The door to the office swung open. Jarrett looked up from a blank leaf of paper. It took a moment to force his eyes to focus on the figure who had entered. Brunette hair pulled back into a warrior’s tail, lean and muscular frame, sharply dressed. It was Hera.

“Jarrett,” she began. Her voice seemed far away. “The vault is open. We need to make some decisions.”

Jarrett leaned back in the chair.

“I’m sorry to pull you out while you’re still unwell, but—”

“It must be done.”

Hera nodded. “I’ve gathered all the other council members.”

“We won’t keep them waiting, then.”

Jarrett’s head spun as he got up. He stumbled across the room and grudgingly accepted Hera’s arm. She supported him out of the house and across the town square, where a group of Vanguardians gathered around a hole in the ground at the base of the now broken statue. Jarrett wanted to investigate, but he couldn’t keep the council waiting.

They made their way to the town hall, at the edge of the square. Rosewood used to be governed by a different council before the Vanguard took leadership of the town. They still met in the same place, but things worked much differently now. It wasn’t all small-town drama and harvest celebrations. They had military decisions to make, first and foremost. They entered the council-room, and three council members were already seated, as Hera promised.

On one side were two men. There was Rohan, who was big and bald, a sturdy presence in the Vanguard. He was often silent, and always watching. He was the only mage on the council. Jarrett often wished there were more mages in the Vanguard in general—magic was their main advantage over Riordan’s forces. Unfortunately, it was difficult to recruit mages before they were uncovered by soldiers, or good enough at hiding that the Vanguard couldn’t find them either.

Next to Rohan was Leon, a boisterous fellow, at least in the good times. Currently, his face was pulled into a scowl. His beard was uncharacteristically unkempt. His sister had been one of the many to fall during the battle.

Opposite them sat Korene. She was small compared to the other council members. Her strength came not from physical prowess, but from her intelligence. She had chopped her hair short since the last time he’d seen her. Her expression was neutral but she avoided his gaze. Maybe she was still angry at him for agreeing to work with the Ravens. If so, he couldn’t blame her.

Hera took her place next to Korene. Of the four, Hera was the youngest. She was eighteen; Jarrett had watched her grow up the past few years. When she first came to the Vanguard, she was a timid girl, recently orphaned. The young woman she had grown into had some teeth.

Jarrett’s eyes landed on the empty chair at the head of the table. It should have been Morgane’s spot. Now, it was his. Emotion welled up in his chest. He’d spent the last two weeks licking his wounds and mourning the fallen, including their beloved leader. His best friend. Now it was time for him to be strong, for the Vanguard. Jarrett straightened his back and took his seat.

“So,” he said. “The vault?”

“We finished what the soldiers started,” Leon said. “All those layers of the crystal under that statue… those explosives would have come in handy. It wasn’t easy, and I’m not sure we should have done it but, it’s open.”

“Has anyone gone in yet?” Jarrett asked.

“No,” Hera said. “We were waiting for you.”

“We’re giving the Ravens exactly what they want.” Korene’s hands were clenched tightly in front of her. “I still think we should have left it be. But now that it’s open, we can’t just hand over whatever’s inside.”

“If they take away the artifact,” Rohan said, “then the Tyrant won’t have any reason to send more soldiers here. They’ll be busy chasing the Ravens instead. Wasn’t the whole point to pin everything on them anyway? We can continue gathering strength until we’re ready to launch our strike.”

“From what little the Ravens have told us, the artifact is meant to combat Riordan,” Hera said. She spoke confidently, but Jarrett thought he heard a slight tremor underneath. “They want to take him down too. With this weapon and our forces combined, maybe we have a chance. It might be our only chance. We have to take it.”

“You want to keep working with them?” Korene slammed a fist down. “You’re naive if you think they can be trusted. They’ve proved they can’t be—”

“Morgane knew the risks,” Hera said. “I wish we had her back, Korene. I really do. But the Ravens obviously believe that these artifacts, these weapons, whatever they are—they’re our path to defeating the Tyrant. Bringing down a god. If they’re right, it could change everything. We can’t let her death be in vain.”

Korene slumped back in her chair. Her face was red. Rohan and Leon exchanged worried glances.

Hera leaned in toward the other woman. “It was Riordan’s soldiers that killed Morgane. Remember that. My revenge will be killing them, not taking it out on the Ravens.”

“Jarrett,” Leon said. “You’re quiet. What do you think of all this?”

Jarrett took a deep breath, held it for a moment, then exhaled it forcefully. “This argument is pointless until we know what is actually in the vault, if anything at all. That was the whole reason for opening it in the first place. It’s important enough that Riordan wants this artifact, either to use or destroy. We can’t just take what the Ravens tell us at face value. So.” He stood. Vertigo was still taking him off-kilter, but he managed to force himself into balance as he left the council-room.

The others filtered out behind him. Hera caught up to him, obviously keeping an eye in case he stumbled. He was grateful that she didn’t offer more active assistance in front of the others.

The town square was empty of the normal hustle and bustle. Jarrett had avoided coming here since the battle, and it seemed he wasn’t the only one. Normally, they’d be throwing all sorts of summer celebrations around now, making the best of the few warm months they had. No one was in the mood for that sort of cheer right now.

He did his best to avert his gaze from the bloodstains on the stone pavement. The darkened blotches grew more numerous as they approached the center of the square, where the statue of Riordan laid face-down, an arm broken off. The small crowd was still there, guarding the vault and eager to see what they’d sacrificed so much to uncover.

Where the statue had once stood there was now a gaping hole, surrounded by stones that had been stripped away from beneath the sculpture, as well as shards of clear crystal. From what Jarrett had been told, once the pavement had been lifted up, there was a thick crystal which was incredibly durable, making it difficult to excavate. The cavity that the Vanguard spent the last weeks creating was about four feet across. Jarrett peered down. The layer of crystal was a few feet thick, and after that, there was only darkness below, opening into a cavern of some sort.

“They were mining through the crystal and then suddenly, there was nothing left underneath,” Hera explained. “Darren almost fell down. We don’t know how deep it is, yet.”

“How do we get down?” Jarrett asked.

Leon pointed out a rope ladder anchored to the fallen statue. “We climb.”

“Who wants to go?” Hera asked.

“I’m going down,” Korene said. Her face was still flushed.

“I’ll go first,” Rohan said.

“I think we’re all going,” Jarrett said. He was eager to be the first one down, but it made more sense for a mage to lead the way—plus, Jarrett wasn’t exactly in top condition.

A voice came from behind them. “All of us? Good.”

Jarrett spun around. He immediately regretted the sudden movement, the world kept spinning even after he’d stopped. Leandra had come up behind them.

It took Jarrett everything in him to keep his voice even vaguely civil. “You aren't welcome here.”

“We saved you from complete destruction, yet we’re supposed to stand aside and let you take the spoils?” Leandra crossed her arms. “That isn’t happening.”

“You told us there were no strings attached for your aid.”

“But now you don’t want our help. You want to do it all alone, don’t you?”

Hera added in softly, “Well, that hasn’t exactly been decided yet—”

Leandra’s eyes were locked on Jarrett. “He is easy to see through. Perhaps he hasn’t laid it out for you yet, but he’s made his decision.”

Jarrett lost control of his measured tone. “Fae let our leader die. She could have shielded her, but she didn’t. Morgane is dead. Gone. Now you want us to keep working with you? No.”

“Fae prioritized—under the heat of battle no less. You don’t understand what is below our feet at this very moment. It can change the tide, put us at an advantage against Riordan. Some of your compatriots can see that already. Your reason is clouded by your loss, Jarrett.”

“No. You only care about your own interests, not ours.”

“You know nothing of the weapon below. Many of your forces were taken down, many of your warriors were left injured. We have mages and knowledge. We’re on the same side. You need us.”

“We’ll make it work. We always have.” Jarrett was done with this. “Rohan, let’s go. The rest of you—stay up here, and make sure the Raven does as well.”

The atmosphere was tense as Jarrett’s orders were obeyed. Rohan summoned an orb of light, which floated next to him as he took the rope and began to descend into the vault. Leandra stood by, arms crossed, her sharp eyes watching the proceedings closely. Korene, in turn, stood close to Leandra, keeping a close watch on her. Leon and Hera just looked concerned, along with the rest of the gathered Vanguardians.

Once Rohan made it partway down, Jarrett wiped his sweaty hands on his pants and began his own descent. He didn’t want to wait until Rohan’s light was too far away. If he was being honest with himself, he shouldn’t be exerting himself this much at all. His concussion had been severe and his vertigo was constant. But whatever was in the vault, he needed to see it firsthand.

Jarrett forced himself to breathe steadily as he lowered himself to each successive rung on the ladder. He tried to not look anywhere. Especially not down. It was a long time before his foot reached a solid surface. It was unexpected, and he was shaking from both effort and nervous tension, so he almost lost his balance before Rohan grabbed his shoulders to steady him. Jarrett thanked him quietly. Rohan fed his light more energy so they could better assess their surroundings.

They were at the bottom of a deep, circular cavern. The jagged walls of the cavern consisted of the clear crystal, shimmering and reflecting everywhere that Rohan’s light hit it. The floor was crystal as well, but was smooth and glass-like. Looking up at the hole that they had climbed down from, Jarrett estimated that they were around fifty feet below-ground.

The crystal almost looked almost like ice, making the warmth of the cavern seem odd. Jarrett’s skin tingled. The air around him felt heavy.

Though the cavern was deep, it was not wide—maybe three arm-spans across. The rope dangled from about the center of it. There were a series of pedestals in a ring around where Jarrett and Rohan now stood. The pedestals were likewise made of crystal; jagged sides, smooth tops. Jarrett counted six of them.

He circled the cave, inspecting each one. On each pedestal laid an identical longsword. The hilts were wrapped with leather, but otherwise, from tip to pommel, appeared to be made of the same crystal as everything else in the cavern. Circling around to the last pedestal, he realized that not all of them held a weapon—one was left bare.

“So there isn’t just one,” Rohan commented. “Five artifacts, if that’s what these are.”

Five potential weapons to fight Riordan with. Excitement rushed through Jarrett’s veins. He stepped towards one of the pedestals that held a weapon, and reached out to pick up the sword.

Rohan grabbed his wrist before he could. “Don’t touch it.”

Jarrett shook his hand free. “Why?”

“Magic. This whole cavern is seeped in it.”

“Is that bad? Dangerous?”

“I don’t know. Could be.” Rohan looked around the cavern, a worried glint in his eye. “You aren’t a mage but, can you feel it?”

Jarrett’s skin was still prickling. It almost felt as if there was a breeze. Impossible, of course. “Yes.”

“I think it’s the crystal. I feel magic… flowing through it. Pummeling through it.” Rohan paused. “It’s unnerving.”

“Agreed. However, I’d like to see what Morgane died for.”

This time, Rohan didn’t stop him as he reached for the sword. A jolt ran through him as his fingers made contact with the hilt. He gripped the weapon tightly as he lifted it. It had some weight to it, but was lighter than he expected—the crystal, while evidently quite strong from how long it took the Vanguard to break through the crust into the vault, lacked the heft of metal. He took some tentative swings with it while Rohan watched stiffly.

Jarrett shrugged. “It’s a sword. I’m not sure what magic properties it may have, though I assume it has some.”

“I’m not sure either. Should we take it back up with us?”

“Seems safer down here. Especially with Ravens above.”

“Then let’s go back up. I’ll assemble a team of mages to come down and see what we can figure out.”

Jarrett grunted his approval. Rohan motioned for Jarrett to ascend first and he obliged. He would be happy to get out of this hole. The climb back up was harder than down, though. Halfway up, darkness started to creep in on the edges of Jarrett’s vision. Pausing, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. For once he wished he wasn’t so stubborn. It hadn’t been a great idea for him to come down here.

Rohan called from below, “You alright?”

Before Jarrett could respond, he heard commotion above—yelling from a few voices. His eyes snapped open, but he couldn’t see anything but the bright hole he had climbed down from. One more breath, then he resumed his scramble up the ladder. He powered through the rest of the climb. The uproar subsided by the time he reached the top.

“A little help here,” he called. Someone obliged, a hand reaching down to help pull him over the edge of the hole, back up to safety. He had expected a friendly face to greet him, but as his vision cleared, it was Leandra that he was clasping hands with. He let go and stumbled back, narrowly avoiding falling back down into the cavern, a plummet that would surely kill him.

Around him, his comrades were all prone, most of them unmoving, though a couple were conscious and heaving for air. A primal rage surged through him. “What have you done?”

“Don’t worry. I didn’t kill any of them.” Leandra said calmly, as if that would placate him.

“Do you think this will convince us to work with you? Attacking us?” Jarrett reached for the sword at his waist. Leandra flicked her wrist and a small bolt of energy, flying so fast as to be almost imperceptible, struck Jarrett’s wrist. His sword hand turned heavy and numb.

“Desperate times, desperate measures, and all that. Jarrett, you have to see that the Vanguard cannot do this alone. Without us, you have no idea what that artifact does, or what you’re up against.”

“We’re done with you.”

“That is unfortunate.”

“So what then, you’re taking the artifact by force?” Jarrett wasn’t about to let her know that there was more than one sword in the vault. It did cross his mind that he could give one to her and hoard the rest. And maybe I would have, if she hadn’t just hurt my people.

“I don’t want to force anything. I want to continue being allies.”

Rohan reached the top of the chasm. Jarrett helped him over the edge with the hand that still worked. The one Leandra had struck with magic was still numb.

“Jarrett. Rohan. Please. I know the loss of Morgane struck deep. But we must work together to ensure her life wasn’t given in vain.”

Rohan’s brow was creased in uncertainty. Jarrett had no such hesitations. He had already lost his whole life once. Working with the Ravens felt like forgetting about Morgane, and he couldn’t do that.

“The Ravens value this artifact more than they value our lives,” Jarrett said. “I know the weapon is valuable. But there also needs to be someone left alive to use it. My people aren’t expendable, and we won’t work with those that see us as such.”

“Many more will die throughout Saridian if we don’t act swiftly,” said Leandra. “But still. I see you are in mourning, and I see there will only continue to be strife between the Vanguard and the Ravens if I take the weapon now. I will give you some time. Some. We can’t wait forever for you to come around. And in the meantime, we cannot let you act alone.”

Leandra sauntered off. Jarrett and Rohan set to work checking on their fallen comrades. They were all alive, as Leandra promised, but they were decently battered by her onslaught.

Jarrett wondered if Leandra planned on stopping them from enacting a plan against Riordan without them by using similar force. A fight with the Ravens on their way to fight a god seemed less than ideal. But then, that night, a dense fog rolled in to surround Rosewood from all sides.

Jarrett didn’t need to ask a mage to know that it wasn’t an ordinary fog. The Ravens had devised a way to keep the Vanguard imprisoned in their own homes.