Rania sat crouching on the rooftop late at night, watching the inn pensively. She hadn’t known whether Kethren was lodging at the same inn as when she had been in town last, but after asking the innkeeper while she knew he was at his stall, she confirmed that he would be returning there later. She had been watching the inn very carefully for some hours, but had yet to see the other elf appear. She could have gone to his stall rather than act secretive, yet something told her that it wasn’t a good idea. She didn’t want anyone questioning Kethren about his association with her in case they recognized her as a mercenary. Additionally, Haemon’s warning had encouraged her to be more careful in contacting Kethren again.

She glanced up at the moon and frowned. It was getting quite late. Where could Kethren be this late at night? She shifted so that her weight was more evenly distributed to both of her legs. Down in the street, she could see a patrol of guards walking by, a few of them holding torches, lighting up the dimly lantern-lit street. Deon hadn’t exaggerated the type of security that Keystun was currently experiencing. While Rania knew that she blended in quite well with civilians with her clothing, she knew that her clothing and face still made her stick out in crowds and so she kept to the stinking back alleys while traveling through the city.

Even though I knew I had to come back to Keystun, I am looking forward to leaving as soon as possible, she thought to herself, but I am unsure where to go from here. Part of me wants to force a conversation with Alastair. The problem is, I know that I would be unable to protect myself, even in a crowd. I am certain that he has ways to alter the public’s memory and it would not take even a pause from him. She would never admit to anyone how unnerved she had been at seeing her magic being so carelessly thrown aside as if it were a branch or rock. She had known that Alastair was a powerful sorcerer, although she realized that she hadn’t fully grasped the type of power he possessed. While she needed to see Kethren to gather information, she also felt more pressed to understand the scroll he had given her. I had barely been able to protect Haemon and myself from that attack Alastair had thrown at us, she thought, shuddering as a jolt of fear made her stomach turn with nausea. I was lucky.

Just as Rania pulled her cloak around her more securely, she spotted a familiar figure strolling towards the inn. She paused, tensed, as she peered through the dark. That must be him, she determined. She waited while he went inside the inn and then glanced back up at the moon. Another hour or so and he should be in his room. She settled onto her butt, stretching her legs out, but kept a watch around the inn just in case Kethren decided for some reason to leave. She continued to see a stream of drunken humans enter and exit the inn, but the elf never left the inn after going inside. Once she had felt that she had given him enough to settle in, she pulled the cloak’s hood over her bright hair and stood up, creeping along the roof’s edge. She slipped off, floating down to the ground where she landed softly. She backed up against the wall of the building, listening to ascertain that no one was near before she stepped towards the end of the alley. She waited until the street was empty and then crossed it, pulling her cloak’s hood back and entering the inn.

Her eyes made a quick sweep of the room and satisfied that Kethren wasn’t amongst the people, she navigated her way to the back of the inn where the stairs led up to the rooms. She shot a glance behind her and after finding that the innkeeper and the workers were distracted, she went up the stairs. She could remember exactly which room was his and stepped lightly up to the door, trying the knob. As expected, it was locked. She stepped back and dug out a small, delicate case from beneath her tunic.

Rania considered the lock thoughtfully and then pulled out two thin, angled instruments from the case. Carefully, she bent over and slipped each of them inside. Working quietly, without making a sound, she eased the lock undone and returned the instruments and case. She looked around the corridor before turning the knob and slipping inside. Almost immediately, there was a blast to the right of her head. Expecting such an attack, she had ducked and rolled on the floor, springing up immediately towards where she knew Kethren was standing, knocking into him and bringing them both crashing to the ground. “It’s me, you fool,” she snapped, straddling him and grasping one of his arms to keep him from launching another attack on her.

“Some way of greeting me, breaking into my room,” Kethren told her coldly, although his body relaxed beneath her upon hearing her voice.

“I could say the same to you. You should be thankful I thought you had heard me before I came in or else I would be dead.”

“I think you are the one that should be thankful for your own good sense in that.” He struggled onto his elbows and then reached up, pulling her face close. His mouth was warm and comforting on her own, a startling act that she barely had time to react towards. “What are you doing here?” he asked after the kiss, meeting her eyes seriously in the gloom.

“I have run into some trouble and I need some information.”

“I know,” he said simply, breathing out a soft sigh. “I have already heard of the type of trouble you ran into.”

“Oh?” she murmured, arching a brow. “How could you know?”

“That is not important at the moment. Why did you come to Keystun, knowing the type of danger here?”

“I had no choice. You are the only person who might prove of assistance. Furthermore, that scroll you gave me was useless and I had hoped you would be able to comprehend it better than me. It seems that I will need it.” Kethren’s mouth pursed to a straight, flat line of discontent and she could tell, even as controlled as he was, that he was concerned. Instead of answering her, he framed her face in his hands and pushed his fingers against her scarf, pushing it off her head. She closed her eyes, feeling his lips brush against her chin, moving up to her ear. His teeth caught the tip of her ear and she leaned back, startled at the bite. His grip was a little hard as he pulled her face close to his again.

“I am not able to help you,” he told her quietly.

“Why?” She saw his lips purse again.

“It is not my place to.”

“I am not asking you to do anything for me – ”

“I know, but – ” He suddenly halted and his eyes darkened with irritation. “You are protecting humans. It is unnecessary. Let them die, as they should. It is their fault for meddling in affairs that are not their own.”

“Once again, I ask you – how do you know any of this? There is no way a common passerby could have told you.” She paused, her eyes narrowing on him. “Ezra?”

“No,” he uttered in such a dark tone that she knew she had offended him. His reaction made her insides freeze, realizing that if he felt so strongly against Ezra, there was only one other alternative. She made to jerk away, but he grasped her shoulders and held her tight.

“You and that sorcerer – ” she began, sickened, but he did not allow her to finish as he knocked her against the ground. Stars swam in front of her eyes at the pain of her head hitting the ground as hard as it had. When she was able to see again, she saw that Kethren was kneeling above her, his expression unreadable. “Get off of me,” she ordered, her voice laced with venom. When he did not bother to either move or speak, her mood flared. “I warn you – ”

“You and I both know that you could not do anything to me,” he cut in quite calmly. “If it came down to a fight, I would overpower you. You are not strong enough for this fight, Rania, so let the humans die and go on your way.”

“This is not just about them,” she frostily stated. “I have my own reasons for wanting to follow the mineral forces.” She could tell that she had alarmed him by the way his face worked to control his reaction. As she made to raise her fist against him, he slammed her wrist down on the ground so hard that she bit out a curse, glaring up at him furiously. He seemed equally angry and a little bit frightened, she realized. “Let me go if you are not going to help me.” She could tell that he was struggling for composure, yet he drew away from her, releasing her. She rose to her feet, rubbing her wrist. It was throbbing with pain, yet it seemed he had not broken it. She picked up her scarf and securely tied it around her ears, avoiding looking at him. She made to leave, but paused at the door, glancing behind her at Kethren. “For someone who hates humans so much, you certainly seem loyal to that sorcerer and his brother.”

He had risen to his feet and at her words, he seemed to go still. “You know too much, Rania,” he said instead of returning her jibe.

“It seems I do not know nearly enough.”

It had been two days since Haemon last saw Rania. Cayden had gone to the streets to see if he could gain any useful information about Ezra’s whereabouts while Haemon and Ryker stayed with Deon. Ryker was eager to watch Deon’s blacksmith work, but Haemon found himself restless most times. His understanding had been that Rania was planning to talk to her contact the night they arrived and report back, but she had been gone longer than anticipated. He was sitting outside cutting strips of leather near the stables, thinking this, when he heard a voice call out to him. In a foul mood, he looked up and at first thought he was facing a relation of Rania’s. The man standing in the work yard was wearing a scarf just as Rania did, with similar features and amber eyes, although considerably lighter than hers. Just as Haemon was taking in his appearance, the man seemed to be surveying Haemon and did not appear all too impressed with his appearance. “Can I help you?” Haemon demanded in a mock-polite tone.

“I doubt it,” was the man’s snarky reply.

I hope he’s not related to her, because I already want to hit him in the face. “Then did you need something?”

“You could say that.”

Exasperated, Haemon sighed and set down the leather strips. “Look, if you need a weapon checked, Deon is inside the shop. I just prepare materials.” He pointed to the shop, eager for the man to leave him.

“I was interested to know if your sorceress has been by recently.”

“I couldn’t tell you, I don’t deal with the customers,” Haemon resolutely said, instantly on guard. The man smiled, seeming amused by Haemon’s response.

“Of course not. Usually I would have more fun with this, but I do not have the time. I need to know whether she has been here or not within the past two days. I have some information for her that she needs.” Haemon stared daggers up at the man, not particularly liking him. He rarely had a feeling of instant dislike, but the man’s haughty demeanor and general attitude had managed to get under his skin in less than five minutes. He was fairly certain that was a record.

“That’s nice, I wish I cared enough about your problems to help. If you’re not here for weapons, then move along.”

The man seemed to be debating on whether to continue questioning him when Ryker came outside, calling to Haemon. He stopped when the man turned around to look at him. “Oh...hello,” Ryker greeted, sending a bemused look to Haemon, who was determinedly ignoring the man. “Er, did you need help with mending your weapon, sir?”

“No, I am just looking for someone that I was told might be nearby,” the man said, glancing at Haemon. “Perhaps I should come and see your wares inside.”

“Ah – well – that is...,” Ryker sputtered, taking a step back to block the doorway, looking again at Haemon.

“Let him,” a familiar, feminine voice spoke from behind Ryker, startling him into moving from the door. Rania stepped out from behind him. Haemon frowned at her appearance. She looked exhausted, as if she had not slept since they had arrived in the city. “Were you tracking me?” she asked the man in a cool tone.

“No,” he replied serenely. “I was given information to believe that you would be here.”

“So, you asked your master permission to speak with me about your affairs and he tracked me down for you?” Haemon’s eyebrows rose and even Ryker took a step from her at the sudden ice in her tone. The man, for his part, appeared unaffected and smiled in the face of her cold anger.

“That is certainly one way to interpret it.”

“I am not interested, Kethren. You and your master can play your games elsewhere. I want no part in them.”

“This is no game,” he said with sudden solemnity. “If it were, I promise you that I would be enjoying it far more. Let us all go inside, shall we?” He glanced at Haemon to include him, but Haemon was reluctant to go anywhere with the man named Kethren. Rania, as well, seemed inclined to resist his suggestion. “I am not here to cause problems. I want to help, now that I know I can.”

“How low you have sunk, to play servant to that type of sorcerer,” Rania said with a brittle smile. Kethren returned it with his own, brief smile. The other two felt quite certain they were missing something amidst the ice-laced words exchanged. “But very well. We will get no information elsewhere.” She stepped back inside. Kethren politely waited for Haemon, looking to him inquiringly. Frowning, Haemon stood up and followed him and Ryker inside. Deon was in the shop working and barely gave them a second glance as they trooped upstairs to the living area. Rania settled on a divan, crossing her leg over the other, folding her arms over her chest. Haemon ended up sitting next to her while Ryker remained standing behind them, watching Kethren warily.

“Alright, so who is this?” Haemon asked without preamble. Rania smiled at his brevity and nodded her pointed chin towards Kethren, who had taken a seat across from them at the other divan.

“This is my contact, Kethren. I have had a few instances where he has sold me some useful information. He is also Alastair’s contact for his brother. He has made himself quite the commodity lately.”

“I apologize for the way I acted when you came to see me before,” Kethren spoke up, taking note of the insult. “I would not be here if I did not feel regret for how that had played out. I certainly would not have asked permission to share information with you, either.”

“The fact that you have to ask permission is pathetic given your stance towards certain things – and your opinion of my own recent actions.”

“That is suited for a more private discussion, but I am not here to argue. Alastair seems to think you – and even these wretched bandits – will be useful.” He glanced at Haemon and Ryker, both of whom bristled. “Even though I find it unlikely that they will be of much help, I am willing to overlook that in order to rectify my behavior from last time.”

“Wait, what the hell is going on?” Haemon interrupted roughly, raising his hands as though to physically halt their quibbling. “Why does Alastair even have a contact within the city?”

“My understanding is that Alastair’s brother is not able to move freely near the city, so he chose Kethren to pass messages to Alastair. And, it seems that both Alastair and his brother are after the mineral forces. Am I correct in this?” Rania looked to Kethren for confirmation. He seemed ill at ease at her knowledge, but nodded.

“Medarin is Alastair’s brother’s name. I doubt that you will have heard of him, but he was run out of Keystun a long time ago and had been in hiding. The king wanted him dead, out of Sorra forever. Because of the family dynamics, Alastair was never connected to Medarin and was able to live a peaceful life. Fynn knows that Alastair is set to resist him, but does not know why, so he is safe from the king for now at least.” Kethren paused thoughtfully. “Medarin is a fine sorcerer to serve – and extremely powerful. He is aware of things within Nature that most are not – that is why I have deemed it necessary to serve him.”

“But what’s this got to do with that damn crystal?” Haemon demanded.

“I am sure that Rania has explained to you about the mineral forces?”

“No,” Rania cut in quickly, “I have not.”

Kethren turned his gaze to her for an almost excruciatingly long moment and she met his gaze unwaveringly. Haemon frowned, glancing between the two. It unnerved him how alike they appeared. While Rania had softer features, Kethren was all angles and seemed almost thinner because of his height. His hair, however, was the same colour, yet somewhat shorter than her own. His eyes were lighter than hers, narrower, and Haemon had a strange feeling that Kethren might have been a bit older than Rania. There was something akin to age in his face, without there being any aged lines or other discernable signs. Nonetheless, their manner of speaking and general appearance made Haemon fairly certain they had to at least be from the same family tree.

“I see,” Kethren said at last. “Very well. Please listen carefully, then, thieves, because this is important to even your everyday life. Mineral forces are, in essence, the cause of the sudden disruption within Sorra. They are mineral crystals that were sunk deep within the earth, in ancient underground cities within the Tilusian Mountains. The cities, long forgotten, were lost when Sorra’s ancestors used their powers to bury them, to keep the mineral forces safe. They believed that they would cause destruction on the world and while the exact details are unknown, there were many wars and deaths that were caused because people of all races coveted the mineral forces. While we are not yet sure how it happened, one – or all – of the crystals seemed to react underground and caused a great cataclysm within the magical spheres. Those with great powers were able to sense it – and recognize it for what it was. Unfortunately, this included Fynn. Alastair came upon the crystal quite by accident. But since he did, he knew that this type of power could not be possessed by Fynn, who was already eager to begin a corrupt political system in Sorra.”

“How are they able to recognize the crystals?” Ryker asked in confusion. “Or would they just feel it as another magical power?”

“Something akin to that, I imagine. They knew it was not human, but a power belonging to Nature. The mineral forces are strong, unknown forces that capture and release the power of Nature. There is very little known about the forces. Our ancestors never wanted them released out into the world again.”

“And...Alastair and Medarin...they’re trying to find these crystals?” Haemon questioned, frowning.

“Yes, but there is much more happening here on the surface than you can imagine. First, there is the issue with the mercenaries. Someone else is trying to overthrow the system that is escaping all of our notice, which is rare. I can promise you that if they had not been so well hidden, I would have found them. While the mercenaries are being persecuted, the actual person who has been giving the orders to them is unknown. Additionally, there is the problem of the Yarvuul Woods and also the trolls and goblins. Many of these trolls and goblins were contained within the mountains, but there are other creatures that were awakened from underground. The Yarvuul Woods was once a wretched battlefield and the dead were never truly put to rest. The creatures that reside within there are the remnants of the dead. Humans and other races alike have all become those creatures. The trolls and goblins, while stupid, lowly creatures, could sense the unease within Nature and responded in fear, leaving the place they had been caught in to move. Some were driven into madness from the feeling and attacked without question.”

“And the other creatures?”

“I am not sure what they are...but I do know that they feed on young children. They rely on the feelings that children give off – innocent, full, and without corruption. Otherwise, they seem to be blind and deaf. They rarely respond to adults unless they give off a pure, full feeling. Pure, expressive fear, unfortunately, seems to give off the smell that they follow. I have come upon some men that bear the same marks as those killed by those creatures.”

“And the mineral forces caused all of this?” Ryker asked, shocked.

“As I said, they are full of power, which in the wrong hands could be truly disastrous.” While Haemon and Ryker absorbed this, horrified at the information, Kethren turned to Rania, saying, “You have been remarkably quiet throughout all of this.”

“This is quite a bit to take in,” she responded steadily, but Haemon noticed that she seemed paler than her usual healthy, peach colouring. Haemon was having trouble grasping everything that Kethren had said as is, but Rania seemed to be having an even worse time with it. As self-centered as he was, wondering at how he had managed to get himself mixed up in such a colossal of a mess, he was somewhat concerned on behalf of Rania. He was accustomed to her cool-headed rationality rather than this reaction.

To divert Kethren’s attention from her, Haemon spoke up, “So, what do you all intend to do? Search for the crystals?”

Obligingly, Kethren looked to him and inclined his head. “My job here is to keep a watch on Fynn and track his actions. Alastair is doing all that he can to resist Fynn and keep him from corrupting the dukes and the system too much in order to keep the people safe. Medarin, however, has been trying to search for the crystals within the mountains, thinking they may have risen up to the surface as this one did. Recently, however, he has had some trouble that is making it more difficult for him to move around. It seems it has been proceeding better, though, so there is hope still.”

“And Alastair expects us to help.”

“He thinks you could be of help. He does not expect you to do anything, he just sees no point in getting rid of functioning resources.”

“That’s cheerful.” Haemon leaned back, glaring. “Pass this message on – one of his resources said to fuck off.”

“I am sure he will enjoy it,” Kethren replied mildly, an amused spark entering his eyes. “Whether you decide to join us or not makes no difference, but I should tell you that the group that took care of the rest of your bandits is commanded by Fynn and he will stop at nothing to kill you to make sure you do not have the crystal. Since you returned the crystal to Alastair, you have unwittingly distracted Fynn from his real target. You are already involved, whether you like it or not.”

“You know, I don’t think I asked for your gods-be-damned opinion. I’m fully aware what type of situation I’m involved in right now, thanks.”

“We don’t have the type of manpower to handle Ezra,” Ryker interrupted before Kethren was given a chance to deliver another unsatisfying reply. “Even if we wanted to do something about them, there’s no way we can. We might be seen as a distraction, but she killed our leader. There’s no way we’re leaving here until he’s avenged.”

“I think your other thief will be able to handle that part just fine,” Kethren said. “If not, I have a few connections that can assist in that area. I intended to take care of that while I was in the city, anyway. Ezra is a complication and she has been throwing black magic all over the place. The city is starting to reek of it and too much of that can breed unwanted creatures in the stones. They did not train her properly, just enough to make her feel powerful.” He shook his head in disgust. “They should know better, giving someone like her that type of power.”

“She’s imbalanced already,” Ryker mumbled. “Won’t this make it worse?”

“More than you can imagine.”

The room fell silent with each of them absorbing the monumental information Kethren had delivered. Haemon was possessed by an unfounded irritation towards Kethren and even though he knew that he would have to deal with the man now that he had helped them so much, he was truly reluctant to do so. There was a certain manner of his that made Haemon loathe him and he was not particularly fond of the way Kethren kept looking to Rania questioningly, as if there was something between them that nobody else should know about. It made him more protective of her and more aggressive towards the other male. He did not much like playing friends with Alastair’s servant, either. While he was sure that Kethren felt his reasons were justified, Haemon could never imagine himself serving a sorcerer for any reason.

Abruptly, Kethren rose to his feet, saying, “I will let you sit on this information for now – relay it to your other companion – and you can come to me when you have decided what you want to do. You will know where to find me. Rania, if I may, can I have a word?” She slanted a look at him, but stood up wordlessly and followed him downstairs.

“I don’t like him,” Haemon instantly told Ryker, who had rounded the divan to collapse where Rania had been. His friend merely nodded, blowing out a long breath.