Air crept through the slender gaps under the doors behind Mirio as he stared into the dark caverns ahead. They appeared in part to be a natural formation of caves that were retrofitted to become hallways and passages deep into the heart of the mountain.

“What kind of secrets are you guys hiding in here anyway?” he let out under his breath to Gladly.

“The mountain is a strategic advantage in both attack and retreat. And if worse comes to worse, just like the hole under the iron gate, it can help with movement of troops and provide a safe place to plan next moves, even after the city has fallen” Gladly said as he cast his fingers forward to light up the torches on the walls.

“Well, we shouldn’t linger, do you know where they went?” Mirio said as looking down three cavernous paths.

The shadows flickered upon the red stone walls as the court mages confidently strode down a side chamber.

“Lucky for us, the court mages are trained in scrying spells,” Gladly said as he smirked and nudged Mirio’s leg to follow.

“Scrying can work even in caves like this?”

“Thousands of years ago the art wasn’t as developed as it is today. It started as a spell that required you to possess something of the person you wished to see, or a focusing object. Now however, if no warding spells are in place, there are methods to see almost anywhere”

“So court mages can check in on anyone? Isn’t that… Almost too powerful”

“Outside of stratum unica spells, there is no spell more powerful” Gladly said as he stroked his chin.

“You can’t kill what you can’t see?”

“That is part of it. But it is also a means of accountability, and communication. It serves as a means to have dominion over one’s kingdom, and aids in spycraft to stop plots of one’s enemy before they can create incidents that incite all out war”

“Back in the Vale I was told that the last war of the kingdoms was thousands of years ago. Are you telling me a large part of that is this spell?”

“Let me pose it to you like this. When a thief sneaks into someone’s home, why does he do it at night?”

“Are you saying war is something nations don’t want to get caught trying to start?”

“With twelve kingdoms out there, do you really want to be singled out as the only troublemaker?” Gladly said before turning the corner.

Mirio stepped over a boulder and looked up at the cavern roof from where it had fallen.

*Looks like they haven’t maintained this place for a thousand years*

“So, if no one wants to be seen as the trouble maker, why is the southern kingdom breaking the peace?”

“Well that is just it. While the kingdoms technically haven’t waged wars for a thousand years. In a sense, they have never stopped fighting. It just happens behind the scenes now. Rainal grew up aware of spycraft, taught by his father from a young age, he saw it first hand and even has suspicions that his father’s illness is not of natural means”

“So he wants to make it an open fight? No matter how many more people will be involved when he does?”

“Involving people in it is probably his point” Gladly said as he skipped deftly through a half collapsed passage.

“Looks like these passages haven’t been maintained in about a thousand years either” Mirio scoffed as he squeezed through two enormous boulders with a huff.

“Ha!” Gladly snorted back, “You are likely right”

Gladly stopped just up ahead, as the ground fell away to reveal an enormous cavern filled with magical light.

“Whoa” Mirio said as he stopped by Gladly’s side, “What is this place?”

Crystals spanned the walls like the insides of a geode. Light purple in color and humming with magical energy, they stirred up the air like before a thunderstorm. Mirio gazed upon them with his ordinary eyes at first, and then slowed.

He let the gentle wafts of air in the chamber settle upon the fine hairs of his skin, and let his mind slip into a trance. His pupils grew wide as he stretched his senses into the world winds.

Mirio froze in place as his pupils dilated wide. His eyes shook in terror as he saw a dark churning mass at the center of the cavern, drawing in magic from the crystals all around it.

“I-is that giant black mass meant to be there?”

“What? Where?” Gladly said as peering out into the cavern in the direction of Mirio’s gaze.

“Right in the center of the cavern”

“I don’t see anything”

Mirio turned behind him to sense two other beings further around the bend. He could sense their divine souls, disguised as they were.

*Why are they following…*

“Come on Mirio, they shouldn’t be much further, we have to get there before the black hand finish preparations for a long range spell”

Mirio blinked rapidly and shook himself out of the world winds to respond to Gladly.

“Long range spells? Like how long ranged? Into the mountain long ranged?”

“Yes! Into the mountain long ranged!”

“How is that even possible?”

“God stones, like that one down there, look”

Nestled between the endless array of violet crystals, right at the centre of the cavern, stood a monument etched out of golden light.

Mirio hurried along behind the mages and followed them to the foot of the glowing obelisk. He looked at it with suspicion before letting his eyes pick up on the visions gifted to him by the world winds. The pillar of light funnelled up towards the churning black mass, filtering into it like a black hole.

“We have to hurry up and set up short range wards, can you help us with the ritual?” A mage court said as he turned to Gladly.

“I’m an illusionist, I don’t know the first thing about ritual spells”

“Ah, of course, leave it to us” he said with a gentle bow of his head, “The Duke isn’t much further”

Gladly turned and set his eyes on a set of marble doors at the end of the cavern.

“Come on Mirio, stop staring at nothing”

“Yeah, I’m coming”

…

As Mirio stepped into the vault, he was struck by the shimmer of magic emanating from its abundance of artefacts. Each one rested neatly in their own display cases and were either hung along the walls or on pedestals.

“Gladly” the Duke shouted out with a broad smile, “You made it!”

“Yes my lord”

“And the mages?”

“They are performing warding magic now around the god stone”

“And Valian?”

“I’m sorry, the six mages beyond that door are all that are left”

“Shit…”

…

Dasha gazed at Mirio as he stepped into the vault. His eyes wide and scanning through each of the relics with unbridled curiosity. She wondered first why his eyes hadn’t at first to reach hers, and then caught herself…

*Wait, what the hell is he doing here?*

“I thought I told you to wait outside and leave this to me”

Mirio turned around in a startle, “Oh, you scared me for a second, hey Dasha”

“Well…”

“I intended to stay outside like you said, but, something about this whole thing felt too important to leave to chance”

“So you just broke into the palace on your own without being granted passage then?”

“Yeah, about that…”

The Duke turned and tapped Gladly with the back of his fingers.

“What is with the kid?”

“If he hadn’t come along when he did, I wouldn’t be here, nor would the mages. He’s a life saver”

“Hey kid, don’t you know this place is off limits to the town guard, why the hell are you down here?”

Alyssa let out a gentle smile and stepped forwards. Stretching out her hand she stroked along the blue magical armour on Mirio’s chest.

“This is no mere boy, he is the hero of the vale”

Her eyes drifted gently across the blood on his hands and neck.

The Duke stepped forward and swatted down her gentle caress.

“The BOY, fought at the battle of the vale, and is a talented fighter, but matters of national security are not child’s play”

“I beg to differ. If it were not for him, the assassin would have slain me in the park. Not to mention your favourite spy, and court of magicians”

“Pssht!”

“Become my knight” she said as she stepped so close to Mirio that their bodies were almost touching.

Her hand slipped warmly around his bicep and squeezed firmly.

“I… Uh…”

“What are you doing?” the Duke spat back at the princess.

“No look, its fine, really I’m just here because I’m concerned. I apologise for just making my way in Duke. I just couldn’t let the spider get the princess. I mean she’s the key to stopping the war right?”

“Wait, how do you know that?”

Gladly shifted uncomfortably and then raised his hand, “That was me, I told him on the way here. He’s a good fighter, he bested the spider. You should have seen it, it was…”

“You bested the spider? How?!” Dasha said, breaking her silence.

The Duke stared back at her, “The thing was frozen in place, I told you Gladly, you should have just let me finish it off”

“My lord, truth be told, it broke free of my spell”

“Bah, nonsense” the Duke said with a wave of his hand, before narrowing his eyes and looking at the blood on Mirio’s hands, “Fine, Dasha, you’ve got another sword. Make sure he doesn’t fuck anything up”

SHHZZZZT

The marble door of the vault shook. Dust and chips of stone blasted off as it struggled to stay standing.

THUD THUD THUD

CRASH

A heaving mass of steel split through the centre of the doorway. The giant axe head twisted and turned until it blasted the doors wide open.

Mirio’s eyes locked onto the giant figure at the entrance of the vault, and then gazed behind it to see lashing tendrils of electricity storming from the top of the obelisk. He quickly scanned the area for the court mages, only to find their bodies charred to ash at the base of the godstone.

The whirring black mass had opened into a storming gate, and through it, blasting through the vault door, was a minotaur larger than any he had ever heard of before. Its bull’s head snorted and gruffed as it prepared to charge into the vault.

“Get back” Dasha snapped as she rushed ahead, spinning her free hand to make a sigil.

“ICE WALL”

Shards of ice crept from the ground and the ceiling and snapped together just as the hulking beast tossed its weight forward.

CRACK

The ice split under the force of the blow. Mirio rushed around to the sides of the ice wall, where there was just enough room to slip through. And there he saw masses of child sized creatures dropping out of the portal. He dashed through the gap in the ice wall and unsheathed Ember.

His runesword hummed with energy as he slashed at the minotaurs heels. With a flick of his wrist, veils of blood splattered across the doorway.

ROAR

Dasha sprinted after Mirio and dived through the gap to see the giant creature slam its axe into the doorway. Mirio’s footwork fluttered like the wings of a butterfly as he weaved under the blow and circled around the enormous beast. She darted her eyes through the cavern and spotted a wall of enemies pooling at the base of the obelisk.

“Shit, do you see them?” she asked.

“Yeah I see them, we have to take this guy down first, then let’s stop them with your walls of ice”

“Right!”

CHI CHI

Screeches came out from the mob at the base of the obelisk.

chatter chatter chatter

The creatures let off a horrid chatter as their spoon shaped teeth clattered against one another.

“What the hell are those things?” Dasha said as she dived out of the way of a mighty blow from the axe of the giant minotaur.

“We are going to find out soon enough”

“Are they goblins?”

“I don’t think so,” Mirio replied as he slashed at the Minotaur’s wrist.

Dasha flicked her free hand to craft a sigil, and then slung it in front of the Minotaur’s feet as it charged forward. The creature crashed down face first as the spikes of ice used to trip it shattered to pieces.

Mirio lunged forward and drove his sword deep into its eye socket, twisted the blade, and drew it out violently. Torrents of blood splashed out onto his boots, and coated his hands. With a flick of his wrist he spun the blood and icor off his blade and turned towards the chittering mass of monsters ahead.

Gladly ran out from the vault, and stepped past the dying minotaur.

“What kind of a spell is that?” he said with a slack jaw as staring at the gate.

“I was hoping you could tell us,” Dasha replied.

“It looks like some kind of gate spell, but a lot bigger” Mirio said as he started moving back to the vault, “Come on let’s get back inside and ice up the gaps, they are small they shouldn’t be able to get through”.

“Yeah, good call, let’s do that” Dasha said as looked on at the chittering army.

chatter chatter chatter

WOOSH

Ice crawled from the walls, and the floor and closed in around where the vault door had once been.

“How thick is that ice?” asked the Duke

“A couple of feet,” Dasha replied.

“What is out there?” Alyssa called out.

“Some kind of gate, and a small army of grey goblin like creatures” Dasha responded.

“What about the mages?” the Duke asked.

“They’re gone” Gladly said matter of factly.

“So the enemy has their scrying eye within these walls?” the Duke replied.

“That is a safe assumption,” Gladly said.

“What are our options then?” Alyssa called out.

“I’m not sure. But the black hand must be helping Rainal” Gladly replied.

“Wait, look!” Alyssa said as she pointed at the humanoid shadows moving along the ice wall, “What are they doing!”

Mirio stepped close to the ice and gazed at the shadows, “They are just looking at the ice, not even trying to break through”