When Mrs. Momin kicked the door down and Magdala raised her arm to throw one of two vials she prepared at Mei’s request, but the hunter called out, “Stop.”

This room, like all the others, was unoccupied. It did have the usual though: a bench against the back wall, a worn leather-bound book on said bench, and nothing else. Magdala went into the room, grabbed the book, looked it over. She sighed. It was another copy of Asaph’s Fable as she’d started to call it. Every room they’d searched had had one. Was it was required reading for the Yaniti?

“Same thing?” Mrs. Momin plucked the book from Magdala’s hands.

Magdala nodded. “Same thing.”

Mrs. Momin winced. “As much as mass market appeals to me,” she tossed the book back onto the bench, “I don’t want to dilute the market.” She’d already tucked two of the slim volumes into her robe.

“Where is it?” Magdala moved back into the third floor corridor where she could look down at the circular chamber and its mirror still pool. “Why hasn’t it attacked us again?”

“There are three of us and one of it.” Mei moved on to the next door. “Bad odds.” She gestured to the door with her rifle.

Mrs. Momin scowled. “Then we should focus on getting out of here.” She stepped over to the door, kicked it down and checked inside. “Nothing. We’ve searched two and a half floors and found nothing.”

Magdala shook her head. “How do you propose we get out of here? We already checked the tunnels you and I fell down and they were both blocked.” Mei had apparently fallen from the ceiling so that wasn’t an option.

Mei frowned. “Those tree roots are weird. They grew too fast.”

Mrs. Momin shrugged. “Dear, we’re looking for a giant otter that travels via water portals and summons giant pillars of ice. Fast growing tree roots are relatively usual.”

Magdala rolled her eyes. “There’s no magic that makes things grow faster.”

Mrs. Momin gave her a strange look. “It’s a wide world out there, young Gallus. If you’d seen the things the Jade Lotus can do-what is it?”

Mei had gone still.

Magdala’s chest tightened. “Is it close?”

“No.” Mei looked pained. “We… we haven’t found Huan.”

“Oh,” Magdala breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, he’s a such loudmouth so we’ll hear him long before we see him.”

Mei turned to her, a frown on her face. “Loudmouth?”

Mrs. Momin muttered something in Tuquese. Mei glared at her.

It was probably best if the spy didn’t explain. Magdala cleared her throat. “I meant that he’s,” she had to be polite, “got a very clear voice.”

A moment hung in the air as Mei absorbed Magdala’s explanation. Magdala tried not to fidget, but she could feel the smirk growing on Mrs. Momin’s face.

Finally Mei nodded. “He does have a clear voice. We’d hear him.”

Mrs. Momin’s whisper tickled Magdala’s ears. “You’re lucky she trusts you.”

Face red, Magdala stepped out in front of her companions. “Weren’t we knocking down doors?”

“PORTHOP!” The words shook the chamber. “PORTHOP, BLAADU HON DEHKEY! VULICUR PARI!”

On the other side of the chamber and two floors down, an archway filled with water and chittering spilled out.

“MON! DEHKEY LOUT! VULICUR PARI!”

With a short sharp cheep, the water evaporated.

Magdala drew close to Mei. “That can’t be good.”

Momin tilted her head. “That language… Imperial Yani?”

“That can’t be Imperial Yani,” said Magdala. “It doesn’t sound right.”

“You’ve never heard a native speak it, how do you know?”

“Because I’ve studied it!”

“Shh.” Mei moved to the railing and looked down at the pool. “Where did that voice come from?”

“Everywhere?” Magdala quailed. “We should leave.”

Mei nodded. “Yes, we should- look out!” She tackled Magdala to the ground, and a pillar of ice smashed through the railing. As it splashed into the pool, Mei hauled Magdala to her feet. The portal was already dry. “It is still hunting you.”

“Did you see it?” Mrs. Momin’s voice was muffled through her mask. “Where did it go?”

Magdala searched the nearby doorways and caught a glimpse of the otter peeking out of a portal three doors down. “There!”

With a cry, Mrs. Momin bounded in that direction, leaping over statues and bones, but the otter saw her, panicked, and dove back into its portal and so Mrs. Momin’s kick ended up merely smashing in a door.

When Magdala and Mei caught up, Mei glared at the spy. “You didn’t wait.”

Mrs. Momin shrugged, though her ears twitched. “Sorry, I got excited.”

“We had a plan,” said Magdala. “We agreed to- Oh no...” Her breath hung in the air. She looked to her right where a doorway was filling with water. She had to do something, anything so she grabbed a vial, fumbled it, and dropped it over the railing. “No!”

As the vial smashed on the ground and exploded, the otter pounced, leaping out of the portal with its claws out and teeth bared.

“Maggie!” Mei slammed into Magdala and fired a shot, but the otter flipped over the railing and dove into the pool below.

As the portal next to them evaporated, Mrs. Momin stamped her feet. “That is getting really annoying.”

“We can’t maneuver here. We’re too close together.” Magdala winced at her fumble. “I only have one of those left.”

“You can make more.” Mei finished loading her rifle. “We have to move.” She ran, leading the group down to the first floor of the chamber and onto the pool’s shore, despite the pool, they weren’t constrained by a narrow corridors.

Magdala tried to find the otter, but it was gone. Any other time, she’d want to know more about the statues, but she had to focus on the bigger question: How would they get out of here?

Mei’s rifle came up. “Water.”

Magdala tried to find it. “Where?”

“Grit your teeth,” said Mrs. Momin.

“What? Why- aaah!”

The spy grabbed Magdala around the waist and jumped into the pool, dodging an ice pillar. Underwater Magdala heard Mei fire, but she focused more on swimming in the freezing cold water. She reached the surface and looked around. “Momin? Momin!”

“Get out of the water, girl!” Mrs. Momin, already out of the water, pointed and something behind Magdala chittered.

Magdala glanced back. An moon white shape was darting towards her. The otter was in the water. Magdala swam with all her might, but right when she’d begun to think that her mother’s insistence that she learn to swim was going to pay off, claws tore into her cloak. She screamed and a shot rang out. With a squeal, the otter released Magdala and sank under the water, leaving her to swim the rest of the way to shore. As Mei pulled her out of the water, Magdala saw a strange silvery shimmer on the water’s surface. “Y-y-you got it.”

Mei shook her head. “Shallow. Right cheek.” Once Magdala was out of the water, the hunter reloaded her weapon. “It’ll be back.”

“At least it’s out in the open.” Mrs. Momin eyes didn’t leave the pool. “Now what?”

“Mei was right.” Magdala looked around. “This is the best place for us to fight. It’s far more open than up in the corridors and we can see the portals forming from far off.” She gestured to the archways. “They only work with those after all.”

Mei cocked her rifle. “I do not think the otter will rush. It has patience.” She brought her rifle up and pointed it at the nearest archway. “We have to trap it.”

Mrs. Momin winced. “So the plan is just to wait? That’s not a very proactive plan.”

Mei frowned. “Proactive?”

Magdala opened her mouth to explain, but Mrs. Momin cut her off. “Quiet.” The spy put a finger to her lips then bounded forward and kicked the otter out of its hiding place behind a chunk of debris. The creature swiped at her with its claws, tearing through her robe.

“Down!” When Mrs. Momin dropped, Mei fired, but the otter had dropped too and her shot went over its head. Chittering, it dove into a fresh portal.

Magdala stared at the otter’s ambush position. It was closest to her. “Mei.”

The hunter was reloading, but her jaw clenched before she spoke. “Yes.”

“I have to be the bait, don’t I?”

The hunter’s lips pursed. “Yes.”

“Okay.” Magdala wrung her hands. Why was the otter so fixated on her? Her only guess was that it had fought Qe mages before and found that taking them out was the best strategy. That would be flattering if it weren’t so terrifying. She straightened up. “Okay, then where should I stand?”

Mei pointed to the edge of the pool. “There. Rabbit will knock away ice pillars.” She ignored the look Mrs. Momin gave her. “I will keep it from going anywhere but there.” She pointed to an archway across the pool. “When you see it, use your magic.”

“Understood.” Magdala pulled out her last vial and ran. As she did, the battle raged around her.

Something splashed into the pool. “On your right!” The air turned cold. “Duck!” Ice shards hit the back of Magdala’s cloak. “It’s up there.” A shot rang out.

Magdala reached the edge of the pool and waited for her allies to corral the otter into position. She was terrified, but she could trust Mei and her plan. Besides she had her magic, a vial that contained an nQeoum concoction of breath, water, and clothing.

A portal opened across the water. “It’s coming!” Magdala shouted.

Mei slid into position next to Magdala, her rifle trained on the portal. “Got it.”

“Wait…” Magdala sensed that something was wrong. The otter had an preferred method of attack and this distance was wrong. “Momin!” She whirled around, not seeing if there was a pillar coming towards her, not seeing if the spy had even heard her, and caught the otter’s teeth on her left arm. The otter’s momentum pushed Magdala backwards, not into the pool, but onto it. The pool was frozen. Magdala kicked the otter off her and before it could escape or attack, threw the vial into its face. The vial exploded, throwing Magdala back to shore and choking the air with mist and frost. When that all cleared away, the otter lay unconscious on the surface of the frozen pool.

“That was bold.” Momin limped over to her. “I’ll have to raise my opinion of you, young Gallus.”

“Thank you?” Magdala glanced at the hunter, who’d slid over to them. “Mei, is it over?”

Mei watched the ice. “It’s cracking.”

Magdala laughed. “Well, that was an explosive. I’d expect it to...to...” Golden light was spilling out from the cracks, which weren’t stopping at the pool’s edge. Already the shore was cracking. “How? What is with this place?”

“Run,” Mei grabbed Magdala’s hand, “run!”

Together they fled, the spy close on their heels, the golden light and the sounds of rustling leaves chasing them. Magdala tried to think of anything she could do to stop it, but her skills lay in destruction and cracks didn’t propagate like this. Was the very space crumbling?

The three of them kept running, but the cracks were forming too fast. Once again they fell, this time into a warm summer day.

***

“Let’s do this.” Huan’s tone erected a facade of confidence, one buttressed by the sword in his hand. He hoped it hid his horror at how much Odette’s plan relied on him.

“Get it done.” Odette shouldered her crossbow and slipped into a nearby passage.

The armor moved to pursue.

“Ri’mwe’ut!” Dwayne’s fire ball slammed into its chest, knocking it back a wir. “Ri’mwe’ut!”

This time the armor swatted away the fireball with its sword. That left it wide open.

Now! The beast’s command spurred Huan forward. He closed with the armor and swept his sword up into that hole in its guard, but it twisted and caught Huan’s sword with its own blade. Muscling Huan’s sword aside, the armor grabbed Huan around the throat and squeezed. As the dark closed in, Huan scrambled for leverage to free himself, placing his feet against the armor’s chest and pushing as hard as he could. The effort freed him and he landed on his back stunned. Dimly he saw the armor prepared to drive the tip of its sword into his stomach while in the back of his mind the beast raged, exhorting Huan to dodge, to kick, to fight. He was so tired though and there was nothing he could do. Fake confidence wasn’t any help here.

A hand grabbed Huan’s tunic. “Qesuyit!”

The armor’s sword tip thunked against off diamond shiny and diamond hard cloth, the impact shaking Huan’s teeth. Frustrated the armor kicked him into a nearby anvil. Before it could target flesh though, another fireball drove it back.

As the armor recovered, Dwayne ran to Huan. “You okay?” He held out a hand.

Huan coughed and spat copper. “Yeah.” He glared at the mage apprentice’s proffered hand. He’s just saving his own skin. He winced. Huan had needed the help. “Thanks.” He grabbed Dwayne’s hand and pulled himself to his feet. “What is she waiting for?”

Dwayne turned to face the armor, his fists up. “That Vanur...” He shook his head. “Odette will come through.”

Huan’s ears perked up at the correction. “Ah.” What happened when they were buried? “Good to know.”

The armor was stomping towards them, its anger clear with every step. Huan stepped between it and Dwayne. Three more steps. “Brace me!” The armor would attack soon.

Dwayne slapped Huan on the back. “Qesuyit!”

The armor took that last step and blurred forward. Huan tried to counter with a slash, but the armor ducked under his guard, grabbed his collar and tossed him over its shoulder, and once again Huan was on the ground, looking up at the ceiling. The armor moved on to Dwayne, but the mage apprentice dropped to the ground and, bizarrely, grabbed its right boot. “Ri’mui’it!”

“Ozmimdar!” The armor kicked Dwayne away and checked its ankle, but there was nothing, no fire or anything.

Still it was surrounded now. Huan rolled over and jumped to his feet as the armor, realizing it was caught between the two boys, pulled back to keep both of them in view. Seeing this, Huan joined Dwayne. “What did you do?”

“If I got the grammar right,” Dwayne stood up, “then I just turned up the heat.”

Huan frowned. “Will that work?”

“I don’t know.” Dwayne put up his fists. “But I don’t think it can keep up that speed forever.”

Huan glanced at the armor. That’s not good. The armor had regained its calm again and was studying the two of them.

Block that first attack and you’ll have it. The beast’s eyes glittered from the back of Huan’s mind. Can you do that? I can.

Huan winced. “I’m not fast enough to block its first strike.”

Dwayne blinked. “No human is. That’s what the armor spell is for. It’s coming.”

Study time was over. The armor advanced, left hand on its sword hilt, right on its scabbard.

“Get behind me,” said Huan.

The mage raised an eyebrow. “You just said-”

“I’ve got this.” No human is, the mage had said. As he stepped between the armor and the mage, Huan regarded the beast. Can you?

The beast licked its chops. Yes.

The armor was getting closer.

“Huan…”

“I’ve got this!” After clashing so many times, Huan was finally able to read the signs of the armor’s next attack. At three paces from its target, it would take one right step, set its stance, and then attack.

The armor took its last time and squared its left shoulder. Horizontal slash incoming.

Tiger.

Got it.

The armor blurred and its blade impacted against Tiger’s, who’d braced against the strike with one hand on his sword blade and the other on his hilt. Still, the sword strike pushed Tiger back and strained every muscle in his body, but he couldn’t leave it at that. With a roar, Tiger pushed the armor’s sword up and away and then slashed at its neck. He missed, the armor bent back away from it, but it had to wreck its balance and break its line of sight.

Dwayne stepped in. “Ri’mwe’ut!” His fireball cannoned into the armor’s stomach and knocked it onto its back.

With a yowl of glee, Tiger pressed the attack, slashing at a chink in the armor’s shoulder and finally, finally, drawing blood. Next was the neck. He raised his sword.

The air crackled.

“Get back!” Dwayne hauled Tiger back by the collar as his free hand came up. “Ri’mun’ui’po!”

Din, lightning and white light filled the room, banishing the beast and leaving Huan stunned, but when he could see again, he and Dwayne were still in one piece although the floor and anvils around them were a melted mess.

“How?” Huan asked.

“Apparently,” Dwayne grinned at Huan nevertheless, “fire and lightning are made from the same stuff.” He sank to the floor.

That explained nothing. But he didn’t have time to fret about that. The armor was already getting to its feet. “Dwayne, get up.” Huan raised his sword. “Get up.”

“Right. It’s still not down.” Dwayne tried to stand up, but failed. “Ah…”

“What are you doing?”

Dwayne looked pale. “Going into thaumaturgical shock I think.”

“What? We don’t have time for that. We have to move. It’s going to…” Huan glanced at the armor. “Oh.”

The armor was struggling to stay upright. Sparks were traveling up and down its torso, and it twitched every time one hit its wounds. With great effort, it managed to take a stance, murder in its eye slots.

“Up you go.” Huan pulled Dwayne to his feet. “One more time.”

“Okay.” The mage managed to stand under his own power. “One more time.”

Huan put himself between Dwayne and the armor and put the lack of the beast and the lack of sleep behind him. They weren’t escaping here any other way. “One more time.” He raised his sword.

“How cute.” Odette sounded far too amused. “Duck.”

Both boys dropped to the ground as an arrow whistled over their heads and slammed into the armor’s breastplate where it stuck, gathering wind and spark. The armor tried to pull it out, but the gust turned into a gale and soon it was being pushed back. It tried to dig in its heels, but then it screamed and lifted its right foot, the same foot that Dwayne had cursed. That doomed it. The arrow blasted it back into and through the mysterious door, and with that the wind died down and the forge went quiet. It was over.

“Good job, you two.” Odette limped to Huan and Dwayne. “You gave me just the right opening.”

“Next time, find it faster.” Huan got to his feet and slid the mask of his face. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Yes, let’s.” Odette helped Dwayne to his feet.

The forge went out and golden light seeped into the room.

“Oh, no.” A loud crack punctuated Dwayne’s comment.

“Run!” Odette’s hands pushed Huan forward. “Run!”

With more golden light pouring in behind them, shining through from a dozen cracks in the walls, floor, and ceiling, Huan barely needed the encouragement. He sprinted to the door, the beast’s senses coming back to him as he ran, his ears filling with rustling leaves, his nose with scent of flowers. Ignoring that, he reached the door and threw it open.

“Wait, stop!” Dwayne grabbed Huan and pulled him back from the edge of a sheer drop.

The door hadn’t led to the desert or even another corridor. Instead, it had led to an immense dome-like chamber that was occupied by a tree the size of a mountain, and that same golden light - it was the color of summer sunsets - poured down from the top of the tree, accompanied with the heavy scent of dozens of flowers.

Huan was awe-struck. “What the hell?”

Dwayne just stared.

“No stopping!” Odette tackled both of them and all three of them went over the edge before, crunch, a tree root slammed into the doorway. Meanwhile, they fell.

I wonder if she’ll find me. Huan had no doubt he’d die here.

“Qeuiyit!”

Huan landed face first on soft soil. “Wha-?” He’d landed on a platform of soil that was floating in midair. “How?”

Odette sat up and brushed herself off. “Qe mages.”

Before Huan could ask for an actual explanation, a tired whining voice responded, “Clearly you just had to follow me down here.” As the platform settled onto the floor of the chamber, Lord Kalan, bruised, dirty, and battered, walked up to Dwayne, who stared up at his master in awe. “Where were you and what did you bring?”

***

“Sir!” Dwayne got up and rushed his master, grabbing him in a hug. “You’re okay.”

“Ah, yes, I am.” Lord Kalan patted Dwayne on the back awkwardly. “Well, I’m perfectly capable of… ahem!” He pushed Dwayne back. “See here you-“

“I did it!” Dwayne couldn’t keep a grin off his face. “I learned a new spell, and Ri magic isn’t about reason, it’s about emotion, and I created a ball of fire!”

Lord Kalan’s eyes goggled. “Y-you did?”

Dwayne nodded. “And I cast Qesuyit! With the azade, not the ambersoul, but it worked and I think I can-”

“Dwayne.”

“-write down what I visualized, but I’ve done it a few-”

“Dwayne!”

Dwayne finally caught the strained note in Lord Kalan’s voice. “Yes?”

His master let out a quiet sigh. “Now isn’t the time for that.” He pointed behind Dwayne. “We have to deal with that.”

Dwayne turned around and groaned. At the base of the giant tree that filled the chamber lay the armor, which was trying to get back to its feet. “Damn, I thought we were done.”

A crack and a great roar echoed around the chamber and Dwayne wiped droplets from his face. “Water?”

Huan cursed. “What is that?”

Dwayne followed the bodyguard’s gaze upward. “Whoa.” A deluge of water was blasting out of a door that was set in the ceiling. Three people fell out, one of whom was screaming at the top of her lungs. “Magdala?”

“Mei!” shouted Huan.

Lord Kalan cursed and raised his right hand.

“Don’t you dare, Bart!” Lady Pol rocketed past them on a gust of wind. “You’ll end up drowning them. Qemilo!” Her spell, the same one that had uncovered the stone slab above them, pushed Magdala and the others out of the stream of water. “Qemiar!” Her next spell let them to fall gently onto the leave-covered ground. They were wind-blown and wet, but they were safe.

The tree let out a groan and one of its branch reached up and stopped the flood of water.

“What is it doing?” Dwayne asked.

“It’s repairing the damaged space.” Lady Pol landed next to Dwayne. “We’ve seen it do-“

“I say you it’s an automatic reaction.” Lord Kalan crossed his arms.

Lady Pol glared at him. “Then why didn’t it use its roots to plug the hole?”

“Obviously because it was too-”

Dwayne slid over to Magdala, who was wringing water out of her cloak. “Are you okay?” He frowned. “And why is Momin here?”

Magdala looked away. “She’s… I don’t know.” Her jaw set. “Don’t ask me.”

Dwayne frowned. “Are you still upset about-”

“GUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRR!” A roar shook the chamber, showering everyone with sticks and leaves, and as everyone covered their ears from the din, a slim white shape darted around the upraised tree branch and dropped down to the ground, landing next to the armor. It looked like a white weasel, one as large as the armor.

“What is that?” Dwayne asked.

“An otter.” Mei knelt to disassemble her weapon. “I need something to dry this.”

“Here.” Odette tore off a piece of her sleeve and handed it to Mei.

“So, we’re not done here.” Dwayne gestured to Huan and the two of them moved to the front.

Lord Kalan groaned. “Of course both my apprentice and my niece brought monsters with them.”

Magdala stepped up behind Dwayne. “Is that armor?”

“Magic armor. I can move fast and summon lightning.” Dwayne grinned. “I had to cast Qesuyit to stop it.” He nodded at the otter. “And that?”

Magdala said nothing for a moment. “You actually did it?”

Dwayne nodded. “All thanks to you.”

Magdala’s face flushed. “Well, I… the otter creates portals and summons ice pillars. Be careful. I’m glad you’re okay.” She looked away.

“Children,” Lady Pol put a hand on each of their shoulders, “I believe we have something more urgent than that to consider. Those things came from the spaces you fell into?”

Dwayne frowned. “Spaces? What do you mean?”

Lady Pol glared at Lord Kalan. “You’ve been covering thaumaturgical theory, but not the wisdoms?” She shook her head. “Space is how we describe what’s left when there is no matter. That tree makes them.”

Dwayne decided to parse that later. “And you two fell into one too?”

“We fell into some sort of audience chamber then this idiot decided to smash through the first door we found and we fell here.”

“You used a door to get here?” Magdala asked Magdala. “Where are they?” At a nudge from Mei, Magdala looked up. “Oh.”

“So, do you two geniuses have a plan?” Odette asked Lord Kalan and Lady Pol.

Lord Kalan cleared his throat. “I surmise that this tree is holding this space together. Destroy it and this space will collapse.”

Lady Pol put her hands on her hips. “With us in it.”

“Hey, it’s that kid again!” shouted Huan.

The whole group turned towards the base of the tree where a young child, dressed in a white short tunic, had clambered down the tree where they comforted the armor and the otter.

Huan drew his sword. “Let’s catch him and make him tell us the way out.”

The tree rumbled.

Magdala shrank back. “I think it heard you.”

Huan sneered. “Yeah, right. It’s a tree.”

The child placed a hand on the armor’s shoulder. “Blaadu, Vuoun!”

A faint glimmer surged through the armor, which shook, thundered, and reformed into a sleek insect with four legs and two folded up arms. It was still as tall as the armor had been and gray steel.

“What is that?” Dwayne asked.

Mei said something in Tuquese, and aimed her rifle.

Huan replied, “Oh, shit. That’s a praying mantis?”

Then child moved to the otter and placed a hand on its nose. “Porthop, Vuiem!”

Again a glimmer surged and the otter rose on its haunches and froze into an icy facsimile of itself. A moment passed and then the facsimile shattered and revealed a coal-skinned white-haired bare-chested barbarian clad in white fur. He was too broad to have fit into the otters shape, but such thoughts were fell by the wayside when he reached up into the air and tugged an immense hammer made of ice and snow out of the air.

Compared to that, Dwayne’s achievements tonight paled in comparison.

The child patted the mantis and nodded to the barbarian. “Oumnadh?”

“Porthop, Blaadu.” The child turned and pointed at Dwayne and the others. “Vulicur!”

“Suom.” The barbarian saluted. Together he and the mantis started towards Dwayne and his party.

“NUMA!” Another voice called down from the upper reaches of the tree. “VUIR! TUY ERIM!”

Crack! High above them, a tree branch broke off and plummeted towards them.

“Cups, I’ve got this.” Lady Pol appeared between Dwayne and Huan. “Qemilo!”

Wind blasted Dwayne away and he slammed into a snarl of tree roots and heard something in his pocket shatter. He’d deal with that later. Right now he… He blinked. He’d underestimated how thick the falling branch had been. Laying on its side, it was over one story tall. He’d never get over that in time.

“Huan!” Mei ran to the branch and beat against it. “Huan!”

That was worth a shot. Dwayne cupped his hands around his mouth. “MAG-”

“By the cup, boy, duck!” An arm caught Dwayne around his middle and pulled him down. An errant tree root whipped through the air, slicing through the spot Dwayne had vacated.

Dwayne stared at his master. That was the fastest he’d ever seen him move. “What… why?”

“This infernal tree hits loud people first.” Lord Kalan showed Dwayne a purpling bruise on his cheek. “Luisa and I found that out firsthand.”

Dwayne got to his feet. “Okay…” He gestured to the tree branch. “What do we do about that?”

“We climb.” Mei shouldered her rifle and jumped up on the branch.

“No.” Lord Kalan tried to pull her off the tree. “We have to go.”

“Let go.” Mei’s grip was white-knuckled. “I have to help them.”

“Between my nemesis, your brother, and Odette, they’ll be fine.” Lord Kalan pulled harder. “We have to deal with the tree. Dwayne, help me!”

Dwayne approached them. “But wouldn’t that would trap us here?”

Lord Kalan glared at Dwayne. “We don’t know that.”

“Even so, we can handle ourselves. Let Mei go help her brother.”

Lord Kalan’s face flushed. “I didn’t hire her to look after her brother. I hired her to protect us!”

Of all the… Dwayne grabbed his master by the collar and pulled him off of Mei. “Master, it’s her brother. Let her go help him or explain yourself!” The look on Lord Kalan’s face made Dwayne’s stomach twist, but he didn’t apologize.

“Fine.” Lord Kalan let go of Mei. “I’ll explain.”

Mei dropped down and crossed her arms. When Lord Kalan said nothing, she turned back to the branch.

“Wait, Mei, wait.” Lord Kalan sighed. “We will need more than magic to get out of here. That strange weapon yours might be what we need to get out of this place.”

Mei didn’t look convinced, so Dwayne rephrased it. “So you’re saying that this is about getting everyone out of here for good?”

Lord Kalan nodded.

“Is that a promise?” Mei’s eyes were wet, but determined. “If I go with you, we’ll get everyone home?”

Before Lord Kalan could state a qualifying response, Dwayne said, “Yes.”

There was a shout on the other side of he branch and Mei’s eyes snapped to its source.

“They’re fine.” Dwayne forced a smile. “Huan’s strong.”

Mei closed her eyes and nodded. “And Maggie’s there too.”

“Who’s Maggie?” Lord Kalan shook his head. “Nevermind. Let’s go.”