Bearach looked up as Malitea and Fasuto left Councilors’ Way, stepping onto the patch of grass growing under a few local trees. This serenity stand, set up and maintained by the council’s decree, was the last convenient stop before reaching Bishal’s massive Sky Gatehouse. Earnan trailed behind them, leaving the road with his head low as it had been for most of the journey. Bearach followed after, bringing up the rear.

Malitea wore an expressionless mask at their approach. “Talent Earnan, a word,” she said using high speech. Beside her, Fasuto was almost a statue with his rigid stance, only the slight twitch of one hand atop his sword’s pommel giving away his tension.

Earnan approached almost hesitantly yet eventually stopped the proper distance, bowing at the waist before straightening. “By your command, Gifted Malitea,” he said, though the quiver in his voice gave him away. Bearach merely stood nearby, none seemingly paying him any attention.

Malitea turned away to look over her shoulder at the soaring city behind her before turning back with the same inscrutable visage. “You have a decision to make, Talent Earnan, and one that will likely determine your continued journey along your chosen path. I don’t want an answer now, so listen very closely and keep your mouth shut,” she ended with almost a sneer.

She stepped closer, her voice dropping enough that the few nearby parties traveling the roadway were unlikely to overhear her without an exceptionally strong gift. “We’re on our way to meet our mission’s benefactor. Once we pass through the Sky Gate, we will continue straight into the city. The choice you have is whether to follow or decide to go in another direction. If you accompany us, you will stand beside me as we face the consequences of that debacle with the Wandering One.”

“Gif-,” Earnan started to say but stopped at the sharp metallic schtring as Fasuto partially drew his sword.

“Shut your useless mouth,” Malitea snapped. She took a breath, slowly exhaling as her expression stilled again. “As I was saying,” she calmly continued as if Earnan hadn’t spoken. “If you join us, you will take your share of the blame. On the other hand,” she said, her voice dropping into a cold whisper. “After we pass through the gate, you may choose to go your own way. In that case, I will take full responsibility for our actions. But if you choose that course, I expect you to leave Bishal by sundown.” Her aura suddenly increased, the palms of her hands crackling with unspent power for a split second before vanishing. “And if you ever step foot in this city after today, I will be upset. I doubt you want to find out what that entails. Do you understand?”

Earnan apparently could learn and simply nodded, his eyes wide with fear. Bearach could well understand it since he wouldn’t have wanted to face Malitea or her dionadar’s wrath, let alone her entire family. If she grew displeased, they’d likely get pulled in too, and all of Earnan’s connections wouldn’t do him much good in that situation.

“Bearach, give him his bag,” she said next without looking away from Earnan.

Nodding, Bearach dropped the team’s pack onto the thick grass. It was only a few seconds of shifting the contents before he pulled out a soft leather bag with gold threaded accents. He walked over, handing it to the chastised man, who took it with trembling hands.

“Very good. Fasuto, we follow,” Malitea said, turning as her dionadar set off toward the nearby city.

They only had a short walk down the road, joining the short line for entry through the Sky Gate. Bearach usually had to use the Merchant Gate closer to his home, so it was a bit of a treat only waiting a handful of minutes before the guards bowed them forward. Malitea merely flashed her family’s device, and their group was waived through with no more delay, passing under the massive spiked portcullis.

Bearach couldn’t help keeping an eye on Earnan, curious to see which way the guy went. Neither of them knew who’d hired Malitea for their mission, but it had to be someone powerful to engender such fear and respect. It could be one of the council members in Bishal, but that seemed less likely with how roughly she’d handled Earnan. Sadly, the question would probably remain a mystery since their next stop would be the hiring hall, where they’d compensate Bearach for completing the mission.

Without a word, Earnan turned at the next street. His head was down, a sick look crossing his face, yet he kept going, not looking back. It was only a few moments before he was lost in the jostling crowd. Bearach refrained from shaking his head, somehow unsurprised. Malitea and Fasuto seemed oblivious, walking straight down the roadway leading deeper into the city.

Minutes later, passing through the thinning crowd as they neared the Ancients’ Gate and the Old City beyond, they didn’t turn for the hiring hall. Bearach didn’t react at first, thinking maybe there was a different road they wanted to use. But when they still hadn’t turned after another few streets and the city’s old walls came into sight, he frowned with confusion.

Malitea suddenly gestured, and Fasuto turned, taking a few steps to the side and out of the flow of traffic. Mystified, Bearach followed Malitea through a few quick turns until they found Fasuto standing beside a tall brick building. The noise from the busy road was somewhat muted here, blocked off by the nearby structures.

Malitea turned to Bearach, a bit of humor tugging at her lips. “I’m sure you’re wondering about our destination, hmmm?” At his nod, her smile grew. “Bearach, I think you’ve earned the right to meet our benefactor. Unlike that other,” she said, her lips curling for a moment before her expression cleared. “It’s your choice, and I won’t blame you for choosing another direction. Still, my dionadar believes you worthy of our trust, and I find myself in agreement.”

Bearach hesitated, thinking through her unexpected offer. Like Earnan, he was simply the hired help for Malitea’s mission. He didn’t have the kinds of connections or gifts to be a missionary himself, not unless he served under someone powerful. Meeting her benefactor could be a tremendous opportunity that led to strength and rewards, but it was balanced against a much higher risk. Anyone coming to the attention of the truly powerful might rise high in their service, but they could just as easily serve as fertilizer for another’s growth.

These thoughts raced through his mind in a split second, but he knew how he had to answer unless he wanted a life filled with regret. “I follow, Gifted Malitea,” he clearly stated, giving her a slight bow.

Her answering smile grew bright as Fasuto’s own lips quirked up behind her. “You heard him, Fasuto,” she said, turning to her dionadar. “Let’s go.”

***

Bearach felt a bit overwhelmed almost an hour later as they passed another guard post. The trio had already made their way through Old City and between the Twin Hills, where much of the ruling council lived. Now they were inside the mountain as they slowly ascended the Millennium Stairs. It was precisely twenty-four steps up to each landing before the path turned back sharply. The stairway wended back and forth, the glowing brightwells lighting the way as they climbed. Sometimes there were doors with heavily armored warriors looking on, which Fasuto passed without acknowledgment.

Striding past accomplished Talents and powerful Gifted at nearly every turn, Bearach couldn’t help but feel out of place. Outside some trips to the nearby towns and settlements, he’d spent much of his life within Bishal. Yet after twenty years, he’d never had the honor of stepping foot within the city’s namesake, Bisala Parabat. In fact, the entirety of his trips inside the Old City could be counted on both hands, and those had been years ago with his great-grandmother.

Fasuto paused at another landing before turning toward two serious-eyed guards in heavy armor standing beside a metal-reinforced door. Malitea stepped forward, pulling out a small red and white checkered disc, quite unlike the family device she’d been displaying to everyone else who had stopped them. The disc glowed with a muted light for a moment, and the right guard stepped to the side while the other opened the heavy door with a slight nod.

Bearach managed to suppress his surprise at seeing the disc, recognizing the Easone family markings. He wasn’t sure how Malitea was related to the Alliance’s leading family, but this office had to be for one of their famous squads. Of course, since those same squads were almost invariably used for investigating and eliminating external threats to the Alliance, he had to wonder about their mission.

The trio walked down a short hallway and into a large square room that was almost a hive of activity with people working at different tables and desks. Yet it might have been a morning Temple’s devotion with how quiet everyone was, only the faint murmur and rustle of papers breaking the silence.

A woman in dark leathers stood as they entered, quickly making her way across the room. Malitea nodded to the fiery-haired woman. “Gifted Malitea to see the commander. We have news on our mission.”

The woman nodded back, her expression wooden. Without a word, she turned and disappeared through the opposite door. But only a minute later, she was back, beckoning them to approach. She led them into another room about the size of the last, but it was largely empty, the only souls being the quartet of elite guards near the entrance. They stepped aside at the woman’s gesture as she led Bearach and his companions down the center of the room. She knocked on a heavy door, and a muffled voice said something indistinct before she opened it.

Inside was an office with a single large desk with a few chairs while beyond it was a wide open view of Bishal spilling out into the lands below. Standing up from behind the desk was a tall man in dark leather, his outfit nearly a match for the fiery-haired woman, though he had a small red and white checkered pin at his collar. He was radiating strength, though unlike most with his power, there was no hint of disdain or condescension as he looked them over.

Malitea bowed formally at the waist, a hand over her heart. “Commander Eko, thank you for seeing me,” she said respectfully before straightening. Unstrapping the front of her armor and pulling it askew, she pulled out a thin packet of pages bound with a colorful ribbon which she handed to the fiery-haired woman.

“Gifted Malitea, I’m happy to see your safe return,” the man said as his associate handed him the pages. “Who is your new companion?” he asked, his eyes sliding to examine Bearach.

“Commander, this is Bearach Tralaithe, our bearer for the mission. I asked him to serve as a witness to some of the activities we’ll discuss today.”

“Very well, Gifted. I’ll trust that you understand my concerns. Please, have a seat.” He gestured to the chairs before his desk.

Malitea sat, her posture rigid. Fasuto took up his typical position at her shoulder while Bearach stood further to the side. The fiery-haired woman moved a chair beside the commander’s and sat while Eko took his seat behind the desk.

“Gifted, this is Talent Reva,” the commander said, gesturing to the woman beside him. Her expressionless face made Bearach wonder if she might be a sagruda, but it was hard to be sure since he’d never met one. “She may have additional questions, depending on your findings. So tell me, was it what we suspected?”

“I believe so, commander,” Malitea replied before describing what she had seen during the mission. It started with the basic geography and distance they’d traveled but quickly expanded into observing heavy activity on some place called Sorrows Hill. There were details like the number of people, the buildings they’d seen, and their best guess on hard defensive points. Fasuto added more as well, going into the patrols and projected capabilities.

This was almost all new information for Bearach, but then he’d stayed behind at their camp with Earnan. He’d known Malitea and Fasuto were scouting for something important but had also tried hard not to overhear their words when they returned that first night. The pair had gone off scouting again before dawn yesterday, only making it back to their camp around midday. And ever since then, Malitea had driven them hard to return quickly to Bishal. If they hadn’t been forced to wait for dawn to open Osky’s gates, she would have no doubt had them on the road even earlier this morning.

Questions from Eko and Reva quickly followed, each seemingly designed to pull out even the tiniest nugget of information. Reva’s voice was almost without emotion, her words digging for the facts. Eko seemed more concerned about asking for descriptions of anyone they saw and any abilities they’d witnessed. Sadly, a handful of hours scouting a well-hidden position meant there were far too many unknowns in their report.

Reva finally reacted when Fasuto described how there was a potential aurata, and her previously expressionless face shifted into a frown. “Talent Fasuto, what is your evidence for an aurata? I’m unaware that your group has any kind of auric detection.”

Her question had the dionadar grimacing, and Malitea answered for him. “Commander, there was an incident before our arrival at Sorrows Hill,” she said before describing the giant man who’d appeared beside the roadway and his warning about the hidden people further north. She didn’t hide from the facts but explained his initial lack of power and her decision to help capture the giant as a suspected Bound escapee. Her version of the giant’s subsequent actions was accurate, though without the sheer terror and shame Bearach had felt at the time.

“You angered a Wandering God?” Eko asked when she finished, shaking his head. “Did he give his name or affiliation? Is there any way for us to contact him to make amends? You said he was traveling south, but I haven’t had any word on a visiting Power. Reva?” He turned to his companion, but she merely shook her head in the negative.

“Yes, commander,” Malitea replied. “I should have mentioned that earlier. The Wandering One said his name was Eli, but I’ve never heard that name before.”

Eko and Reva went still at her words, moments passing in silence, until the commander leaned forward in his chair. His aura was suddenly there, a pressure building in the room. “Describe this giant again,” he almost whispered.

Malitea resumed her rigid posture, the danger in the room palpable. “Yes, commander. He was at least one hundred and ninety centimeters tall, nearly shorn of all hair, pale skin as if it had barely seen the sun, and with a strange accent unlike any I’ve heard.”

“And his aura? Describe his aura,” Reva asked, sitting forward as well.

“It was death,” Fasuto said, his voice loud amid the rising tension. “When he released his power, I felt death itself approaching, and there was nothing I could do to escape it.” He looked down briefly as if remembering the moment before his gaze returned to the commander. “Yet there was something else within that sensation, and I still have difficulty understanding it.”

“A shining light within the depths of our darkest night? The warmth of hope against all odds? That last, desperate grab at life as death approaches?” Reva whispered into the silence. Beside her, the commander nodded at her words.

“I don’t understand,” Malitea said with confusion, her gaze shifting between Eko and Reva. “Have you met this Wandering God?”

“Do you know where Eli is? Did he give you any other clues to his destination?” The commander’s voice was almost urgent, unlike the calm professionalism he’d displayed earlier.

“He asked for directions to Herria,” Malitea answered before looking at Bearach standing beside her chair. “But Bearach offered his family’s Rest here in the Merchant District. We don’t know if the Wandering One is staying in Bishal, but it’s possible.”

“Reva, assemble the squad,” Eko said as he stood. “We can’t be sure this is Eli Tal, but a potential Wandering God in Bishal isn’t something we can ignore either.” Reva nodded without a word, leaving the room.

Malitea slowly stood, her expression filled with questions. “Commander, who is Eli Tal?”