There was no time to waste, Mattos could leave the city anytime. Xellie ran down the stairs out into the courtyard to find Ary resting in the sun.

“We need to find Mattos.” She told Ary breathlessly.

“But we don’t...Oh!” Ary’s face lit up as she realized what must have just happened. “You talked to them!”

“I shouldn’t really tell anyone anything about that,” Xellie replied, pushing the heavy iron bolt of the gate aside. “We have to stick together, who knows when our unwanted friend will show up.”

“They told you where Mattos is? When do I get to talk to her?”

Xellie stifled a laugh under her breath at Ary’s eagerness.

“One day, I’m sure.”

With her scarf pulled up over her nose and mouth, Xellie deftly navigated through the narrow back streets of Anshara, between the back sides of large villas, until she arrived at the central plaza.

The plaza was filled with market traders selling their wares, shouting over each other to entice customers.

“Stay close,” Xellie whispered to Ary, looking across the plaza for the inn. Scanning her eyes across the inn’s seating area, she spotted Mattos thoughtfully staring into his ale.

Xellie decided it would be best to surprise Mathos, as there was no telling how he would react if he saw her coming, so she directed Ary to follow her silently through the parasoled tables until she was behind Mattos.

“Stay sat down.” She commanded Mattos from behind him, leaning into his ear. “This isn't a good place to get into a fight.”

Mattos visibly tensed up, but gave a slight nod in response.

“Good.” Xellie sat down at the table opposite Mattos. “I just want to talk.”

“I’ll listen,” Mattos said, narrowing his eyes, and raising his hand to get the attention of a server to bring more drinks.

“I should have told you sooner.” Xellie started, hoping an apology would keep Mattos open to discussion. “I only found out recently, and I hadn’t told anyone that isn’t family... I really didn’t know how to tell you.”

Mattos said nothing, merely nodding in acknowledgement, glancing up from his ale.

“I don’t really understand this whole thing myself,” she continued. “But they seem to think I can do something or be something and they want me to prove that I’m worthy whatever that really means. I’m starting to be okay with that because if whatever they think I can do can make a tiny difference in this unfair and cruel world, then isn’t it good to have this kind of power? I want to help people... I really want people to not suffer. I want to help people like... like your city... and maybe it’s a long shot, but I will try to save Alpinheim with or without you.”

“Really? Mattos looked up, raising his eyebrows. “It’s not your duty.”

“If I have the ability, I’ll do it.” Xellie leaned forward slightly into the table. “I couldn’t just ignore it... I’d feel terrible.”

Mattos took a long drink and placed the ale down purposefully.

“What of Ashmeviti?”

“I’ll kill him,” Xellie responded, sounding casual as she leaned back in her chair.

“Okaaaaaaaaaay.” Mattos exhaled sharply. “To begin with, I thought you were plain crazy. And if everything you said is true, you just proved it.”

“Well, I... I won’t say I don’t feel a need to pick weird fights.” Xellie shrugged. “They told me where to find you if you had doubts.”

Mattos shook his head.

“How do I know then, that you’re not just on some mission to take me to my death? Do you want my soul? Are you trying to trick me into unwinnable fights?”

“That’s really unfair!” Ary snapped. “She went out into the desert last night looking for you because she was scared for your well-being! And came back all beat up and crispy!”

“You gotta admit, that’s not very wanting-you-to-die behaviour, is it?” Xellie took a swig of his drink and smiled wryly. “It was rough out there.”

“Ah. I’m sorry if I put you in danger then... and I can’t think of anyone else who’d want to help my city in this way so, I’ll give you another chance.”

Visibly relieved, Xellie tilted her head back to look up at the cloudless Anshara sky. Somewhere up there, she hoped, Raye had seen this interaction.

“I have some questions though,” Mattos said, leaning back into his chair, appearing more relaxed.

“Oh?” Xellie turned her attention to Mattos. “Such as?”

“We hear of half-Demon children all the time, but never half-valkyries? You’d think they would be equally common.”

“Because...” Xellie shuddered as she thought back to the old man’s words in the library. “That creepy underground temple was a shrine to all the hybrid kids. They kill them so that they can’t be used by demons, or that’s what I think I learned from all this.”

“They kill their own children?” Mattos gulped as he thought back to the temple of sacrifice. “That was a lot of kids in that .... so Myla was?”

“That makes a lot of sense,” Ary said. “I guess they killed them young, so they didn’t develop any power or Valkyrian tendencies?”

“So why are you alive?” Mattos asked, screwing up his face in deep thought. “Is your mother high ranking or special or something?”

“I dunno, I don’t get told that kinda thing.” Xellie puffed out her cheeks as she tried to think of an answer. “My mother seems to take a lot of orders so I don’t think it’s anything like that.”

“I wonder what they do to Valkyrie children, anyway... You know what they do to demon hybrids, right?” Mattos asked Xellie, sounding worried.

“If you mean throwing holy magic at them so they burn up alive, or doing the same to the mothers while pregnant, so the kid burns alive inside her, I’ve seen it,” Xellie replied, wrinkling her nose. “That’s why scorching exists and I intend to...”

“No, no no!” Mattos exclaimed, holding his hands up. “Don’t talk about that. Don’t even think about having that surgery. Women die going through that!”

“Better that than risking having demon kids.” Xellie retorted. “It’s safe enough if you pay enough.”

“Ugh. Anyway... you were in the forest when Ashmeviti’s minions blew up the temple... that’s when you got the miasma poisoning?”

“Yea...” She nodded, not quite following Mattos’ train of thought.

“He didn’t kill you. You should have died there. Maybe he’s the reason you’re alive.”

“That’s right, and he wants me for his own purpose... wow. I owe my whole life to the demon lord? That can’t be right... how can that possibly be right?”

“It doesn’t matter...” Mattos interrupted her gently. “We’re here, and the why isn’t important... let's just figure out where he is.”

“So we need to find this Lefain place,” Xellie said to Mattos. “If what that old man said has any truth to it and it’s across the plains, I’m guessing it’s the big circle on that map.”

“I thought you said it was called Lafayein,” replied Mattos. “Why do you trust this old man, anyway?”

“There’s just something about him,” Xeliie shrugged. “Besides, it’s called the devil’s library and that means he might be a demon, right?”

“Huh. So you believe him because demons don’t lie,” Mattos mused. “Well, I don’t even want to think about crossing the plains without more info.”

“You can go back into the library and research Lafayein,” Xellie dipped into her pocket and counted out some notes before handing them to Mattos. “Ash will let you in again if you pay him... Obviously, he won’t let me in... You should take Ary too.”

“What will you do?” Mattos asked.

“I have my own sources of information to follow up on I guess.” Xellie replied casually, “Like... uhh... well I used to live here, I know people.”

“You mean Valkyries, yeah?” Mattos rolled his eyes. “Well, if it helps, it helps.”

“I told you they don’t talk to me much,” Xellie muttered under her breath in annoyance.