The cool blue light of Kelisia filled the street. Blazing fire exploded from its base, pouring off the god pillar, roaring from the sheer amount of essence. Cold air whipped against Hump’s face, sharp and cold as ice. He shielded himself with his hand but didn’t look away. Couldn’t look away. All around him the air glimmered as the vapour within crystallised.

He wondered how many people were gazing into Kelisia’s light and witnessing Bud’s blessing. He imagined what the warlocks might think of its appearance, knowing exactly who they had angered. A fear that only gods could bring. Hump’s own heart raced at the sight of such power. He marvelled in it, adrenaline racing through him in the face of such overwhelming might. It pressed down on his core, squeezed his soul, made him want to fall to his knees in reverence.

He basked in that feeling. He let it wash through him, invigorating him, challenging him to resist. He remained standing until the pillar started to fade. First around the base, the rolling fires diminished like the dying flames of a bonfire, the pillar shrinking until only a narrow stream remained, and then even that was just a line to the sky. A strip of godly power. It dissipated into the air like embers, over far too quickly, yet those moments felt like they had dragged on forever.

Hump came back to himself as the street filled with murmured prayers. Chosen saluted, the city people gazed out from their windows and doorways, wide eyed and full of reverence. All eyes were on Bud. He was on his knees at the centre of where the pillar had been, his eyes closed, his body shining as if blue fire smouldered beneath his skin. Around him, his third circle had manifested, the first third filled with the god glyphs of his first blessing, etched in ice.

He’d done it. He’d crossed the bridge to his next circle, and it couldn’t have come at a more perfect moment. As Hump cast his gaze around the street, Hump could see the same thought in everyone—Ricard, Roderick, Marcela and the other parties, even the city people—they held themselves a little taller, an aura of hope and optimism surrounding them. Kelisia had let her presence be known, and it was as good as telling them that she was guiding their path. With her on their side, how could they fail?

Hump understood that. There was no arguing that right now they needed whatever power the gods were willing to give them. Yet despite the sentiment, he couldn’t help but feel nervous, for if Kelisia’s presence was more than coincidence it meant something else too.

It meant that the warlocks were dangerous enough for even the gods to take notice.

What do the gods fear? Hump wondered. Whatever it was, he knew he wanted no part of it.

As he felt the familiar shake of his spellbook, he took it from his belt and opened it to see Bud’s new blessing.

BLESSINGS

Frostfire Surge

Description

An unstoppable charge propelled by a blast of Frostfire, leaving a blazing trail of purifying cold in your path.

Dylan, Celaine, and Emilia gathered beside him, reading the entry.

“Excellent,” Dylan said. “He’ll be pleased with that, I think.”

“It’s hard not to be jealous when I read an ability like that,” Emilia said. “For a martial to replicate something of the sort, they would need to specialise in a technique just like it.”

Hump looked up as awed whispers filled the street. Bud had opened his eyes, and they brimmed with the light of Frostfire. Essence mist poured from his body, rising off him like steam. He noticed everyone watching and an easy smile touched his lips, looking every bit like a champion of the gods.

“Impressive,” Roderick said. “Very impressive. What was your name again, lad?”

Bud turned to him. “It’s Robert, my lord. Robert Blackthorne.”

“I shall remember you, Robert Blackthorne. When all this is over, you must seek me out. For now, I must depart. I leave Marcela in your hands. Protect her well, for she is the future of Sheercliff.”

“On my life, my lord,” Bud said.

Roderick nodded, then turned to Natalie. “Can you reach the Upper City with your portals?”

“Yes, without issue.”

“Good. Are you ready, Ricard?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be. Where do you suggest we breach?”

“The fighting will be thick in the temple district. Natalie, take us to the House of Stone. We will secure the area and then proceed toward the Shrine of Osidium from there.”

“Understood,” Natalie said. “It won’t take long, and I won’t be able to hold it long for these numbers either. Be ready.”

Roderick looked over the other parties, but his eyes steadied on Eve and the other Chosen of the Pantheon. “We go to war, brothers and sisters, beneath the righteous light of Kelisia. Our path is true, and it leads to victory!”

A cheer ran through the Chosen, Bud joining it. Hump’s own heart thundered with the sound of it, the anger and resolve in all their voices, but still he couldn’t help but feel nervous.

Nearby, Natalie’s portal flared into being. Through it, Hump saw vague shapes moving, though whether they were people or monsters he could not tell.

“Little Cela, take good care of yourself,” Roderick said. “Do not lose sight of what matters.”

“I will not,” Marcela said. “Good luck to you, Roderick.”

“There is no need for luck. The gods are with us this day. That is all we need.”

Roderick gripped his sceptre tightly and stepped toward the portal. Behind him, the rest of the force gathered. Thirty-odd adventurers, all bronze rankers and above. Whoever was on the other side wouldn’t know what hit them.

“Today’s the day,” Roderick said. “Today’s the day we bring this warlock tyranny to an end.”

Roderick’s essence exploded from him, his soul already starting to manifest in the form of his golden armour, and then he stepped through. The others poured in behind him without hesitation, leaving only Hump and Marcela’s parties on the street, and the many onlookers nearby. From throughout the city, the sounds of fighting reached them. Screams, metal, and the distant booms of magic.

Yet Hump’s eyes were on Marcela. He’d expected another argument over being left behind, but she’d not even tried.

Bud walked over to them, his heavy footsteps clanking on the ground. “You look surprised, Hump.”

Hump glanced at him, noting the knight’s curious eyes. He must have noticed something on his face.

“Just a little,” Hump said.

“I told you, the gods are always watching,” Bud gloated.

“Indeed you did. I don’t suppose Kelisia happened to give you a push in the right direction?”

“She did not. But this is enough.”

Hump raised an eyebrow. “Shame. Guess we’ll need to figure it out ourselves.”

“Surely this is a good thing,” Emilia said. “What’s wrong?”

“Hump’s world view is being challenged,” Celaine said. “If the gods are here, then perhaps they care after all. In which case… well, Hump has said a few too many things he shouldn’t have.”

“That’s not it,” Hump said. “What everyone seems to be missing is that if the gods are showing their presence now, there must be a reason. A reason big enough for them to care. That makes me nervous, and if you lot had any sort of sense, it should make you nervous too.”

They looked at him awkwardly after that and Hump grimaced. He’d lost his temper and killed morale. He sighed and continued. “I’m not saying it’s not a good thing. Just that we’re not out of the woods yet. The city is under siege, and unless Kelisia herself starts fighting alongside us, we need to be cautious.”

“He’s right,” Marcela said, her back to them, her gaze fixed on the Upper City. “Something terrible is happening, and I’m not willing to hide down here and let it. I’m going to the Upper City.”

“Marcela,” Bud said. “Roderick said—”

“Roderick is blinded by his desire to keep me safe,” Marcela said. “He still sees me as the little girl I used to be, not the Chosen I am today. my mother told me that I have a role to play in Sheercliff’s fate, and she told Hump the same thing. We can’t do anything hiding down here.”

That wasn’t what I meant, Hump thought, cringing. He didn’t like the sound of that. He’d done his part. He’d helped to figure out how to locate the warlocks. Surely that was enough.

“What if your role is to stay safe?” Bud asked. “We should do as instructed. I was ordered to protect you, and I will do just that.”

“If you wish to protect me, you will need to come with me,” Marcela said. “I will not abandon my home in its hour of need. I will not leave my mother to fight for this city alone. I must do what I can.”

“He has a point,” Dylan said. “We may cause more problems by going to the Upper City. The worst thing we could do is become a distraction for Countess Daston and the others.”

“We’re with you,” Hump said simply. His teammates looked at him, aghast, but their objections fell silent at his statement.

“You’re… you’re not going to fight me on this?” Marcela asked, her face a mixture of surprise and a hint of gratitude.

He put a hand on the outside of his leather bag, feeling the warmth of his dragon egg within, wishing he’d had a chance to put it somewhere safe, though he supposed there was nowhere in the city safe now. The coward in him wanted to suggest otherwise. To pick apart her plan and convince her that the only logical choice was to put their efforts into helping the Lower City. At the same time, maybe Marcela was right and they really could influence the fate of Sheercliff. He rubbed his chin, mulling over any other options he could think of. The fact was, they didn’t know enough. Anthony had unveiled the warlock grand plan, and so far it seemed to be working. They would have accounted for predictable forces such as Countess Daston. It was the unexpected that might swing the battle in their favour.

“I won’t fight you on this,” Hump said. “If you’re confident in your plan, you have my support.”

“You know I’m with you all the way, Marcela,” Len said. “But what are we supposed to do? As much as I want to help, getting ourselves killed won’t do us any good. We’d do more good by helping to defeat the other Trees of Damnation in the Lower City.”

“I have a plan.”

Marcela pointed, and they all turned their gazes toward the giant Tree of Damnation towering Sheercliff, directly above the giant face of Osidium carved into the cliff itself. The shimmering blackness of the portal was mesmerising, warping as creatures continued to pass through.

“We’re going to destroy that tree,” she finished.

A long silence hung between them.

“It better be a bloody good plan,” Hump said.

“You must be joking,” Celaine said. “What are we supposed to do against that?”

“We go to my family estate,” Marcela said. “Few in Alveron possess a vault as impressive as ours. There are artifacts in there designed for war. If we use them against the tree, even we could destroy it.”

“If artifacts like that exist, why hasn’t Countess Daston already deployed them?” Emilia asked. “Or how do you know she isn’t intended to already?”

“I don’t,” Marcela said. “In fact, I’m sure she is using them. That doesn’t mean our efforts won’t matter.”

“We’re a small, unexpected force,” Hump said. “Countess Daston likely has every warlock in the city on watch for her. She is fighting their best. We, on the other hand, could potentially sneak in and deal a devastating blow.” Hump let out a long, reluctant sigh. “It could work.”

“How do you even intend to reach the estate?” Bud asked. “The steps are destroyed and the carriageway is gone.”

“There is another path.” Marcela looked at Bud guiltily. “I will not force you to follow me against your wishes. You will not tarnish your honour for remaining here and fighting in the Lower City. I understand this is dangerous, but I feel in my heart that this is what I must do.”

Bud hesitated a moment and then sighed. “Perhaps this is what Kelisia intended for me after all. I will go. I gave my word that I would protect you, and I intend to keep it.”

Emilia, Celaine, and Dylan shared a look and then nodded.

Marcela looked at her own party.

“You know you don’t need to ask, Cela,” Nina said.

“We’re with you,” Teff said.

“I will never be able to thank you enough,” Marcela said. “Varris, this is a big ask for a new party.”

“I have family in the Upper City,” Varris said. “Friends from the academy. They will be fighting there. I could not face them again if I backed out here.”

“I won’t forget this,” Marcela said.

“So, where’s this path?” Hump asked. “We best get a move on.”

“It is through the heart of Sheercliff,” Marcela said. “A path only Daston blood can open.”