Jen left Damien and Marie-Bell huddled by the side of the tunnel and snuck toward the red light. It wasn’t very bright, but with her soul force enhanced sight Jen could see everything clearly. The chanting became louder and the light brighter with each step. Jen didn’t recognize the language, but it was clear that the same words were being repeated over and over again. The words sent a chill down her spine. It was probably just as well that she didn’t know what they were saying.

After fifty paces the tunnel ended at the rim of an amphitheater. Four broad-shouldered cultists carrying saw-toothed swords patrolled a walkway that ran around the perimeter. Every twenty or so paces a set of steps went down to the floor. Three more tunnels spaced equally around the rim led away from the gathering.

Jen did a quick count of the robed figures and came up with over a hundred, and that was just the ones visible from her position. There had to be that many more she couldn’t see. Down on the floor of the amphitheater rested an altar with a naked man bound to it face up. Four robed figures stood around the altar. Jen couldn’t see corruption like her brother, but she would have bet a year’s pay that those four all had a weapon or device capable of producing the black flames.

She allowed herself a moment of doubt. She’d expected to find a dozen cultists and instead found a hundred plus. That was a lot of people for the three of them to handle. On the other hand she’d just watched Damien reduce an entire town to dust along with scores of zombies. How hard would it be for him to handle these cultists? If they didn’t care about taking them alive she suspected it would be much easier.

The thing that bothered Jen was that she and everyone else kept relying on him. It wasn’t fair to expect so much of a seventeen-year-old man. She wanted to make life easier for her brother, but in so many instances there was nothing she could do to help beyond staying out of his way. That galled her more than she liked to admit.

She eased further back into the tunnel as one of the guards moved closer. He looked at ease, his gaze wandering the gathering with no particular target. When he reached the entrance to her tunnel he stiffened and Jen held her breath.

The guard peered into the tunnel then vanished.

Jen’s soul force surged and she drew her sword just in time to block the enemy warlord’s attack. Teeth clenched, she drew more power and forced her opponent back. She had to finish him quickly. The other guards would arrive soon.

She spun and slashed, hoping to cut the guard down when he lost his balance.

The cultist was too skilled for such a simple ploy. He lunged deeper into the tunnel, avoiding her slash, and regaining his balance. Rapid footsteps from behind her announced the arrival of more enemies.

A glowing white hammer hit the first guard in the side of the head with enough force to reduce it to pulp. Light filled the tunnel as Damien and Marie-Bell arrived on the scene, weapons drawn.