There was one thing left to deal with before entering the cave.

Bud chanted a prayer of purification under his breath, the blue radiance of Heart of Frostfire manifesting around him. It enshrouded him in frosted air, flickering up into a flame-like tip over his head. The very presence of his aura stirred the spirit into action. It abandoned its feast, retreating into the tunnel, its body shrinking beneath the pressure.

Hump watched Bud curiously. There was something different. A change to the knight’s aura. It took him a few moments to realise exactly was, but then it dawned on him—he hardly felt the cold. In the past, it had swept from Bud like an icy wind. Now… it was a faint breeze. Hardly a shred of essence was wasted, meaning Bud’s had developed his focus and intent enough to properly command its power. Suffice it to say, Hump was impressed, though he also felt a shred of envy. To see the knight’s improvement so quickly spoke volumes of his capabilities as a Chosen, but it also showed just how significantly easier it was for them compared to practitioners. It came so naturally to Bud, but for Hump, mastering his will was an exercise he had trained ever since he began his apprenticeship.

All at once, Bud’s power washed forward like a rolling mist. It breezed through the tunnel, forming icy flakes on the walls, illuminating the shadows as it went. A purging holy mist. Even in its dormant state, the spirit’s instincts seemed to warn it of its peril. Its body lost its vaguely humanoid form, curling up until it was like a rippling ball. Essence flared in all directions like sunrays to Humps Magic Eye, desperately trying to break free.

In seconds, Bud’s essence overpowered its defences, crystalising across its ethereal body. The creature fought; its core frantic as it tried to escape. Bud gave it no opportunity. He flourished his blade and charged forward, feet hammering on stone as he entered the tunnel. A single, vertical slash split the creature’s body of shadow in two, each half parting like smoke before fading silently into darkness. There was a faint glimmer, then nothing.

“That was nicely done,” Hump said. “I didn’t realise your control had come along so much. It was almost pleasant.”

Bud smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “Not fast enough. Soul training exercises have been helpful, but I still froze in the presence of the monster’s aura.”

“You and me both,” Dylan said. “And I’m third circle. I can somewhat understand Hump’s resistance, but Celaine isn’t a warlock. She shouldn’t be stronger than me.”

“You and Bud were closest to the attack,” Celaine said. “It’s natural that its effect was stronger.”

“Maybe.” Dylan frowned. “But ever since Master Vivienne accepted me as her apprentice, I’ve been confident in my abilities. Today, I realised just how much I’m lacking. I lost my head in Lakewood and was caught off guard again by that aura attack. I’m underperforming.”

“Lakewood was rough for us all,” Hump said seriously. “Seeing death like that—witnessing just how horrific the world can be… it changes you. Go easy on yourself.”

“Do you get used to it?” Dylan asked.

Hump remembered Bud asking the same question after they’d fought their way through the dungeon grove.

“No,” Bud said. “It hardens you. Either you learn to force it out of mind, or it will eat you up.” He kicked apart the last of the fire bundle and led the way into the tunnel. “There will be time to think about this later. For now… we have things to do.”

Between his blazing sword and Hump’s Wizard Light, it was brighter inside the cave than it was out in the forest. Smoke clung to Hump’s throat, and a faint trickle of water echoed through the tunnel. They found no more spirits during their descent, but the strange essence Hump had seen from outside grew thicker the further down they went, obscuring Hump’s Magic Eye like a thick fog. Hump dismissed the spell before he felt the nausea come on too strongly.

Celaine ran her hand over the stone wall, inspecting it. “These walls don’t look natural. They kind of remind me of the ones we found in the dungeon.”

“It could be a mine,” Dylan said. “There are a few old ones around Fishers Lake.”

“Something like this seems beyond the work of a village of thirty,” Hump said.

Dylan shook his head. “Fishers Lake has a long history. You can even see the remnants of an old statue out on one of the islands. I’ll ask about it when we get back to town, maybe someone there knows.”

Hump grimaced as he stepped on the skeletal remains of a bird, the bones crunching beneath his boot. He scraped his boot on the ground, trying to get any mess off, when he noticed more. The horn of some poor beast, what looked to be a boar’s skull, and the remnants of people. Fingers, limbs, teeth… and parts too destroyed to recognise. They hadn’t gone far, but from the smell alone Hump knew they were nearing the main cavern. The smoke hardly covered up the stench of rot.

“The tunnel’s starting to flatten out,” Bud said. “It looks like we’re reaching the end.”

Celaine slipped past him. “You three hang back for a minute. I’ll see if it’s clear.”

Hump dimmed his staff in the meantime, Celaine appearing as a vague shadow in the distance. Only when she waved them forward did they follow.

“Quietly,” she whispered. “There’s spirits inside, though these ones don’t seem to be moving either.”

The tunnel opened into a large chamber, the distant walls hidden by shadow.

“I don’t see any spirits,” Hump whispered.

“On the far side,” Celaine said, pointing. Even with her guidance Hump couldn’t pick them out from the shadows, and his Magic Eye couldn’t see them through the thick essence. “There’s six of them, and for now they seem dormant.”

Hump added a little essence to his staff, holding it out to illuminate the chamber. It was as large as a house, the walls smooth, curving to form a domed ceiling. A ramp of stone sloped down to a lower level.

And there were bodies too, or at least, what remained of them. Blood stained everything. Bones and bits of flesh littered the ground, almost all of it beyond recognition. Impossible to tell whether they were from animal or man, let alone guess at the number of victims. The flesh had been stripped from bone, and anything large enough to be significant was cracked open to get at the marrow inside. That left white fragments littering the ground.

“Gods above,” Bud muttered. “How could so much death be caused in only a week?”

Hump forced himself to think, searching for anything of note inside the cavern. Finally, he found a piece of hope. “I don’t see any fresh bodies. The people of Lakewood—”

“Some of them might have escaped,” Dylan said, elated. He stepped forward, but Bud held him back.

“Wait. We need to decide how we’re dealing with the spirits.”

Dylan rubbed his face. “Right. Of course.” He crouched beside Bud, leaning his shoulder against the wall. “Gods, I’m not with it.”

Bud gave him a clap on the shoulder.

“Let me see if I can get a better idea of their numbers,” Celaine said. She snuck forward to the edge of the upper level and peered below. Turning, she whispered, “Come look at this. I think it’s clear.”

They did as she asked and joined her at the edge.

“Down there,” she whispered.

He held up his staff, lighting up the lower level just enough for him to see. The reflection of his staff glimmered in a pool at the bottom of the step, and beside it, drawn on the stone, were the unmistakable lines of a spell formation.

It was too dark for him to make it out properly, but the size of it was in line with what Hump would expect of a summoning circle. At its core was something he didn’t recognise—a formation of violet crystals.

“Shit,” Hump whispered. “That’s a spell formation.”

Celaine squinted. “Definitely gives me summoning vibes. I think it’s drawn in blood.”

Hump nodded. “I need to get down there for a proper look. And we should bring back some of those violet crystals to see what Vivienne thinks. Do you think we can just slip past the spirits? The one above didn’t notice us even when we were a couple of paces away.”

Celaine shook her head. “Too risky. If we trigger one, they could all come after us. There’s no telling how many more there might be that we can’t see. We should take them out using the advantage of the tunnel. At least this way they come at us from only one direction.”

Hump sighed, peering at the shadow on the far wall. Everything about this made him feel nervous, but he wouldn’t be much of an adventurer if he let that stop him. They couldn’t exactly leave. “Vivi said they were weak to fire. If we can lure them to the tunnel, I can fill the whole thing with fire.”

“Will that be enough?” Bud asked Dylan. “You’re the only one with real experience fighting these things.”

“Dylan nodded. “Individually, they’re weak. It’s when they gather in numbers and have the open night sky that they’re a threat. I think this will work. We just need a way to get their attention.”

“I still have that vial of troll blood,” Hump said. “If their attracted to blood, that might work.”

“Save it,” Celaine said. “Leave this to me. They’re drawn to essence, right? That’s how Vivienne’s formation works.”

Dylan frowned and nodded. “You’d need a lot of essence though.”

“I think I have that covered, and my method will be a whole lot less smelly than troll blood.”

Hump looked at her curiously, then noticed the shimmer beneath her skin once more. Celaine wouldn’t get tired over such a brief fight, this was something else. “You’re about to form your next circle.”

“What?” Bud said. “Here? Why didn’t you say anything?”

She rolled her eyes. “Because I thought this was more important. It could wait. There were more important things for us to do first. Now though, it’s going to work for us. Come on.”

She retreated to the tunnel, going back until the ground started to slope back up. “Is this enough space for you, Hump?”

“Sure, but I can’t cast if I’m suppressed by the power of a god again.”

“Owalyn’s blessings don’t work like that,” Celaine said. “I told you, her power is already within me. It’s up to me to find it.”

Her eyes were shining brightly now. Essence rose within her, growing stronger in intensity. It streamed from her in brilliant streams of green. Hump gawked at her, enamoured by the vibrancy of her essence. A shiver ran down his spine and goosebumps formed across his skin—he was nervous, like he’d just met the eyes of a razorclaw.

“Are you ready?” she asked.

Hump snapped out of his stupor, keen focus taking over. He gathered his essence, infusing it with fire as he channelled it to his staff. He gave her a nod. “I’m ready.”

Celaine dropped to her knees, fist pressed against her chest. “Don’t let the spirits get me.” Her hand shone with radiant green, the power of the forest itself.

Then she withdrew her Brilliance.