Gramok’s blood ran cold. This couldn’t be. He shook his head. “I watched you die!”

Karogar stepped closer. “Rebirth is possible. Didn’t your friends tell you that?”

A dull sound flapped in the air. Nothing to worry about.

Rebirth, the elven spell? But that was still locked away. Wasn’t it? “How?” Gramok asked. “How can I make it right?”

Karogar rested his hands on Gramok’s shoulders. “I can forgive you, but I need your help.”

Tingling tendrils spread through Gramok. Redemption could be his. He nodded. “Anything, old friend.”

A smile lit up Karogar’s face. “I knew you wouldn’t let me down again, friend. They held me here.”

“Who? Where are they keeping you?”

“I can guide you there. Just let me in, and we can set everything exactly how it’s supposed to be.”

Rain splattered across Gramok’s face. He wiped it away. A drip from the rocks above. Nothing to worry about. “Guide me.”

***

Where were they? “Cara? Gramok?” The words echoed back without a reply.

Shouting was probably a bad idea, but how much worse could it get? Jake gulped. A bad question. The answer was always “so much worse.”

“Cara! Gramok!” More echoes.

Had they headed back? Gone on? They’d have had to put some distance between them and the disturbance, but how much?

Why did all these caverns look so damned alike? Jake cast Farsight down another tunnel. Nothing. He sighed. Maybe they had gone back.

Or maybe they’d been eaten.

“Cara? Gramok?” More echoes. His heart sank.

“Jake?”

Cara’s voice. Jake let out a trembling chuckle. Of course they were okay. Why wouldn’t they be.

“Jake, come quick!”

Or maybe not. He raced down the tunnel and rounded the corner.

Cara stood in the middle of the small cavern, a smile on her face. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

The stone door behind her was the only other thing in the cavern. Jake tilted his head. “Where’s Gramok?”

“He’ll be back soon.” Her smile grew. “Come, I need your help with something.” She took his arm and pointed at the door. “There’s a wand of healing behind there.”

A skull and bones adorned the stone door, along with a litany of runes. He cast Farsight beyond the door, but it failed. Someone had decided that this door shouldn’t be opening.

Mental intrusion detected.

Jake swallowed. What was going on here?

Cara—was it Cara?—clung to his arm. “Come on, Jake. You can open that.”

He should have known. Finding a wand of healing right after losing the ability to cast it? That’d be good luck. He cast Farsight again, this time in the room. No Cara.

The creature hissed and pushed away. “Open it, or she dies!”

“No.” His muscles stiffened. “Even if you could kill her, no.”

It sneered. “We can’t kill her, but Gramok can.”

His blood ran cold. He raced out of the room, yelling at the top of his voice. “Cara! Cara!”

He raced from cavern to cavern, his boots pounding against the stone. Where was she? “Cara! Cara!”

An icy grip tightened around his heart. What if she—? What if he—?

He wiped the sweat from his eyes. “Cara! CARA?”

“Jake! Get in here, Jake!”

Was that really her? “I’m coming!”

“JAKE!”

His heart raced. Nearly there. He started casting and rushed around the corner. Gramok held her by the throat, pinning her to the wall and snarling.

“Enmokajona!” The second sight confirmed what he was seeing. Shit. “Gramok, stop!”

Gramok’s face contorted. Rage? Fear? Pain? All of them? “I—I can’t.”

His grip tightened. Cara gargled. Her hands tugged at Gramok’s.

Jake darted forward, casting Stunning Touch. He pressed his hand to the orc’s armor and hissed, “Finka!”

A flash of white. Gramok shuddered and slumped to the floor.

Cara gasped for air. “Thank you.” She doubled over, shaking. “Forest preserve us. He was muttering, saying someone was dead, then about how he could make it right, and then…”

“Spirits,” Jake said. He took Gramok’s weapons away. “I had one too.”

“And you’re…?” Her teeth pulled at her bottom lip.

He nodded. “One hundred percent a vengeful spirit.”

Her eyes narrowed, and she punched him on the arm. “Welcome back.”

“Thanks. He’s coming around.”

Gramok’s eyes shot open. His fists clenched. “Foul spirits!”

Jake tilted his head. “It sounds like him.”

“Are you real?” Gramok asked.

Jake shrugged. “Is anything?”

“Close enough.” Gramok staggered to his feet. “You killed the troll?”

“With my dying breath.” Roaring heat pushed out the last of the icy chill. “No thanks to you!”

Gramok snorted and pointed to himself. “Me? I told you it was suicide to use fire!”

“Suicide? You gestured…” That indignant flame settled down and Jake’s heart slowed. “Right. Cutting your own throat, suicide.”

“Oh.” Gramok burst out laughing. “You thought I meant it was vulnerable! No, mountain trolls are basically stone. Why would they be vulnerable to fire?”

Cara’s eyes narrowed. “Where’s your pack?”

This was going to be awkward. “My pack. Right.” He forced out a smile. “I killed the troll.”

Her lips twitched. “The pack?”

“You know what a mana vortex is?”

She rolled her eyes. “You pushed too hard and blew yourself up again. At least this time you had an excuse.”

He laughed. It was that or cry. “Not exactly.” He explained what had happened, dancing around the topic of Death to avoid triggering whatever it was that wiped their memories.

Cara glowered. “So, to sum it up, you can’t heal anymore, your armor’s gone, half our supplies are gone, and all our potions—which you insisted on ‘safekeeping’—are gone?”

Jake looked at the ground and nodded. “We’ve still got the potions you two were carrying. And you can heal, right?”

“Barely.” She growled and muttered under her breath. “At least the rune-key is a quest item. I can patch us up after a fight, but that’s about it.”

Pain stabbed at Jake’s chest. Stupid fear. He should have ditched it when he had the chance.

***

The white Telekinesis beam lifted the large rock easily. Twenty minutes might have been an overestimate.

How long ago had this caved in? Weight crushed around Jake’s chest. Had it been here thirteen years ago? The dust suggested so. He must have found another way around.

What had he found? How could he be responsible for all those things the Empire did?

Jake put down the rock and frowned. “How often do people see the Divine Emperor?”

Gramok shrugged. “Most people? Never. Otherwise, rarely, but more than before. Apparently, he used to be a complete recluse.”

Complete recluse. Yeah, so reclusive he didn’t even exist, at least not in this world. “Is he really in charge of the Empire?”

“He’s the Divine Emperor,” Gramok said, “of course he is!”

“Right. And how long’s he been on the throne?”

“As long as anyone can remember.”

The exact same tone. Maybe that was equally bullshit, or maybe that was how he took charge. If everyone believes you’re the emperor, does that make you the real emperor?

Cara scowled over her shoulder. “We’re exposed here. Stop nattering and hurry up.”

Why was she pissy? Jake swallowed. Too many reasons to list, most of them decent. He’d have to make it up to her when they were back on the surface.

He got back to work. Before long, the path was cleared. It led to a huge, shattered gatehouse. Behind it, a magical glow illuminated a huge cavern, and the towering ruined city within it.

“See?” Jake said. “I told you it wouldn’t take long.”

Gramok snorted. “Magical bullshit. I’d like to see you clear that like a real orc.”

“Which way?” Cara asked.

Gramok checked the map. “That way for the Zelnari ruins below. Further into the city for the portal stone.”

It was too dangerous. “Focus on the job,” Jake said. “The dwarves can get their own portal stone, if they want it so bad.”

Cara shook her head. “No. We sneak into the city, get the stone, and then we move on.”

“I died, Cara. You nearly died.”

“And? Gramok, what do you think?”

“Me? I’m here for you guys, but, if we can help them, we should.”

Jake turned away and snorted. “This is insane. A magic bow isn’t worth the risk.”

“A bow?” Her nostrils flared. She stepped forward. “You think this is about a stupid bow?”

Jake frowned. “Isn’t it?”

“No! If we could rebuild the portals, make the world how it was before you—” She looked away and clenched her fists. “Before Heroes ruined it. Isn’t that worth fighting for?”

That wouldn’t get him home. Jake bit his lip. “You really want to do this? Risk your life for a stupid stone?”

She shook her head. “No. I want to risk my life to make everyone else’s better.”

“Me too,” Gramok said. “It’s the least I can do.”

Jake held up his hands. Who was he to argue with that? “You guys are the ones who might properly die, so, whatever. Lead on.”

Gramok stopped at the gatehouse. He sighed and ran a finger down one of the many cracks. “We destroyed it, and for what?”

Some of the cracks were huge. What kind of magic could have caused this? “Heroes led the charge, didn’t they?”

A grunt, and Gramok smashed his hand against the wall. “We followed them. Can you imagine how beautiful this city once was? Before we destroyed it.”

“Entil bo‘enda-va po ti?” Cara asked, slouched against the wall.

Jake snorted. “We’re fine. You don’t need to do anything with us.”

“Really?” She stood up straight and advanced. “Neither of you is to blame for this, for any of it. You’re his son, not his keeper, and you—you weren’t even born. Your great, great, great, grandfather hadn’t been born!”

“She’s got you there, Gramok.”

He snorted. “But not you, Jake?”

Jake scowled. “You shouldn’t have to suffer because of my father.”

Cara gave him that look, the one she normally reserved for when he said something particularly dumb. “And you should?”

Jake’s fists clenched tight. “Let’s move.”

They snuck up the wide, desolate streets. Structurally, the towering, multistory buildings were surprisingly intact. Most of the doors were smashed in, and the buildings trashed and ransacked, but they weren’t collapsing.

Cara signaled for a rest. Gramok pointed to a nearby building, its large window front shattered from the outside, and they headed toward it.

Shelves lined the walls. Gramok ran his finger along the counter at the back, kicking up dust. “This had been a store.” He reached behind the counter, pulled out an old tome, and flicked it open. “A Runesmith’s store. I thought so.”

How did he know? Jake raised an eyebrow. “You’re an Archaeologist too?”

“I wouldn’t go that far. I dabble, really. So much else to do.” Gramok shrugged. “All those lessons about the dwarves that father insisted on have some use, at least. Come.” Gramok paused on the threshold. He stepped aside and gestured to Jake. “Discern Magic see anything?”

Dried blood stained everything—the walls, the ceiling, the floor, the forge. Shattered bones lay scattered across the floor, too broken to tell how many bodies they were from.

“There’s definitely some runes.” Not that they made any sense. Jake frowned. “What they do is beyond me. They’re not like normal magic.”

“That book on the table. Can you pull it here?”

A pit formed at the base of Jake’s stomach. This entire room was a trap. “Maybe. Why?”

“So much Runesmithing knowledge was destroyed with the fall of Tarkath. If I could recover some then…” He shrugged. “It’s a start.”

“It’s not your fault.” Jake ignored the growing void. At the very least, it would be a hell of a paycheck, and someone had lost a lot of their supplies. “Alright. Step back, you guys.”

He pulled on his mana and cast Farsight. The second sight confirmed it—the book was a lie. There was something else, too. Runic letters sprawled across the back wall. Dwarvish.

“Hey, Gramok, come here. You can read Dwarvish, right?”

“Somewhat. Those runes aren’t Dwarvish, though.”

Jake shook his head. “Close your eyes. I’m going to cast Farsight on you. It’ll be a little disorienting.” He cast the target-touch variant upon Gramok.

Gramok tilted his head. “It’s just like seeing normally. A bit sharper, if anything.”

Like seeing normally? Oh! Jake laughed. “Lucky you. I picked the base segment up from that orc temple. It must have been calibrated to replicate orc vision. Can you read that?”

“Think so. Roughly says, ‘Orcs go boom, book’s in the fire’.”

Fire. The fireplace? Jake swallowed. “Alright. You guys stay back.” He self-cast Absorb and stepped into the room.

Nothing exploded. A good start. He peered into the forge fireplace. Black soot, charcoal, a few magical runes. Was it invisible? He reached down. A leather-bound book greeted his fingers. He smiled, and pulled it out.

He smiled and held it up. “An invisible book. Useful. Hope the dwarves know what to do with it.” He went to put it in his pack, and sighed. “Who wants to carry it?”

Cara slung her pack off her back and shoved it at him. “Don’t blow this one up or I will kill you. Let’s go find that portal core.”

***

“There,” Jake said. “It’ll be hidden under the center of that plaza. I press that rune-key to the ground, say the password, and it’ll teleport up.”

Gramok growled. “I don’t like it. Where are all the dungeon spawn?”

Jake shrugged. “Attacking the dwarves? Besides”—he pointed out at the tiny monkey-like creatures licking up moss—“those guys are in the way.”

“Makarots don’t count.”

Cara held her hand out to the side. They fell silent.

What was that faint tapping sound?

Three giant wolves bounded into the plaza and pounced. Each devoured a makarot in a single bite. The other monkeys scattered, racing for cover.

They didn’t reach it.

What were these things?

Mountain Warg

As one, the wargs turned and leaped in their direction.

Jake readied a firebolt. Gramok charged forward, sword ready.

His first swing decapitated the lead warg. “Kangrat handarn!” His booming voice echoed with power. Claws raked against his armor, a futile gesture of defiance.

“Enkir!” Fire engulfed one. It howled but kept going.

Gramok slammed his shield into the other warg and drove his sword deep with a sickening squelch. It gnawed at his gauntlet, failing to find purchase.

“Enkir!” More fire. A louder howl, cut short by death.

Another swing of Gramok’s sword and the final warg fell dead at his feet. He chuckled. “I thought these dungeons were meant to be dangerous.”

1170 XP received!

Jake nodded slowly. “That was too easy.”

Metal clanked against stone. An icy chill overran the air.

The hairs down Jake’s back rose on end. He froze. His gaze was pulled toward the far end of the plaza.

Two huge red eyes glowed in the shadows. Paws the size of cars plodded forward, dragging broken chains. A wolf, three stories high, with teeth bigger than Gramok.

Jake’s heart twisted. No. Not just any wolf.