ã€ŠStella and the Sorcererã€‹


 Chapter 1 - The Cult of Elrick

    The crowd cheered when the fireball exploded in their midst, catching twelve of their number in its scorching embrace. Stella curled her lip in disgust at the mass of cult followers, who screamed in pleasure at their own destruction. She¡¯d known before the irrationality of the Cult of Elrick, but to see it in person multiplied her loathing for them.

    Elrick the Ineffable, the sorcerer who¡¯d thrown the fireball, stood at the base of his tower. He lowered his fists to his sides, and the crowd screamed louder, waving their arms, frantically begging for his attention.

    ¡°Sick fools,¡± Stella said.

    Uncle V coughed. ¡°A blunt way of putting it.¡±

    Stella raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°I thought I was being tame.¡±

    Uncle V gestured to the side. ¡°Ignore them for now. I seem to remember you being especially interested in this view.¡±

    He¡¯d brought her to a viewing tower near the crowd, which he claimed to be the second-best vantage in the area. It seemed to Stella like it had been built for the sole purpose of looking out over the area: when they¡¯d entered the tower and climbed the spiral staircase, they¡¯d circled around another wall of stone that was about the width of the well back home. The stairs stopped at a floor twenty-five feet above the ground, and a large wooden slab dominated the center. Uncle V told Stella that that part of the tower was hollow, and the wood kept people from falling in. Stella thought it a bizarre design for a tower, but seeing how the cultists were the ones responsible, she wasn¡¯t surprised.

    In any case, they had a perfect view of everything worth seeing: the lush greens blanketing the base of the volcano and surrounding the village there, the harsh blacks of the volcano¡¯s peak, and the mysterious grandeur of the sorcerer¡¯s tower, which stood eerily close to the smoking crater.

    But Stella¡¯s interest in the view had been a complete lie. She had one reason to come to this cursed place, and one reason alone: to kill the evil sorcerer.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it breathtaking?¡± Uncle V asked.

    ¡°Completely.¡±

    ¡°Of course, the best view is from the sorcerer¡¯s tower.¡±

    Stella paled at the thought of her uncle in that terrible place. ¡°What? How do you know that?¡±

    He sighed happily. ¡°It¡¯s a long, exciting tale. I¡¯ll tell you someday.¡±

    She shivered, wondering if the story had anything to do with the burn scars on his face and arms. Whenever she¡¯d asked about them, he¡¯d promised to tell her when she was older. Well, she¡¯d been of age for three weeks. They¡¯d been traveling together that whole time, but he still refused to tell the story, claiming he was saving it for a special moment.

    Stella turned back to the insane crowd. The volume of their shouts had reached a point she hadn¡¯t known possible, and the sorcerer had raised his hands once again. Flames shot from his reach, forming a firey arm that reached into the screaming crowd, setting a number of them on fire before grabbing one and lifting him high into the air. On cue, the crowd shouted the three infamous words: ¡°Vulcan take you!¡± The fiery arm threw its captive directly into the volcano¡¯s maw. A column of flame marked the moment his body hit the lava inside, cueing another round of cheers from the mob. The flames died down, and they fell silent. The sorcerer was shouting an incantation, but he was too far away for Stella to pick out the words. He was soon finished, and silence fell.

    ¡°There,¡± Uncle V breathed, pointing to the crater¡¯s edge. A blackened skeleton climbed over the jagged lip of rock, just barely visible against its dark surroundings. It walked down the slope toward the crowd.

    Stella¡¯s eyes stung with tears, but not for the victim. Yes, his fate was pitiable, but he was no different from the others the sorcerer had killed seconds before. Stella didn¡¯t know him. No, Stella cried because she saw now exactly what had happened to her father mere weeks before her birth. He¡¯d come to the sorcerer to ask him to heal her mother. Instead, the sorcerer had thrown him into the volcano and enchanted his charred skeleton to be a slave.

    The skeleton stopped near the base of the tower, where the villagers had piled up bundles of offerings. It took one into the tower, and more blackened skeletons poured out behind it and went to collect more bundles.

    ¡°Leave me now!¡± the sorcerer yelled, ¡°before I incinerate the lot of you!¡±

    The crowd dispersed, leaving behind their burnt-up dead and their bundles of offerings. Black-robed fanatics guided the injured to a nearby building, presumably to treat their burns.

    Once the skeletons had taken all the bundles inside, they collected the burned remains of the twelve who¡¯d died in the fireball explosion, taking them inside as well.

    ¡°Those people are all insane!¡± Stella said. ¡°Why under Thuban¡¯s eye would anyone want to be a part of that?¡±

    ¡°But you forget, Stella,¡± Uncle V said. ¡°Thuban is of no consequence to these people. Their faith is in Elrick and Vulcan.¡±

    Stella gaped at him, but he looked completely serious, even content. ¡°Faith in Elrick? When he makes a point to slaughter them in droves?¡±

    ¡°An act of faith,¡± he said, ¡°well, on their part. You see, the central tenet of their religion is self-sacrifice. They come to Elrick with their petitions, and they show how important those petitions are to them by putting their lives on the line. If Elrick thinks they demonstrate sufficient self-sacrifice, then he¡¯ll consider their petition. In fact, many of them have their petitions granted.¡±

    If Stella could gape any wider, she would. ¡°And if they¡¯re killed? Their ¡®petition¡¯ wouldn¡¯t matter to them if they¡¯re dead, now would it?¡±

    ¡°They don¡¯t see it as such a risk. They¡¯re happy either way.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying they¡¯re happy to be slain?¡± A pang of nausea and anger stabbed Stella¡¯s insides.

    Uncle V patted her back. ¡°Peace, Little Star. You didn¡¯t let me finish. It¡¯s not only about the things of this world. If they die in the volcano, they spend the afterlife serving the sorcerer, and if they die in a fireball, they go on to serve his master, Vulcan. Guaranteed. No other conditions. For them, it¡¯s a much better alternative to risking their fate on the judgment of Thuban. Just imagine it: spending the rest of eternity serving your god. What could be better?¡±

    Stella turned a suspicious eye on him. ¡°How do you know so much about them? And why are you so okay with it? People are purposely getting themselves killed for a cult!¡±

    Before Uncle V could answer, rapid footsteps ascended the stairs, and a man in black robes appeared, holding a coil of rope. The right side of his face was disfigured by a large burn scar, as was his right hand. He stopped dead at the sight of them. ¡°Magister Vatran,¡± he said, looking between the two of them. ¡°We¡¯re not quite ready yet. Did you want to¡­¡± He tentatively held out his rope.

    Uncle V shook his head. ¡°No, no, it¡¯s not what you think. I was just showing my niece the view. We¡¯ll be on our way, now.¡±

    They left the man with a puzzled expression. As they descended the stairs, Uncle V asked, ¡°Do you still wish to see the sorcerer¡¯s tower up close?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Uncle V smiled. ¡°Excellent.¡±

    The sorcerer¡¯s tower was similar to their viewing tower in that it was round and decorated with arcane runes. The cultists likely took inspiration from the tower when they built theirs. The difference was that the sorcerer¡¯s tower was about four times as wide and three times as tall, and the walls were made entirely of obsidian. The runes seemed to be carved directly into the obsidian, and they mostly pertained to the evocation of fire. The only windows were at the very top, sixty feet above the ground, and those were just spaces between the seven pillars that held up the roof, which seemed to be made of thick red glass. The ground surrounding the tower was littered with gravel, mostly of pumice, except for the front, where a huge swath of rock stretched down the mountainside like a frozen river. It was peppered with scorch marks from the sorcerer¡¯s fury.

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    Stella circled the tower, looking for weak points, places to get in, anything to get her close to the sorcerer. She soon found it to be a hopeless endeavor. The runes were no use as handholds: they were placed too far apart; they were too shallow; and their edges were rounded. Apart from that, the obsidian was entirely smooth.

    ¡°Did the skeletons sand down the corners?¡± she asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Uncle V said, ¡°This site used to constantly leak lava until Elrick used it to form his tower. It¡¯s been this way ever since then. That¡¯s why Vulcan Valley is hospitable, you know. And it produces the very best crops you¡¯ll find anywhere.¡±

    I didn¡¯t ask for fun facts, Stella thought, annoyed at the way his words paid the sorcerer credit, and upset that she hadn¡¯t found a way to sneak in. ¡°How often does he come out?¡±

    ¡°Every week or so.¡± He cocked his head. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°Just wondering. Does he ever actually talk to people? Aside from yelling at them?¡±

    ¡°Rarely. But it just so happens that such a conference will take place tomorrow.¡±

    Stella gave him another suspicious look. ¡°How do you know that?¡±

    He smiled. ¡°Have I ever told you how special you are, Little Star?¡±

    ¡°Every uncle says that to his nieces.¡±

    He shook his head. ¡°Your mother only told you that to discredit me.¡±

    Stella frowned. Her mother and Uncle V had never gotten along well. Just three months ago, Uncle V had come to visit for Stella''s birthday. He and Mother had gotten into a huge argument about whether he could take her on this trip to see the world. She''d eventually allowed it, but only if they left before she changed her mind. So they''d departed immediately, spending the following weeks traveling all over. Vulcan was their final destination before heading back to Altair.

    ¡°I do mean it when I say you''re special, Stella. You know your father''s story, right?¡±

    She clenched her teeth. Of course she knew. That wasn''t about to stop him from telling it, though.

    ¡°Before you were born, your mother was gravely ill. He tried everything to cure her. He went to herbalists, surgeons, and priests, but she only got worse. Finally, he heard of Elrick. As a last hope, he made the journey to Vulcan. He received instructions on what to do and say and followed them admirably. He was chosen by the firey arm, and serves Elrick to this day.¡±

    ¡°I already knew all that,¡± Stella grumbled.

    ¡°But you don''t know the next part. You see, I heard about your father¡¯s petition, and it intrigued me. So I went to Altair to find your mother. And do you know what I found?¡±

    Stella scowled.

    ¡°She¡¯d been completely healed. And she had a happy, healthy baby girl.¡±

    Stella¡¯s breath caught. ¡°Are you saying¡­ you believe this cultist insanity?¡±

    ¡°You''re made for great things, Stella. Extraordinary things. You have the favor of Elrick, of Vulcan himself.¡±

    She inched away from him. ¡°Please tell me you''re joking. You''re not serious. You''re kidding.¡±

    He smiled. It was the same smile he¡¯d always given, but now she saw its unhinged quality. ¡°I''ve never been more serious about anything. Stella, you have the potential to get Elrick to grant more petitions!¡±

    ¡°Why would I care about that?¡± She took a step back, but he grabbed her arm.

    ¡°Please, Stella. You¡¯ve been chosen by Vulcan. You have to help us!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to promote this death cult!¡± She pulled her arm away. ¡°If I succeeded, and he started ¡®granting more petitions,¡¯ things would only get worse! More people would come, and more would die!¡±

    ¡°Not if you also persuade him to tone down the killing.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to your conference to debate that murderer. You can do that yourself.¡±

    Uncle V laughed. ¡°No, no, you¡¯ve got it all wrong. You¡¯re not going to debate him. That would be ridiculous. No one would expect you to convince him that quickly.¡±

    She paled, gaping at him. ¡°You don¡¯t expect me to join that insane crowd, do you?¡±

    ¡°No, no. You¡¯re to be his apprentice.¡±

    ¡°What? No, I¡¯m not going to lift a finger for that monster.¡±

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be difficult. The skeletons do all of his chores. Besides, you¡¯d be able to study magic. I know that¡¯s one of your pastimes. He has numerous tomes you could study from, and he could teach you a lot himself.¡±

    It was true that Stella had spent a lot of time studying magic back home. She¡¯d spent the last five years pouring over every magical text she could get a hold of. She¡¯d also studied poisons, stealth, climbing, and archery, all in the name of acquiring any tool that would help her kill Elrick.

    To become the sorcerer¡¯s apprentice was certainly an opportunity. It would get her closer to the sorcerer than she could otherwise manage. It was a chance to observe him over a long period, scouting out the best potential method of doing the deed. As a sorcerer, he was likely to have some magical protections set up, preventing assassinations. She¡¯d need to know about those and find a way to circumvent them. Otherwise, her failed attempt would surely get her killed.

    But to become the sorcerer¡¯s apprentice would go against everything she believed. Every hand that aided the sorcerer led to more fiery deaths. And if word spread that he had taken an apprentice, the false hope of receiving generosity from him would spread with it.

    What would her mother think? Mother had brought her up with a fierce contempt for the Cult of Elrick. Would she understand that Stella was only doing it in the name of revenge, or would the betrayal crush her? Stella couldn¡¯t do that to her. She had to find another way.

    ¡°No,¡± Stella said. ¡°I¡¯m not doing it. You can¡¯t make me.¡±

    Uncle V frowned. ¡°I¡¯d hoped you¡¯d be more cooperative, Little Star.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to cooperate with a death cult.¡±

    He grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the tower. ¡°I¡¯d hoped it wouldn¡¯t come to this, but it should persuade you.¡±

    She tried to pull away again, but it was no use. He was serious this time. He pulled her to the building where the fanatics had taken the injured. Initially, it was just like she¡¯d guessed it would be: injured cultists lying on thin beds, fanatics applying salve to their burns. But Uncle V pulled her into a side room and opened a hidden door in the floor. He took her down a set of stone steps and into a dank hallway lined with doors, lit only by a torch at the bottom of the stairs. More torches hung in wall sconces along the hall, but they were all dark.

    At the end of the hallway, he unlocked a door. The room behind it was pitch dark, and a feral snarl floated out to meet them.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Laurel,¡± Uncle V said, and Stella froze. ¡°I brought a visitor.¡± He lit the nearest torch, and Stella¡¯s knees wobbled at the sight. Her mother was chained to the opposite wall, gagged and emaciated.

    Stella rushed to embrace her. She was skin and bones, her hair a stringy, dirty mess. ¡°He told me you agreed,¡± Stella said. ¡°But you¡¯ve been here the whole time?¡± Mother nodded and buried her head in Stella¡¯s shoulder. With her hands chained so close together, there was little else she could do. ¡°I¡¯ll get you out,¡± Stella whispered.

    ¡°Are you ready to reconsider?¡± Uncle V asked.

    Stella pulled back to look her mother in the face. ¡°He wants me to work for the sorcerer,¡± she whispered, and Mother¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°I know, it¡¯s crazy, but it could be just the opening I need to¡ª¡± She cut off. She wished she could tell Mother her intentions, to help her understand, but she couldn¡¯t risk letting Uncle V hear about it. Still, Mother shook her head. Her eyes were worried, sad even, but not afraid. They still had that spark of determination.

    Stella set her jaw. Whatever happened, she could find a way to both free her mother and kill Elrick. A way that didn¡¯t involve advancing the cult¡¯s practices.

    She stood and faced Uncle V. ¡°I¡¯m not changing my mind.¡±

    ¡°Shame,¡± he said. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll give them the go-ahead on putting her in the rotation, then.¡±

    ¡°What rotation?¡±

    ¡°When I sent her here, I told them to wait for my instructions before putting her in the rotation.¡±

    ¡°What rotation?¡±

    ¡°The offering rotation, of course. It¡¯s much less chaotic than the event you just witnessed, but the results are much the same. It is a smaller pool of people, though, so a given individual¡¯s chance of fatality is much higher.¡±

    Stella¡¯s stomach clenched, and her face went cold. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right! You two don¡¯t like the prospect of eternal servitude. What a shame. Except¡ª¡± He paused to smile at her, and her clenched stomach twisted up into a knot. ¡°If you agree to cooperate, I¡¯d be happy to postpone her fate for a few weeks. And if you succeed, I¡¯ll even set her free.¡±

    Stella¡¯s mind raced. She looked to her mother, who shook her head insistently. Cooperating with Uncle V, becoming the evil sorcerer¡¯s apprentice, would be abhorrent. But what else could she do? If she didn¡¯t, Uncle V would surely have Mother incinerated within the week. Stella couldn¡¯t possibly save her by then, much less manage to kill Elrick in that time.

    But to be his apprentice. To be that close to him was to have the perfect vantage from which to plan and execute her mission. And to cooperate with Uncle V was to have some leverage over his control of her mother¡¯s state.

    Stella set her jaw and met Uncle V¡¯s smiling eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve convinced me,¡± she said. ¡°Where do we begin?¡±

 Chapter 2 - The Sorcerer

    The sun cast orange hues against the clouds as Vatran led Stella down the mountain and toward the village. Refusing henceforth to think of him as Uncle V, she followed him grudgingly, hiding her resentment behind a resigned expression. Vatran had backed her into a corner, and she could see no other alternative than to do as he said.

    Before arriving in the valley, she¡¯d devised multiple plans to accomplish her goal of killing the evil sorcerer, but none of them would work now. Each plan would blatantly expose her intentions and give the fanatics time to execute her mother. And attempting to rescue her mother would mean giving up every possible opportunity to take her revenge on Elrick any time soon.

    No choice but to play the long game, she thought.

    ¡°There is one more condition to keep your mother alive,¡± Vatran said, shattering Stella¡¯s reverie.

    She scowled. ¡°What more could you want?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m taking you to town now, and you¡¯re likely to spend a lot of time there. But I can¡¯t have you trying to ruin the people¡¯s view of Elrick or his followers. That means you can¡¯t tell people about secret things, like the prison, and you can¡¯t contradict Elrick¡¯s doctrine.¡±

    She snorted. ¡°Oh, is that all? Are you sure you don¡¯t want me running through the streets, shouting praises to Vulcan while I¡¯m at it?¡±

    He smiled, either ignoring or not noticing her sarcasm. ¡°You can maintain your faith in Thuban if you wish, as long as you keep it quiet. I know you hate Elrick, but no one can know that. So if I hear anything about you inciting any sort of dissent among the people, I will execute your mother immediately.¡±

    Stella¡¯s stomach turned. ¡°You¡¯re bluffing. You wouldn¡¯t give up your leverage like that.¡±

    He shrugged. ¡°I could easily fill her cell and the ones around it with your friends and cousins from Altair. But I think you¡¯d rather not risk it.¡±

    Stella glowered at the ground. The black rocks were gradually being replaced by tall clumps of bright green grass as they neared the village.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Vatran said. ¡°No harm will come to her if you cooperate. She might even be free in a week or two if you work fast. So cheer up.¡±

    Stella softened her expression. They were close enough to see people in town milling about, and if Vatran was sincere in his warning, he might consider her scowls damaging to the cult¡¯s reputation. She had to act like she wanted to be Elrick¡¯s apprentice. She could appear uncertain, nervous, or even scared, but not resentful or reluctant. She reminded herself of the opportunity before her: she had the chance to get close to the sorcerer, observe him, discover his weaknesses, and then exact her revenge. That thought helped her psych herself into the right mood: a healthy mix of determination, nerves, and excitement.

    Vatran led her to the first building on the road into town, which was a large inn called Vulcan¡¯s Hearth. They entered to find a large dining hall, filled with tables and chairs and people. Vatran took Stella to the bar and asked the man behind it, ¡°Is Stella¡¯s room ready, Lucinus?¡±

    ¡°It is, Father,¡± came the response. Lucinus wore an orange sash over his tunic and had an old burn scar around his wrist that looked like a fancy bracelet. He bore great resemblance to his father: he had that same scheming smile that convinced naive people of his innocence. It turned her stomach, but Stella returned the smile.

    ¡°Perfect,¡± Vatran said and pulled Stella away. ¡°For now, there¡¯s someone I want you to meet.¡± He led her to a table where a young fanatic sat with some villagers. ¡°Stella, meet Tarant.¡± The fanatic hastened to stand, and Stella recognized him as the man they¡¯d met at the top of the viewing tower. His right hand and the right side of his face had once been badly burned.

    ¡°Magister Vatran!¡± Tarant bowed. When he rose, he had a big smile on his face. It had none of Vatran¡¯s guile, but Stella found that even more disturbing: this man was delighted, proud even, to be part of a death cult. ¡°And Stella. You¡¯re his niece?¡±

    ¡°Not really,¡± she said. Vatran frowned at her, so she changed her tune. ¡°He adopted me as his niece after my father died.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Magister Vatran, I should have known you¡¯d do something like that. You¡¯re so good!¡±

    Vatran sighed. ¡°What have I told you about this ¡®Magister Vatran¡¯ stuff, Tarant? It¡¯s just ¡®Vatran¡¯ in town.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so sorry Magister Vatran. I keep forgetting. Wait, did I do it again? I¡¯m so sorry, Magister Vatran.¡±

    Vatran sighed again. ¡°Why don¡¯t you introduce Stella to your friends? She¡¯ll probably see more of them sooner or later. I need some air.¡± He left the inn directly.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t he great?¡± Tarant asked, still wearing that crazy smile. ¡°Sit down, Stella, and I¡¯ll introduce you to these charming fellows. This is Claude, this is Tutelan, and that¡¯s Dein.¡±

    ¡°Prince Dein,¡± Dein interrupted, ¡°Of Cephaneia. Charmed.¡± He wore a haughty expression and fine clothes. His long hair was tied into a tail with a purple ribbon.

    ¡°Oh, you heard Magister Vatran,¡± Tutelan said. ¡°Formal titles don¡¯t matter in town, do they, Mediet Tarant?¡± He chuckled, and Tarant blushed and smiled sheepishly. Tutelan and Claude both wore common tunics and beards, but Tutelan was a good five years older than Claude.

    ¡°Excuse me,¡± Dein said, ¡°But¡ª¡± He was cut off by a raucous burst of laughter from the corner of the dining hall. A group of people sat around a pair of huge, burly men. One had a long mane of red hair and a beard to match, and the other had his head shaven bald. Both were in warrior garb, the first colored red and yellow, and the second black and blue. They were in the attitude of a heated argument, and the hush that followed the laughter let the next words carry to Tarant¡¯s table.

    ¡°It¡¯s a wonder you barbarians can navigate the battlefield at all,¡± the bald one said, ¡°with all that hair flapping about.¡±

    Some laughter followed, but not enough to drown out the response: ¡°You are only jealous because your people cannot grow such luscious locks.¡± He shook his mane to an even louder round of laughter and even applause.

    ¡°Those are Audacio and Fidus,¡± Tarant said. ¡°They¡¯re hilarious. They spend practically an hour a night throwing insults at each other.¡±

    ¡°But why?¡± Stella asked.

    Tutelan smirked. ¡°Their nations are at war. They each came here to ask for victory.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Instead, they sabotage each other, keeping each other from going into the hot zone alone.¡±

    ¡°Hot zone?¡±

    Tarant nodded enthusiastically. ¡°That¡¯s the spot Elrick is most likely to burn on assembly days. It changes, but we¡¯re pretty good at predicting where it¡¯ll be on a given day. People who go there are more likely to have their requests granted.¡±

    Claude grunted. ¡°You charge a pretty penny for that information, though.¡±

    Tarant shrugged. ¡°If I could just tell people, I would. But it¡¯s not allowed.¡± He rubbed his chin. ¡°I might be able to give hints, though. I¡¯ll have to ask Magister Vatran. Say, Stella, what are you here for? What¡¯s your request?¡±

    ¡°My request?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Tarant said, and he gestured to his friends. ¡°Claude wants his mother to be healed, Tutelan¡¯s village is being harassed by a big gang of thugs, and Dein wants to be king.¡±

    ¡°I want to be Crown Prince,¡± Dein said. ¡°There¡¯s a difference.¡±

    Tarant raised a hand and shook his head behind it. ¡°There¡¯s not,¡± he pretended to whisper, and Dein sighed.

    ¡°You are hopeless, Tarant.¡±

    ¡°Au contraire,¡± Tarant said, ¡°I¡¯m the most hopeful man in the whole of Vulcan Valley.¡±

    ¡°Vatran¡¯s denied your promotion requests for twelve years straight,¡± Dein said. ¡°He¡¯s never going to let you progress.¡±

    ¡°Think that if you wish. But Stella, you never told us your request. The prince interrupted you. How rude. How un-princely. Go on, Stella, don¡¯t let his incessant talking prevent you. Tell us everything. All of the details. Don¡¯t hold anything back. We can take it. Don¡¯t let Dein interrupt you. He¡¯s like that. Just ignore him. It makes him petulant, and that¡¯s always amusing. But do tell us, Stella. What are you waiting for?¡±

    ¡°An opening,¡± Stella said, and Tutelan snickered. ¡°If you must know, I¡¯m not here to make a request. I¡¯m going to be Elrick¡¯s apprentice.¡±

    Tarant gaped. ¡°No way. You¡¯re joking, right?¡±

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    ¡°Not remotely.¡±

    ¡°Apprentice! That¡¯s amazing! Oh, how I wish that could be me. But alas, here I am, stuck as a mid-ranking priest.¡± He sighed, then frowned. ¡°But wait. Does Magister Vatran know about this? Did he coordinate with Elrick?¡±

    ¡°It was Vatran¡¯s idea,¡± Stella said, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Why?¡±

    Tarant sighed again. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, then. Yes, it¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Ready to be done with Tarant¡¯s drama, Stella excused herself and went to bed.

    Lucinus shook Stella awake. ¡°It¡¯s time,¡± he said, lighting a candle. ¡°Put on this chiton and meet my father at the door.¡± He shoved a bundle of orange cloth at her, and she looked out the window.

    It was pitch dark outside and ice cold. ¡°Now?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Now,¡± he said, punctuating it by snapping the door behind him.

    She pulled on the garment and went out to meet Vatran, unsettled. It couldn¡¯t mean anything good that the conference took place this early.

    Instead of taking her all the way up to Elrick¡¯s tower, Vatran veered off the main path, between trees and boulders.

    Does this conference get Elrick out of his tower? She wondered whether there was still hope of finding another way. Maybe she could go as far as the meeting place, scope it out, and back out of the deal when she had enough information. She could intercept Elrick on his way to the next meeting, catching him by surprise under the cover of darkness.

    Vatran struck a lump on one of the boulders, and a door opened with a grating sound. Stella stopped. ¡°Did you do that with magic?¡±

    Vatran smiled. ¡°It wasn¡¯t my spell, no. The rock itself is enchanted. That way our lesser priests can access it without help.¡±

    ¡°Interesting.¡± Stella followed him down a tunnel, and the rock closed behind them. She¡¯d studied magic, but she¡¯d never managed to do something like that. The fact that anyone could open the rock meant it wouldn¡¯t hinder her hurriedly assembling plan.

    The room at the end of the tunnel was brightly lit, causing Stella to blink before looking around. She frowned in disappointment. The tunnel let out into a room a little smaller than Lucinus¡¯s dining hall. Fanatics in orange togas sat in the chairs lining the walls, each sporting large burn scars. Fine double doors were set in the far wall, explaining the distinct lack of evil sorcerer.

    ¡°You wait here,¡± Vatran said. ¡°I¡¯ll come get you when we¡¯re ready.¡± He slid through the door without allowing her a peek into the next room, and she scowled.

    ¡°Stella!¡± Tarant called, gesturing for her to sit next to him. She sighed, then went over anyway.

    ¡°Is Elrick in there?¡± she asked, sitting.

    ¡°Oh, yes, but the Magisters and Ortus get to talk to him first. The rest of us have to wait.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t see him come in.¡±

    Tarant laughed. ¡°You¡¯re joking, right? He has a tunnel from his tower. He doesn¡¯t like going outside.¡±

    Stella bit her lip. Intercepting Elrick on his way to the meeting was out, then, but a tunnel into his tower? This might be even better. ¡°Does anyone ever use the tunnel to visit him?¡±

    Tarant raised his brows. ¡°You really are joking.¡±

    ¡°No, then. I guess it¡¯s frowned upon to use his tunnel?¡±

    ¡°Frowned upon? It¡¯s impossible. Only Elrick can open the door to his tunnel. It¡¯s not like the rock.¡±

    Stella doubted Elrick was the only one in the world who could open his door, but that technicality was irrelevant since she didn¡¯t know the right kind of magic to do things like that. All she¡¯d ever managed to do was use the energy from a cooking fire to shoot a ray of ice at a rabbit. Most of the magical texts she¡¯d read, while interesting, had been complicated and skipped the fundamentals.

    In short, her hopes of avoiding Vatran¡¯s deal were gone. She couldn¡¯t surprise Elrick outside his tower, and she couldn¡¯t sneak in via his tunnel. She¡¯d have to go forward with the apprentice plan.

    Indistinct shouting drifted through the door for about half a minute. Stella shifted uncomfortably and turned her attention to the fanatics. Most sat and talked amongst themselves. Their orange togas were each embellished at the bottom with one, two, or three simple stripes. The exception was a man who buzzed about the room, bringing fruit and drinks to the sitting fanatics. His toga was tattered, the orange color faded, and it had no stripes. Apart from the splotchy burn scar across his arm, he had two burn scars on his cheek, each about the size and shape of his little finger. Stella spotted some other fanatics with similar burns, but those men only ever had one such scar, and each had a stripe on his toga. They also had bracelet-like burn scars on their wrists. Other fanatics had the same bracelet-like scar, just without the cheek scar.

    ¡°Why the togas?¡± Stella asked Tarant. ¡°I thought you guys always wore black robes.¡±

    ¡°No, those are only for assemblies. They¡¯re too hot to wear all the time.¡±

    ¡°And the stripes?¡± She pointed to the rim of his toga, where three stripes ran the width of it. ¡°What are those about?¡±

    ¡°Rank. One stripe is Brevis, two is Obnatus, and three is Mediet. Like me, Mediet Tarant. But the stripes get really impressive for the higher ranks. Ortus get a set of stripes that go across these three at an angle. It looks kind of like a whole bunch of slanted ¡®E¡¯s overlapping, standing for Elrick. The Magisters get another set going the other way, and it makes a bunch of overlapping and crisscrossing ¡®V¡¯s, for Vulcan.¡± A dreamy look crossed his face, and Stella shivered, disturbed by his devotion to the death cult. She almost wished she hadn¡¯t asked the question, but it was necessary to make her real question seem natural.

    ¡°What about him?¡± she asked, pointing to the guy who stood out.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Tarant¡¯s face fell. ¡°That¡¯s Abjectus. We don¡¯t like talking about him.¡±

    ¡°Is that his name, or his rank?¡±

    ¡°Both.¡± Leaning close, he whispered, ¡°He had doubts once. He¡¯s okay now, but he can¡¯t get his rank back.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    The doors opened, and the seated fanatics rose to pour into the next room. Vatran appeared, took Stella¡¯s arm, and whispered, ¡°It¡¯s time. Remember the deal, and let me do the talking.¡±

    The audience room was three times the size of the waiting room, but twice as dim. Lit torches lined the walls, but they were dimmed with mesh-like hoods. The brightest part of the room was opposite their entrance, where another row of torches lined a dais that stretched across the whole wall. The torches there lit a line of scorch marks on the ground before the dais. There were two doorways on that side of the room. One led uphill, toward the sorcerer¡¯s tower, and opened directly onto the dais. The second was a wooden door on the other wall, just below the dais, about in line with the scorch marks. The fanatics formed a semi-circle a few paces from the dais, lined up by rank. Some of them spared curious glances for Stella, but most kept their gaze focused on the dais, where the evil sorcerer sat.

    Elrick the Ineffable had a deathly pale face and an expression like someone had just told the same bad joke for the forty-seventh time in a row: grumpy, annoyed, and sick of dealing with people. He sat on a throne of yellowed bones, most of them distinctly human, and wore a flowing black cloak over a dark grey toga. A crystal dagger hung from the red sash tied at his waist. He held a staff in his left hand, topped with a ruby the size of his fist. The ruby appeared to glow, but Stella reasoned it must be a trick of the flickering torchlight. Adding to the haunting aesthetic were six blackened skeletons that stood, motionlessly flanking the sorcerer.

    Vatran led Stella to stand directly in front of the sorcerer. That spot on the floor was blacker than any other, as if it had been scorched hundreds of times, and Stella didn¡¯t miss how Vatran left to stand over two yards away. She grit her teeth and hoped the chiton hid her trembling knees.

    Elrick glared down at her. ¡°What is this? Have you decided to admit females into your order now?¡±

    ¡°No, my lord,¡± Vatran said. ¡°I offer her to you as an apprentice.¡±

    Surprised murmurs broke through the ranks of the fanatics, and Elrick¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°What makes you think I want an apprentice?¡±

    ¡°Think of the advantages, my lord. If you teach her magic, she will be able to receive petitions in your stead, and the people won¡¯t demand as much of you.¡±

    ¡°Somehow I doubt that.¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s not all, my lord. When people in other lands hear that you have a merciful and generous apprentice, they will be more apt to come, and the crowds worshipping you will increase.¡±

    Despite his apparent fatigue with said crowds, the sorcerer didn¡¯t seem entirely opposed to that concept. He fixed his gaze on Stella. His black eyes seemed to pierce her soul as he considered. ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± he said. ¡°Tell me why you offer this girl instead of one of your number. I see she has some magical talent, but it¡¯s largely untapped. A Magister or even an Ortu would be less work for me to train.¡±

    Vatran smiled. ¡°Stella is special, my lord. Her father gave you his life in exchange for her birth, and he serves you to this day as a skeleton. She was born for this role. She is young, healthy, and full of potential. She can be of much more use to you than one of us old men.¡±

    Stella¡¯s stomach twisted. Vatran had promised that the skeletons did all of Elrick¡¯s work. What ¡°use¡± could she provide that they couldn¡¯t, that ¡°old men¡± couldn¡¯t?

    Elrick nodded slowly. ¡°I see. I suppose I can find some use for her. I accept.¡± He struck the butt of his staff on the floor with a loud crack, and Vatran returned to Stella¡¯s side. He held something akin to a fire poker, except the business end was shaped like an intricate flame. Vatran snapped his fingers, and a ball of blue fire appeared in his hand. He held the end of the poker in the fire, and the iron quickly turned red. ¡°Ah¡±s and ¡°Oh¡±s of understanding resounded through the other fanatics.

    A brand, Stella thought, taking a few instinctual steps back. Two skeletons left their positions and grabbed her.

    ¡°One moment,¡± Elrick said, sitting forward. ¡°What is this resistance, Vatran? I have no patience to spare for an unwilling servant.¡±

    ¡°It is nothing, my lord,¡± Vatran answered, shooting Stella a warning look. ¡°She is perfectly cooperative. She¡¯s only surprised because I forgot to tell her about this part.¡±

    Elrick snorted and sat back, and the skeletons pulled Stella back to Vatran. They were absurdly strong. One deftly grabbed her right hand, trapping her fingers into a fist, and offered the back of her hand to Vatran. He dismissed his fire, then carefully lowered the glowing iron, pressing it against her hand.

    Stella yelled at the searing pain and tried again to pull away, but the skeletons didn¡¯t budge. After a few seconds that seemed like an hour, Vatran pulled the brand away and handed it off to another fanatic. He pulled a jar from his pouch and scooped out some clear salve. When he applied it to the burn, the pain disappeared, replaced immediately by the sticky coolness of the goopy salve. The skeletons released her, and she stared at her hand, amazed. Beneath the salve, the burn was healing rapidly, replaced by a raised scar tissue even as she watched. The scar¡¯s main shape depicted a flame, but the tongues of flame were stylized in such a way as to render an image of the volcano at its heart, along with the letters E and V in reference to Elrick and Vulcan.

    She fought back a scowl. Elrick and the fanatics had to think she wanted this. Her reaction to the brand had almost blown that cover. Still, to have the initial of her mortal enemy permanently fixed to her skin was absolutely galling.

    Vatran wiped the excess salve off with a rag, then bowed away. He and the other fanatics retreated into the waiting room. Elrick sighed and stood, scowling. ¡°Come on, then.¡± He started down his tunnel, followed by his four flanking skeletons. The skeletons at Stella¡¯s sides didn¡¯t move, waiting for her.

    She took a deep breath. Here goes nothing. And she followed him down the dark tunnel.

 Chapter 3 - The Apprentice

    The stone wall curled behind her with a thunderous grating sound, sealing Stella into the tunnel with the evil sorcerer. Elrick¡¯s footsteps continued toward his tower, echoing off the stone walls. Stella tried to follow the sound, but the echoes deceived her, and she bumped into a wall when the tunnel turned. The two skeletons behind her took her by the elbows and guided her the rest of the way.

    The tunnel opened into a cellar that seemed much larger than the tower¡¯s footprint. It was filled with shelves and shelves of jars, many of which were stuffed with slimy-looking things that Stella couldn¡¯t identify. The space that wasn¡¯t full of shelves was occupied by a large ring of skeletons, all working on something in the center. Stella couldn¡¯t make out what it was through the screen of blackened bones, but the sounds were of things slipping, clacking, and shlooping, and it smelled nasty.

    Elrick wrinkled his nose and scowled, then gestured for Stella to follow him up a set of stairs. The room above was even bigger than the cellar. Recognizing the tower¡¯s front door, Stella concluded that the room¡¯s size had to be a magical expansion. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all of smooth obsidian, painted orange by the infinitely curving reflection of the fire that blazed in the center of the floor, lighting up the whole room. A pile of empty cloth bags lay by the front door. A row of blackened skeletons sat along the east side of the wall. Most were idle, but some were plucking birds, and one was skinning a rabbit. A huge pile of fur lay at the end of the row of skeletons. It seemed to breathe. As Stella watched it, eyes blinked open, and the thing stood up on four legs and yapped. It was the size of a cow but looked like a badger. A badger with a head as big around as its body and a glowing pearl embedded in its forehead. When it yapped, it showed four rows of pointed teeth in a mouth two feet wide.

    ¡°Quiet down,¡± Elrick said, and the beast fell silent. The evil sorcerer turned to Stella. ¡°Let me make it abundantly and expressly clear to you that I detest being around people.¡± Stella nodded, and he turned away and started pacing. ¡°The only reason I don¡¯t just kill you now is the fanatics would just find another person and turn this ¡®apprentice¡¯ charade into another of their ridiculous rituals, and then I¡¯d have to endure even more of their blather.¡±

    At least I know he has a reason to keep me alive, Stella thought, nodding again.

    ¡°Secondly,¡± he said, ¡°I already know you¡¯re only here to spy on me.¡±

    Stella froze, her breath turning to ice. He knows I want to spy on him?

    ¡°The fanatics want you to tell them everything about my methods and plans. Well, I don¡¯t intend to let you see anything of worth to them.¡±

    That makes more sense. Her intentions to observe him were directly connected to her intent to kill him. He didn¡¯t know she was there to spy. He¡¯d just been speculating. Stella breathed a sigh of relief, then realized she could use his speculation to her advantage. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± she said, ¡°They sent me here as a spy, but that¡¯s not why I agreed to come.¡±

    He snorted. ¡°Why else?¡±

    ¡°I want to learn magic. I¡¯ve studied it for years, but I only ever managed a little ice bolt. So when the fanatics offered me the position of apprentice to Elrick the Ineffable, the greatest sorcerer on the face of Dracon, well, you can understand why I jumped on it.¡±

    ¡°Even if the price was spying on your teacher?¡±

    ¡°I never would have told them anything. I decided to tell you their plan as soon as possible, and now I have.¡± She knelt before him, clasping her hands together. It made her stomach twist in disgust, but it had to be done to sell the part. ¡°Please, sir. It is my dearest wish to be your student.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have patience for teaching. I should just send you to work with the skeletons.¡±

    ¡°But sir, think of the fanatics. If they don¡¯t get any information, they¡¯ll keep pestering you. Like you said, they¡¯ll find other people for their charade. It won¡¯t matter to them whether I¡¯m alive or not. If they realize I can¡¯t get them anything, they¡¯ll assume they need a better spy and throw more people at you. Like you said, another ridiculous ritual to pester you.¡±

    He glared down at her. ¡°You speak as if you have a solution. Spit it out.¡±

    ¡°You write the reports, sir. Tell me exactly what to tell them: petty things, useless things, even false things. If you teach me magic, I will tell them exactly what you instruct me to tell them, word for word. This way, the fanatics are pacified and won¡¯t increase their pestering, and I get to learn magic.¡±

    ¡°I told you, I don¡¯t have patience for teaching. I like this idea about the reports, though.¡± He rubbed his chin, his glare softening as he began to pace again. ¡°Yes, I do like that. It¡¯s settled. I¡¯ll give you a report to deliver to the fanatics, and they¡¯ll stay off my back about this. But I¡¯m not going to teach you. You can spend your days in the library, out of my way.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the deal I¡¯m offering, sir.¡±

    He snapped his glare back down at her, his black eyes flashing with fire. ¡°You are not in a position to negotiate. You can take this deal, or I will take your life.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s you who can¡¯t negotiate, sir. Remember, if you kill me, the fanatics will just send another person. Someone with different motivations, different dreams. The chances of getting an offer like mine again are abysmal.¡±

    The sorcerer¡¯s face contorted with fury, and he stretched out his right hand. A fiery arm extended from his palm and reached toward her. Then he stopped. The flaming arm dissipated, and his fury slackened into grumpiness. He went back to pacing. He knows I¡¯m right, Stella thought, Now he just has to find a way to admit it.

    It took him a couple minutes of pacing to find it. At long last, he came back to glower down at her once more. ¡°One hour per day,¡± he said. ¡°No more. Is that acceptable?¡±

    ¡°An hour of magic lessons?¡± she asked.

    He nodded.

    ¡°Yes, sir. Perfectly acceptable.¡±

    He huffed and nodded again. ¡°Good. Now get out of my sight.¡±

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    ¡°Sir?¡±

    ¡°You heard me. Go into town. Pick up some¡­¡± He waved an impatient hand. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll have a skeleton bring you a list. Show the shopkeepers your brand, and they¡¯ll send the bills to the cult. Not that that would be necessary half the time.¡±

    ¡°Sir?¡±

    ¡°Go! And don¡¯t come back before sundown.¡±

    Two idle skeletons rose and pushed Stella toward the door, and another came up the stairs, scribbling on a pad of paper. Before she could say anything, she was on the rocky ground outside the tower, a scrap of paper and a brown cloth bag were stuffed in her hands, and the door was slammed shut.

    Stella gaped at the door, shoulders slumping. Her surprise gave way to indignation and frustration, and she glared at the list in her hand. This did not bode well for her plans. With the sun only beginning to rise, sundown was nearly fifteen hours away. Fifteen hours before she could study Elrick¡¯s behavior, search his tower for clues about his strengths and weaknesses, or anything else she could use to get revenge against him.

    On top of that, the list only had six things on it. Collecting them all would only take a fraction of those fifteen hours. What under Thuban¡¯s eye am I supposed to do with all that extra time?

    ¡°Stella!¡± Vatran¡¯s voice called. He and Tarant were leaving the viewing tower and approaching her. A few orange figures stood atop the viewing tower, and Stella assumed they had been watching for her to exit the sorcerer¡¯s tower. Since she had plenty of time to kill, she waited for them to reach her.

    Tarant wore his customary expression of inexplicable delight. ¡°It went well, then? Of course it did. I knew you¡¯d be fine.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± Vatran said. ¡°You¡¯re going into town, then, Stella?¡±

    She nodded. ¡°He wants me to pick up some things.¡±

    Vatran nodded. ¡°I thought he might. I¡¯ve assigned Tarant to escort you while you¡¯re in town. I¡¯m sure he can help you find anything you need. You know all the best places, don¡¯t you, Tarant?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes, Magister Vatran. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll like¡ª¡±

    As Tarant went on about his favorite places in town, Vatran leaned in and whispered to Stella, ¡°You remember our deal, Little Star?¡±

    Stella scowled and nodded.

    Vatran smiled that deceitful smile of his. ¡°Good. Tarant is instructed to report to me regarding anything you do or say that violates that deal. As long as you stay in line, your mother will stay alive.¡±

    ¡°¡ª Don¡¯t you think, Magister Vatran?¡± Tarant finished.

    ¡°Yes, of course, Tarant. Now go on. Stella has some shopping to do.¡±

    Tarant sighed as he and Stella started down the mountain. ¡°Isn¡¯t he great?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Stella said drily, ¡°Almost as great as Elrick.¡±

    Tarant laughed, oblivious to the subtext of her remark. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re so lucky. You must get to hear all the best stories from his own mouth. Wouldn¡¯t that be something?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been less than an hour,¡± Stella said. ¡°The only thing he¡¯s told me is to go shopping.¡± She glanced at his wistful face, an idea striking her. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you could tell me any stories about him?¡±

    Tarant¡¯s face lit up even more brightly, and he launched into the history of Vulcan Valley: Elrick arriving centuries before and building his tower, the valley growing lush and beautiful in the absence of the lava flow, and the village¡¯s establishment almost eighty years before the present.

    Stella listened for any hints about Elrick¡¯s strengths and weaknesses, hoping Tarant¡¯s talkative nature would yield some tidbit she could use. Most of it was useless. All she learned from the history was that Elrick was centuries older than he looked. If she wanted anything substantial, she¡¯d have to dig a little deeper.

    ¡°And the village has thrived since then?¡± she asked. ¡°It never had any conflict or disaster to threaten its security?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Elrick has taken good care of us.¡±

    Stella had to suppress a snort before asking, ¡°And no one¡¯s ever tried to disrupt the peace? Let¡¯s say, a deluded meddler trying to assassinate Elrick?¡±

    ¡°Now that you mention it, there have been things like that. Quite a few, actually. But they never caused too big a stir.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s that? Were they weak attempts?¡±

    ¡°Oh, no.¡± Tarant laughed. ¡°Several would have been successful against an ordinary man.¡± He counted on his fingers. ¡°One assassin shot him in the eye, two shot him in the heart, one poisoned him, and one even managed to decapitate him. There were more that I can¡¯t remember, but none of them worked, obviously.¡± He laughed again.

    ¡°Obviously.¡± Stella frowned. ¡°So he¡¯d just heal himself? Would that be the end of it?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°You said it wouldn¡¯t cause much of a stir. Were the assassins dismissed, or were they just too discouraged to stick around?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re joking, right? They were all caught and executed.¡±

    ¡°With fire?¡±

    Tarant stopped and raised an eyebrow. ¡°You really are joking. Death by Elrick¡¯s fire is immediate and unconditional salvation. You don¡¯t honestly think he¡¯d give that to his assassins, do you?¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯re right. It was a bad joke. How, then?¡± Part of Stella wanted to know in case it gave any clues about Elrick. The other part was morbidly curious about what would happen to her if she were caught.

    Tarant shrugged and shook his head. ¡°Elrick insisted his would-be assassins were to be executed in a specific way: drawn and quartered, then fed to a pig. I¡¯ve never seen it myself, but they say Elrick would cut them open himself and pull out their hearts, but I think that¡¯s a rumor since they were always alive enough to scream as the horse was pulling them to the pig pen. Then the people would offer the pig to Elrick, and he¡¯d give it a slow death by fire, letting its screams echo through the valley. So no, not much of a stir.¡±

    Stella couldn¡¯t muster a response to that, especially with the calm way he said it. So she reviewed her list. She gaped. ¡°He sent me for vegetables?¡±

    ¡°Vegetables?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Carrots, potatoes, onions, and garlic. Butter and salt, too.¡±

    ¡°To the vegetable market, then.¡±

    Stella nodded, wondering why in the world Elrick would send her with such an innocent-seeming shopping list.

    They found Claude operating the root stand in the vegetable market. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Stella asked him.

    Claude shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve got to cover room and board somehow, at least until my mother is healed.¡±

    Stella frowned. ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯d rather have you with her. She wouldn¡¯t want you risking your life out here on the off chance she gets better.¡±

    Before Claude could respond, Tarant tugged Stella away. ¡°You can¡¯t say things like that, Stella.¡± She bit her lip, remembering her deal with Vatran. Would Tarant report this? But no, his expression was worried, not threatening.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Tarant looked about, then whispered, ¡°People who say things like that tend to disappear. They don¡¯t come back. They lose their chance at serving Vulcan.¡± He looked around again, then continued, ¡°There¡¯s a monster that hides in the shadows, listening for things like that. I call it Saturn. It comes out at night and eats the people it suspects of doubt, consigning their souls to an eternity of torture between its teeth.¡±

    Stella frowned. ¡°Did Vatran tell you all that?¡±

    He shook his head. ¡°Most of it I figured out myself, but Vatran confirmed it when I asked him about it.¡± He met her eyes with genuine concern. ¡°I don¡¯t want it to get you, Stella.¡±

    She nodded slowly. ¡°I¡¯ll be more careful. There¡¯s no need to tell Vatran about this though, right?¡±

    He shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I don¡¯t think you attracted the monster, but you were getting close, so I just thought I¡¯d warn you about it.¡±

    Stella thanked him cordially and went back to Claude to buy the vegetables. She spent the rest of the daylight hours mulling over her various worries: worries for her mother, worries about how deeply brainwashed Tarant was, and worries about what Elrick would do to her if she failed to kill him.

 Chapter 4 - The Magic Lesson

    Stella dropped her bag of shopping inside the tower¡¯s front door and called, ¡°It¡¯s sundown! Are you ready to teach me some magic?¡±

    A blackened skeleton snatched the bag and took it into the cellar. Another beckoned her toward a set of stairs in the back of the room. She started toward the stairs. Then she stopped short. A familiar pile of fur sat near the base of the stairs. It stared at her with beady eyes, and its colossal mouth cracked open to let its lumpy tongue lick its lips.

    ¡°Are you coming or not?¡± Elrick¡¯s voice echoed from above. ¡°I don¡¯t mind skipping the lesson, but I don¡¯t want to be kept waiting, either.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m coming,¡± Stella called, failing to keep the fear out of her voice. The evil sorcerer might have a good reason to keep her alive, but she doubted his pet had such scruples.

    Elrick heaved a sigh and said, ¡°Ignore Maw. Just get up here.¡±

    The skeleton beckoned again, and Stella skirted quickly around the beast and up the stairs. ¡°What is that thing?¡± she asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s Maw. He¡¯s no concern of yours.¡± He scowled. ¡°He won¡¯t eat you if you don¡¯t let him. He only eats things that are dead. Or motionless.¡±

    ¡°But what is he?¡±

    ¡°I thought you wanted to learn magic, not biology. Your hour has already started, so stop wasting time.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± He turned to walk further into the room. It was the same size as the tower¡¯s first floor, and the walls were lined with shelves containing jars, pouches, bones, and rolled-up animal skins. That left plenty of space around the table in the center of the room. It was littered with various implements, such as knives and pliers, and a cauldron sat beside it, suspended by a metal grate over some logs. Elrick stopped by the table and threw a little fireball to light the fuel beneath the cauldron. Stella hurried over.

    ¡°Magic requires energy,¡± Elrick said. ¡°Energy can come from many different sources, but they are generally grouped into four categories: thermal, chemical, potential, and kinetic. Thermal is simple enough to figure out, and kinetic takes too much work to harness, so we¡¯re just going to focus on chemical.¡±

    Stella frowned. ¡°But what about potential?¡±

    Elrick chuckled, throwing Stella off and causing her stomach to twist. ¡°We might touch on that someday. That is if I don¡¯t get tired of your questions and roast you before you can handle it.¡±

    Stella stiffened. ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    ¡°Now, we have a potion to make. Go to the shelves and collect the ingredients. We need mouse fur, pillbugs, and grassroots. Go find them.¡±

    With no hint as to the shelves¡¯ organization and no help from Elrick when she asked, it took all of twenty minutes to gather those three ingredients. Then she had to scrape the mouse fur from the pelts, grind the pillbugs with a mortar and pestle, and chop the grassroots into a fine paste. Then there were more ingredients to find and prepare. Forty minutes in, a skeleton carried a large jar from downstairs with the final ingredient. It pulled an odorous, lumpy length of something out of the jar and laid it on the table. It was pinkish and about as big around as Stella¡¯s wrist and long as her arm, though one end had been cut cleanly, exposing a hollow interior.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Stella asked, wrinkling her nose.

    ¡°The final ingredient is a pound of large intestine, minced. So cut off a pound and chop it into tiny pieces.¡±

    ¡°What did you call it?¡±

    Elrick sighed. ¡°A large intestine. It¡¯s the last organ of the digestive tract, responsible for excreting solid waste. That would be why it smells.¡±

    ¡°An organ?¡± Stella¡¯s stomach turned. ¡°From what?¡±

    ¡°The type of creature doesn¡¯t matter for the potion¡¯s viability, assuming you can get a pound of it. Of course, some creatures yield better results than others. Predators tend to have more potent effects than prey animals, for instance.¡±

    That didn¡¯t answer her question. ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir, I meant to ask what type of creature this specific intestine came from.¡±

    ¡°A potent one. Now get chopping, or the lesson is over. My patience is wearing extremely thin.¡±

    Stella grit her teeth and obeyed. It made her feel dirty, and not because of the organ¡¯s history. The other ingredients had been perfectly innocent compared to this. She couldn¡¯t help wondering whether she was chopping up the intestine of one of Elrick¡¯s victims, one of the people he¡¯d slain with a fireball as they begged him to hear their misdirected prayer.

    She slid the finished product into the cauldron with the other ingredients. The potion bubbled and churned, growing thick.

    Elrick regarded the potion, his grumpy demeanor mostly gone. ¡°Chemical magic comes from combining the right substances for a certain effect. That often takes the form of potions, but not always. Some of the ingredients you used work together to make the effect, and others are to store the resulting energy in the potion. Energy is chaotic. It dissipates when stored. But, there are ways to slow down the process. Still, a potion like this only has a shelf life of a few weeks before it loses peak potency, and another week or so before it loses the rest.¡±

    The potion started to glow a soft pink color, and Elrick smiled. ¡°It¡¯s ready.¡±

    ¡°What is it, sir?¡±

    ¡°A shrinking potion.¡±

    Stella frowned. She couldn¡¯t imagine what he¡¯d want a shrinking potion for. ¡°Why did you choose this one?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you.¡± He reached into his cloak and drew out an emerald the size of his fingernail. ¡°This potion has two uses. Can you guess what they are?¡±

    ¡°Shrinking the drinker and¡­ shrinking something it¡¯s poured on?¡±

    Elrick snorted. ¡°Both are the intended purpose, obviously. But potions have a hidden purpose, a far more useful one.¡± Holding the emerald in his left hand, he put his right over the cauldron and spun his fingers over it, as if trying to swirl it steam. Then, a glowing swirl rose from the potion, gathering under his hand. As it did so, the potion lost its pink glow, fading into a dull mud brown. Elrick pulled the energy away from the potion, directing it into the emerald. Once it touched the gem, it all rushed in, as if sucked into the stone, and a green glow emanated from Elrick¡¯s hand. Stella stared at it. She couldn¡¯t think of anything she¡¯d ever seen as beautiful as that glow.

    ¡°It loses a little energy in the transfer,¡± Elrick said, ¡°but it¡¯s worth it. Gems are much better at containing energy than potions. I chose this shrinking potion because it¡¯s a high-energy potion, good for a demonstration.¡± He shook the gem for emphasis. ¡°This is the most useful thing you can learn right now. A potion can only do one thing of itself, but this energy can fuel any spell you can think of, assuming you have enough of it.¡±

    Stella looked into the cauldron. ¡°What about this stuff?¡±

    ¡°Never mind that. The skeletons will take care of it. Speaking of which, the hour¡¯s up. The skeletons will show you to your quarters.¡±

    Before she could say anything else, a pair of skeletons dragged her up another flight of stairs, where she found a labyrinth of bookshelves. The library¡¯s ceiling was twice the height of the other rooms in the tower, and the bookshelves stretched to the very top. Instead of torches, glowing orange orbs were fixed to the shelves at intervals, providing a constant orange light. The skeletons led her through the maze of shelves until they reached a place where it dead-ended against a wall. A straw mattress lay there on the ground with a wolf pelt on top of it.

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    The skeletons retreated a few paces, then fixed themselves in the walkway, blocking her from leaving the space. Stella shrugged and lay down on the bed. It¡¯s been a long day, she thought, I can start my observations tomorrow.

    The morning came, and Elrick sent her back into town with another short shopping list and a reiteration that she wasn¡¯t to return before sundown. Tarant waited at the front door to escort her throughout the day. They were starting nearly two hours later than they had the day before, but that still left a lot of time to kill before Stella could get back into the tower. So Stella decided the shopping could wait until later.

    They went to get breakfast at the Vulcan¡¯s Hearth inn. The dining hall was quiet. Lucinus, the innkeeper, sat behind the bar. As he arranged glasses, he threw frequent amused glances at a bearded man in a ragged brown tunic. The bearded old man was methodically sweeping the floor: moving chairs, sweeping crumbs out from under a table, replacing the chairs, and moving to the next table.

    The rest of the dining hall was empty, except for one table, where two people sat in stark contrast to each other. One was a burly man with a long mane of red hair wearing a red and yellow vest. A wide smile stretched his beard as he wolfed down his breakfast. The other was a frail woman with badly-kempt hair and a hollow expression. She poked at her food, rolling it around on her plate instead of eating.

    Tarant smiled. ¡°Brilliant. Audacio and Luna are here. Come on.¡± He dragged Stella over and they joined the table. ¡°You look happy, Audacio.¡±

    ¡°I am,¡± the burly man said. ¡°I have successfully made Fidus sleep in. If I can replicate it on an assembly day, I¡¯m sure to win our war.¡±

    ¡°How did you manage that?¡±

    Audacio pulled a small vial out of his vest pocket. ¡°I bought this sleeping draft from an Ortu. I slipped a little into Fidus¡¯s drink last night. Just to make sure it works. It didn¡¯t take effect right away, but he still sleeps now.¡± He chuckled and put the vial back in his pocket. ¡°Scorpon doesn¡¯t stand a chance, now. Leona will be victorious very soon!¡±

    Lucinus brought over two plates of sausage and scrambled eggs, setting them in front of Stella and Tarant. ¡°How¡¯s the apprenticeship going, Stella?¡±

    ¡°Slowly,¡± she said. ¡°It seems like I¡¯ll be spending more time in town than in the tower.¡±

    ¡°Tower?¡± Audacio asked. ¡°Apprentice?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right,¡± Tarant said. ¡°Audacio, Luna, this is Stella. She arrived a couple days ago. She¡¯s Elrick¡¯s new apprentice.¡±

    ¡°Impressive,¡± Audacio said. ¡°You must put in a good word for Leona when you next speak with the sorcerer.¡± He smiled. ¡°Then you can laugh with me when Fidus gets the news of Scorpon¡¯s defeat. I can just imagine his face. It will be glorious.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Stella said. She had no intention of doing so, mostly because it wouldn¡¯t make a difference. Elrick despised the people who threw themselves at his fiery rage. He didn¡¯t care about their petitions.

    Luna dropped her fork and leaned forward, her hollow expression replaced by urgency. ¡°While you¡¯re at it, ask him to send my boys back home.¡±

    Stella bit her lip. ¡°Did he take them?¡±

    ¡°What? No, they went missing last week. Their names are Alkaid and Mizar, and they¡¯re four and two years old. Their home is Dubhe, just a few leagues away. Please, please get Elrick to send them home.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you search for them?¡±

    Luna shook her head urgently. ¡°There was no trace to follow. They just disappeared. The sorcerer is my only hope.¡±

    A cough sounded from across the room, where the ragged man was still sweeping. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Stella asked.

    Tarant shook his head ruefully. ¡°Ladon. He¡¯s a cleric of Thuban. Poor guy. He came here years ago, thinking he could convert people away from Elrick. Instead, he sleeps on the streets and does odd jobs for food. You¡¯d think he¡¯d give up, but he¡¯s stubborn.¡±

    The old man stopped to face them. ¡°Peace and joy are the result and reward of effort,¡± he recited, then went back to sweeping.

    Stella raised an eyebrow. ¡°You guys just let him hang around?¡±

    Tarant looked confused. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°What about that monster you were telling me about? Saturn, right? Why doesn¡¯t it eat him?¡±

    Tarant shrugged. ¡°He probably smells nasty. Too much Thubanism might give him a stomachache.¡±

    Stella bent over her food to suppress a skeptical gape. Just how brainwashed are you, Tarant? she thought. He created fantasies to explain away the disturbing realities of his cult, and when contradictions arose, he bent the fantasies to make them fit. It was as if his entire existence relied on the benevolence of the evil sorcerer.

    ¡°You never told me your story, Tarant,¡± she said slowly. She wanted to provoke his talkative manner, so she hid her concern and disgust behind a mask of mild curiosity. ¡°How did you end up as a fa¡ª priest?¡± She shoved some food in her mouth and watched him expectantly.

    The fanatic smiled reminiscently. ¡°It¡¯s pretty simple, actually. It was my aspiration from the moment I could speak. When I was five, I went to Elrick during an assembly with the other hopefuls, and he gave me these.¡± He gestured to the burn scars on his face and hand. ¡°Afterward, I told the priests my dream, and they made it happen. They raised me up to be one of them, and here I am, living the dream.¡± He spread out his hands. ¡°I¡¯m stuck at Mediet, but besides that, what else could I want for?¡±

    Stella coughed, nearly choking on a bite of her sausage. Tarant thumped her on the back, and she managed to get it down the right pipe, tears streaming down her cheeks. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she said, wiping her face. ¡°I just didn¡¯t chew well enough.¡±

    Tarant took her at her word and roped Luna and Audacio back into conversation. Stella listened, but only as a way to pass the time. Tarant clearly wasn¡¯t going to let any of Elrick¡¯s weaknesses slip, but she still had several hours to kill. Those hours passed much as they had the day before: gathering the items on her list, and watching Tarant¡¯s absurd joviality as he interacted with the people who¡¯d come to Vulcan on purpose to offer their lives to his idol.

    At sunset, she returned to the tower, handed off her shopping to a skeleton, and climbed the stairs to the potion room.

    Elrick stood by the table again, a paper in his hand. ¡°You¡¯ll be making another shrinking potion tonight. Here¡¯s the ingredient list. You know what to do.¡± He handed her the paper and leaned against the table, arms folded, watching her.

    Stella found the ingredients much more quickly this time. She had most of them brewing in under twenty minutes. That only left the intestine. A skeleton laid it out on the table for her, but she hesitated. That thing could easily be a human intestine. Chopping it up would be desecrating a corpse. It would be taking advantage of one of Elrick¡¯s victims.

    I did it last night, she thought. I cut up a pound of this very intestine. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m killing people myself to use their organs. And it¡¯s not like they need it anymore.

    The potion was finished just a few minutes later, bubbling with a pink glow.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to pull out the energy this time,¡± Elrick said. ¡°Hold your hand in the steam.¡±

    Stella obeyed. The steam rose in a warm current between her fingers, leaving a thin layer of condensation on her skin.

    ¡°Now close your eyes. Extend your mind to feel the warmth of the potion. Do you feel it?¡±

    Stella screwed up her face in concentration. She didn¡¯t feel it. She¡¯d drawn energy from a cookfire once, but she didn¡¯t feel anything like that from the potion. She sensed the fire below the cauldron, but¡ª there! The potion¡¯s energy had a different sort of warmth. The fire was bright, hot, and chaotic, but the potion was subtle and organized. ¡°I found it,¡± she said.

    ¡°Good. Now pull it out. Swirl your hand over it and lift slowly. Twist it up into a ball.¡±

    As Stella did so, the energy emerged from the potion like a cloudy snake, coiling up over the fading surface. The energy sent tendrils of warmth up her arm, invigorating her. This was much more energy than she¡¯d gotten from the cookfire all that time ago. It even seemed to be bigger than the ball of energy Elrick had harvested from last night¡¯s potion.

    Stella stared in awe at the power she held, a smile tugging at her lips. It felt like she could do anything: fell a tree, move boulders, or even freeze a lake. She could run for miles with this energy.

    Elrick smiled and held out a dull sapphire. ¡°Now guide it to this.¡±

    Stella pulled the energy to his hand. The gem sucked in the energy, leaving Stella feeling hollow.

    ¡°Good work,¡± Elrick said. ¡°Now off to bed.¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Stella said. ¡°That was only half an hour. Our deal was a whole hour.¡±

    Elrick scowled. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything else to teach you tonight. You can go study in the library instead.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the deal. At least let me watch you work.¡±

    Elrick squinted at her. ¡°No. If you want another half hour, then make another potion.¡±

    Stella bit her lip. After feeling that energy, she wasn¡¯t opposed to repeating the process. ¡°Alright. But you¡¯re going to teach me other things, too, right?¡±

    Elrick sighed. ¡°Yes, fine, but another day. Just get on with it.¡±

    Stella nodded and went about collecting the ingredients while some skeletons cleaned up the waste from the first potion. She still didn¡¯t have any clue on how to kill Elrick, but she¡¯d figure that out later. For now, she wanted more of that energy.

 Chapter 5 - The Unwilling

    Stella started awake, confused. It felt much too early to be awake. Something was wrong.

    It was four weeks since she¡¯d started her apprenticeship. The days since then had passed much like the first two, except that Elrick had seemed to grow gradually less grumpy. He¡¯d taught her several more potions, including a sleeping draft and a hunger potion. Oddly, he¡¯d bottled the hunger potion rather than letting her harvest its energy. He told her the potion allowed the drinker to eat as much as they wanted without hurting their stomach. What he wanted with it was beyond her imagination. She was just upset that she hadn¡¯t gotten to feel its energy. He¡¯d also shown her how to craft a few magical objects, including a teleportation roll: a roll of rabbit skin pickled in a special brine to allow for teleportation within a league of its ignition. Elrick had let her keep one of those, and it lay on the ground by her straw mattress.

    Stella heard skeletons rattling below. The ones guarding her sleeping nook were gone. She considered only a moment before heading down to see what was happening. The potion room was silent, so she continued down. On the ground floor, the only moving thing was Maw, snoring as he lay by the room¡¯s central fire. More rattling echoed from down in the cellar, and Stella followed it.

    She hadn¡¯t been in the cellar since passing through it the first time, so this was the first she¡¯d seen of the large table at its center. It was circular and seven feet wide, and its surface had several large dark stains.

    Stella spotted a few skeletons disappearing down the tunnel. That¡¯s it, she thought. It must be a conference day. They¡¯re headed to the meeting room. Stella followed the skeletons down the tunnel, feeling the wall along the way to keep from bumping into corners. Tarant had been unable to tell her what went on in those meetings, but now she could find out.

    She could soon see the sorcerer sitting on his throne of yellowed bones, looking annoyed and bored. Six blackened skeletons stood behind him. Stella stopped two yards short of the tunnel¡¯s exit. She couldn¡¯t see anything beyond the dais, but she didn¡¯t want to risk being seen, either. If this effort yielded any information that would help her kill Elrick, it was best to keep her knowledge of it a secret. Besides, she could hear all of the proceedings perfectly.

    Hinges squeaked as a door swung open, followed by footsteps and grunts. It sounded as if people were approaching her, but the closest ones stopped a few yards away. Elrick looked right and left, his expression unchanged. Whatever was happening, he was unimpressed.

    ¡°Oh great and ineffable Elrick,¡± Vatran¡¯s sycophantic voice said, ¡°Please accept this choice selection of offerings to add to your greatness. And if you find it a worthy offering, give ear to your humble servants, that you might hear our petition and grant it according to your timing and pleasure.¡±

    Feeling a stab of concern, Stella peeked into the room. Seven people stood lined up before Elrick. They wore gags and dirty clothes, and skeletons held them in place. The closest was Laurel, Stella¡¯s mother.

    ¡°No!¡± Stella screamed, bolting into the room. She tried to pry the skeleton¡¯s fingers from off her mother, but they were like stone. A pair of skeletons came down from the dais and seized Stella. They dragged her away from her mother, and up onto the dais, stopping next to Elrick¡¯s throne.

    The sorcerer scowled at her. Vatran fell to his knees. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry my lord,¡± he said. ¡°She¡¯s a curious girl. Please forgive her.¡±

    ¡°Silence,¡± Elrick said, and Vatran snapped his mouth shut. ¡°Get up.¡± Vatran hastened away and took his place at the center of the small arc of fanatics. Elrick turned his scowl back to Stella. ¡°You have an objection?¡±

    Stella swallowed. ¡°That¡¯s my mother, sir.¡±

    Elrick squinted at Laurel. ¡°Are you married, woman?¡±

    The skeleton holding her slid its finger across her gag, and it fell off as if it had been cut. ¡°My husband is dead. You killed him.¡±

    ¡°Interesting.¡±

    ¡°Interesting? You¡ª¡± The skeleton covered her mouth with its black fingerbones.

    Elrick scowled. ¡°You will be silent unless spoken to.¡± He pointed to the man on her right and said, ¡°You. Who are you, and why should I let you live?¡±

    Apart from the dirt and the bags under his eyes, this man looked like he was at the peak of health. He drew himself up. ¡°I am Reginald IV, Crown Prince of Cephaneia. My father the king is ailing, and the kingdom will fall into chaos if I don¡¯t get back to it. Release me now, and I will see that you receive a king¡¯s ransom in return.¡±

    Elrick snorted, his scowl disappearing. ¡°That¡¯s enough from you. Next.¡± He went down the line, asking each prisoner the same question he asked the prince. One man was married with nine children. Another owned the largest cloth-shipping business in his region. The fourth man said only that he was ¡°a hunter seeking progression,¡± but he had a familiar burn mark on his cheek and a bracelet brand on his wrist. The other two were ruffians with little to say for themselves.

    Elrick nodded, finished with his questioning. The skeletons holding the prince and the father pushed their captives forward. The others were dragged back. Five fanatics came forward, each bearing a simple branding iron, already hot. They branded the prisoners¡¯ cheeks, resistance quelled by the skeletons¡¯ strength. The branded prisoners were each left with a burn on their cheek the size and shape of a man¡¯s little finger. The hunter, who¡¯d already had a burn, was given a matching one on the same cheek, making him look like the fanatic Abjectus. The skeletons shuffled the branded prisoners through the door below the dais.

    Knowing the pain of the branding iron herself, Stella wanted dearly to comfort her mother. But she couldn¡¯t. The skeletons holding her were too strong. So she held her tongue, her stomach churning with outrage and anticipation.

    Elrick stood to regard the remaining prisoners. The prince and the father were left unbranded, but they now stood directly in line with the scorch marks that scarred the stone floor. Upon realizing this, they broke into protests: the father pleading, the prince promising riches. Giving no heed to either, Elrick conjured a fireball in his hand and sent it at them. The flames engulfed the two men, but there was no screaming. The only sound was the cackle of the fire. The blaze lasted only a few seconds. When the flames died, the skeletons were left holding blackened versions of their captives. The flesh hadn¡¯t been damaged, just discolored. But they were limp, dead. Part of Stella wondered at the speed of it. The other part rationalized that at least the men hadn¡¯t suffered for long.

    The skeletons picked up the corpses and took them down the tunnel toward Elrick¡¯s cellar. Elrick turned to Stella. ¡°We¡¯re going to talk about this later. For now, go wait in the cellar. I have to ¡®give ear¡¯ to my ¡®humble servants.¡¯¡± He turned back to the fanatics, and the skeletons dragged Stella away.

    They deposited her in a high-seated chair in the cellar but didn¡¯t release her. The other skeletons had placed the dead men on the big table. More skeletons joined them, and they went about the shelves, collecting jars and bringing them to the table. Stella watched with confusion until one of the skeletons dragged its finger down the prince¡¯s chest. The skin split open, revealing the muscles, bones, and organs beneath. Stella squeezed her eyes shut, but she couldn¡¯t block out the sounds. She recognized the sounds from her first time in the cellar, but now her imagination had more to work with. Despite all her attempts to distract herself, she couldn¡¯t banish the images her mind was matching to the sounds: the slipping sound of a long organ being pulled out of its place, the sloshing sound of juices being emptied into a pot, the shloop of an organ sliding into a jar, the clack of lids on filled containers.

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    The sounds continued for several minutes, every second of which Stella wished to be anywhere else on the Dracon continent. Or even the islands, she thought once. Swarms of mosquitoes would be preferable to this.

    Silence fell, and Stella held her breath, hoping the skeletons had finished and would let her go.

    ¡°I hate being interrupted,¡± Elrick said. Stella looked slowly up at him, avoiding looking at the table.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir,¡± she said quietly.

    ¡°You made the ordeal take longer. And Vatran¡¯s grovelling. I hate that.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°People who interrupt me usually die in flames.¡±

    Stella dropped her gaze, shaking. ¡°It won¡¯t happen again, sir.¡±

    ¡°Even if you see your mother in the lineup again?¡±

    Stella froze. Would she be able to hold herself back? Elrick had left her alive, but would he do so again? ¡°I¡ª I¡¯ll try, sir.¡±

    Elrick sighed. ¡°I won¡¯t kill your mother. She doesn¡¯t have enough potential left to be worth my trouble. Too old, for one thing.¡±

    Stella looked back at him, confused. ¡°What?¡±

    He ignored the question. ¡°That¡¯s not to say the fanatics won¡¯t. You saw them give her a rejection mark. Prisoners who get a third mark don¡¯t show up again.¡±

    Stella paled. ¡°How long does she have?¡±

    ¡°At least four weeks. Eight at most.¡±

    Stella shrank in her seat. She¡¯d already wasted four weeks. She was no closer to assassinating Elrick than on day one. How could she manage to form and execute a plan in that time? Elrick kept her time with him limited to their lessons. He¡¯d recently let some of her lessons run longer than her allotted hour, but never by long. Stella needed to know what kept him alive when he was badly wounded, how he healed himself, and how to get around both of those obstacles. The only thing she¡¯d learned in the past four weeks was just how much he loved collecting energy.

    ¡°But enough stalling,¡± Elrick said. ¡°I might as well get your lesson out of the way now. I seem to remember you showing an interest in potential energy.¡±

    Stella perked up. ¡°Yes, sir!¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± He walked over to the table. ¡°Join me.¡±

    The skeletons released Stella, and she hurried to Elrick¡¯s side. Then she saw the bodies, and her heart froze. The skeletons had pulled most of the organs out of the body cavities. The resulting holes pooled with blood. Two organs floated in each pool. One was about the size and shape of a fist. The other stretched the width of the body cavity; it was cone-shaped and had a dark red-brown color.

    A skeleton brought Elrick a bottle that glowed red. Stella recognized it instantly as a hunger potion. Her stomach shrank to the size of a pea as she watched Elrick take a swig. He picked up one of the larger organs and wolfed it down. He didn¡¯t even stop to chew: just bite after bite until the whole thing was gone. He wiped his mouth, then turned to Stella, pulling a gem out of his cloak. He stopped, raising an eyebrow at her shocked expression. ¡°Do you have a problem?¡±

    She couldn¡¯t respond. He shrugged, then held out his right hand. He clenched and unclenched his fingers as if squeezing something. A ball of shining energy appeared there, bigger than any Stella had managed to get from a potion. She stared in awe, momentarily forgetting its creation process. Elrick held it for a few seconds, letting her take it in, then deposited the energy into the gem. ¡°Your turn,¡± he said.

    Stella paled. ¡°You don¡¯t¡ª you don¡¯t want me to¡ª¡±

    Elrick picked up the large organ from the other body and held it out to her. Blood dripped from it, splattering the floor. ¡°I want you to harvest the potential energy from this liver. It¡¯s easy.¡± The skeleton offered her the potion. ¡°Take a drink of the potion. Then eat the liver. I¡¯ll instruct you after that.¡±

    Stella shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not eating that.¡±

    He frowned. ¡°I can¡¯t teach you about potential energy if you don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Maybe I don¡¯t want to learn it.¡±

    His frown deepened. ¡°I want you to learn it, and that¡¯s final.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    He sighed. ¡°I want the process to move faster. If we both do it, it¡¯ll take a lot less time. You¡¯re also much younger than I am.¡±

    ¡°What does that have to do with it?¡±

    ¡°It has a lot to do with it. Younger people can harvest more energy, especially potential energy. You¡¯ll be able to get a lot more energy from this liver than I will.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not eating it.¡±

    Elrick scowled. ¡°This is not negotiable. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll fetch your mother from her cell right now, and her end will be much slower and more painful than these were.¡± He gestured to the bodies on the table.

    Stella¡¯s stomach twisted like a snake caught in an eagle¡¯s claws. He had her and wouldn¡¯t let go until she did what he wanted. She bowed her head. ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    The skeleton pushed the potion into her hand, and she took a swig. Her stomach rumbled. Elrick handed her the liver. She wrinkled her nose at it. It was squishy and slimy, and it stained her hands red with blood.

    ¡°Stop stalling and eat it,¡± Elrick said. Stella steeled herself, then took a bite. The tissue was bitter and metallic to the taste, but it went right down her throat before she could try to chew. ¡°That¡¯s the potion,¡± Elrick said at her confused expression. ¡°It helps the stuff down. It speeds up its digestion, too. Keep going.¡±

    With an unsettled gulp, Stella continued. She found he was right. All she had to do was cut the tissue with her teeth, and the bite would disappear into her stomach. Before too long, the whole liver was gone.

    Elrick pulled another gem from his cloak. ¡°Now you¡¯re going to pull out the energy. You¡¯ll find it in your stomach, but it will feel different from the chemical energy you¡¯re used to. Close your eyes and find it.¡±

    Stella obeyed, stretching her mind downward to find the energy. She knew the difference between thermal and chemical energy, so finding a third type shouldn¡¯t be hard. She blinked her eyes open, gaping. It hadn¡¯t been hard at all. It was the easiest thing she¡¯d ever done. The well of energy in her stomach was so massive that she couldn¡¯t believe she hadn¡¯t felt it appear. It was dark and slimy compared to the other energies she¡¯d felt, but its sheer mass made up for that.

    Elrick smiled. ¡°Now squeeze it out, like this.¡± He showed her the squeezing hand motion again. When she copied it, a ball of brilliant energy emerged. It was nearly as big as her head, and it warmed her whole body. The power she¡¯d felt from the potions was nothing compared to this. If she knew how to harness it, she could topple forests, move mountains, evaporate rivers. She could kill Elrick, subdue the fanatics, and save her mother¡­ if she knew how to harness it. For now, it was enough just to hold it and dream.

    Elrick¡¯s smile widened. ¡°Fantastic,¡± he said. ¡°Now guide it to the gem.¡± Reluctantly, Stella deposited the energy into the gem, causing it to glow brighter than any she¡¯d seen before.

    Elrick tucked the gem back into his cloak. ¡°Very good. Off to town with you, now. Your time¡¯s up. Don¡¯t come back before sundown.¡±

    Stella gaped. ¡°That wasn¡¯t even close to an hour!¡±

    ¡°Your time started when you interrupted this morning. I¡¯m not arguing this. Go.¡±

    Stella opened her mouth to object further, but two skeletons grabbed her and dragged her upstairs. Another gave her a list and shoved her outside. Stella gaped some more. ¡°Not even a bag this time?¡±

    A skeleton poked its blackened head out the door, then pointed at a pile of brown cloth bags on the ground outside. Stella frowned and picked one up. Why did they move the pile? Was it just to make it easier to send me outside? She frowned some more. The remaining pile was tiny, having only two left. Weird.

    She started down the mountain. As she walked, she remembered a few times over the last few weeks when the pile had moved the same way, but she didn¡¯t remember why. Not that it matters. Indeed, she had much more important things to think about. She had a deadline. She had to accelerate her mission. She had to find a way to kill Elrick before the four weeks were up. Otherwise, the fanatics would kill her mother.

    Stella clenched her fist around the cloth bag. Vatran had promised to keep her mother alive. Instead, he¡¯d offered her up to Elrick, literally asking the sorcerer to slaughter and cannibalize her.

    ¡°Stella!¡± Tarant ran toward her, happier than ever, his black robe billowing out behind him as he ran. Stella scowled. Tarant wouldn¡¯t know anything about Laurel¡¯s predicament, but it still provoked Stella to have his cheerful face interrupt her impossible problem.

    ¡°What are you so happy about?¡±

    Her dour attitude did nothing to dampen his. ¡°You came out!¡±

    ¡°I do that every day.¡±

    He shrugged. ¡°Vatran was worried about you. He said you interrupted their meeting. I thought maybe¡­ But you¡¯re here! This is going to be such a good day!¡±

    Stella rolled her eyes.

 Chapter 6 - The Well

    ¡°I need to talk to Vatran,¡± Stella said. ¡°Do you know where he is?¡±

    ¡°Well, he¡¯s busy right now,¡± Tarant said, ¡°But I can take you to him later. You¡¯ve got some shopping to do, right?¡±

    Stella sighed and gave Tarant the list, and they went into town. She was too preoccupied to pay attention to where they were going, much less hold a conversation with Tarant. She had some choice words for Vatran when she next saw him. How dare he threaten her mother? What made him think she¡¯d stick around for her end of the deal if Laurel died? If she could only figure out how to channel evocation magic, she¡¯d make Vatran rue the day he met her.

    ¡°What¡¯s that you¡¯ve got, Fidus?¡± Tarant asked a burly bald man.

    Fidus opened his bag to show Tarant. ¡°A fox. Trapped it this morning.¡±

    Tarant smiled. ¡°I bet Audacio will be jealous.¡±

    Fidus waved a hand. ¡°Audacio won¡¯t even know. He¡¯s going to sleep through the whole thing.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. He got me once, but I didn¡¯t let him fool me again. Instead, he¡¯s the fool.¡± He laughed. ¡°Oh, that I could see his face tomorrow! When he wakes up and hears the news that Scorpon is victorious, he¡¯ll be furious¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll be in the hot zone, then?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Audacio can¡¯t keep me from it this time.¡±

    What Stella really had to do was convince Elrick to let her shadow him. It was infuriating to be kept out of the tower every daylight hour of every day, unable to observe him. She¡¯d have to convince him that she¡¯d be out of his way, that she wouldn¡¯t interrupt his work, that he wouldn¡¯t even know she was there. If she could see what he did during the daylight hours, she would surely have some clue into his weaknesses or defenses. She¡¯d at least be able to sketch his character better, and she might be able to use that to guess how he would go about laying spells to protect his life.

    ¡°You look happy, Dein. Did you get a good spot for the assembly today?¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Tarant, but no,¡± Dein said. ¡°I received word of my elder brother¡¯s death late last night, and I¡¯m headed to Cephaneia directly to claim my crown.¡±

    ¡°On your own?¡±

    ¡°No. Magister Caleo offered an escort of hunters. His sons are among them, as a matter of fact.¡±

    ¡°What an honor!¡±

    ¡°Indeed. Farewell, Tarant.¡±

    ¡°Safe travels, Dein.¡±

    Stella had to figure out how to kill Elrick and keep him dead. The sorcerer had allegedly survived arrows to the eyes and heart, as well as decapitation and poison. She also had insanely strong skeletons to worry about should her attempt run longer than expected, not to mention the fact that previous would-be assassins had been executed torturously.

    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to come, Ladon? You could drastically improve your living situation.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, but no, Tarant,¡± the Thuban cleric answered. ¡°Easy solutions never last. Better to put the effort in to solve my problems myself than wait for someone else to solve them. Leaving your problems for someone else to solve only leads to misery.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure where you¡¯re getting that nonsense, Ladon. I¡¯ve studied all current and historical nations of Dracon, and Vulcan is the best of them all.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you think that, lad. I hope you find the truth soon.¡±

    ¡°I wish the same for you.¡±

    ¡°Heh, heh. I appreciate that, lad.¡±

    Stella wondered briefly whether it would be possible to free her mother from the prison without getting caught. But no. An Ortu guarded the entrance to the prison at all times, and it was nigh on impossible to shake off Tarant, anyway. She¡¯d only managed it when he wanted to attend the assemblies.

    ¡°Stella, you ready to go?¡±

    Stella shook herself, coming back to the present. People were flowing out of town, heading up the mountain. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s time for the assembly. You¡¯re coming this time, right?¡±

    Over the past four weeks, there had been five assemblies. Stella had managed to avoid them by claiming to need an obscure plant from the woods to complete her list, sending Tarant on without her. This time, he had her list in his hand, its required items all collected in her bag. There was no room for excuses.

    ¡°Yes, I am,¡± she said, fighting to keep the reluctant tone out of her voice. Tarant¡¯s face lit up. He grabbed her hand and practically dragged her up the mountain. He took her to where the fanatics were gathering in the gravel. It was off to the side of the stone assembly area, high enough above it to give a decent view of the whole space. Villagers gathered on the stone, milling about, trying to get the best spots. Stella watched them with resigned pity, mostly desensitized to their insanity after spending four weeks among them.

    Then she froze. Are those¡­ children? They were. A group of twenty children stood in the middle of the crowd. None of them could have been older than ten.

    ¡°Why are there children down there?¡± Stella asked, starting forward. Tarant grabbed her shoulder, keeping her in place.

    ¡°They¡¯re asking Elrick for salvation,¡± he said. ¡°They want to serve Vulcan.¡±

    ¡°But they¡¯re kids!¡±

    ¡°Stella, calm down. You don¡¯t want to attract Saturn, do you? If you prevent them, Saturn will consume both you and the children. I can¡¯t let that happen.¡±

    Vatran turned, giving Stella a warning look. A look that said he¡¯d kill her mother if she didn¡¯t stop. She relented, and Tarant relaxed. ¡°Fine,¡± she said. ¡°Just excuse me while I go talk to Vatran.¡± She pulled away from the young fanatic and stalked over to confront the older one.

    ¡°You promised to keep my mother alive,¡± Stella said. ¡°You broke that promise when you offered her to Elrick this morning.¡±

    ¡°It was not a one-way promise,¡± Vatran said. ¡°You haven¡¯t kept your end of the bargain.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I have!¡±

    Vatran smiled his scheming smile. ¡°I think you¡¯ve forgotten. You were supposed to convince Elrick to start granting petitions. You haven¡¯t even tried.¡±

    Stella pursed her lips. That had been the deal. It was Vatran¡¯s whole reason for getting her into this position. ¡°I don¡¯t have a lot of time to talk to him. You might not have noticed, but he makes me spend every daylight hour in town.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d better get creative, then. I¡¯ll give you another four weeks before her next presentation, but then you¡¯ll only have four weeks before her time is up. We can¡¯t afford to keep feeding prisoners that Elrick doesn¡¯t want.¡± He pulled at the neck of his robe as he spoke. He had a sapphire ring on one hand and wore a necklace set with three more sapphires.

    Can¡¯t afford it? Stella thought, then froze. The sapphires each had a soft glow. It was faint enough to pass as the gem¡¯s natural luster, but after nearly a month of filling gems with energy, Stella knew the difference. Vatran held four wells of magical energy. A stab of fear pierced her insides. Where had he gotten it? What did he plan to use it for? She looked around at the other fanatics. There were two other Magisters. They each had a bejeweled necklace and a matching ring: Caleo had emeralds, and Flagro had rubies. There were eleven Ortus, and each of them wore a gemstone ring. All of the gems glowed softly with magical energy. The lower-ranking fanatics were much more numerous, but none wore jewels from what she could see.

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    ¡°There he is!¡± Tarant said, and Stella looked down at the space.

    Elrick the Ineffable stood outside the door to his tower, looking disdainfully down at the crowd. They screamed and jumped, raising their hands as if to catch his fireball. The sorcerer scowled as he surveyed them. Then his scowl faded, his gaze fixed in the center of the crowd. He conjured his fireball, then threw it right at the group of kids.

    Stella¡¯s heart froze, and she saw more than heard the crowd¡¯s cheers. Just like that morning, the fireball worked quickly, dying out after a few seconds. Sixteen little corpses fell to the ground, as well as one much taller one, blackened, but mostly intact. Four of the children still stood, unscathed.

    Elrick continued his show, reaching his fiery arm into a pool of elderly, burning several of them. It pulled out a man with a twisted hand, throwing him into the volcano. The crowd cheered again. A large part of the crowd was elderly, sick, or injured, there to ask Elrick for youth or health. The crowd fell silent, except for the moans of the people the arm had burned, who fell to the ground in pain. Elrick shouted his reanimation incantation. The old man¡¯s blackened bones climbed down from the volcano¡¯s mouth, perfectly aligned despite the twisted hand he¡¯d had in life. The crowd filtered away, abandoning the dead, and skeletons poured from the tower to collect the bundles of offerings and the corpses. The lesser fanatics scurried down to guide the injured toward treatment, but some of the frailer victims had stopped moving. The skeletons claimed those, taking them into the tower with the corpses.

    Stella bit her lip hard, nauseous and angry. Then she saw the four surviving children. A fanatic had gone up to meet them, and they were following him toward the viewing tower. ¡°What¡¯s he doing with them?¡± She asked, pointing.

    Vatran looked at Tarant, whose face broke into a huge smile. ¡°I think Tarant wants to show you,¡± Vatran said.

    ¡°Oh, thank you, Magister Vatran! Come on, Stella.¡±

    Tarant¡¯s excitement did not bode well, but he grabbed her hand and dragged her toward the tower before she could object. ¡°It¡¯s symbolic of Elrick¡¯s fiery arm,¡± he said, which didn¡¯t help the foreboding feeling in Stella¡¯s stomach. ¡°The center of the tower is filled with water to make a well, which represents the volcano. The officiating Magister represents Elrick. I think it¡¯s Magister Caleo¡¯s turn this time. Anyway, the volunteer takes a sleeping draft to make it easier for them, and then the Magister lowers them into the water with a rope. The rope represents Elrick¡¯s fiery arm, you see? Then the Magister pulls them back up, representing reanimation, and we use the bones to divine upcoming hot zones, representing the skeleton¡¯s service.¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Stella said. ¡°You take people up there to drown them?¡±

    He waved a dismissive hand. ¡°They want us to, silly. I think they¡¯re just desperate. It¡¯s quick and guaranteed. The assemblies always have a ton of disappointed survivors. Not so in the tower.¡±

    Stella snorted. ¡°Then why doesn¡¯t everyone volunteer? Is there a waiting list?¡±

    He shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s guaranteed to get the volunteer a quick judgment, not salvation. Elrick¡¯s fire guarantees salvation because he gets to choose between the volunteers. The only condition for that is Elrick¡¯s choice. He doesn¡¯t have a say with the Well, so it¡¯s up to Vulcan whether or not he wants to employ their soul as his servant. Or it¡¯s riskier than gathering in the assembly, but it¡¯s quicker. Good for desperate people, people who need their petition fulfilled quickly.¡±

    ¡°And if Vulcan doesn¡¯t choose them?¡±

    Tarant shivered. ¡°Damnation. Their souls are sent out into the void, where they have nothing to do but amuse themselves.¡±

    Stella frowned. ¡°But how do you know? How do you even know there¡¯s a difference?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s easy,¡± Tarant said. ¡°We use their bones in divination. If the bones are right, then we know their soul has been accepted as Vulcan¡¯s servant, and part of their duty is to make the divination accurate. If they¡¯re wrong¡­ well, then we have more to mourn than getting the hot zone wrong.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Tarant,¡± Vatran said, catching up with them. ¡°You go on ahead. I need a word with Stella.¡±

    Tarant smiled and ran the rest of the way to the tower.

    ¡°I wanted to warn you against breaking Tarant¡¯s vision of this ritual,¡± Vatran said in a low voice. ¡°He¡¯s a bright boy, an inspiration to the whole town. If he were to grow doubtful, it would lead to the damnation of many more souls than his.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve seen Abjectus, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°And you saw the brandings this morning?¡±

    ¡°I did.¡± Stella scowled. ¡°Get to the point.¡±

    ¡°Can you imagine how Abjectus got his brands?¡±

    Stella¡¯s mouth went dry. ¡°You offered one of your own to Elrick?¡±

    ¡°A doubter. It¡¯s a necessary practice. He was lucky to survive long enough to return to the faith. Others are burned, and others are too stubborn to keep alive.¡±

    ¡°And the Brevises with brands? Were they doubters, too?¡±

    ¡°Oh, none of the ones you¡¯ve known. They¡¯re the sons of other fanatics, and they had to present themselves to Elrick for initiation into our order. The brands were given because Elrick didn¡¯t choose to initiate them on their first presentation. But you¡¯re changing the subject. I¡¯m only concerned with you and Tarant right now.¡±

    ¡°What about?¡± she asked, but she was starting to suspect¡ª

    ¡°If Tarant develops doubts of Elrick¡¯s divinity, I¡¯ll have to put him in prison. From your perspective, the best-case scenario there is he casts off his doubts after his first presentation. In that case, he¡¯d come out with a rejection mark and be demoted to Brevis. If he¡¯s still stubborn, he might still manage to get out as an Abjectus.¡± Vatran sighed. ¡°But Tarant is of a devoted disposition. It¡¯s nearly impossible to change his views on something, but once the change is made, it¡¯s just as difficult to correct. I don¡¯t think he¡¯d survive the process. He¡¯d stubbornly wait for his third rejection, and then I¡¯d have to kill him. I¡¯d hate to do that to him.¡± From his expression, Stella concluded he didn¡¯t see the possibility as tragic. Pitiable and inconvenient, yes, but he didn¡¯t seem to foresee any grief down that road.

    ¡°You¡¯re a monster,¡± Stella said.

    Vatran regarded her. ¡°It¡¯s entirely in your power to prevent all of that. All you need to do is keep your mouth shut while you¡¯re up there. He¡¯s too excited for you to back out now, so you¡¯ll just have to go up there and behave. Don¡¯t say anything against the ritual, and he¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Tarant called from the top of the tower, ¡°Are you coming, or what?¡±

    Vatran patted her arm. ¡°Good luck.¡± He turned away, heading for the burn treatment building. Stella took a deep breath, then climbed the tower.

    At the top, the wooden slab had been removed from the center, revealing a deep pit filled with water up to a point six feet below the floor where they all stood. A large number of fanatics were present, mostly Ortus. Eight of them held four captive adults in place. Three of the captives each had three rejection brands on their cheeks. The other only had two, but he also had a bracelet brand on his wrist. He stood tall and proud, presenting no struggle. The other three were weak and emaciated, their wriggles easily suppressed by their captors. Another two Ortus stood guarding the four children who¡¯d escaped Elrick¡¯s fireball, a strong hand on each child¡¯s shoulder.

    Tarant threw the end of a rope over a beam in the ceiling, then handed the ends to Magister Caleo. That done, Tarant leaned against one of the pillars holding up the roof. He patted it, inviting Stella to join him. Her stomach squirmed in disgusted anticipation, but she complied.

    The Ortus holding the proud man brought him to Caleo. The Magister handed the man a potion, and the Ortus bound his ankles with one end of the rope. The man handed back the empty bottle, then fell limp, the Ortus catching him and pulling him back to a standing position.

    Caleo raised his hands above his head and recited, ¡°Oh Vulcan, look favorably on the self-sacrifice of this man. See how he offers his life to increase your power. Accept him into your servitude, now and forever.¡± He tightened his grip on his end of the rope, and the Ortus lowered the victim, turning him to drop headfirst into the water. Caleo lurched, and the Ortus grabbed the rope behind him, steadying it.

    As the rope twitched, Stella looked over the remaining captives. The adults looked horrified. They knew what was happening to the fanatics¡¯ victim. They each knew it would shortly be their turn. They wriggled more urgently, but it still wasn¡¯t enough to break their captors¡¯ grips.

    The children looked on in confusion. ¡°Is he playing with Vulcan yet?¡± the youngest asked.

    ¡°Not yet,¡± his captor said. ¡°Not until the rope stops moving.¡±

    The rope stopped moving. Caleo and the Ortus heaved on the rope. Once they had the corpse high enough, the Ortus left Caleo to catch it. Caleo slackened his grip, and the Ortus laid the body on the ground beside the Magister and untied the rope. The next set of Ortus brought forth their captive, but Stella wasn¡¯t watching them. She watched the children. Their eyes had grown wide. Whether or not they were old enough to understand death, they knew the corpse wasn¡¯t playing.

    By the time Caleo had forced the sleeping draft on the new victim, Stella had seen too much. She couldn¡¯t stay there, not saying anything. She hurried down the stairs.

    A set of quick footsteps followed her. ¡°Wait, Stella,¡± Tarant said, ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to be late for my magic lesson.¡±

    ¡°But there¡¯s still an hour of daylight left. You don¡¯t want to watch?¡±

    She stopped, halfway down the stairway. Could she tell him the truth? She and Tarant were the only ones there. Maybe she could say just a bit. Just enough to explain her behavior without bringing Vatran¡¯s wrath.

    She heaved a deep breath. ¡°I can¡¯t stand their faces.¡±

    Tarant passed her and turned to stop in front of her, confused. ¡°But they¡¯re sleeping. They don¡¯t make faces.¡±

    ¡°I mean the ones waiting.¡± She pushed past him and ran for Elrick¡¯s tower.

 Chapter 7 - The Feast

    The sun was still up, but Stella went in anyway. The sight she found wasn¡¯t much better than the one she¡¯d fled. Four elderly burn victims lay on the floor by the fire, shifting and groaning in pain. Maw lurked behind the fire, a couching pile of fur, watching them with his beady eyes. Brown bundles lay in a pile by the wall, shifting and emitting various squeaking sounds. A single skeleton watched over the pile, grabbing bundles that fell off and putting them back on the pile.

    One old woman spotted Stella. She propped herself up. ¡°Stella, will the sorcerer heal us? Will he make me young again?¡±

    Stella froze. What could she say? It was obvious to Stella that Elrick intended to kill these people and harvest their potential. There was nothing Stella could do to prevent that, but telling her the truth of the matter wouldn¡¯t bring her any comfort. So she lied. ¡°You¡¯ll feel healthy and young soon enough.¡±

    The old woman smiled. A blackened skeleton came to her, offering a sleeping draft, and she took it thankfully. She returned the empty bottle. Then she fell limp. Maw twitched, licking his lips. The skeleton gave potions to the other three, and Maw crept around the fire. When the last victim fell asleep, Maw pounced. His mouth opened wide, scooping up the old woman and biting through her middle. Her legs fell to the ground, blood pooling rapidly underneath. Maw opened his mouth again, no trace of the woman¡¯s top half, and gulped down the rest of her. The pearl between his eyes glowed brighter, and he licked up the pool of blood with relish. That done, he turned and took a bite out of the next victim in line.

    Stella hurried toward the stairs, eager to escape the grisly scene. She could hide in the library until sundown.

    A skeleton blocked her path and pointed toward the cellar. She stopped. ¡°What?¡± she hissed.

    It jabbed its finger at the cellar.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to bed.¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯re not,¡± Elrick¡¯s voice called from the cellar. ¡°I need you down here.¡±

    Stella scowled and made to push past the skeleton, but it grabbed her and pulled her down to Elrick. The rattles of many working skeletons echoed from below, and the scent of death assaulted her nose. A pile of small corpses lay by the table, the blackened remains of the children Elrick had killed with his fireball. More lay on the table, along with the fireball¡¯s one adult casualty. Fidus wore a satisfied expression in death, sure to the last that Elrick would grant Sorpon victory in exchange for his life. The skeletons had cut him open and pulled out his organs, storing them in jars, leaving only his heart and liver in the body cavity. They did the same to the children on the table.

    Elrick stood by the table, holding a bottle of hunger potion. He took a swig, then held it out to Stella. ¡°I need you to help me process these.¡± He pushed the bottle into her hands.

    Stella shook her head, horrified. ¡°You need to stop this. It¡¯s monstrous.¡±

    Elrick waved a hand. ¡°The people will keep throwing their lives at me no matter what I do. I might as well make use of them.¡±

    ¡°But these are children.¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°They had their whole lives ahead of them!¡±

    ¡°Exactly. They¡¯re pooling with potential.¡±

    ¡°And you think that¡¯s worth their lives?¡±

    Elrick snorted. ¡°The fanatics would kill them if I didn¡¯t. I¡¯d much rather take their energy for myself than let those grovellers get it.¡±

    Stella¡¯s stomach twisted. She had to get out of this somehow. ¡°I¡¯ve already had my lesson today. Let me go study in the library instead.¡±

    ¡°Not this time. You¡¯ll never have any promise in magic if you don¡¯t practice. Besides, with your help, the task will take less time and yield more energy.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not doing it.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you are.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡±

    Elrick drew himself up, looking sternly down at her. ¡°I¡¯ve said before that I have no use for an unwilling servant. If you continue to resist my orders, I will have no further use for you.¡±

    ¡°And then the fanatics will replace me, and you¡¯ll have to start over.¡±

    Elrick drew his lips to a line, thinking. After a pause, he said, ¡°A deal, then. If you agree to help me with this task, both now and in the future, I will free your mother from the fanatics¡¯ prison.¡±

    Stella gaped, her stomach relaxing. Her mother¡¯s freedom? The offer was more than she could have asked for. With her mother free, she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about Vatran. Her four-week deadline would disappear. She could spend as long as she needed under Elrick¡¯s tutelage, learning magic and studying his defenses, and Laurel would be there to welcome her when she returned home, mission complete. Her mother¡¯s freedom and security would take a huge weight off her shoulders.

    But was that worth helping Elrick ¡°process¡± the corpses of children? Stella looked over the table again, the sight making her stomach clench again. It was sick for the sorcerer to use anyone this way, least of all children. But they¡¯re already dead, part of her thought. It¡¯s not like I can help them now. And he¡¯s right: the fanatics would have drowned them if he hadn¡¯t killed them himself.

    ¡°Fine,¡± she said, taking a swig of the hunger potion. Elrick took Fidus¡¯s liver, gesturing for Stella to start with the children. The flavor was easier on her tongue than her first one that morning, and she was finished before Elrick was close to halfway through his. He stopped to hand her a small diamond from his cloak. Stella gathered the well of energy into her hand and stared in amazement. The orb of light was bigger than a watermelon. It felt ten times as powerful as the energy she¡¯d harvested that morning. ¡°Wow,¡± she breathed.

    Elrick smiled. ¡°Put it in the gem.¡±

    Stella found the order incredibly difficult to obey. It felt so good to hold that power in her hand. She finally managed it, leaving her feeling like a flimsy husk. She held the little diamond out for Elrick to take, but he shook his head, pulling a large emerald from his cloak. ¡°You can keep that one. Put the rest of the energy you collect into this one.¡±

    Stella gaped at the little gem in her hand. It shone more brilliantly than any she¡¯d seen yet, and it held more power than she could imagine what to do with. And it was hers. The hollow feeling gave way to ecstasy. It was everything she¡¯d never known she¡¯d wanted, and it was hers.

    A skeleton brought over a gold chain, holding out a hand for the gem. Stella hesitantly relinquished it, but needn¡¯t have worried. The skeleton embedded the gem into a little mounting in the center of the chain, then returned it.

    ¡°Come on, now,¡± Elrick said. ¡°Put it on and get back to work. The longer these sit, the more the energy decays.¡±

    Stella hastened to put on the necklace. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it to be so much.¡±

    Elrick smiled again. ¡°Younger people have more potential. The younger they are, the more time they had left to do things. That¡¯s what energy is: the ability to do things.¡±

    A skeleton took the heart from the child¡¯s body, putting it in a large bowl. Others removed the body from the table, maneuvering it to pour the blood into a vat. They set the body to the side, then took another from the pile and set it on the table, cutting it open and harvesting the organs.

    So the cycle went, Stella and Elrick harvesting potential energy from the livers, the skeletons moving the bodies along and storing the blood and other organs. Elrick didn¡¯t get through half as many as Stella did, but from what he¡¯d said before, it was more productive for her to do more than he did. She could harvest the energy more efficiently than he could, so her help made the process orders of magnitude more productive.

    It wasn¡¯t long before they were done, and the emerald glowed like the sun. Elrick tucked it into his cloak, immensely satisfied. At that point, Stella had a thought. ¡°Why is potential energy stored in the liver?¡±

    Elrick chuckled. ¡°The liver isn¡¯t the only place it¡¯s stored. Every living tissue has potential energy, even plants and animal fur.¡±

    Stella frowned. ¡°Then why are we doing it like this? Why couldn¡¯t we just eat plants?¡±

    Elrick shook his head. ¡°You misunderstand me. Eating plants would yield potential energy, yes, but not enough to be worth anything. You¡¯d probably have to eat a whole tree to get even a noticeable amount of energy. Plants and most tissues are more useful in chemical magic.¡±

    Stella looked over at the pile of exhausted corpses. ¡°All that is for chemical magic?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Elrick said. ¡°We start with the livers because potential energy decays quickly in corpses. The liver is the easiest thing to harvest quickly, and I¡¯d frankly rather get it over with first. The rest takes some more work.¡±

    Stella raised an eyebrow. ¡°What does that mean?¡±

    Elrick smiled. ¡°You¡¯ll find out tomorrow. For now, I¡¯ll just say that it¡¯s a lot more appetizing than what we¡¯re doing now.¡±

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    Stella considered that. A large portion of what remained was muscle. That pile of corpses was mostly meat. ¡°I think I understand.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll need your help every day. There¡¯s still a lot to process. I¡¯ll compensate you with a portion of the energy you harvest.¡±

    Stella nodded immediately. ¡°Yes, sir. Will you teach me how to use it?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I want to learn spells. You¡¯ve only taught me how to store energy. I want to be able to use it.¡±

    Elrick shook his head, still smiling. ¡°You¡¯ve already had your lesson today, along with a hefty bonus. I might teach you another day. If you really want to learn to cast spells, go to the library and do some research. There are plenty of books on magic. Look for Basic Spellcasting. It¡¯s got plenty of spells at your level.¡±

    Stella nodded. ¡°Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.¡± And she climbed the stairs without an objection.

    On the ground floor, the skeletons were unpacking the bundles of offerings. Some were bottles and jars, which the skeletons took into the cellar. Other bundles contained small animals. The skeletons dissected some of the animals for parts, but most were fed directly to Maw. One was a live fox. It was tied well, but it wriggled for all it was worth. Its skeleton captor wrapped a bony hand around its throat, choking it out. It fell unconscious in a few seconds, and the skeleton tossed it to Maw, who crouched just briefly before gulping it down.

    Stella paid the scene no heed. She had a mission. She was going to learn magic.

    The library was a labyrinth of bookshelves. Stella knew her way around it in a directional sense, but she¡¯d neglected the books up to now. She¡¯d seen the library as an out-of-the-way bedroom rather than a resource. As a consequence, she knew nothing about how the books were organized. How would she find the book Elrick had named? The shelves had no labels, and many of the books had only decorative designs on their covers. She pulled a few out, only to find more confusion: the books weren¡¯t ordered by topic, title, author, or even age.

    A book of fundamentals would probably be well-used, she thought. With that theory, she started checking every book that seemed even slightly tattered. She fell into a rhythm: pulling down the book, reading the title, putting it back, and looking for another. After a few minutes, that rhythm almost cost her an important discovery. It was only after she¡¯d returned the book to its place that she realized her mistake. It was a little book with a black cover. It hadn¡¯t had a title. She pulled it back down.

    The cover was soft, and little grains of it came off on her fingers. It was an old book indeed. When she cracked it open, she found Elrick¡¯s own handwriting.

    The Five Fae Hunters have finally accepted me into their ranks. It¡¯s a dream come true. They¡¯re so tight-knit. Everyone thought they¡¯d never consider a new member. My potions must have impressed them. Just wait until they see what else I can do. People will start calling us The Six Fae Hunters. With our powers combined, we¡¯ll rid Cernunnos of the Unseelie Court before the year is out.

    Stella cocked her head, then sat down, settling in to read the book. It had to be written by Elrick. There was no question of that. But his manner of writing was so different from the way he spoke. The younger Elrick was excited, hopeful, and eager to please people.

    The book was a journal, chronicling Elrick¡¯s adventures as part of the Fae Hunters in Cernunnos. Cernunnos was one of the larger islands off the coast of Dracon. It had been inhabited by druids, fae, and barbarians until a few centuries ago when Cephaneian forces invaded and civilized them. Elrick¡¯s adventure took place long before then.

    Stella¡¯s heart clenched as she read. Despite Elrick¡¯s hopes, he never really felt like part of the group. Part of that came from the other Hunters¡¯ tight structure, but the rest came from his own selfishness. He might not have seen it in the moment, but Stella saw it from her distant perspective as the reader. He complained that the other Hunters wouldn¡¯t give him a bigger share of their spoils. They wouldn¡¯t let him lead missions or claim the final blow on their foes. They only wanted him around for his potions and spells. His disappointment and resentment built up over several months of that dynamic.

    One day, he sprung a trap left by the fae to capture the Hunters. Vines sprung up from the ground, tightening around his legs. Tinkling bells sounded, and the party knew the fae would soon arrive in overwhelming numbers to claim their prey. Elrick begged the Hunters to help free him, but their weapons were useless against the magical vines. They left him there. Desperate, Elrick drank a shrinking potion. Reduced to the size of an ant, he slipped out of the vines and ran after the Hunters. But with his little legs, it was a long while before he caught up. The fae of the Unseelie Court beat him to them.

    Four of the Hunters were bound up in magical vines, their feet dangling inches from the ground as they hung from the branches above by more vines. They struggled and squirmed but to no avail.

    The fifth Hunter was Alasdair, leader of the Fae Hunters. He was also bound, held by Bodach himself, chief of the Unseelie Court¡¯s Dark Hunt. The rest of the fae were already gone. Bodach held a crystal dagger and used it to cut out Alasdair¡¯s heart. The heart kept beating in the faerie¡¯s hand, and Alasdair remained alive, horrified at the hole in his chest that didn¡¯t even bleed. The faerie commanded Alasdair to stand. When the Hunter resisted, the faerie squeezed the heart, and Alasdair cried out in pain. Bodach repeated his command, and Alasdair obeyed. The faerie addressed the other Hunters, telling them that they would henceforth serve him as an elite unit in his army of human slaves. The Hunters defiantly refused, claiming they¡¯d rather die. Bodach ordered Alasdair to kill them. Alasdair refused, and Bodach squeezed his heart. The lead Hunter cried out, but continued to defy the faerie. Angered, Bodach showed sharp teeth and bit Alasdair¡¯s heart in half. The Hunter collapsed, dead. Bodach ate the rest of the heart, then conjured more vines from the ground to bind the remaining Hunters further, squeezing them.

    Elrick chose that moment to strike. He sent forth the bolt of power he¡¯d dreamed of dealing. Bodach disintegrated.

    Elrick dismissed the effects of his shrinking potion and went to the pile of faerie dust. The Hunters expressed relief at seeing him and urged him to help them down.

    But I was in no humor to help them. Quite the opposite, in fact. They had abandoned me to the fury of the fae. I had escaped by my own power. They had not, so they deserved to suffer exactly as the fae intended.

    I had resisted the allure of human potential until then, but seeing how much energy Bodach took from Alasdair¡¯s heart alone, I was ready to take advantage of the well before me. I set up wards around the area to protect it against the fae, then settled down to camp. Bodach¡¯s knife would prove useful in helping me make the most of my newfound resources.

    The account following bore much more resemblance to the sorcerer¡¯s character in the present. He spent the next week brewing hunger potions, living off Alasdair¡¯s remains, and storing the potential energy in his staff¡¯s ruby. He paid no heed to the protests of the captive Hunters. When the corpse was exhausted, he took Bodach¡¯s knife and cut down one of the remaining Hunters. The man was weak from hunger and dehydration and could offer little resistance as Elrick cut out his heart. Then, with the aid of the hunger potion, Elrick proceeded to cut off pieces of the man and eat them. The man screamed in pain and horror. With his heart still beating just a few feet away, he stayed alive for nearly the whole process. Elrick noted with satisfaction that his former hypothesis was correct: since the man was still alive, the potential energy decayed no faster than normal in living beings. He managed to get much more energy from the live man than he¡¯d gotten from Alasdair. Once he¡¯d eaten the muscles and liver, Elrick finally ate the heart, and the Hunter died. He didn¡¯t bother with the other organs, leaving them lying on the ground.

    I did the same with the other three. I¡¯ve never felt such power before. My ruby glowed with the light of three suns. I felt like I could conquer the world.

    But I don¡¯t want to conquer the world. I want solitude. The Fae Hunters were the closest I¡¯ve ever come to friendship or camaraderie, but they betrayed me. Solitude is the only answer.

    I¡¯ll leave Cernunnos for Dracon, seeking its harsh mountain range. A volcano is said to stand at the heart of it. No one will disturb me there.

    At long last, I¡¯ve found it: the infamous Vulcan, mountain of fire and smoke. I constructed a tower from its lava flow and made it my residence. Civilization is leagues and leagues away in every direction. No one will bother me here.

    I¡¯ve had a thought. Bodach used his knife to literally take Alasdair¡¯s life into his hand. Presumably, he did the same with his human slaves. Thuban knows we fought many a party of the fae¡¯s human slaves, only to find that our blows didn¡¯t kill them. We had to cut them to pieces to stop them, and even then, the limbs would keep trying to attack us.

    But I digress. My thought is this: cutting out the heart with Bodach¡¯s knife kept the victim alive no matter what the body suffered, as long as the heart kept beating. Bodach used it as a weapon to control his victims, but would it work as a way to preserve life?

    I¡¯ve tried it with a fox. Its heart sits in a box upstairs, but it operates fine without it. I¡¯ve burned it, poisoned it, and even cut off its head. It¡¯s survived everything, and when I heal it, it¡¯s as healthy as it ever was.

    It¡¯s been a month. The heart still beats in its box, and the fox still lives. I¡¯ll give it another few months before trying anything drastic.

    It¡¯s been five years, and the fox is as healthy as ever. It should have died long ago just from old age, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s aged, either. I think it¡¯s time.

    It worked. I¡¯ve locked my heart in a box and hidden it away. I don¡¯t feel any different, but that¡¯s not entirely surprising.

    Am I the first human to achieve immortality? I suppose we¡¯ll see if I¡¯m still here in a few centuries.

    Stella was engrossed in the journal. She knew now how Elrick had survived the previous attempts on his life, and she knew how to kill him. She just had to find his heart.

    She kept reading, hoping to find a hint to its whereabouts. Instead, she found a huge time skip. The ink on the next pages, though still very old, was much newer than the rest. It detailed the origins of the cult. People eventually found him, then started gathering outside his tower to shout requests at him. He tried to drive them away with fireballs, but many of them only seemed encouraged, even when he threw one into the volcano and turned the resulting skeleton into his slave.

    The fanatics refuse to leave me alone. They say they¡¯ve convinced the people that my fireballs constitute some kind of salvation. When I threaten to pick off all of the fanatics, they argue that the people would see that as a confirmation of their doctrine. There¡¯s no way to get rid of them without expending my whole store of energy, but I don¡¯t think even that will be enough.

    I have an idea. It will take a lot of energy, and that will take a long time to collect, but it¡¯s the best way to rid myself of this pestilence. Ironically, the fanatics have independently decided to help speed the process along. They brought a group of children to the assembly. How could I turn that down? The more often that happens, the sooner I¡¯ll be rid of this cult. It will be glorious.

    Footsteps broke the silence. Not the rattling of skeletons. Real human footsteps. Elrick was coming. Stella stuffed the book back into its place and turned to another shelf, pretending to be searching for a different book. What was the title he recommended again?

    Elrick moved past her. ¡°Haven¡¯t found it yet?¡± He went a few more feet, then pulled a book off the shelf. ¡°Here it is. Enjoy.¡± He handed it to her, then went back downstairs.

    Stella stared after him, heart racing. He¡¯d almost caught her. What would he do if he found out she knew his secret? Would he kill her to keep it a secret? Or would he recommend she cut out her own heart? Or would he force the operation on her, and then use her heart as leverage to make her follow his orders without resistance?

    She shook her head and slowed her breath. She was worrying over nothing. Elrick had no clue she¡¯d found his journal. She was safe.

    Relaxing, she opened the book Elrick had given her. Basic Spellcasting. It contained instructions on drawing from stored power, as well as individual steps for performing a short list of easy spells. The list included spells for unlocking things, conjuring and shaping water, cooking meat, making small fires, summoning small objects, and locating things.

    That last one was just what she needed to find Elrick¡¯s heart. She propped the book open to that page and started practicing the movements it required.

 Chapter 8 - the Sunset

    Stella slept in the next morning, having spent most of the night practicing magic. She hadn¡¯t managed to pull off the Locate spell, but she¡¯d moved on to some other spells in the book and found better success. Now, she knew an unlocking spell, a fire spell, and a summoning spell. They were by no means all-powerful spells. The unlocking spell would only release simple mechanical locks, the fire spell yielded only a little ball of fire, and the summoning spell only worked on small objects that she could see.

    When Stella rose, her hand went straight to the diamond at her neck. The night¡¯s practice had diminished its power by half. She¡¯d expected the energy to last longer, but she wasn¡¯t too worried about wasting it. After all, she¡¯d get to replace it later that day.

    Later came sooner than she¡¯d expected.

    She went downstairs and found a table set up on the ground floor. It was laid with a large plate of meat, and scents of butter, spices, onion, and garlic wafted up from it. Maw was leashed up to the wall, eyeing the meal with bitter jealousy. Elrick sat in a chair at the table. He smiled and gestured for Stella to take the other chair. She took it immediately.

    ¡°You get your lesson early today,¡± Elrick said, handing her a bottle of hunger potion and a large sapphire, and Stella got started. ¡°And if you finish your business in town before dinner time, I¡¯ll give you another bonus lesson.¡±

    ¡°Before dinner?¡± Stella asked between bites.

    ¡°Yes, no need to wait for sundown to return. I do need you to pick up some more onions, though. I always go through them faster than I expect.¡±

    That was perfectly agreeable to Stella. She¡¯d much rather spend her time in the tower than waste it in town. Plus, this prepared meat tasted so much better than the raw livers.

    Elrick let her eat most of it and deposit the energy in the sapphire. When about a pound was left, he took the sapphire and told her she could put the rest of the energy into her diamond. Those last few bites were the best thing Stella had ever tasted, and she wished the hunger potion would have allowed her to savor them. The energy nearly tripled the store in her diamond.

    Stella tucked the diamond beneath her chiton as she left the tower, entertaining high hopes for a good day. Her mood was unchanged when she found Tarant sitting outside, frowning.

    ¡°What?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Did you think Elrick had killed me?¡±

    Tarant didn¡¯t move.

    ¡°I know I¡¯m a lot later than usual, but I just slept in. Nothing to worry about.¡±

    Still nothing.

    ¡°Elrick¡¯s started teaching me magic. Look at this.¡± She snapped her fingers, and a little ball of flames appeared.

    Tarant looked up. ¡°What did you mean when you said you couldn¡¯t stand their faces?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Yesterday, when you left the Well. You said you couldn¡¯t stand the faces of the people waiting. What did you mean?¡±

    Stella scoffed. ¡°Oh, that? It was nothing. I wanted to get to my magic lesson, but you seemed like you wouldn¡¯t let me go unless I didn¡¯t want to be there. Simple as that.¡±

    Tarant¡¯s frown deepened, and he dropped his gaze. ¡°You just seemed so sincere. Disturbed.¡±

    ¡°No, I was just confused. I saw that the people were afraid, so I thought they weren¡¯t willing to go through with the ritual. I know better now.¡±

    Tarant clenched his fists. ¡°I saw their fear, too, from the first time I saw the ritual. I thought they were just scared because the Well was risky. It wasn¡¯t guaranteed salvation. But then¡­ I looked again last night. I watched their faces. What if they didn¡¯t want to die at all? What if they wanted to stay alive?¡±

    Stella rolled her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s crazy. Are you even listening to yourself?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not crazy.¡± Tarant met her eyes with a determined expression. ¡°I¡¯ve studied all of the known nations of Dracon, looking for ways to prove Vulcan¡¯s superiority. Do you know the difference between Vulcan and the rest of the world?¡±

    ¡°Happiness?¡±

    Tarant shook his head. ¡°Ignorance. Other cultures celebrate life. We celebrate death. Have you ever thought about the numbers? The only way our society can keep the population stable is by bringing in people from other places. The hunters are constantly roving the continent, spreading the word of Elrick¡¯s power, only for the people to come here and die. It¡¯s not a sustainable way of life.¡±

    ¡°Sustainable? Who cares whether it¡¯s sustainable or not?¡±

    ¡°Just think. What happens if a militant nation notices us taking its people and decides to put an end to us? Or what if the hunters run out of people who will listen? Elrick would end up killing us all.¡±

    ¡°You should really think about these things before you say them, Tarant. What if Saturn hears you? You wouldn¡¯t want him to eat you, would you?¡±

    Tarant scowled. ¡°You¡¯ve changed.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s changed. What happened to your devotion? Surely you can find a perfectly sound explanation for all this. Otherwise, you might end up like Abjectus.¡±

    Tarant stood and started down the mountainside. ¡°Don¡¯t you have some shopping to do?¡±

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Stella followed. He clearly wanted the subject to change, so she asked, ¡°Any news?¡±

    ¡°Tutelan went home. He got word that the gang had left his village, so he left to go back to his family.¡±

    ¡°He has a family?¡±

    ¡°A wife and three kids in Saiph.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d never have guessed. He always seemed so unconcerned.¡±

    ¡°He expected Elrick to fix his problem. He gave up his concerns, along with everything else that might have helped him solve the problem himself.¡±

    Stella sighed. ¡°Any other news?¡±

    ¡°Only that Cephaneia has fallen to chaos. Dein arrived safely home, but he and his younger brother disappeared shortly afterward.¡±

    Tarant continued in his sour mood all day, even when they happened upon a new guy in town. Before, Tarant had always been ecstatic to meet new people. This time, it was Stella driving introductions.

    ¡°Welcome to Vulcan, sir. I¡¯m Stella, apprentice to Elrick the Ineffable, and this is Mediet Tarant, a priest of Elrick.¡±

    The man¡¯s face lit up, and he bowed. ¡°An honor, my lady. It¡¯s truly an honor. I am Promitto of Alnitak. Perhaps you can bring the sorcerer my petition?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps. What is it?¡±

    ¡°Bandits, my lady. My village is plagued by bandits. I heard of Elrick from a story from Saiph, a neighboring village. They were harassed by a gang until one of their number gave his life to the sorcerer. Now, the gang is gone, and their village is peaceful. I¡¯m hoping the sorcerer can do the same for my village.¡±

    Stella inclined her head. ¡°I¡¯ll pass your request on to him. Enjoy your stay in Vulcan.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, my lady, thank you.¡±

    Promitto left, and Tarant glared at Stella. ¡°You¡¯re not going to tell Elrick a thing about this, are you?¡±

    Stella shrugged. ¡°No difference whether I do or not, but neither is there a point in putting down his hopes.¡±

    ¡°Not even to save his life?¡±

    ¡°He came of his own accord. If he dies, it¡¯s his own fault.¡±

    ¡°And the children yesterday?¡±

    ¡°They serve Vulcan now.¡±

    ¡°They could have lived their lives instead. They had so much potential.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s kind of the point.¡±

    Tarant stopped. ¡°What?¡±

    Stella shook her head. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand. You don¡¯t want to. That¡¯s probably why Vatran never promoted you.¡±

    Tarant dropped her bag on the ground and turned away. ¡°You know your way around town. You don¡¯t need me anymore.¡±

    Stella rushed back up to the tower as soon as her list was complete, gratified to find a scene similar to the morning¡¯s meal. Elrick had the table laid out with delicious-smelling plates of meat, a hunger potion, and a large ruby. It passed much the same, with Elrick letting her keep the energy from the last little bit.

    When she finished, Elrick beckoned her into the cellar. ¡°There¡¯s one more thing I want to do for you tonight.¡±

    She followed the sorcerer down the long tunnel to the meeting room and through the door below the dais, which opened into a familiar cellar: the fanatics¡¯ prison.

    ¡°The fanatics and I have an understanding,¡± Elrick said. ¡°If I run out of materials, or if I need a living person for any other reason, I can choose from one of these. Some are here because of their potential. Others are only here because their absence contributes to some request of one of their sheep. Occasionally, I¡¯ll even get a hunter in here.¡±

    ¡°A hunter, sir?¡±

    ¡°The fanatics¡¯ sons are all hunters for the first part of their lives, going about the continent looking for people to bring here. Once they fill their quota, they can get a different job. Some of them run town functions, like inns or farming. Others want to join the fanatics.¡± Elrick smirked. ¡°But the fanatics don¡¯t let anyone join their ranks unless I¡¯ve burned them. So they bring the hunter to me. If I leave him alive and unburned, they put him here for a week or two, then present him again.¡± He frowned. ¡°They only give him two chances, though. I let one slip through my fingers the other day. The prince and the father were too good to pass up. Still, it¡¯s galling that those groveling snots got his energy.¡±

    ¡°Um, did you have a specific person in mind, sir? Someone you left for later?¡±

    Elrick shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s not why we¡¯re here. I can take my pick of these prisoners without the fanatics asking any questions. Whether I kill them or not isn¡¯t the fanatics¡¯ concern. I think it¡¯s time I removed your mother from their power. What do you say?¡±

    ¡°Not to kill her?¡±

    Elrick chuckled. ¡°Quite the contrary. Come, now.¡±

    Stella followed him down the hall. It was much noisier than the last time she¡¯d been there. It seemed as if nearly every cell were full. The cell doors were wooden, but they each had barred windows. She peeked into a few of them. Most were ruffians, but she found Tutelan and Luna in cells near the end of the hall. Tutelan¡¯s beard was dirty and ragged, and Luna¡¯s hair hung in strings about her face. They were bound and gagged, but their eyes begged for Stella¡¯s help. She turned away.

    Stella¡¯s mother was in the last cell. Elrick removed her chains and gag and said, ¡°Come with me.¡±

    ¡°Not on your life,¡± Laurel hissed, her voice dry and cracked.

    Elrick sighed. ¡°Need I remind you that I could incinerate both you and your daughter on a whim? Don¡¯t test my patience.¡±

    Stella beckoned urgently, and Laurel grudgingly obeyed.

    Elrick led them up to the potion room. ¡°Welcome to your new home. You will be well fed and watered, and the skeletons will make you a bed. You are not to break anything or leave this floor. These skeletons will see that you don¡¯t.¡± Two skeletons snapped to attention, eye sockets fixed on Stella¡¯s mother.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Stella said. ¡°You said you would set her free.¡±

    ¡°I said I would free her from the fanatics¡¯ prison. If I gave her real freedom, they would just track her down and put her back in prison. Is she not the only leverage they have over you?¡±

    Stella scowled, then nodded.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. This is better. She¡¯s safe from the fanatics, you get to have each other¡¯s company, and I get another helper.¡±

    Laurel crossed her arms. ¡°I¡¯d rather risk the cult¡¯s hunters than lift a finger for you.¡± She turned to Stella. ¡°And you. You have dark energy all over you. What have you done? Have you forgotten everything I taught you?¡±

    Stella¡¯s face grew red, steam filling her ears. ¡°I¡¯ve done all this for you!¡±

    ¡°No, you haven¡¯t. You¡¯re not here for me. You¡¯re here to find an easy solution. If I¡¯ve taught you anything, it should have been that easy solutions never last long.¡±

    ¡°You think this has been easy?¡±

    ¡°Enough!¡± Elrick thundered. ¡°I¡¯m about to incinerate you both if you don¡¯t stop talking.¡± He glared at them each in turn. ¡°This was a mistake.¡± The two skeletons seized Laurel and marched her downstairs. Stella jerked toward them, but Elrick grabbed her shoulder, stopping her.

    ¡°Where are they taking her?¡±

    ¡°Back to her cell. I did not bargain for this drama.¡±

    ¡°But you promised!¡±

    ¡°She has time before her next presentation, and she won¡¯t be among the ones I choose. If you want to save her from the fanatics, you¡¯ll have to come up with a different way to do it. I absolutely refuse to listen to one more word from her, much less let her back into the tower.¡±

    Fuming, Stella stormed off to the library.

 Chapter 9 - The Surprise

    Stella didn¡¯t let her resentment keep her from enjoying breakfast the next morning. After all, she needed to collect as much potential energy as possible. Besides, the skeletons did an incredible job cooking it. Consequently, her mood was much improved when she left to go to town.

    Vatran waited for her outside the tower. ¡°Good morning, Little Star. How goes your mission?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m making progress. Where¡¯s Tarant?¡±

    ¡°He asked to be moved to a different assignment last night. He¡¯ll be occupied by his studies for the foreseeable future.¡±

    Stella nodded. After yesterday, it made sense that Tarant would dive into studies, trying to come up with a justification for the cult¡¯s existence. She fully expected him to emerge in a few days with a theory about how the children entertained Vulcan with their games after death. That would comfort him. ¡°I hope he finds what he¡¯s looking for.¡±

    Vatran smiled. ¡°Until then, you need a different escort. I thought I¡¯d do the job today. It¡¯s been too long since we spent some quality time together.¡±

    Stella smirked. ¡°That¡¯s one way of saying it.¡±

    He clapped his hands, the sapphire on his finger sparkling in the sunlight, and they went down the path.

    Eyeing Vatran¡¯s ring, Stella asked, ¡°Is that potential energy in your ring?¡±

    Vatran nearly tripped. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°The magical energy you¡¯re holding. Where did it come from?¡±

    Vatran answered slowly, cautiously. ¡°We get our energy from multiple sources.¡±

    ¡°And by that you mean multiple people?¡±

    Vatran narrowed his eyes at her. ¡°Did Elrick put you up to this?¡±

    Stella shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m just curious. The only corpses he ever gets are the ones he burns himself. I figure that means you fanatics harvest the Well victims yourselves.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t call them victims.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be shy about it with me. I know they¡¯re not volunteers. They¡¯re people you want to kill on your own terms so that you can harvest their potential energy yourselves.¡± She eyed his jewels again. ¡°But you don¡¯t seem to keep a big stock of it. What do you do with it?¡±

    ¡°If you must know, we use it to help fulfill petitions. Elrick rarely does anything for the people. He leaves it to us. You are one of the few exceptions. Elrick healed your mother and blessed you with magical capacity, providing himself an apprentice. In all other things, it¡¯s up to his priests to hear and answer the petitions of his worshippers.¡±

    ¡°And you use rejected prisoners to do it.¡±

    ¡°Yes. But you¡¯re not to¡ª¡±

    ¡°I know, I know. It¡¯s a secret, and I can¡¯t breathe a word about it in town. Why do you think I asked you out here? Like I said, I was just curious.¡±

    He frowned, puzzled. ¡°You seem¡ª¡± Then he smiled. ¡°I see you¡¯ve gained some respect for our religion. I¡¯m thrilled to hear that. Maybe you¡¯d be willing to start granting petitions openly, perhaps at the end of assemblies. When you¡¯ve mastered enough appropriate spells, of course.¡±

    Stella inclined her head. ¡°Maybe.¡±

    ¡°Healing spells and potions would be a must. Many ask for healing, either for themselves or a loved one. That would be a good place to start. I¡¯ll send you a list of petitions later so you can determine what other spells might be useful.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡±

    They went into town to collect Stella¡¯s shopping and talk to the people. Vatran made a point of prompting people to tell Stella their petition, then sending the person on their way and suggesting a magic-based solution. Many of his suggestions were spells, potions, or other magical objects, but a few were of a very different nature. After talking to Promitto, who wanted his village¡¯s bandit solution addressed, Vatran said the best thing to do was to send their hunters after the bandits and put them in the fanatics¡¯ secret prison to await death. Another man, a merchant, expressed a wish for better business, and Vatran suggested removing the man¡¯s competitors in a similar manner.

    Once Stella¡¯s shopping was done, Vatran introduced her to Ortu Impes. Stella recognized him as a cultist who¡¯d kept hold of the children on top of the Well tower as they awaited their turn to drown. He was of a practical disposition and wore a softly-glowing topaz ring. He expressed a hope that Stella would help the people increase their faith in Elrick and Vulcan.

    ¡°I hope so, too,¡± Stella said.

    Impes nodded. ¡°Our part as priests is to preach Elrick¡¯s doctrine and fulfill the peoples¡¯ petitions the best we can, but we are greatly limited by our energy budget. Your part as Elrick¡¯s apprentice is to accelerate the latter. We¡¯re counting on you to get Elrick to grant more petitions, or learn to grant them yourself.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡±

    Stella spent the next few days collecting and practicing magic. She couldn¡¯t locate Elrick¡¯s heart yet, but she did manage to get the spell to work for things she¡¯d seen before: things like her wolf pelt blanket and the book of Basic Spellcasting. Meanwhile, she followed Vatran¡¯s advice and studied up on other useful spells. The skeletons brought her a live squirrel to practice healing spells, and she learned how to brew two different healing potions. She also learned two more unlocking spells, more powerful and versatile than the first. If Elrick hid his heart behind a lock, she was confident that one of the unlocking spells would help.

    Impes escorted her when she went to town. He wasn¡¯t nearly as amusing to listen to as Tarant, but he had some experience with magic. He offered plenty of ideas for spells that might come in handy, and Stella kept a running list of them to look up later.

    At the end of the week, the dinner table was set with the last of the meat from assembly day. Stella wasn¡¯t too concerned, since there would be another assembly the next day. When she finished, she got up and headed upstairs to practice magic, but Elrick stopped her.

    ¡°Wait a moment, Stella.¡±

    Stella turned, wondering if she¡¯d forgotten something. ¡°Yes, sir?¡±

    ¡°There is to be an offering meeting tomorrow morning.¡±

    Stella raised her brows. ¡°So soon?¡± Was Vatran trying to accelerate her mother¡¯s death?

    ¡°Yes. They usually happen two weeks apart, but the fanatics have informed me that they¡¯ve filled their prison to capacity. Therefore, they are holding an offering tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Stella bit her lip. Elrick had promised not to choose Laurel, but she¡¯d only have one more presentation after this before the fanatics drowned her. That gave her four weeks at most, but what would stop the fanatics from holding another surprise offering before then?

    ¡°I¡¯d like to formally invite you to accompany me, but you must behave yourself. No interrupting the process. No speaking unless I address you.¡±

    Stella nodded. ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°Considering the circumstances, I intend to select more than usual this time. If you behave, I¡¯ll even let you choose one to do with as you please.¡±

    Stella¡¯s jaw dropped, the implications banishing her concerns. ¡°Thank you, sir. Thank you.¡±

    Early the next morning, Stella stood beside Elrick¡¯s throne of yellowed bones in the offering room, looking down smugly at the fanatics. Little did they know that their hold on her was about to disappear.

    Blackened skeletons marched prisoners into the room, lining up just behind the scorch marks that pocked the floor. Stella widened her eyes at the sheer number of them. There were twenty-two ruffians, plus Tutelan, Luna, and, of course, Stella¡¯s mother, Laurel. Then there was Prince Dein of Cephaneia, as well as a younger man who bore great resemblance to the prince. As it was, the skeletons had to squeeze their captives together to make a straight line, but more footsteps still echoed from the prison door.

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    Tarant walked in. Like the others, he was gagged with a rag, dressed in a dirty tunic, and pushed in by a skeleton. Unlike the others, he held his head high, eyes determined. He met Stella¡¯s gaze with a fierce glare as his skeleton captor squished him into line with the others.

    Stella gaped. Vatran had told her that Tarant was busy studying. Instead, the young fanatic had been trapped in prison to await either drastic humiliation or death.

    ¡°Oh, great and ineffable Elrick,¡± Vatran recited his lines from behind the row of prisoners.

    Stella didn¡¯t listen. ¡®What happened?¡¯ she mouthed at Tarant. He only deepened his glare.

    Stella tried to steady her breathing. This was wrong. Tarant wasn¡¯t supposed to be in this lineup. He was supposed to be wandering around town spouting optimistic nonsense about Elrick¡¯s doctrine.

    Vatran finished, and Elrick began questioning the prisoners. He wanted to find the ones with the most potential. Elrick had taught Stella early that age played a huge role in potential, with younger people generally having more than older people. But there were other factors, too, including talents, station in life, and influence over other people.

    That meant Tarant was in trouble. He was young, he held a position of authority, and everyone in town liked him. He could very well have more potential than any of the other prisoners, with the only exceptions being the two princes.

    If Elrick realizes that, Stella thought. Tarant will be dead in an instant. I have to do something.

    Elrick reached the end of the line, and the skeleton holding Tarant removed his gag.

    ¡°Tell me,¡± Elrick said, ¡°Who are you, and why should I let you live?¡±

    Tarant glowered at Elrick. ¡°I am Tarant, former¡ª¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s Mediet Tarant,¡± Stella interrupted. ¡°He¡¯s here to ask for a promotion.¡±

    The skeleton covered Tarant¡¯s mouth, and Elrick turned slowly to regard Stella. ¡°Excuse me?¡±

    Stella bowed her head. ¡°May I speak, sir?¡±

    ¡°You had better have a good reason for interrupting me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s important, sir.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    Stella nodded to Tarant. ¡°He wants to be an Ortu.¡±

    Elrick scoffed. ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, girl. If he wanted that, Vatran would have said so.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, sir,¡± Vatran said from behind the prisoners. ¡°He is no Mediet. He¡¯s a prisoner, just like the rest of them.¡±

    ¡°Vatran is lying, sir,¡± Stella said. ¡°Tarant has been asking for progression for twelve years, but Vatran won¡¯t allow it. He put Tarant in prison to stop the pestering.¡±

    ¡°I can relate,¡± Elrick said. ¡°You haven¡¯t justified your interruption, girl. The boy could have told me these things himself. Do I need to revoke my offer from earlier?¡±

    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t have said anything about it. He¡¯s your most devoted follower. He¡¯d rather let you incinerate him than speak out against your most prominent Magister.¡±

    Elrick stroked his chin, watching Tarant¡¯s angry expression behind the bony hand. ¡°Very well. In that case, Stella, what would you say his honest answer would be? What does he live for?¡±

    ¡°He lives to serve you, sir.¡±

    Tarant glowered at her. Elrick seemed to take that as confirmation of her words. ¡°It¡¯s settled, then.¡± The skeletons holding Dein, his brother, and three of the more charismatic ruffians stepped forward, and the others stepped back. ¡°Make your choice from the back row, Stella.¡±

    Stella¡¯s gaze went to her mother. She¡¯d planned to choose Laurel, then set her free. But that wouldn¡¯t do. Vatran wanted to get rid of Tarant, and Stella doubted he¡¯d give the young man the benefit of a second presentation.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to promote Tarant?¡±

    Elrick shook his head. ¡°He has no capacity to wield magic. He cannot progress without that, and it¡¯s not something that can be learned.¡±

    Stella took a deep breath. There was only one thing for it, then.¡°In that case, I choose him.¡± Her mother would have to wait. She could survive a little longer. Tarant wouldn¡¯t. Tarant¡¯s skeleton pushed him forward. The fanatics branded the rest on their cheeks, and the skeletons marched them back to their cells. The skeletons with the chosen six condensed their captives into a smaller space, and Elrick stood, conjuring his fireball.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Stella said. ¡°You¡¯re not going to kill him with the others, are you?¡±

    Elrick paused. ¡°Is that not what you wanted?¡±

    Stella shook her head. ¡°You said I could do as I wished with the prisoner I chose.¡±

    Elrick sighed and bent to whisper, ¡°I¡¯d assumed you would just free your mother. This is different. He¡¯s a fanatic, or he was. Either way, I can¡¯t let him go free. He¡¯d spread word of this to the people and cause all sorts of problems. I don¡¯t have time to deal with that.¡±

    ¡°Let me take him to the tower, then. He can help me with my studies, and I can practice some spells on him. He¡¯ll do much better than that squirrel.¡±

    Elrick considered that. Then he nodded. ¡°Very well.¡± He turned to Tarant. ¡°In serving my apprentice, you serve me. Follow her orders to her satisfaction, or face her punishment. And remember that her fire is not yet strong enough to grant salvation. Go now.¡±

    Tarant¡¯s skeleton captor, still covering his mouth, pushed him into the tunnel toward the tower. Stella followed, and the sounds of fire amplified behind them.

    When they reached the cellar, Stella skirted around them. ¡°This way.¡± She led them up to the library, where she instructed the skeleton to uncover Tarant¡¯s mouth. ¡°Tarant,¡± Stella said, leaning against a shelf, ¡°What¡¯s going on? How did you end up here?¡±

    ¡°I think you know.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re the most devoted fanatic I know. You were supposed to be studying, not sitting in prison.¡±

    ¡°And Elrick is supposed to show some small measure of generosity. Instead, he stays in his tower, only thinking of himself as his worshippers kill each other.¡±

    Stella paused. ¡°You¡­ you really don¡¯t believe it anymore?¡±

    ¡°Do you believe it now? I¡¯ve realized that you didn¡¯t before. But now you seem to relish the death Elrick¡¯s doctrine causes.¡±

    Stella bit her lip, a small knot forming in her stomach. ¡°How did Vatran find out?¡±

    Tarant glared at the floor. ¡°My own naivet¨¦. I brought him my questions about the Well. He tried to convince me to forget it, like you did. Then he saw I meant it, and he put me in prison.¡± He snorted. ¡°He said how sorry he was that it had come to this. ¡®Your story inspires people,¡¯ he said. ¡®I hate that it has to end this way.¡¯ Smiling the whole time. He said I¡¯d have three opportunities to appear before Elrick. I could rejoin their order at a lesser rank after the first two, but they¡¯d drown me in the Well after the third time. That only confirmed my doubts. The Well victims had almost all been unwilling. The adults nearly always had three rejection brands, and the rest were children who don¡¯t know the difference.¡±

    Tarant raised his glare to Stella¡¯s face. ¡°Not that you¡¯re listening. You¡¯re one of them, now. Do what you want to me, but know this: I am going to spend the rest of my life doing everything I can to free the people from Elrick¡¯s rule. Even if that only means trying to get you to come to your senses now. Even if it only works so far as to inspire your guilt, and even if you kill me for making you feel that pain. Because I feel it now. I¡¯ve convinced people to fruitlessly throw away their lives. I¡¯ve helped execute unwilling and undeserving prisoners at the Well. I¡¯ve led children to their premature deaths, for Dracon¡¯s sake!¡± He dropped his head. ¡°I am the most despicable lump of filth that has ever breathed. I have to keep more murders from happening.¡±

    The knot in Stella¡¯s stomach grew and twisted so much that she thought she might throw up. She slid to the ground, resting her head on her knees. If Tarant thought he was that bad, then how evil, how corrupt, how rotten was Stella herself? Tarant had grown up in the cult, its doctrine his entire world, not knowing any better. Now, he saw the error of his ways and was determined to correct them. Stella was the opposite. Her exemplary mother had raised her on principles of truth, justice, and hard work, and Stella had spat in her face. At every turn, she¡¯d chosen evil. Sure, the consequences would have been dire if she¡¯d stuck to her principles, but at least then she¡¯d have retained her integrity. Instead, she¡¯d become the eager apprentice of the most evil sorcerer in the history of Dracon, disappointing and alienating her mother and procrastinating her initial mission to kill Elrick.

    ¡°It¡¯s all my fault,¡± she murmured. ¡°This whole thing is my fault.¡±

    Tarant snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t pretend to be sorry. Sure, you helped me realize the truth, but don¡¯t act like that¡¯s bad. I¡¯d rather die for the truth now than keep living a lie. So whatever it is you¡¯re going to do, get on with it.¡±

    Stella shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not that. I¡ª I came here to avenge my father¡¯s death. Instead, I¡¯ve become a cannibal and a witch. I¡¯m a monster.¡±

    Tarant cocked his head. After a puzzled pause, he said, ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°Elrick killed my father, and I came here to kill him.¡± She told him the whole story: how Vatran had pressed her into the apprenticeship by holding her mother hostage, how Elrick had convinced her to do increasingly horrible things in pursuit of magical power.

    She dwelt bitterly on the points where she willfully chose evil, alternative solutions springing to mind. She could have fled from the beginning, going to get help from some sympathetic city or state. She could have gone to the prison and freed her mother by herself, telling any questioning fanatic that Elrick required Laurel¡¯s life, then fleeing out of the valley with her. She could have flatly refused to participate in Elrick¡¯s cannibalistic rituals.

    She¡¯d assumed that espionage and subtlety were the only means to both kill Elrick and save her mother. She¡¯d thought she could maintain her moral superiority over the evil sorcerer by sheer force of will. Instead, she¡¯d taken every chance to descend to his level.

    Stella buried her face in her knees, wishing she could disappear. The volcano¡¯s fiery maw would be less torturous than what she felt at that moment.

    Another painful pause passed. Then Tarant said, ¡°So¡­ now what?¡± His anger was gone, replaced by practical calm.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Stella said.

    ¡°I do,¡± a low voice said. Stella jumped to her feet to face the sound. Elrick came up the stairs. ¡°An assassin,¡± he continued thoughtfully. ¡°Interesting. I must admit I hadn¡¯t expected that.¡±

    Stella¡¯s insides turned to ice.

 Chapter 10 - The Eruption

    Elrick flipped his hands, muttering an incantation, and vines sprouted out of the obsidian floor at Stella¡¯s feet and grabbed her, wrapping around her ankles, wrists, and waist. She pulled against them, but she was bound tight. The skeleton holding Tarant adjusted its grip to hold him tighter.

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t expect you to be an assassin,¡± Elrick said, ¡°though I suppose this explains why you never seemed to pay any attention to the reports I gave you to feed the fanatics. And your father?¡± He nodded. ¡°Yes, it all makes sense now. How pitiful.¡±

    ¡°How much did you hear?¡± Stella asked.

    ¡°Everything.¡± Elrick gestured to the skeleton. ¡°They don¡¯t just lift things, you know.¡± He shook his head, an amused smile pulling at his lips. ¡°But an assassin! Don¡¯t you know who I am? Haven¡¯t you heard that it¡¯s been tried a dozen times?¡±

    Stella¡¯s knees shook, her breath a ragged, frosty wind. ¡°I have. Are you¡ª are you going to execute me? The way you did to them?¡±

    Elrick shook his head. ¡°Maybe someday, but I don¡¯t have the time right now. You see, I have just about enough energy stored up to finally get rid of this pesky cult. And that¡¯s largely thanks to you, Stella. So no, you¡¯re too useful for that.¡±

    Stella stared at him. ¡°Get rid of the cult?¡±

    Elrick smiled, a demonic expression on his face. ¡°Yes. I would have done it long ago if I had enough energy. Now I do. I¡¯ll initiate the volcano¡¯s eruption. Lava, smoke, and ash will fill the valley, and the village will be extinct. The only survivors will be those in this tower or the prison, and their energy should be sufficient to help me kick off a comfortable life as a hermit.¡±

    He sighed wistfully. ¡°Sit tight. You¡¯ll be perfectly safe here. There are a few last preparations before I can start the spell, but I¡¯ll be back for you soon.¡± With that, he turned and went back downstairs.

    Tarant squirmed. ¡°I was too late! He¡¯s going to kill everyone, then eat us for dessert.¡± The skeleton holding him didn¡¯t budge, and he fell limp in its grip, hopeless.

    Stella was ready to droop, too, but then she noticed the difference between her vines and Tarant¡¯s captor. The vines were strong and tight, but they weren¡¯t stiff. She could move her limbs as much as she liked, within the limits of the vine¡¯s reach. That gave her an idea. A crazy, dangerous idea. Goodbye, subtlety, she thought, then drew on the well of energy in her diamond and shot the skeleton with an ice bolt.

    The ice hit the skeleton right in the earhole, then expanded to encase the skull in an inch of cloudy ice. The skeleton brought one hand up to its face, alarmed, and Tarant made another bid for freedom. But the other hand still didn¡¯t budge, and Tarant remained stuck in place.

    ¡°Nice try,¡± he said. ¡°But I¡¯m not sure how it would have helped if it worked. We¡¯d still have to get past Elrick and all of his skeletons before getting out of here.¡±

    ¡°That was just to blind it,¡± Stella said, snapping her fingers to make a little fireball. She used the fire to burn through the vines. When she was free, she hurried to her sleeping area. Beside the mattress lay the rabbit scroll. She grabbed it and returned to Tarant.

    ¡°We can get out with this. It can take us to town, and we can warn the people.¡±

    Tarant smiled. ¡°Excellent.¡±

    She held it out. ¡°Take hold of it, then I¡¯ll¡ª¡± She reached for her store of magic, then froze. She¡¯d thought it an immense storage, but those two spells had nearly depleted it. Igniting the rabbit scroll would use up the last of it.

    ¡°What?¡± Tarant asked.

    She pulled the diamond out from under her chiton to find its glow diminished almost to imperceptibility. ¡°If I light this, I won¡¯t have any magic left to face Elrick.¡±

    Tarant regarded the gem for a moment, then nodded. ¡°We need to warn the people as soon as possible. Everything else is secondary.¡±

    He was right. Stella gritted her teeth and snapped her fingers under the scroll. It caught flame and pulled them into the void.

    They popped back into existence in the town square. Tarant rolled his shoulders, smiling. The skeleton had been left behind. ¡°Perfect,¡± he said. He ran to a decorative rock and climbed on top of it, giving him a couple extra feet of height and attracting the attention of nearby villagers. ¡°People of Vulcan!¡± he shouted. ¡°We must evacuate the village! The volcano is about to erupt and destroy everything!¡±

    Everyone in earshot stopped to listen, but most were unalarmed. Some even seemed excited. ¡°Elrick wants to save the whole village!¡± Cheers erupted, celebrating their impending doom.

    ¡°No, no!¡± Tarant said. ¡°He¡¯s not trying to save you. He wants to be rid of you. He doesn¡¯t care about your petitions, and he doesn¡¯t even want your service. He¡¯ll leave your skeletons to rot beneath a river of lava and ash!¡±

    The cheers didn¡¯t subside. Instead, they spread, and people began trekking up the mountain, eager to expedite their fiery demise.

    Tarant kept shouting, growing dismayed, but not losing his determination.

    Stella decided to take a different approach. She ran for Vulcan¡¯s Hearth.

    The inn was quiet. It was still early morning, and the noise of the crowd hadn¡¯t yet reached it. A few tables were sparsely occupied with people eating breakfast, and Ladon was quietly sweeping between the tables.

    Stella spotted Claude sitting at a central table with Promitto, and Audacio at a corner table, his head bowed over a tankard. These might be convinced, she thought. She asked the first two to join her over at Audacio¡¯s table. Promitto agreed immediately, eager to please. Claude shrugged and followed.

    It occurred to her when she sat down that Audacio was not there for breakfast. All he had before him was a large tankard. He stared glumly into it, his beefy hand wrapped around it instead of using the handle. The scent of sweat and stale beer hung about the table.

    ¡°I need to talk to you guys about something,¡± Stella said.

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    Claude furrowed his brows. ¡°I thought this was an intervention. Audacio hasn¡¯t left this table all week.¡±

    That caught Stella off guard. ¡°What?¡±

    Promitto nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right, my lady. He¡¯s been sitting here moping ever since the day Fidus died in the fireball.¡±

    Audacio started, only just noticing them. He groaned. ¡°Do you come to gloat? It¡¯s true. I am the shame of Leona. Not that it matters. Leona is finished. My people will be cut to pieces, and the survivors will be shaven and enslaved by those barbarian Scorpons. Leave me to drown in my defeat!¡± He turned to lean against the wall and took a pull from his tankard.

    ¡°That¡¯s not what this is about,¡± Stella said.

    ¡°Then leave me to dwell on my disgrace!¡± He waved the tankard, sloshing beer against the wall. ¡°I deserve it. I was supposed to die a hero. Instead, I live on, and my people will be destroyed because I couldn¡¯t save them.¡±

    Stella grabbed onto that. ¡°What if you could save another people?¡±

    He glared at her. ¡°I would never join those bald-headed Scorpons. They¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m talking about the people here in Vulcan.¡±

    Audacio cocked his head, and the other two shifted with renewed interest.

    ¡°But isn¡¯t Elrick supposed to save us?¡± Promitto asked. ¡°I mean, that¡¯s what the priests¡ª¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Stella said. ¡°He isn¡¯t. He doesn¡¯t want to, and he never has. It¡¯s all a trick.¡± She turned to Claude. ¡°Remember Tutelan and Dein? How they left after they got word that their ¡®petitions¡¯ were fulfilled?¡± Claude nodded, and Stella continued, ¡°After they left, the cultists went after them, captured them, and threw them in prison to offer to Elrick in a secret sacrifice ritual. Elrick has already killed Dein, and Tutelan is rotting in prison. If he¡¯s there long enough, the fanatics intend to drown him.¡±

    Promitto frowned. ¡°But¡­ the gang in Saiph. The gang disappeared.¡±

    ¡°The cultists captured them. Several of them are in prison now, but Elrick¡¯s killed some, and I¡¯m sure the fanatics have drowned others.¡±

    ¡°But why?¡±

    ¡°Magic. Elrick has been storing up magical energy that he harvests from corpses, and now he¡¯s going to use it to make the volcano erupt. He¡¯s going to destroy the whole valley and everyone in it unless we get them out or stop him.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Stella froze at the voice behind her. She turned slowly and found Lucinus standing there, one hand resting on his sword, the other balled into a fist.

    ¡°Thuban¡¯s whiskers,¡± she swore softly. Lucinus was Vatran¡¯s son. Would he report this to the cult? Or would he take her directly to the Well to silence her?

    ¡°You were saying?¡± Lucinus asked.

    Instinctively, Stella reached for her magic, intending to freeze his sword in place, but it was empty. She considered lying, telling Lucinus that her words to the other men were nothing of consequence, but his posture made it clear he¡¯d heard everything.

    Audacio took another drink as she thought, then banged his tankard on the table and said, ¡°She said the sorcerer wants to destroy us all. Perhaps he is feeling genervous¡ª generous tonight.¡±

    Stella paled, but Lucinus didn¡¯t move against her. Instead, he looked around the room. At first, Stella thought he was looking for other witnesses, but then he asked a question, anger tinging his words. ¡°Is it true? Elrick is going to destroy the village?¡±

    Stella nodded. ¡°It¡¯s been his goal ever since the cult started.¡±

    Lucinus scowled. ¡°Not if I can help it.¡± He went to Audacio¡¯s seat and opened his balled fist, letting something fall on the table. It looked like a discolored lemon peel, rolled into a ball. ¡°You¡¯re going to want to take that, big guy.¡±

    ¡°But wait,¡± Promitto said. ¡°This can¡¯t be right. Please, my lady¡ª¡±

    ¡°Stop calling me that.¡±

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    ¡°Listen,¡± Stella said. ¡°Everything the cult has told you was a lie. Everything I told you about them was a lie. They have my mother in prison, and they¡¯ve been holding her life over my head this whole time.¡±

    Claude jumped to his feet, knocking his chair over, his expression dark. ¡°Monsters.¡±

    Stella nodded. ¡°If they knew I was telling you this, they¡¯d kill her without hesitation. But I¡¯ve been lying for them for too long. This is too important. We need to act now, or everyone will die.¡±

    ¡°But isn¡¯t that¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, Promitto,¡± Lucinus said. ¡°Stella¡¯s right. It¡¯s all lies. That gang in Saiph you heard about? Two of my brothers were on the team that brought them in. They took them straight to a secret prison, and no one gets out of there alive. Those hunters were responsible for getting rid of the gang, not Elrick¡¯s magic.¡±

    Promitto looked down, crestfallen. ¡°But they still solved the problem.¡±

    ¡°One problem of hundreds brought every week,¡± Lucinus said. ¡°They only acted on it because it benefits them. Capturing the gang gave them lots of extra people to offer to Elrick, and it also gives them a story to tell people like you, luring you into their mass of followers. They didn¡¯t tell you Tutelan¡¯s story to give you good news. They just wanted you to come here and get yourself burned to a crisp.¡± He crossed his arms. ¡°And if you decided to leave before that happened, they probably planned to nab you and throw you in their prison to kill you later.¡±

    Promitto paled.

    ¡°But Elrick is about to do something much worse,¡± Stella said. ¡°He¡¯s been storing energy for a spell to blow up the volcano and destroy the valley, and he¡¯s close. He might start the spell any minute. We have to act fast to save the people.¡±

    Audacio lowered his tankard. ¡°We need¡­ to save them?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    He stood and slammed the tankard down on the table again. ¡°Then let¡¯s away!¡± He started to get up but stumbled.

    Lucinus grabbed the lemon peel thing and shoved it into the burly man¡¯s hand. ¡°What did I say?¡±

    ¡°We must save them!¡± Audacio punched the air. ¡°We shall be heroes, glorified over all!¡±

    ¡°Eat the chew, Audacio.¡±

    The warrior finally complied, his gaze clearing even as he chewed. ¡°Very good,¡± he said, his enunciation more precise even around the chew. ¡°Now we go slay sorcerer?¡±

    Lucinus nodded. ¡°That¡¯s the only way. There¡¯s no way we¡¯ll convince the people to evacuate. If anything, they¡¯ll climb the mountain and ask for it to happen sooner.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re already doing that,¡± Stella said.

    ¡°But he¡¯s invincible,¡± Promitto said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard all the stories. He¡¯s survived five different attempts on his life.¡±

    ¡°Twelve,¡± Stella said. ¡°But they didn¡¯t know what I do. He¡¯s hidden his heart somewhere. If we can find it, we can kill him easily. It should be somewhere in the tower.¡±

    Audacio smiled. ¡°Good thing you recruited me! I am the best hunter in all of Dracon! I can sniff out a hidden heart!¡± He sniffed, flaring his nostrils, but Stella wasn¡¯t convinced. Even if Audacio could smell that well, Elrick¡¯s heart would be hidden from all five senses.

    ¡°Very nice,¡± she said, ¡°But I think we should get some more help. I¡¯m sure the people in the prison would be willing. I¡¯ll show you where it is, and you can help me free them. That¡¯ll give us a better chance at finding the heart before Elrick blows up the volcano.¡±

    Stella left to get Tarant. He¡¯d managed to convince four other men of the truth, but the rest were heading up the mountain in a deluded crowd. Stella filled Tarant and his recruits in on the plan on the way back to Vulcan¡¯s Hearth, where they picked up the rest of the team. Each man armed himself with a sword, and then they all followed the crowd up the mountain.

    A hand touched Stella¡¯s elbow, and she was surprised to find Ladon joining them. She turned away. ¡°You should leave, sir. This is going to get ugly.¡±

    Ladon smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t try to deny me this worthy effort, lass.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not the worthiness of the effort I¡¯m thinking of.¡±

    ¡°I know, but you¡¯re trying to make up for it, and that¡¯s enough for me.¡±

    Stella bit her lip. Did that mean it was good enough for Thuban, or was this cleric just being overly forgiving? If this mission went bad, she was very likely to find out what Thuban thought of how this tiny effort compared to the last several weeks of compromise.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± Ladon said, ¡°I have some special help to offer.¡±

    ¡°If you say so. We¡¯ll need all the help we can get.¡±

 Chapter 11 - The Prison

    The prison¡¯s main entrance was too visible. With the whole town gathered on the stone in front of Elrick¡¯s tower, it would be too suspicious to lead their party into the burn treatment building. So Stella took them the other way. Tarant opened the rock, being more familiar with the entrance, and they went down the tunnel into the waiting room, then through the doors to the offering room, where they stopped dead.

    The tunnel to Elrick¡¯s tower was open, but he was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the room was full of fanatics, each restrained by two skeletons. The Magisters and Ortus stood in the center, stripped of their jewels and wearing panicked expressions. Vatran spotted Stella and seemed nearly to faint with relief. ¡°Stella! Thank Vulcan you¡¯re here! Elrick has gone mad. He says he doesn¡¯t have enough magic, but he took five young men this morning! He¡¯s gone into the prison to get more, but he says we¡¯re next if they¡¯re not enough! Do something, Stella!¡±

    The door to the prison burst open, and Elrick stepped through, a crystal dagger in his hand. His mouth dripped with blood, and Maw waddled at his heels, licking his lips. Elrick surveyed the scene, and some of the skeleton pairs broke up, one keeping its captive still while the other grabbed one of the intruders. In a moment, Stella, Tarant, and the recruits were all restrained. Elrick bent to touch Maw¡¯s pearl. He drew out the glow, leaving it dull, and transferred the energy to the ruby in his staff. The ruby shone with the light of seven suns.

    ¡°Not quite,¡± Elrick said. He walked to Vatran and grabbed him by the shoulder, forcing him to his knees.

    ¡°Please, my lord¡ª¡±

    ¡°Silence,¡± Elrick said, plunging the crystal dagger into Vatran¡¯s chest. Lucinus cried out, but his skeleton captor twisted his arm, keeping him from moving.

    Vatran was still very much alive. He watched in horror as the sorcerer maneuvered the knife. When Elrick pulled the blade out, its crystal surface sparkled, absolutely clean. As Vatran stared at it, Elrick stuck his hand into Vatran¡¯s chest and pulled out his heart. It was beating rapidly, but there was no blood. The beating slowed to a more relaxed rhythm as Vatran watched it, half shocked, half relieved.

    Vatran laughed nervously. ¡°Thank you, my lord. I thought maybe¡ª¡±

    Elrick took a huge bite out of the heart. Blood sprayed. Vatran seized up, then fell to the floor. Lucinus cried out again, and his captor put a bony hand over his mouth, silencing him. Maw pounced on the body as Elrick finished eating the heart. He gathered the energy into his hand. It was more than Stella had gotten from her first liver, which would have impressed her if she wasn¡¯t so disgusted. Maw swallowed the last of Vatran¡¯s corpse, and the pearl in his forehead began to glow again.

    Ladon jumped forward. How did he avoid the skeletons? He pointed at Elrick, and his hand flashed.

    CRACK!!! A bolt of lightning struck the sorcerer, and he fell to the ground, lifeless. Stella had only a second to wonder if the mission would be as simple as that before the skeletons burst into action. Most released their captives and moved to make a circle around Elrick, forming a wall between him and the living. A couple of them pulled Maw out of the circle, but three teams of five brought five fanatics to the center of it: one of each rank, including Magister Caleo. In each team, two of the skeletons lifted their struggling fanatic off his feet and pointed his head at the sorcerer. As the fanatic pleaded frantically for his life, the third skeleton in the team took his head in its hands, twisted sharply, and pulled it off. Blood spurted, and the skeletons pointed the body, guiding the blood to create a diagram on the floor, covering Elrick¡¯s body. Upon completion, the blood formed a star inside a concentric circle. The skeletons with the heads placed them on the star¡¯s corners, facing Elrick with their horrified eyes.

    One more skeleton took up the crystal dagger, which was still clean. It went up to each body in turn, holding it under the blood flow, which had slowed to a dribble. The blood coated the dagger, and it glowed red. The skeleton turned to Elrick and stabbed him in the chest, right where his heart should have been.

    The glow increased, Elrick stirred, and Stella came to her senses. ¡°Run!¡± she yelled, herding her team back the way they¡¯d come.

    They ran out of the tunnel and into the woods, only stopping when the boulder door was well out of sight and earshot. They leaned against boulders and trees, trying to catch their breath as their minds raced to comprehend what they¡¯d seen.

    ¡°He¡¯s not dead,¡± Stella said. ¡°You slowed him down, Ladon, but he¡¯ll be back up soon. He won¡¯t die for good until we find and destroy his heart.¡±

    ¡°Then let us go find it!¡± Audacio said. ¡°It cannot be so hard.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lucinus said. ¡°What are we waiting for?¡± He clenched and unclenched his fists, his eyes dark with rage. ¡°All we have to do is find it and squeeze. I hope it¡¯s painful.¡±

    Stella shook her head. ¡°There are way too many skeletons. The minute they know what we¡¯re doing, they¡¯ll overwhelm us, and Elrick will kill us the way he did Vatran.¡± Lucinus kicked a rock and started pacing, glaring at the ground.

    ¡°But you¡¯re his apprentice,¡± Promitto said. ¡°You¡¯ve got to have an idea where to start.¡±

    Stella shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not like he¡¯d display it. He¡¯ll have used magic to hide it.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you use magic to find it?¡± Promitto asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve tried that. It never worked. Besides, I don¡¯t have any magical energy left.¡± She bowed her head and gripped the diamond. She¡¯d come so far. Was it really going to fall apart now?

    ¡°Then we must go looking for it,¡± Audacio said. ¡°If we stay here, fretting about it, Elrick will find us. His lava will bury us, or his skeletons will scour the forest and bring us back to him. I say it is better to die in glory, after doing all we can to stop him.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Tarant said. ¡°If we fail, I¡¯d rather it not be for lack of trying.¡±

    Stella met his eyes, and the knots in her stomach loosened. It was an enormous risk, but they were right. Everyone in the valley was in immediate danger. Elrick planned to kill all of them, and then go on living indefinitely. And with the word of his cult already spread across all of Dracon, there was nothing to stop curious, desperate people from coming to him. If they gave up now, there was no telling how many thousands of people Elrick would kill before anyone managed to put an end to him. Their best and only chance to stop that was that very moment.

    She nodded. ¡°We have to act now. Let¡¯s go search the tower. We¡¯ll have some time before he¡¯s finished with the fanatics. If we split up and search quickly, we might have a chance.¡±

    She turned to lead them to the tower, but someone touched her elbow, and she stopped. Ladon was there again, wearing a satisfied smile. ¡°I have something that should help you, lass.¡±

    She watched with confusion as he held out his fist, then opened it to show the brightest gem she¡¯d ever seen. It shone with all the colors of the rainbow and seemed to hold the light of fifty suns without hurting her eyes.

    She gaped, her stomach seizing up again. ¡°No. You didn¡¯t. You wouldn¡¯t touch dark magic¡ª¡±

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    Ladon shook his head, still smiling. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, lass. It¡¯s nothing like that. It¡¯s my savings from my daily allotment from Thuban. Go on, feel it.¡±

    Stella hesitantly reached out to the gem¡¯s pool of magic and instantly relaxed. The immense storage was more potent and pure than any magic she¡¯d felt in Elrick¡¯s tower. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± she said.

    He nodded, then guided a fraction of it into Stella¡¯s own diamond. She gaped at it, shocked. The transaction had hardly left a dent in his store, but her gem now held more magic than ever before. ¡°But I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Use it to find the heart,¡± Ladon said. Stella shut her mouth and nodded. She closed her eyes and drew upon the magic. She imagined Elrick, his heart, and his tower. She held out her arms and spun in a circle, muttering the incantation for the Locate spell. She¡¯d tried that dozens of times before, but those attempts had always been fueled by dark magic. This time, a bright light shone against her eyelids. She looked toward Elrick¡¯s tower and saw a beacon of light shining from a point in the tower.

    Stella smiled. ¡°We¡¯ve got a chance. Follow me.¡± She started toward the tower, tucking the diamond under her chiton out of habit. Then she stopped and pulled it back out, inspecting it. The spell had taken only a sliver of the magic. She was used to spells taking up a surprisingly large amount of magic. This stuff must be more concentrated, she thought. More potent. She turned to Ladon. ¡°You gave me way too much.¡± She moved to return it, but he stopped her.

    ¡°Keep it. You may need it.¡±

    She nodded gratefully and continued toward the tower.

    Tarant hurried up to walk beside her, his face grave. ¡°I understand one of the prisoners was your mother,¡± he said quietly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    She frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    He rubbed the back of his neck. ¡°Elrick was in the prison before he came for Vatran. You heard when Vatran said he was doing in there. We can only assume he¡¯d run out of prisoners¡­¡±

    Stella¡¯s throat constricted as she realized what he meant. ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    She focused on her feet hitting the ground, walking faster. Why did he have to point this out now, when she needed to concentrate on finding Elrick¡¯s heart?

    ¡°You probably wish you had saved her this morning instead of me.¡±

    Stella nearly tripped. That¡¯s right. She¡¯d had a chance to free her mother, but she¡¯d chosen Tarant instead. That had only been hours ago, but it felt like years. So much had happened since then. So much had changed. Stella had changed.

    She looked over at him. He was staring at the ground, his face a mask of agony. ¡°Would you have preferred that?¡± she asked.

    He hunched his shoulders. ¡°I would have deserved it. I¡¯m a sodden bunch of pond scum. But your mother¡­ she was good.¡±

    Stella looked back to her feet, accelerating again. ¡°Yes, she was.¡± She searched for words to comfort him. She couldn¡¯t let him beat himself up over something she¡¯d done. ¡°But she would have been fine if this were a normal day. She was supposed to have a few more weeks. You were in immediate danger.¡±

    ¡°Vatran told me I¡¯d have four more weeks after today.¡±

    Stella shook her head. ¡°I doubt he would have let you live that long, especially after¡­ what I said about the two of you. I had to get you out of there. Vatran would have drowned you immediately after we left if I hadn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°I would have deserved it.¡±

    ¡°Stop saying that,¡± Stella said, stopping in her tracks.

    He stopped, too. ¡°But it¡¯s true. I deserve a gruesome, painful, humiliating death. The Well would have been perfect. I would have denied the sleeping draft and felt every moment of it. I deserve nothing better.¡±

    ¡°I said stop it.¡±

    He glared at her. ¡°Stop acting as if you don¡¯t know what I¡¯ve done. You¡¯ve seen it.¡±

    ¡°But you didn¡¯t know. You didn¡¯t see. You thought you were doing right by those people. You didn¡¯t know any better.¡±

    ¡°I was stupid.¡±

    ¡°You were brainwashed. And as soon as you realized the cult was wrong, you forsook it. You¡¯re trying to fix it.¡±

    ¡°But I can¡¯t fix it.¡±

    ¡°Fix what?¡± Lucinus asked. The others had caught up. They were nearly out of the woods. The crowd of pleading villagers was visible through the foliage, standing on the stone below Elrick¡¯s tower. ¡°What can¡¯t you fix?¡±

    ¡°My murders,¡± Tarant said. ¡°I can¡¯t bring those people back.¡±

    A few people exchanged glances, but Lucinus nodded, rubbing his bracelet brand. ¡°You¡¯re right. We can¡¯t bring them back. But we don¡¯t have time for regrets right now. Let¡¯s do what needs doing now, and we can worry about the past later.¡±

    Tarant met Lucinus¡¯s eyes. The latter nodded, and the former relaxed. He nodded. ¡°Right. Enough dallying. Let¡¯s do this.¡±

    Stella led them into the tower and upstairs. The beacon was high up. They ascended past both the potion room and the library, ending on a floor Stella had never seen before. The stairs came up between two pillars, a wall blocking the lower stairs from view of the room. It had a red hue. The ceiling was of thick, clear glass, offering an underside view of the tower¡¯s red roof and the seven obsidian pillars that supported it. Three rings of obsidian pillars supported the ceiling, each only four inches thick, spaced about three feet apart.

    Unlike the rest of the tower, the floor of this room was laid with ceramic tiles. The beacon¡¯s light shone from the middle of the floor, leaking out from under the large central tile. ¡°It¡¯s here,¡± Stella said.

    Lucinus squinted around the room. ¡°This place gives me the creeps. I¡¯ll guard the door. When you find it, make sure to give me a squeeze.¡± He took a position to the side of the stairs, behind a pillar, and Claude joined him.

    Stella went to the central tile, gripped the edges, and heaved. It wiggled, but it was too heavy to move on her own. ¡°A little help?¡± she asked. Tarant joined her, and together they managed to shift the tile from its place with the grinding sound of stone scraping stone. They dropped the tile to the side, but the sound didn¡¯t stop. Every line of grout in the floor came alive. The ones by the door peeled upwards, blocking their exit. Some rose up and wrapped themselves around legs, holding people in place. Whole arrays of grout curled up around the center, trapping Stella and Tarant in a semi-spherical stone cage.

    Lucinus and Claude pulled at the stone covering the entrance but to no avail. Promitto, Audacio, and two of Tarant¡¯s recruits struggled to get out of the grout¡¯s stony grip. Ladon and the other two were still free but shaken.

    Stella and Tarant met eyes. They¡¯d come too far to waste time trying to escape their cage. They looked into the hole they¡¯d revealed. Inside was a small wooden chest, its seams glowing with the beacon¡¯s light. Elrick¡¯s heart was inside. Stella pulled it out and pulled on the lid. It didn¡¯t budge.

    ¡°It¡¯s locked,¡± Tarant said, pointing to a large iron lock on the side she hadn¡¯t seen.

    Stella smiled, then cast an unlocking spell. She frowned and cast another. And another. ¡°It won¡¯t unlock.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s try to break it.¡± Tarant slammed the chest against the corner of the hole, but it bounced back so solidly that it knocked him in the face. Stella took over. She pushed it back into the hole, then shot an ice bolt at it. She tried a fireball, picking up the chest and holding it over the flame, but nothing worked.

    ¡°It¡¯s got some kind of magical protection. It won¡¯t budge.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the point.¡± Elrick stood at the top of the stairs. He was covered in blood but otherwise looked as healthy as ever. Bony hands pushed down the grout door, and he stepped in. Eighteen fanatics followed him, including Magister Flagro and Ortu Impes. The rest were of Mediet or below, but Flagro and Impes had their jewels back, and they glowed brightly. A flood of skeletons came next, spreading out along the walls, and two of them pushed the grout door back into place. When the motion stopped, Elrick smiled. ¡°Do you think I¡¯d leave my life where just anyone could reach it?¡±

    Lucinus let out a fierce cry, and the tip of his sword sprouted from Elrick¡¯s chest. Claude followed suit, hacking at Elrick¡¯s side. The sorcerer looked down at the swords in annoyance. Four skeletons seized the two men, pulling them away. As soon as the swords were pulled out, Elrick¡¯s wounds glowed red, then disappeared. He turned to face the offenders. ¡°More assassins? This is getting tedious. What pathetic imbeciles.¡± His cloak blocked his next actions from Stella¡¯s view, but Lucinus cried out in pain, and Elrick handed a beating heart to another nearby skeleton. ¡°At least you don¡¯t grovel like your father. For that, I¡¯ll save you for later.¡± He moved on to Claude, handing off another beating heart moments later. Elrick turned back toward the center of the room, the crystal dagger glinting at his hip before the cloak swung in to hide it. Lucinus and Claude were left staring in fear at the slots in their chests where their hearts should have been. Stella gasped. Not at the gore, but the idea that struck her. If she could get a hold of that dagger, she might be able to use it to cut open the chest. She only needed to get a line of sight, and then she could summon it.

    Elrick waved his hands impatiently. ¡°Well, what are you waiting for? Capture the rebels!¡±

 Chapter 12 - The Heart

    The fanatics started into motion, but Ladon was faster. He clapped his hands toward the skeletons to his right, creating a thunderous sound that shattered two dozen of them. Audacio moved next, taking advantage of the noisy confusion. He swung his sword down against the lines of grout that held him, shattering it. Then he jumped toward the fanatics, beheading a Brevis and a Mediet with two successive swings.

    Flagro and Impes both shot ice bolts, hitting Ladon and Audacio in the feet and freezing them to the ground. Ladon clapped again, taking out another two dozen skeletons and cutting their original number down roughly by half, but Flagro hit him with another ice blast, restraining his arms. The force of it knocked him to the ground, shattering the ice at his feet. With his arms frozen to his sides, Ladon was stuck and unable to cast any more spells.

    The rest of the fanatics engaged the rest of the team. The two who were free of grout bindings held their own, but Promitto and the other two were hindered. Promitto and one of his fellow captives tried to imitate Audacio by striking his bonds with his sword but to no avail. They didn¡¯t have Audacio¡¯s strength. The cultists easily disarmed them. The other captive managed to land a hit on one cultist¡¯s thigh, incapacitating him. But that left fifteen standing. The two free recruits only managed to take out one each before they were completely overwhelmed.

    And just like that, it was over. The cultists had defeated them. Skeletons moved in to pull the captives into a line, freeing them from the grout bonds and replacing them with their bony and absurdly strong grips. The exceptions were Ladon and Audacio. The skeletons left them to their freezing shackles of magical ice. Instead, they added the three injured fanatics to the lineup. Audacio swung his sword at the skeletons, but he was too far away, and the remaining fanatics laughed at him.

    Elrick strolled down the line. ¡°As amusing as this has been, I have work to do, and as galling as it is to admit, the fact is that I don¡¯t have quite enough energy to do it. I¡¯ve been working much too inefficiently. Fortunately for me, your interference is a more than adequate solution to that problem.¡± He stopped at Promitto, looking him up and down. ¡°It¡¯s a shame living muscle is so unpleasant to work with. It¡¯s tense and twitchy, and the flavor is nowhere near as good as it should be.¡±

    Promitto paled. ¡°What? I thought you¡¯d have us drawn and quartered.¡±

    Elrick smiled and shook his head. ¡°You only wish. I need energy now, and the fastest way to get it is by consuming your flesh while you¡¯re still alive. It¡¯s much more painful. You should be honored. Very few people have had this privilege before.¡± He turned to Stella. ¡°I suppose you won¡¯t be helping me?¡±

    ¡°Never again.¡±

    Elrick sighed. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that in time. Later.¡± He drew a hunger potion out of his cloak and took a swig.

    Audacio slammed his sword against the ice at his feet, freeing himself. As Elrick paused in surprise, the huge warrior bounded forward and swiped his blade through Elrick¡¯s neck. The head fell to the ground with an exasperated expression, but Audacio didn¡¯t stop. He kept hacking until two skeletons grabbed his arms. He struggled against them, giving them such resistance that two more had to come help pull him into line and force him to his knees.

    Elrick picked up his head and put it back on, the glow in his staff diminishing slightly as his wounds glowed and healed. He frowned at the ruby. ¡°That¡¯s more energy I¡¯ll have to collect. Did you want me to have to use up the whole lot of you?¡± He shook his head and approached Audacio. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re first, then.¡±

    He pulled aside his cloak, revealing the crystal dagger. Stella cast the summoning spell, and the dagger flew out of its sheath, through the grout cage, and into Stella¡¯s waiting hand. She brought its point down hard on the chest¡¯s lock, breaking it off.

    Elrick spoke, and the dagger was ripped out of her hand and back to his. His expression grew stormy. He repeated the incantation, and Stella was slammed against the grout bars, pulled by her chiton. Skeletons grabbed her arms and legs, pinning her there.

    ¡°Why do you defy me so, girl?¡± Elrick came up to the bars to glower down at her. ¡°You showed such promise. Do you know how rare it is to discover someone with magical capacity so early in life? You tripled my savings in over a week. I would have had to put up with the cult for another century without your help.¡±

    She spat at him.

    He sighed. ¡°I¡¯d really hate to kill you, Stella. You¡¯ve been so useful. But now you¡¯re starting to be more of a bother than you¡¯re worth.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡±

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    ¡°This is the last deal I¡¯ll offer: help me collect enough energy for the volcano, and I¡¯ll let you keep a few of your friends. As long as you keep them where they don¡¯t bother me¡ª¡± Elrick froze, his face a sudden mask of pain. ¡°Stop it,¡± he grunted, doubling over. Then the skeletons throughout the room fell apart, Stella fell to the ground, and the evil sorcerer fell dead. Stella swiveled and found Tarant, his fist curled around a heart, crushed and black.

    ¡°Sorry he didn¡¯t get to finish laying out the deal,¡± Tarant said.

    Stella smiled, relief washing over her. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have taken it.¡±

    Tarant regarded her, then returned the smile. ¡°I believe you.¡±

    The fanatics surrendered. Audacio broke a hole in the grout cage and the door, and Lucinus and Claude stuffed their hearts back into their places. The hearts would remain magically separate, but this seemed the best way to protect them.

    Stella freed Ladon by melting the ice with a little fireball. ¡°You were right,¡± she said.

    He smiled. ¡°I knew it was a good idea to give you some magic. You made good use of it.¡±

    She smiled back. The magic wasn¡¯t what she¡¯d been referring to, but there was no reason for her to point that out.

    ¡°What do we do with these?¡± Claude asked, nudging one of the bowing fanatics with his foot.

    ¡°Let¡¯s put them in that prison for now,¡± Lucinus said. ¡°We can figure out the rest later.¡±

    That was agreed on. They bound up the injured ones¡¯ wounds and marched them all downstairs and out the front door.

    The crowd confronted them, demanding to know where Elrick was and when the disaster would start.

    Tarant stepped forward, still holding Elrick¡¯s heart. He lifted it high above his head. ¡°There will be no eruption!¡± he shouted. ¡°There will be no more murder and death! The cult is disbanded! The sorcerer is gone!¡±

    Confusion spread through the crowd. Without Elrick, who would hear and fulfill their petitions? Who would save them from an afterlife of nothingness?

    ¡°Lies,¡± Tarant said. ¡°All lies.¡± He told them of Elrick¡¯s evils, how it was the cultists who fulfilled the petitions in secret rather than Elrick¡¯s magic, and how the cultists offered unwilling people to Elrick in secret and drowned and cannibalized the ones he didn¡¯t incinerate. Stella stood by him, confirming what he said and telling the people what she¡¯d seen of the evil sorcerer. The rest of the team kept marching the fanatics to prison, led by Lucinus, who knew the way from his days as a hunter.

    The people were stubborn. It took Tarant and Stella an hour and all of their darkest and sincerest confessions to convince them to celebrate their freedom from the evil sorcerer and his death cult.

    At that point, a small party approached from the prison: Lucinus and Promitto on either side, supporting a ragged, emaciated woman with two burn scars on her cheek. Stella stared. ¡°Mother!¡± She ran down to meet her, and Laurel held out her arms. They embraced. Stella¡¯s tears ran freely, drenching Laurel¡¯s hair. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Stella said. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. So sorry.¡± She kept repeating it, finding no other words.

    Her mother held her tight. ¡°I know, Stella. But I saw it in your eyes this morning. I knew you¡¯d see the light. I knew you¡¯d come back to me.¡±

    ¡°But¡ª¡± Stella pulled back to look at her. ¡°But Elrick. He killed all of the prisoners.¡±

    Laurel shook her head. ¡°Not all of us. He left when Vatran started shouting.¡±

    They hugged again and stayed like that for a long time.

    A month later, just before sunrise, Stella stood at the top of the viewing tower. It was newly refurbished. The well was filled with rocks and dirt, and flowers sprouted from it, displaying tender petals of blue and purple. Stella smiled, gazing down at the village. It bubbled with life, nestled snugly between the greenest fields in all of Dracon.

    The newly appointed King Tarant of Vulcan Valley had inherited both the cult¡¯s treasury and Elrick¡¯s hoard of magical energy. His first order was for the magic to be used for the people. Every day, Stella and Ladon listened to the people¡¯s petitions and used the magic to grant reasonable ones. They healed the sick and injured, but refrained from solving problems with actionable solutions, giving instruction instead of magic. Magister Flagro and Ortu Impes assisted them. King Tarant had spared their lives on the condition that they serve in that role indefinitely, and he kept them under close watch.

    Most of the businesses in town had been under the cult¡¯s control, run by retired hunters and sending profits to the cult¡¯s treasury. That included all three inns, the entire food market, and the farms. King Tarant put an end to that. He let the businesses set their own prices and keep their earnings, with the only condition being that they help fund the training and maintenance of a militia to defend the town and its economy. With all his studies, King Tarant knew the time would come when he¡¯d need to defend his town from antagonistic outside forces.

    For the latter half of every day, Tarant hung up his title and went into the village, choosing a different villager every day, helping them with their work, joining them for dinner, and talking with them at length about whatever subject came up. At Stella¡¯s request, Claude usually joined him, acting as a sort of secret bodyguard. They¡¯d brought his mother to town and healed her. He was still much more taciturn than Tarant, but he was happy.

    Stella was happy, too. The view from the tower was divine, and the feelings that had prevented her from seeing that the first time ¡ª the anger, the resentment, the schemes ¡ª were all gone.

    The sun peaked over the opposite mountain ridge, casting hues of yellow and orange over the valley. Stella sighed at the wondrous sight, satisfied. Then she descended the stairs and went to work.

    THE END