"I knew it!" Isla said.

Reed narrowed her eyes.

"They do… feel human, don't they? No offence, Jacob."

"None taken."

"I know! It's the way they act—the way they move. They're too complex to be an enchanted object, and there's too many of them to be under direct control."

Shay knelt and inspected a stone man's remains.

"They're revenants one and all. But this metal wiring… It doesn't have the hum of a will well. I don't understand how so many could survive for so long. Revenants are a rare phenomenon and temporary by nature."

"You're missing the bigger point," Castille said. She pointed to the stone men at our feet.

"This lot fought like legionnaires from one of the petty kingdoms while the stone men that ambushed us last night could barely hold a sword. We know this orb can suck in souls, but can it spit them out?"

It took a moment for Castille's question to click.

"You think the people that die in the Dellends are being turned into these… things," Reed said.

"You're the scholar, you tell me."

"If that's true…"

Isla's voice trailed off, but we could guess her line of thought. Francis, the other guards who died taking the mine or any resident of Steeltown who passed away could be resurrected as enemies.

As we digested that thought, the platform descended from the ceiling with ten guards alongside Phil.

They saluted Reed.

"You're here. Good. I need you to hold this hill. Strip these stone men of their shields. They may be useful. Be careful of the spearheads; they've been dipped in poison."

"Yes, Special Inquisitor."

They scrambled off the platform to begin their work.

"Shay-"

"Yes. Yes. Stay here."

"I thought we needed Shay to fight Nostrand?"

Shay laughed.

"I wouldn't do that in a million years."

"Then why are you here?"

"It's as my Apprentice said. An Enchanter's greatest fear is another Enchanter. Only those who understand the First Magic know how truly terrifying it is. We also understand that the only real defence against the First Magic is having more will than your enemy."

I understood.

"So, if he thinks another Enchanter is around, he'll conserve his will and won't use the First Magic on us."

"It's genius," Isla said.

Shay gave her a tired smile.

"Flattery will get you everywhere, my dear."

Castille moved out of the way as the guards carried the stone men's shields up the hill.

"But how will he know another Enchanter is here? You used most of your will on the platform."

"Most but not all of it..."

"Shay..." Reed said.

A flash of worry crossed her face.

"I know. I know, but I can do this much."

He raised his hand to the ceiling, whispering the following words.

"Caelum nubilosum."

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The sweat evaporated off my skin. I opened my mouth in surprise—that was a mistake. Every drop of moisture was sucked from the inside of my mouth. My tongue shrivelled like a pear left in the sun. Across the massive cavern, water vapour floated to the ceiling and condensed into clouds that blocked the artificial night sky over the Undertown. The only source of light left was from the shaft over our hill.

"With that, my will well is empty. I'm running entirely on conviction now."

Reed grimaced.

"If anything happens to you..."

"You worry too much, Apprentice. I prepared for this."

Shay walked up the hill, using his sewing needle as a cane. He sat on the platform, sitting cross-legged on the surface. A layer of thin bubble enveloped him.

"Now, no one can harm me."

"You planned that far ahead?" Isla asked.

"Of course, you think I lived this long by happenstance?"

Reed smirked and turned away, looking at the darkened Undertown.

"We should go. The darkness will hide our approach to the ziggurat."

Ziggurat? Is that what that pyramid is called?

Like a torch in the night, the ziggurat lit up, golden light radiating from the very stones of the structure. And just like that, there were two sources of light in the Undertown.

"Not bad," Shay said.

The rest of us looked on—speechless. This is what it meant for two Enchanters to fight. They were like children shaping reality like clay, and we were the ants caught between them, protected by nothing but Shay's bluff.

After a moment of shocked silence, Castille spoke.

"At least we won't get lost."

Dugan nodded.

"Mhmm."

"Let's move," Reed said. "Before we get any more surprises."

# # #

Reed lit our way through the quiet streets of Nostrand Del's Undertown. The workshops were empty. The furnaces for smelting ore had run cold. He had mobilized every resident for his war against the surface.

Thor led our party from the front, sniffing out enemy patrols. More large stone men marched by as we hid in narrow alleys. These "heavies," as Castille called them, were not made to fit into tight spaces.

Each step—each street led us closer to the golden ziggurat at the heart of the Undertown.

I took my place a few steps behind Thor, walking next to Reed, who held a mote of warm light hovering in her free hand. Isla was behind me, followed by Castille and Dugan as a rear guard.

"The boar has been useful," Reed said.

Thor replied with a short huff.

"Thor says, of course, he's useful."

She smiled at me.

"You understand that creature?"

"We have an understanding."

"And what about… our understanding?"

She glanced over her shoulder at Isla.

I sighed.

"I almost forgot-"

"What?"

"Who you work for."

"Ah."

Her smile turned mischievous.

"It pays to have a long memory, Jacob. You should never forget what I am."

"Won't happen again."

She smiled wider.

"We'll see."

Thor stopped at the intersection in an alley. Reed dimmed her light.

"Do you hear that?"

I strained my ears.

Iron wheels squeaked against rusty axles. Heavy footfalls echoed from a block ahead.

"Scatter."

We split up on either side of the intersection, with Castille and Dugan staring across from us from the shadows. Reed extinguished her light.

"What's in front of us?" Isla whispered.

"I'll look."

I poured my will into the jacket and leaned into the alley that led to a main street.

A heavy marched into view. Instead of carrying a spear and shield like other patrols, it pulled along a two-wheeled cart. Another appeared with a cart, and then another and another. They were marching down the street in a single line.

A hand touched the small of my back.

"What do you think are in those carts?" Reed asked. She had stepped into the alleyway to get a better view, taking advantage of my jacket's enchantment.

Shay must have told her how it worked.

I squinted, unable to make up much in the ziggurat's distant light.

"I could get closer."

"We shouldn't split the party," Isla whispered. She was looking down to avoid the jacket's enchantment.

Reed tapped her finger against my spine.

"You should go. You may find something useful."

I glanced at her.

"Is this where you use me as bait?"

Her face flickered from surprise to amusement.

"Yes, it is."

"How do you square that with protecting Sanctifier assets?"

She smiled.

"I prioritize. You're valuable, but eliminating this threat comes first. The High Inquisitor would understand. But I wager you'll survive."

"I didn't know you were a gambler, Reed."

"I dabble."

"Save your flirting for later," Castille said. "Jacob, go or stay, it's your call."

I took a deep breath. It was risky, but with Shay's bluff, I wouldn't be turned into a statue on sight. Besides, Reed was with us. She could reverse whatever Nostrand Del did to me… hopefully.

"I'll do it. It's my job."

Castille smiled, her pale face nodding in the shadows.

I turned to Isla.

"Remember what we talked about."

"I will. Be careful."

Reed stepped back around the corner, giving me space to sneak down the alley into the main street and crouch in front of an abandoned smithy. The caravan of carts was headed to the ziggurat. I walked beside the procession for a time before I decided to sit down and wait for it to pass. It would be easier to sneak behind the last cart.

The rhythmic marching of the stone men was almost peaceful. A moment of respite before the real battle began.

Nostrand Del…

I fought back the urge to shiver. I needed to be strong, but what did that mean? I wasn't a weapon—not anymore, but the Sin's lessons remained: utility, misdirection and ruthlessness.

Thinking of the third lesson made my stomach twist. It reminded me of everything and everyone I lost. It made me afraid to lose anything else.

No.

I pushed the emotions down, but the dread lingered, a ghostly presence I could almost touch.

So much for respite.

I blinked as the last cart passed me by and scrambled to my feet. I stayed low, moving with silent steps across the street and to the back of the cart. I steeled myself and looked over the side.

Something looked back.

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