Alexander stared with his hands clasped behind his back down at the bright red boat beached in front of his mansion. The first wave of summoned Servicers had returned, and he grimly noted nearly 2/3 of them were being escorted by what remained of his guards towards the dungeons.

Ida had taught far more of the Servicer’s than he had realized…

He needed to quickly discover which of them were traitors- he had already begun receiving the angry response at having recalled them from their Masters and Mistresses, and his mood was perfectly soured as a result.

He noticed that the Servicer assigned to the North King and the crowned North Prince’s betrothed had not yet returned, and frowned. They should have been on one of the very first vessels.

He let out an angry sigh as he raised his gaze to stare across the black frothing sea that churned angrily about his home.

The wind whipped around him, piercing his ears with its icy touch, and whipping his long ebony hair about with reckless abandon.

He had interrogated Servicer Ida and her young countless times, and each time he had come away with the same useless information.

Then, he had the concern of the blasted Minkies to worry about. Their existence was proving to be far more of an irritant than he would’ve hoped in the midst of his concerns.

The Seers had been only able to spy upon them until they had met with another group of Magee warriors they seemed to know, but since then, since the death of Agnes Beatha, no one could see anything.

Alexander closed his eyes, and let out another angry sigh.

He was beginning to have theories on how this was possible, but hesitated in pursing any of his suspicions as they could very well reveal far larger problems than he could’ve ever foreseen.

How the Minkies could block his Seers again, where they couldn’t before, meant they must have joined another Shield.

Which meant; they were plotting something that required themselves to be veiled.

Alexander was also sending a number of trusted Servicers on the boat to retrieve Arlen once and for all. With the Servicers being slowly moved off of the island, he would hold greater power until he was neutralized. Hopefully, he was in a period of hiding and wouldn’t realize the advantage.

Alexander opened his eyes slowly.

Once he had a hold of Arlen, he would use the deviator as his guinea pig.

He would shake the answers from him, then open him up, and tear through his innards to find what made him wrong.

He just knew he would also find answers about the Thief of Souls from him as well, which would solve almost all of his issues.

A small smile sparked on Alexander’s face.

Yes, soon, he would have answers, and then he once again could continue his plans.

***

Everyone was glancing at Aggie uneasily since her return that morning. They were perhaps another 3 days from O’Farrell’s Keep, and time was pressing upon them.

She hadn’t spoken a word, and thus also hadn’t explained where she had gotten the 2 finely bred horses. Arlen wasn’t forthcoming with the information either, and he seemed to be deeply troubled about something.

It wasn’t until that evening, that Tork broke the silence around the group.

“At this rate, we most likely will only arrive when everyone is leaving, and that gets risky for finding the journal. I have contacted my wife’s people, and they will allow us onto their land to save us traveling through Ellenwood Forest. They may even help us in our escape of Sean’s Keep.”

Aggie cocked an eyebrow quizzically at Tork, but didn’t say anything as the Minkies bowed their heads in acceptance, which in turn startled Tork.

Whatever had concerned him wasn’t voiced however, as the Lady begrudgingly hated gave in to her curiosity, and asked the question that now plagued her.

“How could they help with our escape from the Keep? His home isn’t near anyone else’s land that we could get to quickly enough.”

Tork smiled mysteriously.

“You’ll see.”

*

The next day, Aggie had chosen to abandon the horses on the road, knowing that it didn’t do her any good to keep hauling them around. Especially when Tork informed them all that they would be going off the road toward Ellenwood Forest.

It took a half a days walk to reach the edge of the forest, though it was an easy stroll out in the middle of lush green rolling fields. They occasionally passed ruins of small cottages indicating a village had to have existed there at some point.

This theory of Aggie’s was confirmed when they reached the very edge of the notoriously enchanted forest, and there stood a large stone well that seemed as sturdy as the day it had been completed.

This was where Tork stopped all of them, and stepped forward.

He reached over the stone edge, and gripped both of the thick ropes that were wrapped around the spool, that didn’t show any signs of decay, and after taking 5 paces to the right, began heaving mightily.

Aggie was completely perplexed as he strained pulling the huge rope, his feet sliding a little on the grass.

Keynan, and Declan joined in his efforts, and the entire well slowly began to rotate over the earth, revealing the gaping hole that revealed nothing but darkness, and not even a gleam of water could be seen.

Aggie was the first to step to the edge of the hole that was approximately 4 feet in diameter.

She looked at Tork with a single eyebrow raised.

“Are there stairs that are supposed to appear? Or a ladder? Why does your wife live in a hole?”

Tork was frowning as well as he wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead.

“I haven’t come this way before, I just know about it. They didn’t say anything other than that this was an entrance.”

Everyone looked around at each other, uncertain what to do.

“Fuck it.”

Before anyone could stop her, Aggie casually strode off the ledge, and dropped down into the darkness.

“What the-”

“Aggie!”

“Holy shit!”

Bonnie, Arlen, and Tork all exclaimed in shock as the Lady disappeared, and didn’t let out any kind of shriek.

There also wasn’t any sound of her landing.

Before anyone could point this out aloud, Arlen had stepped off the ledge after his Mistress, and he too silently disappeared into the shadowed depths.

Then, one by one, they all strode in after them, all blindly hoping that the fall wouldn’t kill them.

*

Aggie had been waiting for the crushing of her bones upon a hard ground, but had instead found her descent had slowed in the last tens of feet to a slow float, and was extremely disconcerted by this novel sensation. That was her reason for the frustrated swell of tears in her eyes she told herself.

As she slowly descended, she became aware of an orange glow growing nearer as she drew closer. The firelight of a handful of torches grew larger and larger until she found herself floating with her hair pulled straight above her head as though it were still falling.

When she stopped 2 feet above the ground, she found herself staring at a rather short silvery blonde woman with intense unearthly violet blue eyes.

She truly didn’t think there was any possibility of her eyes being natural in their color, and suspected there was deep magick involved in their depths.

The woman’s thin mouth pursed. She had a square face, and a short neck. She wore a long white fur robe that didn’t have sleeves, and under that, a gray gown.

She held a wooden scepter with a blue glowing stone entangled in woven tendrils of the wood in her hand, and Aggie suspected it had something to do with her weightless experience as she descended closer to the earth.

Behind the peculiar woman, were shadowed faces Aggie couldn’t make out in the darkness.

Before her eyes could properly adjust to the dim light, Arlen slowly drifted down on her right side, then the Minkies Queen on her left. The others followed shortly, and with a small jerk of the scepter, everyone was gently released to their feet.

The woman at the head of the small group suddenly beamed, her intense expression disappearing completely as she rushed to Tork ignoring every curious eye around her. Tork didn’t hesitate for an instance hauled up the short woman in his hands, and swung her around.

Despite the woman’s apparent age and formal bearing, she giggled like a schoolgirl, her cheeks flushed in delight. She apparently was blind to the newcomers and those whom had come with her, as her eyes sparkled staring into Tork’s yellow orange ones.

He grinned and laughed with her-, for once, there wasn’t a trace of a scowl on his face, and he appeared beyond joyful.

They kissed soundly with her cradled easily in his right arm, and Aggie felt a pull on her heart that rattled her deeply, though why, she couldn’t say.

A polite clearing of someone’s throat from the group that still lay in shadows brought the couple back to the present.

Tork turned to the group, grinning ear to ear, and a shine of tears in his eyes.

“I am proud to introduce my wife; Birgitte Sed, Dwarvin Minister of Trade.” As soon as he finished speaking, he turned his snout-nose to Birgitte’s perfectly formed nose, and they appeared to be in such heavenly bliss that no one even deigned to be uncomfortable.

Though Aggie felt herself become stunned at the sight, she also found she couldn’t take her eyes from them, and a thrum of longing ran through her body.

Birgitte turned to those that lay behind her.

“Some of you may not have met my husband; Tork, Magee Warrior, and Bounty Hunter.” She ended the sentence while caressing Tork’s cheek, her gaze indicating to everyone that she wouldn’t have even noticed an earthquake in that moment.

Tork said nothing as he continued gazing at his wife, and instead began walking down the tunnel with her in his arms.

An awkward amount of shuffling from both crowds resulted in the Minkies Queen stepping forward, and a short older man whose head barely passed the Queen’s shoulder in height, meeting her.

He had bright orange hair, with eyes that appeared to be black and seemed to swallow everything they saw.

“I am Hek, Dwarvin Minister of Health. I am pleased to make your acquaintance.” He gave a slight bow of his head.

Aggie was too stunned to react as the Queen bowed silently and respectfully in response.

She hadn’t heard Tork’s introduction of his wife as she was too distracted by the blatant show of affection between the couple, but now it dawned on her-

“Dwarves still exist?!”

“We mean no disturbance. We would not have called upon your aid, but it would seem the Gods have their own agenda.” The Queen gave a small laugh as she straightened, and met eyes with the Minister of Health, who gave a non-committal single shoulder shrug in response to the statement.

Aggie stepped forward with Arlen at her side.

“Reggie- is that her?!”

Aggie’s heart stopped in her chest. Her face drained of color, and tears sprung to her eyes faster than she could acknowledge.

Her mind went blank and her heart thudded in her chest, and Arlen felt a shock run through him at the sight of his Mistress’ distress.

Tork’s son Reggie stepped form the shadows with a dwarf whom had dark brown hair, a matching beard and hazel eyes clutching his forearm.

She let out a shaking breath to quell the nausea that rolled in her stomach as she tried to then regain her composure.

Arlen, gently nudged her hand with his own in a silent question. She responded by clenching her fist.

Reggie stepped forward with a sheepish half smile, oblivious to the Lady’s change of expression.

“Lady Beatha, it is wonderful to see you alive and well.” He proceeded with a dramatically low bow.

Aggie’s frozen expression cracked only for a moment as she nodded in acknowledgement.

“Wonderful to meet you all! Quick question, where are we, where are we going, and how is it you are all presumed extinct?” Declan had brushed past Aggie shoving her aside and behind him all in a single step using his broad shoulders.

Reggie towered over the other Dwarves and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, then raised his piercing blue eyes to stare up at the glowing cat eyes that peered down at him.

“About all of that… How about you all follow the group. I have to close the door.” Using the torch in his hand he gestured above him, though the entrance to the dirt tunnel remained in completely shadowed.

“Would you like help?” Arlen stepped forward boldly, and Aggie noticed the shock on Reggie’s face.

“By the Gods! Arlen?! I had heard about Servicer’s developing skill and growth quickly but-”

“I have not gained height, only muscle from training.” Arlen interrupted his voice unemotional as he sided with Reggie and seemed to be looking around for the way to close the entrance.

“Regardless, bloody hell! I only saw you half a year ago and yet-”

“Constant training Reggie. How can we close the gate?” Arlen’s voice was calm but firm as he redirected Reggie’s attention to the task at hand.

“Grab the ropes over there, and if we all give ‘er a mighty tug she’ll come along just fine for us!” Every eye turned to the brown haired Dwarf that had been hanging on to Reggie’s forearm before.

He wore a bright smile that didn’t falter in front of the small group of astonished and wearied faces.

Instead he waved good-naturedly at all of them.

“I’m Ned!” He beamed at all of them, his cheeks rosy.

“Alright Nedley, let’s close this entrance.” Declan began slowly stepping forward, obviously displeased that Reggie had ignored his questions as he fixed the Beast Awares with a sharp look that made the hair on the back of Reggie’s neck stand up.

“I said my name is Ned!” The Dwarf continued beaming up at the Magee fighter.

“Yes, and I gave you a nickname.” Declan responded still not moving his sights to the Dwarf whom now stood toe to toe with him.

“But… a nickname should be shorter! You made it longer, it seems inefficient.” Ned’s cheeriness didn’t fade in his voice as he speculated the way Declan referred to him aloud.

“Nonsense. I made your name nicer. It’s like ‘Medley’, but ‘Nedley’.”

“You’re making more work for yourself there, but whatever floats your fancy boat there friend!” Ned waved at Aggie and the Minkies behind her with glaring positivity that made Aggie scowl.

Keynan and Jed joined Reggie and Arlen wordlessly after sharing a blank look between them at Ned’s greeting.

Slowly, with his eyes still on Reggie, Declan joined them. They all gripped the rope, and pulled as hard as they could until there was a faint echo of stone scraping from above.

Ned brushed his hands together, placed them hands on his hips, then gestured at them all to follow him.

The Dwarvin group that had remained silent in the shadows had disappeared sometime during the closing of the entrance, and so there was only the single torch Ned had set aside while closing the entrance lighting the dark tunnel.

It was only then that Aggie took note of their surroundings.

The stood in a cavernous tunnel of dirt walls, and soft dirt ground, as firm and smooth as though it had been packed down as solid as plaster.

Reggie, Declan, the Minkies, and Bonnie began walking down the tunnel in the same direction Tork and Birgitte had disappeared.

After taking another steadying breath, Aggie followed with Arlen remaining silently at her side. It wasn’t until the end of her exhale that Ned suddenly appeared on her other side from the shadows giving her a small start.

“So you are a Servicer?” Ned asked unabashedly looking over at Arlen with the same bright smile as before.

“Yes.”

“Can you really blur through time?!” The Dwarf’s excitement was a bit too intense.

“Somewhat.”

“Amazing!”

“And you are his Mistress?” Ned had now addressed Aggie whose posture had gone rigid.

“Yes.”

“What powers do you have?”

“At the moment; patience.” She muttered through gritted teeth.

The Dwarf’s plethora of positive energy was grating her already fine nerves.

Ned seemed oblivious to the rising ferociousness in her, and then looked forward at Bonnie and Declan.

“Did none of you bring your children with you?” Ned called forward without breaking his brisk pace for a second. There was a note of disappointment in his voice, as though he had thought this to be a uniting celebration between Tork’s friends and the Dwarvin people.

Aggie was about to throttle him.

“Bringing children with us would mean death to them. We are not here for a celebration.” The Minkies Queen’s tone was firm in her addressing of Ned.

“That’s too bad! Maybe next time!” Ned responded exuberantly, then began humming a tune no one had heard and seemed to be off in his own world.

Reggie cast them all apologetic looks over his shoulder, and nodded specifically at Aggie whom only gave a single short jerk of her chin as she continued walking.

Aggie had a suspicion that she was in for an eventful evening, and that hunch was proved right in a matter of hours.

***

Sean O’Farrell gazed at the decrepit woman before him.

“You’re a Seer?” He asked calmly, trying to hide the dripping tones of bleakness that oozed out without permission.

“I am.” The woman with white hair wore a bright green knit cloak over her shoulders, and a burgundy plain dress underneath with a single white gemstone hanging around her neck. She clutched her walking stick as she curtsied before the Duke.

“Prove it.” Sean challenged lazily. In truth he was exhausted from arranging Lady Beatha’s funeral. He knew he had gone over the top in the extravagance of such a morbid event, but he couldn’t seem to quench the guilt that plagued him.

The woman rose slowly, an all knowing smile on her deeply wrinkled face before she said.

“I know your family secret. The one you wish no one knew. The one only a handful including your beloved knows.”

Sean sat forward suddenly his hands curling inadvertently.

It wasn’t an act of hostility however, as he was merely trying to hide the crawling black tendrils under his skin that had been growing each day.

“Vague at best. Do better.” He murmured, though there was the faintest hint of worry in his voice.

The woman smiled triumphantly, then closed her eyes as she leaned on her walking stick.

The bustle of servants preparing for the wake behind her didn’t seem to be a deterrent.

After several minutes, she opened her eyes, and raised a renewed smile to the Duke’s waiting face.

“You will see the Lady before you in a full gown, and all her glory, shortly before you see death.”

Sean pounded his fist against his armrest so soundly that the startled the servant’s into momentarily forgetting their duties.

“More vague warnings. Do better Seer.” He was doing everything within his power to contain his seething over the feeling of being toyed with.

“Very well. Your mother died at her hearth, weeping over heartbreak. She wished you never met your father at that festival. She knew the moment he had you, your future was lost- as was your beloved who followed you.”

Sean’s face paled.

He rose from his chair, and turned his back on the Seer.

He couldn’t let her get away with such ambiguous descriptions again. It wasn’t entirely private that his mother died at her hearth, or that his father had retrieved him at the festival, and one could only guess at what her feelings were at the time of her passing.

This was only a cruel manipulation.

That was all this all was…

The woman was no true Seer, only a charlatan.

“If you want a babe with the Life Magicker, you must catch her before next autumn.”

Sean swung around, his piercing blue eyes wide.

“She is dead.”

“Should you find that this chance isn’t beyond you any longer, I foresee you once again seeking my counsel. At that time, you will owe me 3 favors in return.” The Seer continued as though she hadn’t heard him.

Sean didn’t give a response past a small grunt, which the Seer heard and laughed at.

He took a threatening step closer to the older woman whom then fixed her dark green eyes on Sean without an ounce of humor.

“Your journey to the end is a steep one, I do not recommend making any more obstacles for yourself than you already have.”

She bowed as long as she could, and turned her back on the Duke leaving him reeling in anger, confusion, and fear.

He didn’t stop the Seer from leaving however, and instead turned his attention to the new Head of Maids to instruct her on the funeral menu, while trying to appear unperturbed about the interaction he had just experienced, and clenching his fists inadvertently.