Chapter 53: Abandoned


    Lnd snapped his fingers nine more times before he finally stumbled back, his head spinning. He groaned with horrid nausea, his lifeforce dwindling with threatening speed.


    “<em>Kneel before—”</em>


    His words abruptly ended as a wrinkled manicured hand met his shoulder. Lnd quickly spun, finding Boor.


    Shaking his head, the butler leaned in and whispered, “We will lose if we fight her. She’s stronger than all of us put together.”


    ring at the Huntress despite the spinning room, Lnd found an unafflicted woman. She bore no grimace, no pain, no emotions, really. She simply watched him with a quizzically raised eyebrow, like a mother watching their child do something improper.


    When she realized Lnd wasn’t attacking anymore, her gaze suddenly changed into something urging a challenge. She wanted him to continue, to fight her, to throw everything he had and more at her. She’d win and she knew it.


    Lnd saw it in her slight smirk. It wasn’t hubris, it wasn’t ignorance. Her gaze was absolute, like if there was a battle, she could guarantee herself and only herself to step from the inn’s rubble.


    Still, Lnd’s heart zed with anger and self-loathing. Not being powerful enough to kill his friend’s kidnapper, even if it was a Royal Inquisitor?


    Ridiculous. Shameful. Belittling.The ground beside Lnd split open as a soul of the Damned sprouted into this dimension. He felt the hand on his shoulder tighten. He wasn’t sure if Boor was fearful or trying to warn him, but frankly he didn’t care. The room was spinning, and he needed a reprieve.


    The soul sat on one knee and kept its ghostly head down, offering its arm up to Lnd. The young Warlock epted his minion’s offering without taking his eyes from the Huntress. Green blended through the air as the once alive lost soul merged with his own. Energy quickly invaded his body, ending the wobble in his step and the rotating walls.


    The soul of the Damned didn’t instantly fade away. It tilted its head at the Huntress, finding her gaze falling upon it. Its ethereal jaw cked up as five other souls made their presence known. They pulled themselves up through the boundary, only revealing their scornful eyes. Each stared at the Royal Inquisitor.


    “Enough. Thank you, but that is enough,” Lndmanded, sending his summoned back to their realm but not before catching each of their fiery eyes.


    Boor’s hand eased off his shoulder.


    “You know,” the Huntress said slowly. “Attacking a Royal Inquisitor is grounds for imprisonment.”


    “So is kidnapping,” Jude snapped.


    Lnd didn’t shake his stare. “And let''s not kid ourselves. My spell didn’t break any of your bones. I didn’t so much as cause a single crack.”


    The Huntressughed. “Honest, at least. I think you get that from your father.”


    Glenny was the one who reacted next. He pushed into the room, dragging Lnd and Jude along with him. He then shut the door, leaving the Inquisitor in the hallway.


    She recoiled at that, honestly stunned. At least, until she broke the door from its hinges.


    Jude tsked. “Add property damages to the charges against her.”


    The Huntress looked to him then to Lnd. “What happened to you two? Weren’t you supposed to be the one to get angry and Lnd was supposed to be the calm one?”


    Shrugging, Jude said, “I counted to ten, Leals did not.”


    Again, the Huntress found herself utterly stunned. By mere children.


    Lady Onryo, who had been watching the whole scene, asked, “Who is this woman?”


    Alkin answered. “Mother, I’d like you to meet the Royal Inquisitor known as the Huntress.” He then turned to the subject matter. “I apologize, I don’t think I ever learned your true name.”


    “Isobel is fine,” she said. “And it is nice to finally be with the civilized.”


    Glenny scoffed at that. “You kidnapped me, remember?”


    She didn’t argue the point.


    Blinking rapidly and scoffing herself, Lady Onryo calmed herself before saying, “Inquisitor Isobel, may I ask what is going on? We were not expecting Inquisitor interference for another week or so.”


    Before she could answer, Glenny cut her off. “Oh, she’s not the ones you sent for. In fact, the Huntress here has been in Shoutwell since we arrived. Meaning, she’d been here since before you sought help.”


    Lady Onryo raised an eyebrow. “Has she now? And why, as Shoutwell’s only noble House, am I only just now hearing about her presence?”


    “Because she would rather—”


    Isobel gave Glenny a look that shut him right up. She sighed, looking back to the Lady. “I received your plea for help, yes. And I have been helping, just not alerting you.”


    “Oh?” Lady Onryo said. “And what have you been <em>doing?”</em>


    “I don’t have to ex—”


    “Yes, yes you do. If I remember correctly, I am a noble House leader. And House estates have to pay a premium tax for Inquisitor dues. So, I would argue I <em>do</em> have the right to your exnation.. Especially after my city has been overrun with cultists and countless murders.”


    The Huntress chewed her bottom lip. “I have been gathering powerful allies.”


    Lady Onryo scoffed. “And who are these <em>allies?”</em>


    Glenny answered that one. “That would be me, Lnd, and Jude.”


    “Amongst others,” muttered the Inquisitor.


    “Ah, and Boor,” Glenny said with a shrug. He then found a set of eyes ring at him.


    Lady Onryo carefully looked between each upant of the room. “Right,” she said. “So, let me ask you again, <em>Royal Inquisitor,</em> what have you been doing since my plea for help?”


    Isobel hesitated and eventually answered, “I have been gathering allies. Yes, these three boys and your butler are the only ones I had been able to scout before other events took my attention. But I should also add that I’ve already located the location of the cult’s strong hol—”


    “The sewers were empty other than a few dozen low ranking members,” Lnd supplied.


    Recentering herself, Isobel continued. “The sewers were not the location of the stronghold. They were, yes, but not once they imed enough eyes to wake their master. The cult has a history of moving to open t areas, ones with plenty of clear space. They needed enough space to hold a ritual.”


    “So what? The markets?” Jude asked.


    “That could have been a location, yes. But I think the city’s legitive square would be a better choice. Only a single tree and fountain to remove, not a few dozen wooden booths.”


    “Does that information even matter at this point?” Lady Onryo asked. “As I’ve been informed, it is likely the Sightless King has been awoken.”


    The Inquisitor nodded. “Yes, at least his <em>vessel</em> has been.”


    “And what is this vessel?” Boor asked.


    “A husk, a fake. Something that can hold his immense power long enough that he can forge his own <em>true</em> body.”


    “So we have time?”


    Shaking her head, Isobel said. “Not really, no. It will only be a few days before he will be virtually unstoppable. And every passing hour he will get more powerful. So, we need to kill the vessel sooner rather thanter.”


    Jude frowned. “No Inquisitor backup then?”


    “Correct. We simply cannot wait for them.”


    Lady Onryo said, “What’s the n then?”


    “Simple,” the Huntress said. “I alone am powerful enough to defeat the vessel in singlebat. I just need fighters to keep the other cultists off me, specifically the woman in white robes.”


    The boys shared a careful look. It was then Lnd saw the red glimmer in his friend’s eyes.


    “Your eyes—”


    “I’m fighting,” Glenny spoke over. “His power no longer restrains me. I <em>adapted </em>to it and can use it.”


    Jude shrugged at the statement. “I’m in.”


    Still, Lnd was hesitant. They had <em>only just</em> got Glenny back. The false belief that Glenny was dead still weighed on his mind. He had already said they were forsaking Shoutwell the moment Glenny was taken back. But now?


    Lnd conceded to his internalpass and nodded along with Jude.


    “Three of four,” the Huntress said, turning to Boor. “What do you say?”


    Lady Onryo spoke before her butler could. “Boor is not participating. He has already done enough<em>. </em>The rest should be handled by a Royal<em> Inquisitor. </em>I urge the boys to heed the call of battle. Leave the war to those being paid to die.”


    Jude didn’t count to ten. “Wow, you really are a <em>noble!</em>” He turned to Alkin. “Please do not grow up to be like her. Please.”


    Alkin sputtered, looking between his mom and friend.


    “Watch your tone, child.” Boor warned, pointing a finger directly into Jude’s chest.


    Lnd stirred at that. “Don’t make me wither that finger of yours. Again.”


    Boor hesitated at the threat and backed away.


    Lady Onryo didn’t waste any more time and gathered Alkin and the silent Mavi. She strolled out of the room, Boor following a momentter. Before she fully exited, she leaned back through the busted door frame.


    “Good luck, <em>Huntress.</em>”


    Isobel didn’t grace her with even a re. A tense few moments passed before she spoke to the boys. “I hate nobles.”


    They agreed with varying levels of enthusiasm. Lnd, however, turned to Glenny. “What do you mean you ‘adapted’ to the Sightless King?”


    Glenny’s eyes sparked at the question. “Well, after I was kidnapped, Isobel exined an aspect of my Legacy that I didn’t not know about. M-my mother probably was waiting to tell me <em>after</em> I became a Legacy of the Chameleon, but you know… Anyway, it turns out I can adapt to certain things. Foreign powers being one of them.”


    “And that makes it so you can use said power?”


    “More or less. Less for right now. I need to train with it more.”


    An idea came to Jude. “Wait, wait, wait. If you can adapt to foreign power, if we find a Legacy of the Mind, can you <em>adapt </em>to their power and read minds?”


    Glenny hummed at the question and deferred to the Huntress.


    “I will be the one to lock you in prison if you ever try that,” she said. “Unless you are willing to join the Inquisitors. We’d love to have an atypical mind reader.”


    Glenny ignored the prospect and asked, “What are we doing about the Sightless Cult?”