Distracted by the idea that tomorrow would mark the point of no return, I spent the evening offering short and vague replies to Lieutenant Arlena’s barrage of questions about Captain Corwin. I didn’t think I said anything negative while describing him, but I did catch an occasional wrinkle of her nose here and there.

  “Well, I suppose I don’t have to worry too much,” Arlena concluded, leaning back on a rock as her eyes scanned the evening sky above. “And if he gets out of line, Jessamy will put him back in his place.”

  “Mmm.” Unsure what she meant by that, I followed her gaze upward. Several stars were twinkling merrily, heedless of the troubling day to come.

  Something’s still bothering me about the stars and constellations, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.

  “Maybe we should get ready for tomorrow,” Nora said, tugging at my arm.

  “Alright.”

  We rounded with Relias one last time, ensuring that the night watch’s rotation was fully implemented. It was probably a redundant task, since Lieutenant Arlena was more than capable of overseeing her troops, but I found some comfort in the answers I was given when I queried them. Though the scouts seemed distraught that most of their surveillance was curtailed by the warped space around the valley and base of the tower, they shared enough information to hint that we could expect some bonus trouble on the far side of the valley.

  “There’s a plateau up above,” one scout explained. “You can’t see it from this close, but we spotted it from the higher cliffs farther back. Lots of dust clouds atop it.”

  “I saw flashing lights,” another added. “Irregular.”

  “Portals,” Nora concluded with a grunt. “The ones Aziza’s minion uses.”

  Although several strategies were discussed about what to do about the probable presence of her demon subordinates, we ultimately decided there really was nothing to do at this point.

  “She’s using us as exterminators,” I said with a sigh. “She’s going to let us in the house, but she’s not going to pay us for the job. We’ll probably have to fight our way out.”

  Another reason to try to re-recruit him. The enemy of my enemy and all.

  “We’ll see about disrupting whatever is throwing all that animus around,” Nora added. “I have a feeling that’s powering a whole lot of things up there, including the warped space at the valley’s entrance.”

  Further discussions were just repetitions of the original plan, as more and more of the regiment reconciled with the idea that our plan was far from perfect. After wishing Nora a good night’s sleep, I worked on relaxing the different levels of my body, starting with my feet. However, the camp still bustled with life, its clattering sounds echoing off the surrounding stone formations.

  Faith? Can you help me cheat for some sleep?

  The shield nearby started with a lullaby, but I shook my head.

  Maybe white noise?

  A flute trilled in my ears, the final note rising in pitch, as if questioning what I meant.

  Right. Colors for sounds are weird, huh? Well, maybe not. Anyway, white noise is like the sound of a small waterfall, or…

  Faint rustles echoed, culminating in a comforting, continuous replay of soft rain splatters.

  You’re truly a rainstick virtuoso. Thank you.

  “I don’t see the point of you staying here any longer.” It was early morning, and for time’s sake, I was skipping pleasantries. “The runes are functioning, and you’ve tested translocation personally. Lieutenant Arlena, I order you to return to Bastione Bianco.”

  “No.”

  “No?”

  “Oh, right. No, Captain Lightbringer.”

  Arlena pulled a crumpled letter from her belt and unfolded it. Her voice was almost cheerful as she began to read:

  “By directive of Captain Sonea, Order of White: Lieutenant Arlena is to disregard any and all orders pertaining to retreat issued by Captain Lightbringer. Authority over evacuation decisions remains solely with Lieutenant Arlena, as an independent representative of the Order of White’s interests. This directive acknowledges that Captain Lightbringer, acting under the banner of multiple Orders, may not retain sole capacity to initiate withdrawal procedures.”

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  She refolded the letter neatly and tucked it away. “In short,” she added with a grin, “you can lead the charge, Captain. But you can’t call the retreat.”

  What a flimsy basis for ignoring a direct order!

  “Do you really think I’m doing this just to be obstinate?”

  Arlena tilted her head back and forth. “Not fully, no. But do you really think the moment I return, I won’t be ordered to come back again? Also, someone has to guard the transportation hub for your safe return. More aptly, many someones have to. Why, a whole regiment would be best, don’t you think?”

  Several soldiers nodded their agreement from the sidelines, making it clear that simply dismissing her and appointing another wasn’t going to get me anywhere.

  As she waited for me to mentally wrestle with the situation, she pulled a carrot from her cloak and began crunching it loudly, oblivious to the faces I was making.

  Why you rascally rabbit..!

  After several moments, she swallowed and gave me a self-satisfied smirk. “So now with that settled—”

  “Not settled! You listen to me. If things go south—if that barrier breaks prematurely, or the demons in the valley change their tune, you better—”

  “I know what to do. So go on, already. The day’s not getting any longer, you know.”

  I sighed, feeling both defeated and somehow respected, in a strange sort of way.

  “Take care of Aurum for me?”

  At that, Lieutenant Arlena straightened and gave a full salute. “Of course, Captain Lightbringer.”

  The Valley of Death was eerily empty of life. No demons lingered near the entrance, and the warped space the scout had reported yesterday seemed to have vanished. Or perhaps it was only absent because we were the ones making the approach. I had the distinct feeling that if we’d tried to bring a redshirt or two along, they would have been turned away.

  Relias devoted his full concentration to maintaining the glowing gold barrier around us, shielding us from the painfully visible animus that swirled across the ground. Nora summoned her bobbing ball of light, swinging it in lazy arcs to illuminate the craggy cliffs surrounding us. Every few minutes, a surge of animus would violently erupt from the sands, crashing up against the cliffs before slamming against the barrier that sealed the Tower of Olethros.

  Is it helping or hindering that barrier?

  Maybe both?

  Bones littered the shadowy, sandy valley floor as we continued, though none appeared to be human. Giant snake ribs were the dominant decoration here, many dusty and shattered. Unlike the bleached white you’d expect in a normal desert, these bones were blackened and dull, as if sunlight had never truly reached the bottom.

  Nora stared at one of the ribs as we passed by. “I wonder how—”

  Another burst of animus tore itself from the sands and splashed high against the cliff, knocking loose a large boulder, along with a giant snake that must have been sunbathing on top of it. The two tumbled down the slope, the snake coiling itself into a tight ball.

  The boulder rolled a few times after impact, but the sand absorbed most of its momentum, bringing it to a quick halt. The snake hit the ground as well, and after a few dazed moments, began to unwind, revealing several bloody scrapes and missing scales. Disoriented, its head wove back and forth in an erratic loop.

  “Hold your position!” Relias barked as the snake fixated on us. “Stay within the barrier!”

  The snake froze, its eyes fixating on us as it tensed to spring. But before it could launch, it flinched violently to one side, then the other, thrashing as if attacked by something invisible. With an angry hiss, it turned its fury inward, whirling around and biting down savagely on its tail.

  I flinched. “What in the…”

  “Animus overload,” Relias confirmed, his voice grim but relieved. “The ambient levels here are too much for it to maintain its sanity.”

  The snake’s jaw unhinged and snapped shut with a nauseating crunch, bone grinding against bone. A slow, wet tearing followed as it began to chew through its own body, oblivious to everything around it. A hiss escaped its throat, warbling into a distorted wheeze as black blood and animus flared from its wounds in flickering bursts.

  With a shudder, its jaws slackened, and a final hiss escaped it. But its clouded eyes remained wide open, staring blankly into the heart of the Valley of Death.

  Our progress slowed significantly after witnessing the snake’s passing, primarily due to the extra care we took with every eruption of animus. Rocks continued to rain down from above with each subsequent wave, but thankfully, nothing living came with it. Nora continued to provide a guiding light, but her troubled gaze and indirect refusal to engage in even light banter signaled that she somehow felt responsible for the serpent’s fate.

  “It must happen all the time,” I said softly. “The evidence is the bones around us. You didn’t do anything to make it happen.”

  I only got back a soft grunt.

  The valley floor eventually began to slope upward, and soon we found ourselves walking above the dark clouds of animus. The path widened, forming the lip of a vast plateau littered with demons of all shapes and sizes, their eyes glittering with a strange, fevered light. Their bodies looked flimsy and translucent, despite the overwhelming animus saturating the area.

  Were they exhausting themselves trying to keep the barrier up?

  Aziza had mentioned having trouble containing it.

  Some of them, nudging and elbowing each other, appeared vaguely familiar.

  Some of these are the General’s!

  “Good to know you can follow a map.”

  Taika herself abruptly appeared in front of the demons, her arms crossed. Initially smug, her expression folded somewhat when she saw it was only the three of us.

  “Tetora ran away again...” she muttered, her eyes darkening. “Not that it’s surprising.”

  I wanted to refute the old adage about tigers and their stripes, but ultimately decided no response was best. Instead, I kept my gaze on the sea of demons, watching for any who might think attacking us would make them a sudden celebrity.

  “Over there.” Taika pointed imperiously across the expanse to a narrow walkway spanning the valley. It continued on, forming the serpentine tail that connected to the tower. “Place the Heart on Aziza’s Altar to access the tower.”

  She snapped her fingers, and the mob of demons began to vanish, swallowed in small groups by countless voids that blinked open across the plateau. Within a minute, the area stood empty.

  Just because they're hiding now doesn't mean they won't come back.

  Taika herself took a step back into the mouth of a newly formed portal, her whiskers twitching.

  “If you survive,” she added, her voice almost casual, “the General will challenge you to a rematch.”

  The void began to close around her, but not before she called back, “If I were you, I’d find any way possible to avoid it.”

  certain point by the end of July, and managed to eke out a bit more writing these past few weeks).

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