“Where are we now?” Jack whispered as they walked down the narrow passageway. Greg held the lantern over his head as the companions pressed together in the small pool of light.

“I’m not sure,” Braiden said.

Jack tried not to imagine tons of rock over his head, pressing down on him. He had never been claustrophobic but was starting to understand the phobia. Greg drew in a ragged breath beside him.

“Keep walking,” Braiden said. “Movement will help.”

The damp stone walls muted their shuffling footsteps. Maybe they would be cursed to walk in this dark cave forever, Jack thought. Darean would take delight in their eternal suffering, watching them from a crystal ball, showing it to his followers for entertainment.

“Stop,” Sarathen said. Pete grunted as he stumbled into Greg and Graves spun on her heel, pointing her weapon behind them.

“A noise behind us,” Graves whispered.

“Yes,” Sarathen said.

Braiden glided past her and disappeared into the blackness.

“And a light up ahead,” Jack said.

“Keep moving, Braiden will investigate the noise. Greg, turn off the light,” Sarathen said. After a moment of hesitation, Greg turned the dial and plunged them into darkness. Their only guide was the faint light up ahead. In the soft glow, he imagined Sarathen’s face as it had been before, round and tan, surveying a battle scene with him as they rode in a transport or walked through a war-torn city. How many times had she had saved his life?

He pulled his battle cloak around him and shifted his gaze away from her, hoping she had not noticed. That was a long time ago. Those were someone else’s memories. And she was bonded to Braiden now, and he was bonded to Ann.

“It is probably the other gateway,” Sarathen said, stepping closer to him as they walked. He gripped his totem and nodded. What had they been to each other after the Burn? Or during the Origin War?

“We’re here,” Graves said, moving ahead to inspect the light source. The tunnel came to an abrupt end, leaving the companions standing in front of a painted wall. It was perfectly smooth stone with what looked like a room illustrated on it. Jack saw no creases or grooves, nothing to break the three-dimensional effect of it. As he was studying the image, the candle on the wall flickered.

“What is that?” Pete asked.

“It looks like a 4k monitor,” Greg said. But Jack knew better. This was a gateway. The room was a circle shape with polished wooden paneled walls that changed to large stone bricks just above waist level. A single candle burned on a stand beside two massive front doors. Jack wondered where the rest of the light was coming from. Two curving staircases wound up either side of the room, ending behind his point of view. From his vantage point, he couldn’t make out the ceiling. There was a doorway in front of each stairway. The flickering yellow light was casting shadows on everything, making it hard to get a clear sense of the room. He wondered if the light was coming from a natural source or if it was a product of the gateway.

“There’s a fire in there,” Pete said, “that’s why the light and shadows are shifting. We make effects like that with lights for the plays at school.”

“We’re probably seeing the room through the fireplace,” Sarathen said, “that’s where we’ll come out.”

“That makes sense,” Jack said.

“It does?” Pete asked.

“Considering the circumstances, yes,” Greg said. His anxiety was easy to sense, and Pete’s excitement was growing. Graves’ determination was a solid stone resting in the center of her being. She knew they were going into another fight. When Jack searched for Sarathen, his senses slid right past where she should be. Nothing.

“I’ll go first,” Sarathen said. Thick strands of blue electricity leaped from the floor to her hand, twisting up her arm, as a slightly curved blade spun to life. Jack wondered what her totem was. “I will kill Darean quickly if I can, and any Shi around him.”

“And I’ll find Ann,” Jack said. She looked at him with a level gaze, and he wondered what she was thinking, or feeling. What did she know that he did not?

“Follow, one at a time,” she continued as if he had not spoken. “He knows we’re coming, but hopefully not when. If things don’t go well, find an exit and run.” The flickering light shone off her blue hair and Jack felt a wicked grin take shape. She narrowed her eyes in response, showing her teeth.

“I don’t think you’re good with subtle,” Jack said. Her smile broadened.

“There is a lot you don’t know, Jack,” she said.

“The Order is behind us,” Braiden said from the darkness. Jack nearly impaled himself on Sarathen’s blade as he jumped. “Three of them have stepped through the gateway already,” he continued, ignoring Jack’s surprise. “They will move toward us soon.”

“Did you see a boy with a bowl haircut and an older high priest with a balding head?” Jack asked.

“I’m not sure. I had to keep my distance,” Braiden said.

“So we’re trapped between Darean and the Order?” Graves asked.

“It would appear so,” Braiden said.

“We might as well get started,” Sarathen said. With a twisted grin, she turned back to the wall and stepped into the room as if the stone were a simple doorway. Following her, Jack placed his hand on the stone carefully and was surprised to feel the heat but no solid mass. He sucked in a deep breath and pushed his fingers through, then his arm, then the rest of his body. He was momentarily disoriented and lost his balance, stumbling forward.

Racked by sudden nausea, he fought to keep the contents of his stomach from coming up. A second later he was on hands and knees, gripping a thick rug in front of a raging fire. Drool formed at the corners of his mouth as his stomach cramped and he fought against dry heaves.

“Are you finished?” Janile asked.

Jack blinked back tears and pulled himself to his feet with Braiden’s help. He could hear retching and strangled moans behind him. Was it like this after the first gateway? Maybe falling unconscious wasn’t so bad.

“Aren’t you glad the travel was short through this gateway child? The farther ones are even worse,” Darean said with a sigh. “Some weaker souls don’t have the stomach for traveling, I’m afraid.” He stood across the room. Jack tried to focus on the room through his tears. Janile was on the right and Darean stood to the left. A great fire crackled and popped behind them. Chains hung on the wall beside Darean with large black manacles dangling from thick rings. Ann had been here. He could feel her presence and remembered the pain in her arms and wrists.

“I’m going to kill you, Darean,” Jack said, wiping his mouth slowly, pushing himself away from Braiden. Sarathen put her hand out, warning him to stay back, but he ignored her and stepped in front of the group.

“You said that already,” Darean said with a sneer. “I know it was you inside the girl, Saeb, and you’ve been trying to kill me for thousands of years. You will fail tonight just like all the times before.”

“Above,” Sarathen said. Jack reached out with his emotions to find people and Nost on the second floor in the open walkway above and behind them. He didn’t take his eyes from Darean.

“You are surrounded,” Janile said.

“The humans are not to be harmed, Darean,” a woman said from the second floor.

“Under the Nost Accords,” said a man’s voice, deep and rich.

Darean inclined his head slightly. “As we agreed, humans will be guided by Shu on earth and coddled in Haven by the Shen,” he said. “But I will deal with these traitors here and now.” He glared at Sarathen and Braiden.

“You are the traitors,” Sarathen said, raising her voice and tilting her head to the balcony above. “You have abandoned the human race for your own salvation. The Shen council is corrupt.”

“It is no longer a council of light,” Braiden said. “It is no better than the Shu.” Jack imagined acid dripping from the man’s words.

“But we still fight for the light,” Sarathen said.

“The Army of Light is gone, Sarathen, and your vows along with it. Set aside this foolishness and see reason.” A new woman’s voice, raspy and taught with anger. “You are traitors to your own race.”

“Watch Darean,” Jack whispered. Sarathen nodded. Turning, he swept his gaze to the second story. A railing circled the open space above them, and behind it stood at least thirteen figures, many just outlines in the shadows. Some wore battle cloaks, while others wore t-shirts and jeans or business suits.

“I am the way to the Isle, without me your Nost Accords do not happen,” Jack said, holding up his totem. “I have bonded in this life and can activate the gateway.” He hoped that was true.

“You are a fanatic who must be stopped,” a blond-haired woman in her middle years said. She wore a dark business suit with a tan shirt. He reached out with his emotions but could not sense her. He couldn’t sense any of them. His heart raced. How could he fight thirteen Shen, a Shu, and his followers? He couldn’t even conjure his own totem. He felt someone try to probe his mind. Jack slammed a mental shield up without knowing how he did it.

“You cannot resist us,” a man said, standing next to her. He wore jeans and a plain red sweater. The battle cloak resting on his shoulders looked out of place. “Your time is past General of the Light and your madness has done enough harm. You will take us to the Isle of Song and we will complete the Nost Accords. We will finally end this war.”

“And you claim to care about the humans with me?” Jack said, trying to keep his voice steady. “The Shu will have camps up across the globe, human slaves, torture, experimentation, the Shu will—”

“We will treat the humans with compassion, child. Our facilities will be voluntary and humane and there are only six of us left, so I doubt we will take over the world anytime soon.” Darean said, chuckling. “It is time to end this senseless struggle.”

“Don’t call me child, you’re not Jode or Millae, no matter how badly you want to be,” Jack said, lowering his eyes to Darean. He willed his blade to form and strands of blue-white electricity leaped from the floor and engulfed his hand, but the weapon would not come.

“Your totem is very powerful,” Darean continued, the corners of his mouth turning up. “You crafted it after the Burn.” Darean let the smile broaden as he watched Jack struggle to summon his blade. “I know everything. You see, I proposed the Nost Accords once I discovered the truth. After I killed you and your little Army of Light soldiers the first time.” Darean raised his eyes to the Shen on the balcony above. “After he tried to murder me. Luckily, Lily, may she find peace in Haven, was there to help me fend off his unprovoked attack.”

Sarathen snorted. “You’re a monster,” she said.

Darean sighed and shifted his gaze to her. “So much has changed since the Origin War, Sarathen. For ages, you tracked us down after the Burn, but when Saeb, the Shu hunter, the god of war, was finally destroyed, what happened? Did the remaining Shu plunge the world into fire and ash? No. You, and Saeb, and your Army of Light already did that. We want nothing more than to save this planet from the humans who continue to destroy the environment and each other. We learned our lesson. Why can’t you?”

“Lies,” Braiden said as he shifted his staff from one hand to the other.

“Without Shu to provide structure and control, there will be no peace. And soon, if left to the humans and their greed, there will be no life on the planet. They are plundering resources faster than they realize or care. It is time for Saeb to stop his self-inflicted curse of rebirth and take us to the Isle of Song!”

“That’s why I never rest in Haven,” Jack whispered. “It’s why I never found Tara in Haven to plan our rebirth. If I bond, you can find the Isle of Song through me, so I never stay in Haven.”

“You flash through Haven only to start your tortured existence all over again. And for what?” Darean said, narrowing his eyes at Jack. “To keep us from the Isle of Song? If you want to keep everyone away, why not destroy your totem or stay in Haven? You seek power once again, you—”

“Because he can’t!” Sarathen said. With her head tilted toward the second floor, she raised her voice, “he can’t do anything else because it’s not a self-inflicted curse. ONUS will not let him stay in Haven. He is ejected each time he dies and is sent back to the physical.”

“How can you know?” one of the Shen asked.

“Why would ONUS do that?” the woman with the gravelly voice asked. Jack felt dizzy and his stomach turned. Could that be true?

“I have searched for Saeb and found him in more lives than I can remember. Each time we try to break the cycle of his rebirth,” Sarathen said, but we can’t.

“And you died for him, didn’t you,” Darean said, sneering. “All three of you died when you tried to murder me. You lost your power as real Shen. Isn’t it time to let this go?”

“Do you think he will stop his hunt for the Lab?” Sarathen raised her voice. “For Jode? He plots even now, I am sure!” Her red eyes glowed, filling with blood. Lightning danced up and down her blade.

“Delusions,” Darean said, taking a step forward. His blue suit rippled with power, and Jack wondered if it was like his battle cloak. Power crashed over him in waves and he stumbled backward. Someone was trying to break through his shield. “The oaths we swear at the Pool of Consciousness will seal the Nost Accords. You want only chaos and power!”

“Where is Ann? Bring her to me!” Jack shouted. He could not tell which of the Nost was pushing his mental guard, but the attack was strong. Darean studied him for a moment before smoothing his features, and shadowy figures glided out of both doorways an instant later.

“This is not the way we intended to sign the Nost Accords, but here we are,” Darean said. Five figures stepped into the room, two holding Ann’s limp form between them. Jack took a step toward her but was held back by an unseen hand. The air seemed to pressurize around him, and the assault on his mental shield ceased. Beads of sweat slid down his forehead.

He studied the six figures around the room. Six Shu Lords and a Nostshi standing with the Shen council. How could he survive this? Or, more importantly, how could he keep them from reaching the Isle of Song?

“Is this girl Tara?” a deep-voiced man asked from the railing above.

“I cannot tell,” Darean said.

“Tara agreed to download and find Saeb. If he is finally bonded, then it must be her,” another woman said.

They sent her to find him? She agreed? He thought of Tara’s voice as she sang mercy into the world at the Pool of Consciousness. Humans paid tribute to her as the goddess of mercy for centuries after the Burn. She had been his salvation. When he arrived at the Isle of Song, she was the only Shen, besides Sarathen and Braiden, who would sit with him around the pool. When he left the Isle, Tara’s song kept him sane as he hunted Shu. At least, that’s how Saeb remembered it. Why would she betray him now?

“Oh, my love,” a gleeful voice rang out from the corridor. Stepping out from the darkness beyond, Lily smiled at him. A strand of black hair hung lazily down her cheek. Jack stumbled backward. Power erupted, cascading around the room. Jack’s vision danced with angry red and black streaks. He blocked the colors out and stared into Lily’s rose-colored eyes. She made no attempt to shield herself or her emotions from him.

“We all betray.” Lily’s voice was silk, billowing in the wind. Red and purple waves of love and hate swirled out from her in a mist, weaving a pattern as it floated toward him. A warm smile played across her bright red lips. How many times had he been in her presence since Jode took her from him? A handful at most and one of those times she drove a dagger through his heart.

She is not in my head, Jack told himself. She cannot be. His gaze drifted to the floor, and he lifted a hand to his forehead, grasping his temples. Lily’s madness is not mine, the Origin War is over. I am not the god of war. I am bonded to Ann. Has she betrayed me too? I am alone. I am in control. My name is Jack. Jode’s remnant is gone.

“You murmur like a madman already,” Lily purred.

Heat crept into Jack’s face and he wondered how much he said out loud. He glanced at Sarathen behind him and saw worried red eyes, then down at Ann’s limp form before straightening to meet Lily’s gaze. He stared fiercely at her and said, “I’m not mad. Not again.” He glanced back at his friends. “I’m not.”

With a pale, delicate hand, Lily reached up and caressed Ann’s hair from behind.

“This was not the agreement Darean,” the Nost in the business suit said from above.

Blood swirled in Lily’s rose-colored eyes as she glanced up to the balcony.