A Shadows Welcome

Arriving at the Gilded Lion, we stop at the sight of a closed and bolted door. Turning to Ella, I see a concerned look on her face.

"It shouldn't be closed, right?"

"It should be open. She never closes. Not for any reason."

"What do we do now?"

"Follow me. I know a way inside." Following her around the back of the Inn, we stop for a moment near the rear wall. Muttering to herself, she presses on a few bricks before pushing one in. With a grinding sound, the rock slides open, revealing a small passageway inside. With a wave of her and a small glowing orb appears by her fingertip, lighting up the darkness inside.

"Follow me." Grimacing a little, I follow her into the darkness of the cellar, jumping a little as the door slams shut. Heading up the stairs, we arrive at the back of the bar near the private room where Ella and I first spoke not long after my arrival here. It seems like that was years ago instead of just a few weeks. Time waits for no one, it seems, no matter which world you're in.

"Oscar." At Ella's voice, I turn and see her holding up a small note with her name written on it. Peeling it open carefully, she pulls out a page of folded parchment, opening it. For a moment, the silence sits over us heavily as her eyes dart back and forth, reading the words on the page. Shaking her head sadly, she hands me the page, cursing out loud and hitting the wall nearby. Flipping the page straight, I look at the words written there.

'My dearest Ella,

I'm sorry I left without telling you. As I was bringing Ari to the castle, she told me of your father's plans. By the time you are reading this, I will have already left for the Fenrir homeland. Do not try to follow me. You won't be able to keep up, and as you know, the Fenrir are not the most welcoming of outsiders. While you have been there and they know you, your outlier friend would be seen as an enemy. I will stop your father from killing Orion, you have my word. Whilst I am away, see the Crypt Master. I know you and she have had problems in the past, but she is who you need right now if we are going to have any hope of defeating your father. I will be in touch once I have dealt with Orion. Above all else, stay safe.

Your friend

Marianne'

Putting the letter back into its envelope, I go over and touch Ella on the shoulder. Leaning into me, she sighs heavily.

"What do you want to do?"

"I would love to follow her and head to the land of the Fenrir. But I know she is right, and that is not a practical solution. We couldn't keep up with her speed of travel. We should head to the Crypt Master and get the third part of the key."

"What history do you have with her?"

"I'd rather not get into it. She's an old hag who had a funny way of twisting words and situations to suit herself. In some ways she's every more formidable than my father."

"That sounds like a headache. Is there any way we can get the third part of the key without going there?"

"There's not. For now, ill let the king know what's happening." Pulling a small silver arrow from the pocket on her belt, she hums and focuses on the arrow. For a second, the arrow glows blue, and words write across the arrow. When her humming stops, the words roll up into a small note and, with the click of her fingers, the arrow disappears in a blue flash.

"What was that?" Turning to me, she gives me a cheeky smile.

"A Magic Missive. I take it you've never seen one of these before?"

"Never. Seems convenient."

"They have their drawbacks. If your concentration wavers for a second when sending it, it'll end up in the wrong place or with the wrong person. I've had a long time to practice."

"Speaking of, how old are you exactly?" Trying to keep a straight face at the look of shock on her face was hard.

"Don't you know, you should never ask a woman their age. Surely a man who was married would know that?"

"I do. It's just always funny to see the look on your faces." Laughing at the exasperated look on her face, I lean against the bench.

"So how do we get to where the crypt master is?" With a smile, she holds up her hand, and magical sparks flicker across her fingers.

"The only way to travel. Magic. Come here." Coming over to her, she wraps her arm around me and grips my side tight. From her hand, blue energy wraps around us, and a wind seems to pick up out of nowhere, ruffling my clothes and hair. For a moment the world seems to stretch thin, and it snapped back with a vengeance, sending me tumbling away from Ella into the dirt. Closing my eyes as the world continues to spin. Rolling over, I groan and press my forehead against the cold, clammy dirt as a wave of nausea hits me.

"Thought you would handle it better than that. Big, tough man, like you." Looking through squinting eyes at her standing there, I bit back a retort of curses at her giggling behind her hand.

"This is payback for the age thing, isn't it?"

"A little. Here, this will make you feel better." Coming over, she lays her hand on my head and magic pours from it into me. In a few moments, the world stops spinning, and the nausea goes away. Getting to my feet with her help, I look around at our location. Seeing dead white trees around us and a thin layer of fog over the ground, a chill runs up my spine. Clicking a few buttons in my inventory, I equip the battle vestments and revolvers.

"Lovely place you've brought us to."

"I wouldn't have if I'd had a choice. Come, the entrance to her lair is further in. Be ready, all manner of dangerous beasts lurk in these woods." Taking her words to heart, I reach down and channel energy into my guns, loading Aetheris with fire rounds and Thorne with armor-piercing rounds. Pulling Thorne from its holster, I check the rounds and watch my footing as I follow closely behind Ella, I try to remember my training and rely on that instead of my instincts. The last thing I need right now is hyperawareness of everything around me. Having a cool, calm head in dangerous situations has always served me better than focusing on everything all at once. Following the path out of the trees into a clearing, a wave of dread washes over me at the sight of a cave ahead. Stepping out from behind the trees, I stop as the air suddenly shimmers around us. From the shimmer, seven black-clad demons wielding wickedly curved daggers appear.

"Oscar, look out! My father's personal guard. They're no better than common thugs and assassins."

"That's right, princess. And now you've crossed the line. You should never have come here. You and your human's life are forfeit. Prepare to die." I'm not sure what made me do it or why, but I leveled Thorne and fired off a shot, tearing part off a part of the hood of the man who spoke.

"You're welcome to try, but you won't find me such an easy target."

"Well now, a challenge then. So be it. Attack!" At his command, the assassins all run towards us as one, and all hell breaks loose.