Eventually, the meeting was brought to order using similar rituals involved in their mass. Thankfully, there was no order to where people could sit. They took one of the back corners where the nearby fire-stones had lost most of their glow. No one paid much attention to them anyway, but a few extra shadows were always helpful.

While they were resting, Buer and his group entered. Crow already felt them coming and warned the others, so none turned except for Sarah. Her eyes narrowed at the figure of the woman beside Buer and almost rose to greet her. Crow had to grab her thigh and prevent her from moving.

“Not now,” he hissed so softly that even Sarah wasn’t sure she heard him. However, the intent was enough. Buer glanced at them, but since Crow and Otto were armored and the giant was now smaller than Buer, the Inquisitor didn’t pay much attention to them. If Crow hadn’t stored Otto’s new hammer, the guy would have probably been on them in a second. Either way, the group moved toward the front.

In all, over two hundred armored warriors were sitting in this church. It was enough to raise Crow’s hackles, but he knew they had to do this if they wanted to get below with fewer potential problems. Things might get awkward if they found those paladins they dumped below, but Sarah promised that wouldn’t happen soon.

Finally, a frail old man stood at the pulpit and stared out over the crowd. Based on the fluctuations of mana Crow felt from the man, he was only mortal—an ancient mortal. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that the man posed a threat.

*He’s been marked by a primordial.* Lily told him. *By himself, he isn’t dangerous and cannot sense anything about you. That doesn’t mean the primordial won’t pay attention if you approach the man.*

*What do I do?*

*It isn’t you that is the problem. Your power isn’t much greater than the others in the room, so you wouldn’t trigger anything. Otto is another story. I don’t want to divulge too much about him because it’s not my story to tell. I can tell you that his Source has been accumulating non-stop for years. You can’t let him approach that old man.*

Crow tapped Otto’s leg, getting the big guy’s attention. After a few gestures and pointing at the priest standing in front of everyone, Otto signed back. A small flurry of gestures caught Sarah’s attention, and she felt she’d unveiled another layer of the mysterious brothers.

Otto glanced between Crow and the old man and then nodded. They both learned battle signing from Crow’s father, so it didn’t take much to convey his meaning. The conversation was simple, similar to the way Otto talked. Crow said something like, ‘Danger. Avoid man. Me safe. You not.’ The gestures were meant for combat, not for having extended conversations.

“From Oblivion, we came,” the priest intoned.

“To it, we shall return,” they all answered, Crow included.

“We selected all of you to participate in a ritual because you are the best among our younger generation. The Brotherhood of the Unspoken has prepared some pills for you all to ingest before you sleep tonight. You will enter another realm, and this pill is necessary to prevent that realm from rejecting you. At most, you have a week on the other side, so use it wisely to help Minnustern achieve greatness. Oblivion has shown us the way, and you were the chosen ones to receive his legacy.”

“To Oblivion, all things shall return.” The church replied, and Crow almost gave himself away but luckily recovered fast enough to mimic everyone else. Sarah looked at him with apologetic eyes. She hadn’t expected the man to give a sermon.

“We are all children of Oblivion, so we should show kindness when possible. Tonight, one of the Clergy will visit each of you and help administer the pill. It’ll make you drowsy, so they’ll be there to ensure you rest well. Be sure to eat bountifully because you’ll need it. You’ll need to do this consecutively for three nights, and then we’ll send you off.”

Buer stood up and then genuflected, waiting to be acknowledged.

“All of you, do not worry about honorifics. We are sending you into a dangerous scenario outside our control. Ask your questions, and I’ll answer what I can. Inquisitor Buer, go ahead.”

“Father, may I ask where this realm is and its dangers?”

“You’ll enter Tech Duinn.”

“Fuck,” Crow said under his breath. Sarah and Otto both looked over at him but remained silent. It wasn’t the time to ask questions.

“Father…? Isn’t that an otherworld realm? Are the living even allowed to enter?”

Otherworld was a label given to realms that didn’t belong to the living realms. Spirit and the dead realms were both included under that umbrella. Some magic could call on things in those realms, but there was no physical crossing.

“That is why we’ll be dosing you with a life-suppressing pill. It is called Last Breath. It is also why you have less than a week to return. If you cannot return before then, the effect of the pill will be permanent.”

“We can’t go,” Crow said softly. “That is the place the Scath-Draoi is imprisoned.”

There were more questions, but they were mostly pointless. Crow knew a lot about Tech Duinn, not that there was much that needed to be said. It was a land of the dead but belonged to the Draoidh’s pantheon, so it was strange the Minnustern was using it. Crow’s ancestors used it as a prison, as there was no way out other than soul reincarnation. At least, that’s how it was initially, but the Scath changed that. Somehow the Shadow Druid was sending the Scath through to the land of the living. Crow suspected that the Shadow Druid gained enlightenment over the truths regarding reincarnation.

“Alright, no more questions. Register your team with one of the Clergy, and they’ll lead you to your chambers. You have use of the tower and its facilities but do not exit the structure. We’ll need to monitor you throughout the process.”

Sarah registered their group, and they remained as far away from the priest as possible. Crow didn’t hear the names she used to register, but the Clergy wasn’t alarmed. Instead, he handed over the keys to a four-person suite. After the man led them to their accommodations, he told them where the library, cafeteria, church for morning prayers, and training hall were. Mostly, the amenities were on the floors above the suites.

“Before I leave. Be in your room after this evening’s absolution, and make sure you eat two or three times your regular diet. If you don’t, you’ll wish you had. If you aren’t in your room on time, you’ll be accused of desertion and receive appropriate punishment.”

Sarah took a knee and bent her head, so Crow and Otto did the same. It was weird because if Crow were standing here as himself, he’d never bow his head to anyone. A disguise changed his demeanor to cause the least amount of problems.

After the priest touched the backs of their heads, he turned and left. Crow sat down and told Otto and Sarah what he knew about Tech Duinn, and they left it at that. In the end, Crow didn’t talk all that long because he only knew it was important to his people, but not why.