.

"You are both powerful and forgiving. It is clear to see why others freely follow you. Whatever this boon is you wish, speak it and I shall do my best to obtain it for you," Stee said.

Iris paused for a moment, distracted by Stee's words, but quickly pushed aside her ego.

"It is not something that can be easily obtained," Iris said.

"No? Then what is it that only I could offer?" Stee said.

"Your tongue," Iris said.

"What?" Zelkith gasped at the same time as Stee's face turned white in despair.

"Not literally," Iris said quickly, realising her mistake. "I wish to learn the language of your people, starting with the word Biskav."

Stee's face filled with colour once more and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"That is a favour I can indeed offer, without any notion of reward. It is not a simple language to translate, for what is one word to us is many for you, but I shall try my best. To start, Biskav means both 'Thank you' when the other has finished or is leaving and 'Yes please' in response to a question," Stee explained.

It was a strange notion for Iris to understand, but she was sure with time it would make more sense.

"I fear I cannot teach you much in two days, but I will do the best I can," Stee said.

"Biskav?" Iris said, questioningly.

Stee smiled but did not laugh.

"Close, but mid conversation, it is 'Mei Biskav' which simply means, 'Me thank you'," Stee explained.

Iris repeated the words several times in her head as she tried to retain them as best she could.

It reminded her somewhat of the tribe language she had spent several years learning, where their clicks, guttural sounds and other noises were a series of words in the common language. Although, in general, that language was basic.

"I can smell food. Perhaps we shall continue after?" Stee said, his stomach grumbling loudly.

Iris agreed and as they left the room, they could already hear the clatter of plates below as Grivash and Plode tucked into overly large portions of breakfast.

Iris noticed Vesh perched on the banister, invisible to most but making no effort to conceal from Iris his distasteful look in her direction. He skilfully leapt from the banister and landed without a sound.

Iris said nothing, not wanting to frighten Stee and her only hope of learning the language. Not only that, but she wanted to prove to Vesh that there was nothing to worry about and that he was overreacting.

Sotgird brought them freshly baked loaves of bread, steaming hot bowls of porridge and even large steaks of meat for Zelkith, which Grivash and Plode also requested, although cooked, unlike Zelkith's raw ones.

"Mei Biskav," Iris said uncertainly to Sotgird.

Sotgird smiled brightly at Iris, before uttering something that Iris had learnt meant 'it's a pleasure' or 'my pleasure'.

The remainder of the day flew past quickly as Iris and the others were taken around the town and shown the various markets, houses, shops and shrines with pictures and even a life-size monument of Zelkith that looked eerily accurate.

Iris was pleased to see that the looks of most of the townsfolk were kindly towards her, although most of the focus was on Zelkith. Children pointed with astonished excitement as he walked past and even some of the adults did, too.

The town was made from large, heavy and uneven stones stuck together with some specially mixed mud. All the houses were adorned with golden thatched roofing that matched the Nords' glistening blond hair.

Iris had learnt several more phrases; mainly greetings and goodbyes, but it was a good start. Although, she was not sure if she would remember them the following day.

Iris was indeed correct, as the following morning, she could only remember one or two phrases, but Stee quickly went back over them again.

Today, Stee wanted to take the group into a nearby woodland. There was a sacred stone there that held a heavily religious meaning for the Nords.

He tried to explain that it was a large stone with a small hole through it. It was covered in etchings and in the last forty years, these had begun to glimmer in the darkness.

Iris noticed that Zelkith seemed strangely nervous. He was glancing here and there in the forest as he went, which made Iris nervous too, although she was not really sure why.

"How much further is it?" Iris asked Stee as he continued to lead them up well-trodden but muddy paths.

"It's just over this large hill," Stee replied, pointing up at what looked more like a mountainside than a hill.

Zelkith halted in his tracks and almost tugged Iris backwards as she was holding onto his fur. To the group's surprise, Zelkith called for everyone to stop and wait.

Iris looked at him with a questioning face, but he was clearly troubled by something.

"What is it, Zell?" Iris asked.

Zelkith looked up into the sky, through the trees.

"Iris and I must go alone. We will be many hours. Do not wait for us," Zelkith said to the others.

"What's wrong?" Iris asked.

"I cannot say, here," Zelkith whispered, just loudly enough for only her to hear.

The others nodded in agreement, but did not say anything, almost out of respect.

Iris and Zelkith had only taken a few steps further when Zelkith stopped again.

"That includes you, Vesh. I do not permit you to see this," Zelkith said, turning towards what most people would assume was nothing.

Vesh appeared from amidst the trees and stepped down towards the others.

Zelkith then continued up the hill, which was considerable in size and steep in many places. It pitched steeper nearer the top and both Iris and Zelkith had to scramble up.

As they pulled themselves over the lip of the hill, Iris glanced back to see the others grouped together and walking away, almost the size of small birds from that distance.

She then turned to look at what it was they had come to see, which was nothing like she had expected. Iris thought she would see a dull, grey rock, perched on top of a hill, with a few scratches inside it, but that was far from the truth.

Sitting proudly in the middle of a mighty crater was a humongous jagged stone the colour of onyx. It was lined with blue, glowing markings that were the same colour as Zelkith's fur. They were clearly visible, even from where they were standing. The rock thrummed gently and made the crater glow a gentle blue.

There seemed to be a large, almost perfectly circular hole in the top on one side, and on the other, an arch-shaped hole at the bottom.

Clear paths could be seen leading down to the stone from where they were positioned; but the land around it looked untouched.

Zelkith stood silently, almost as still as the stone itself. Iris could see his markings glow gently in sync with the stone below.

Zelkith began to walk without a word, leading the way down the path slowly, step by step, either in fear of the route or savouring his delight in it.

Iris followed close behind but had a feeling that it was best not to speak and to allow Zelkith to do the talking, if he wanted to. He obviously had some idea what this was, but his silence was making Iris's stomach feel strange inside. She was unsure what to think or feel.

Why had he asked for all the others to remain at the bottom of the hill? Stee had wanted to show them all, not just Zelkith... but how could he possibly even know of its existence?

Iris did not ask any of these questions, knowing better. She instead followed Zelkith silently, the only sounds the whistle of the fresh-smelling breeze and the crunch of the dry mud beneath their feet.

The closer Zelkith got to the stone, the more hesitant his approach seemed. Iris did not say anything but held out a reassuring hand and placed it gently on his back. Zelkith did not shove it away, which suggested that perhaps he wanted it.

They continued towards the stone, which shimmered brighter as they approached. A gentle humming came from it, like an oversized bumblebee stuffed inside a blanket.

Zelkith continued at a steady pace, but as they drew close, he strayed from the path and made his way to the archway on the other side of the stone.

Iris wondered why the path did not lead to the open archway. She felt slightly uneasy, straying from the path, like she would be struck down by the gods if she were to continue.

It was only Zelkith's presence that kept her from running back to the path.

Iris had to duck as Zelkith led her inside the stone. The blue markings etched on the inside were far more intricate than those on the outside. Many formed their own small shapes and symbols and got smaller the closer they were to the hole at the top of the stone.

Against the onyx stone, the blue markings looked as though they had walked into the darkness of night, with strange-shaped stars and shapes in the sky.

Iris peered through the stone and could see just a small circle of the sky through it.

Zelkith sat himself down, gazing up at the walls and ceiling. He had a look of trepidation and worry in his eyes.

Iris wanted to ask what was wrong, but after a single glance, Zelkith shook his head. He did not utter a word, and nor would he, until far into the night.

Iris waited, completely unaware that she was soon to witness a once in a lifetime spectacle.

# Chapter 26 – The Hornburg

Iris sat for many hours, bored. Even the intricate blue, glowing marks seemed to lose their appeal after more than half a day sitting in the same spot.

It was dark outside, now, and Zelkith was still sitting bolt upright, unmoving.

It was almost midnight when Zelkith stirred from his statuesque position.

"Get ready," he said, standing up and walking towards the small hole at the top of the stone. Iris went with him and gasped with deep admiration and awed surprise.

The moon in the night sky, a perfect disc of silver light, aligned perfectly with the hole in the onyx stone. The light reflected inside the rock, revealing thousands of tiny silver lights that twinkled. It was truly like the night's sky now; a marvel unlike anything Iris had ever seen.

The larger twinkles aligned perfectly with the blue markings and, in that instant, Iris could see the constellations clearly; the shapes of animals and other things that Iris had never seen before. They even shone on Zelkith's fur, which now seemed to become one with the stars, as if he belonged inside the rock.

Zelkith inhaled and let out a long, breathtaking howl.

Iris's heart was speared with the pure emotion that gushed from the howl. It rushed over her in an overwhelming tide of sorrow and sadness, guilt and regret, happiness and shame.

The blue markings on both Zelkith and the interior of the stone shimmered brightly, as did the glowing stars. The moon itself seemed to brighten as Zelkith howled.

His howl echoed so far into the night that Iris thought the entire of Wizgrad might hear it.

Before the howl was over, Iris's face was dripping with tears and her heart felt tight and heavy with grief.

The howl drifted away as the moon pulled itself away from the hole in the stone ceiling. The silver glow faded and all was silent again.

Gentle teardrops fell from the eyes of both Iris and Zelkith, soaking the floor in an unknown grief. The blue markings on the rock also faded and what was once a pure black, onyx stone changed into a dull and uninteresting grey rock.

As the onyx rock turned grey, Zelkith's grey fur changed to black, as if he were absorbing the stone's blackness for himself.

"It's done..." Zelkith said, finally speaking after almost an entire day of silence.

"What was it?" Iris asked, unsure whether she was permitted to speak also.

"A broken promise, but one that had to be made," Zelkith said.

Iris did not speak, knowing that there was further explanation to come and that she should not push for it.

"I was supposed to come to this place with my soulmate, over five decades ago. We were supposed to do that together... or at least, that was what I always thought when the prophecy was given to me," Zelkith began to explain.

"Prophecy? I thought you could not remember any of your past?" Iris asked.

"Those forests... they used to be my home. It was not until we got here that I remembered," Zelkith said.

"Now I understand truly what the prophecy meant, but despite its truth, it pained me all the same that it was not as I had thought," Zelkith said.

This was clearly important to him and Iris would not interrupt further.

"When I was a pup, part of a group yet to become fully-grown members of the pack, the Wolfmother, a shaggy old wolf that you would know as a shaman, gave us a prophecy.

'One day, far in the future, a power shall be bestowed upon one of you that no other can challenge.

When the one you once hated is your most beloved friend, and the world you once knew is soon to be changed forever, you will come across a great stone that bears the same markings as you.

This stone, the Hornburg, shall echo your call through the entire of Wizgrad; a call that will reunite and regroup every great wolf in Wizgrad, bestowing them with the power of speech.

In the final hour, it will be you that slays the beast. But without the aid of your allies, the entire of Wizgrad will perish.'

Never did I imagine it would have been me," Zelkith said, having quoted the prophecy word for word, as if he had recited it countless times in the past.

"I once had a soulmate, Loona. A beautiful and kind-hearted mate that I once hated. She was of the enemy clan, but we fell in love and when I told her of the prophecy, she shared in my search to find it, which was clearly never to be. No idea did we have that it would be on an entirely different continent. Clearly we were destined not to find it," Zelkith said, speaking the last sentence almost with spite and anger, but not directly aimed at Iris.

Iris now understood part of the prophecy. At least, the hatred part. She had stolen his soulmate, ripped away his only chance of happiness and the opportunity to mate with the one he loved most in Wizgrad. That must have been the sorrow and sadness she felt ebbing from the howl; his pain of the past.

"I'm sorry," she said, the two words barely able to even touch the surface of the guilt inside her.

"Don't be. It was not of your choosing," Zelkith replied. "Either way, that is now the past and I came to love you the instant you sobbed appreciation into my back that day I rescued you. I knew then, in my heart, that it was you that would be the one standing beside me in the Hornburg, even if my head did not wish to believe it.

I will admit, I was afraid of completing the task given to me. Reuniting every clan in all of Wizgrad? Me and Loona once dreamt of it, but never did I think it would really be possible," Zelkith said. He turned and looked at Iris with frightened eyes.

"I don't know what to do, Iris. For the first time in my life, I feel completely out of my depth. That's two prophecies now that have revolved around me; one from the Wolfmother, the other from these Nords. There is no contesting that it is meant to be, but I am lost," Zelkith said, looking at Iris for the first time with eyes that longed for help.

What was Iris supposed to say to this? She had felt, from the moment she had been told the truth of her heritage, that she was supposed to be some great leader. Even now, she still felt like that most of the time, despite being told otherwise.

"I don't know the answers," Iris replied softly, "but I will be at your side, no matter what happens." She rubbed her hands through the fur on the back of Zelkith's neck.

Zelkith did not reply but craned his neck to invite further rubbing. Iris obliged, happy that she could at least help in some minor way.

"We should head back. The ships are supposed to leave in the morning, which is only a few hours away," Zelkith said. "Jump on, or we won't get back in time," he added, lowering himself so that Iris could sit on his back.

As Iris got on, Zelkith hesitated, giving a long glance at the dull, grey rock around them.

"I wonder if I should leave. Will they all come here, only to find that I have gone?" Zelkith speculated.

Iris was not sure, but she was sure that she wanted to leave this continent and go back to Aceon.

"Let's go," she said reassuringly, stroking behind his ears.

"You're right," Zelkith agreed.

He walked out of the rock and bounded up the crater with renewed vigour.

They ran through the forest, the birds chirping their dawn chorus and filling the trees with song.

Iris and Zelkith reached the outskirts of town as the crimson sun began to rise on the horizon behind them, deep golden rays of light beaming through the low-lying mist around the edge of the forest.

Vesh was waiting for them at the edge of the forest. He held a perturbed expression and stood in full view, with arms crossed.

"Finally chose to return, did you?" he said with bitterness in his voice, looking directly at Iris.

"What have I done?" she asked. It was as if he was accusing her of something she was not aware she had done.

Vesh paused for a moment before his face turned impassive. "We are already late. The ship is ready to set sail and the King has been waiting," he said, as if disbelieving that he was really a King.

Iris got off Zelkith's back as gracefully as she could. "Best not keep him waiting, then," Iris said smugly, walking past him with a pompous air. She could feel Vesh's glare through the back of her head but ignored it.

Iris quickly realised that she couldn't remember how to get to the docks, but Zelkith hastily caught up with her to lead the way, with Vesh in tow.

The single massive white and yellow sail stood imposingly against the morning sky and, even from the little of the ship that Iris could see, it was obviously a magnificent vessel. Perhaps it was one of the King's ships. Maybe he would even journey with them. But surely, he would not? He had said before that he had far too much to do to spare even a day, let alone embark on a voyage.

Iris, Zelkith and Vesh rounded the corner to see a huge crowd of Nords all waiting for the ship to depart. The vast array of yellow hair spread through the docks like a shiny golden beach leading to a deep blue sea. At the end of the docks was a mighty ship of dark brown wood with ornately-carved markings all over the side, which had been painted in a pale blue.

The front of the ship had an intricate carving of the front of a leaping wolf, its legs and head sticking out as if leaping over the sea with the boat. It stood proud over the docks, taller even than the surrounding buildings, as it bobbed in the waves.

The Nords turned to face Iris, Zelkith and Vesh as they approached, their eyes opening wide briefly before they rushed aside to make a long aisle leading to the ship. At the end was the King, waiting for them.

Iris walked in front. It felt so odd to have that many eyes watching her. Knowing that they were looking with appraisal and awe was an utterly strange feeling.

Heat caused by embarrassment rushed to her cheeks as she walked probably faster than was expected... if there was an expected speed at which to walk.

She stopped in front of the King. Zelkith moved to her side and Vesh stood on the other. The King gave Vesh an unpleasant glance before looking at Iris and then a mild look of surprise as he glanced at Zelkith, with his fur now black and the blue of his markings more vivid than before.

Iris bowed before the King, as she should have done on the first meeting. Zelkith bowed his head slightly and Vesh reluctantly leant forward in a mock excuse of a bow. A plank of wood could have put him to shame.

Standing beside the King was Stee, wearing the same deep green velvet tunic and trousers as before. On the King's other side was his daughter, Sotgird, blushing heavily and holding her hands together in front of her like a shy child.

"The King welcomes you all on this beautiful morning, with the promise that he shall aid you in your quest to defeat our ancient enemies.

In honour of his word, he has provided you with his own personal ship, The Howling Wind, the finest ship in all of Wizgrad," Stee said, indicating the huge ship behind him.

"It is an honour, to be allowed passage on such a fine ship, especially in the presence of the King himself," Iris said, looking purposefully at the King as she spoke.

"I have come to place my personal blessings upon your quest," the King said awkwardly in Iris's tongue.

"They have both shown us extreme kindness. I cannot thank you enough for blessing us with your gifts of food, drink and a place to sleep," Zelkith said, stepping forward slightly.

"The King has heard that the monument in the crater may have been of some significance to you," Stee interpreted.

"It was called the Hornburg, and you have no idea how valuable it was. I do not have time to go into great detail, but it means I can now reunite all the great wolves, like myself, across Wizgrad. The debt is so large, I feel I cannot repay it," Zelkith said.

Stee translated the words into the King's ear as Zelkith spoke.

"Debt?" the King said, almost laughing. "The Cesenar owes no debt," he added.

"We all thank you, most honourable King. I am sure we shall meet again soon enough, but I fear it may not be in such favourable times," Zelkith said.

"We will be ready for war. Defeat will fall on our enemies," Stee translated.

"Until we meet again," Zelkith said, sitting on his hind legs and outstretching his paw in the gesture of a handshake. The King warily held out his hand, as if touching Zelkith might be blasphemous, but refusing such a gesture would be just as bad.

They shook, and Zelkith made his way up the wooden ramp to the ship.

Vesh walked up next and shook hands with the King. Iris could see their knuckles turn pale as they gave grins that were not dissimilar to grimaces. They said nothing as they shook hands and Vesh quickly stalked away up the wooden ramp, making no sound as he did so.

As Iris approached, the King beamed. Iris held out her hand to shake his, but instead, he lifted it gently in his thick- calloused hands and kissed the back of it.

"May the strength of the Cesenar forever bless you. I wish that we could offer you more to help in your quest," Stee translated.

Iris was not sure what to say other than to thank him and smile broadly.

She turned to step up onto the ramp, but halted. She had forgotten just how much she hated boats, even those as fine as this. The sickness had already started to creep into her, and she had not even stepped onto the ramp yet.

"Was there something you wished for?" Stee translated.

Iris was about to say no and walk up, but something sprang into her mind at that instant.

"There is something that I would like, but I fear it may be too much to ask, when you have already given us so much," Iris said.

The King paused for a few moments. "Never fear rejection when the reward is just," Stee translated, as if quoting a saying in his language.

Iris had to pause for a few moments herself. She was unsure how to ask for what she wanted.

"I wish to ask for Stee to travel with us. I would love to continue to learn your language and more of the history of your people, both of which I am sure will be important to the quest," Iris said.

Stee hesitantly translated and there was a long pause after this, when the King and Stee seemed to exchange several glances between them. The King frowned slightly as he stroked his blond beard in thought.

"If Bargkvist want to, I not say no," the King said in Iris's tongue, looking directly at Stee.

"It would be an honour to accompany and aid Iris and the Cesenar," Stee said shortly afterwards.

"Very well, then it shall be," the King said firmly, again in Iris's tongue.

"Mei Biskav," Iris said, thanking the King in his own tongue. The King beamed at Iris, obviously pleased that she had already started to make the effort and had not been lying about her ambition to learn.

"Farewell, until we meet again," the King said, bowing slightly at the waist before turning and walking away with his guards following close behind.

Stee walked up the ramp beside Iris, which was the only thing keeping her from stopping again. Her stomach roiled like a whirlpool as she thought of the impending seasickness that she knew would very soon roll over her.

Vesh, Plode and Grivash were already on board, being kept busy by the crew.

Every once in a while, a pang of excitement would run through her heart at the knowledge that she was finally going back to Aceon, but that was very quickly overturned when her stomach lurched at even the slightest movement.

The huge ship was far better than the boat they had arrived on. Due to its massive size, it did not sway or rock in the sea like the other had done.

Iris felt shame in the bottom of her stomach as she hastily walked to the other side of the boat and away from the large group of Nords all waiting to see them off. She leant over the ledge, looking down into the waters of the docks. The waves lapped against the ship with a gentle tapping and the sails overhead crackled as a light wind whipped through them.

Iris's stomach seemed somewhat contained for the moment, but the dread kept her from moving anywhere.

After several moments, and with a heavy lurch, the ship began its journey to Aceon.

Zelkith joined Iris at the rear of the ship as she stood there, holding her stomach.

The ship turned and followed the coastline, but if Iris felt sick from the travel, it was nothing compared to the nausea she felt at what she could see against the rocky mountains in the distance.

Standing against the dark grey, ragged rocks of the mountains, just above where the heavy waves lashed across the rocks, was the bulky form of a human that Iris could identify even from a distance.

It was Sigbert, watching Iris and the others sail away from him, towards his own home, without him or his father. Both of them dead, although not entirely, in Sigbert's case.

The guilt wracked Iris's insides, squeezing her stomach so tight that it would have been enough to make her sick even on dry land.

She had barely given Sigbert any thought recently, with so much going on, but that did not stop her feeling the guilt now.

The ship sailed away faster than Iris would have anticipated and very soon, Sigbert's form went from a tiny dot on the landscape to just a blur amidst the shapes and colours of the mountains beyond the sea.

Iris sighed, deep in thought about what had happened to her. So much had changed in such a short space of time and now both Iris and Zelkith were well and truly out of their depths.
  1. Prologue
  2. Chapter 1 - Taken Spirits
  3. Chapter 2 - Bittersweet Reprieve
  4. Chapter 3 - The Legion
  5. Chapter 4 - Heiress
  6. Chapter 5 - Morgoth
  7. Chapter 6 - Reunion
  8. Chapter 7 - Hot Temper
  9. Chapter 8 - Silver Lining
  10. Chapter 9 - Mining for Excuses
  11. Chapter 10 - Lifting Spirits
  12. Chapter 11 – The Greelong
  13. Chapter 12 - Corpse City
  14. Chapter 13 – Revival
  15. Chapter 14 – Departed
  16. Chapter 15 – Greater Things
  17. Chapter 16 – Beginning
  18. Chapter 17 – Sickness
  19. Chapter 18 – Necromancer
  20. Chapter 19 – Deceased
  21. Chapter 20 – Grave Choices
  22. Chapter 21 – The Amulet
  23. Chapter 22 – Family Soul
  24. Chapter 23 – The King
  25. Chapter 24 – Green Stee
  26. Chapter 25 – Tongues
  27. Chapter 26 – The Hornburg

