With the plateau cleared of demons, we took some time to assess the situation and refuel.

  “The skybridge to the tower isn’t exactly up to code,” I muttered around a mouthful of dried fruit. “No handrails or anything. I’m worried a wave of animus could knock us off.”

  “I am confident the barrier would withstand a minor wave,” Relias declared, puffing out his chest for a moment before glancing downward. “Yet wisdom counsels against courting such risks.”

  Nora’s brows furrowed, but she held her tongue. Instead, she pointed downward toward the valley.

  Still afraid to jinx something, huh?

  I edged closer to the nearest ledge and peered over. The valley was no longer thick with dark miasma; I could clearly see the corpse of the giant snake sprawled across the sand.

  You’d think that’d be a good thing, but...

  “Nora... do you think you could try to pull off a piece of animus from down there?”

  She gave me a fearful look, but I shook my head. “Use your words.”

  Because when you’re getting ready for a significant encounter, the absolute priority is communication skills.

  “I’m not a toddler!” she snapped, her eyes flashing.

  “I know.”

  She huffed and shoved her staff at me. “Fine. I’ll... try.”

  At first, she concentrated, using simple, curt gestures. When that didn’t work, she flared her arms out and thrust them skyward, sweat pouring down her brow. Even screaming in frustration didn’t help.

  “Nothing solidified enough to grab hold of, huh?”

  Nora shook her head, wiping her forehead. “Not even a scrap.””

  I glanced toward the tower, looming high above the now-drained valley.

  I have a pretty good inkling where all that animus went.

  We had a bit of an argument about who would attempt the stone bridge first. Nora thought she should go first, since she could pad herself with Ventos magic if she lost her footing. Relias insisted he should lead, since his barrier could intercept unseen attacks before they forced a fall.

  “Why don’t we just tie the rope around the three of us and stick together? That’s why we brought it, right?”

  Nora and Relias exchanged a glance.

  “That still doesn’t answer who goes first,” Nora objected. “We can’t walk three abreast.”

  I shrugged. “My idea, my turn first.”

  I stepped onto the bridge, noting a subtle vibrating sensation that matched the glowing pulse of the crimson barrier ahead.

  Deep breath. One foot in front of the other. And try not to think about how high up we are.

  It’s not that I have a fear of heights, mind you, when they’re within reason.

  Airplanes go too high—that’s flat out.

  The top of the High Temple in Chairo? Still not as high as this.

  There’s also the small matter of velocity when you fall.

  With gravity being one of the few constants in this world, I don’t want to piss it off.

  And the vibration is not helping at all.

  Shit. I’m doing the exact opposite of what I was going for!

  Faith, acting as my emotional support shield, played an inspiring tune at a soft volume: loud enough for me to hear, but not overwhelming. The rhythm matched my pace, making it easier to fall into step without much thought.

  However, a bit of stone crumbled away on one such footfall, forcing me to stop.

  “Hey, Nora...?” I asked nervously as I carefully turned to face her. “Think you could get the rock ahead to tighten the ranks? You know, uh, just in case?”

  She thought for a moment, then poured out her waterskin over the path. “Cemento Securus!”

  The water splashed forward around me, pulling a bit of gravel with it as it expanded and wrapped around the narrow bridge’s apex before quickly drying. The path ahead now looked bulkier, safer even.

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  “Was that what I thought it was?” I asked.

  “Magical quick-drying cement,” she confirmed. “Just add water.”

  As we approached the end of the bridge, the vibrations grew even stronger, now underscored by a deep, cyclical hum. My last step onto the solid, quivering ground set my entire body trembling.

  This is going to be annoying.

  We were now on the tower’s promontory. The perimeter was lined with brightly glowing, blood-red jewels, each about the size of my head. They were spaced out along pitted iron columns rising eight feet high. Rust streaked down them in blood-like trails, going so far as to coat iron cables coiled from their bases toward the tower, which were woven into the foundation of the barrier.

  I glanced down at the map and started walking counterclockwise around the perimeter, looking for—

  “Aziza’s Altar!” Relias exhaled, his voice sharp with recognition.

  It was precisely what the name promised: a full-sized marble statue of the Mistress herself. Her double sets of demon horns framed a wild cascade of billowing hair. She stood with her cupped hands outstretched, expectantly, as if awaiting an offering worthy of her vile visage. Behind her rose a wall of white marble veined with gold, where several of the iron cables anchored directly into the back of the stone.

  I can almost hear her now. Saying something like, ‘Do you think she’s smart enough to recognize it when she sees it? I hope she realizes she’s supposed to put the stone in its hands.’

  “Pretending others are of low intelligence while touting the false elevation of their own is the hallmark of an insecure leader,” Raelana remarked dryly in the back of my mind. “It insulates them from ever having to address their own weaknesses.”

  After plucking the Crimson Heart from my cloak, I took a deep breath. “Are we ready for what’s next?”

  We all glanced at the tower, still roiling with obfuscated darkness behind its glass-like shell of red, before exchanging a single, silent nod.

  As I stepped forward to the altar, Relias renewed his golden barrier, the familiar curtain of light folding around us once more.

  Remember, she wants you to defeat him. Setting off a trap now would defeat her goal. She’s a ‘pay you back later’ sort of demon lord.

  I carefully lifted the Heart and placed it into the statue’s outstretched hands.

  The statue’s eyes flared to life, glowing a bright ruby red. A deep, angry buzz filled the air, throbbing through my boots and up my spine. Realizing the source of the rumbling was behind us, we turned to see a large, square tile unearth itself from the dust-covered stones. Several runes flickered across its dark surface, their crimson pulsing matching that of the encapsulating barrier.

  Secret entrance unlocked!

  The altar dissolved into dark grains of sand, with its outstretched arms the last to succumb. Relias caught the now-darkened gem just before it fell.

  “A moment, Chosen One,” he called even as I headed to inspect the ominous, rune-covered tile. “I would fulfill my promise to you. Please hold out your sword, hilt-first.”

  Startled, I glanced sideways at Nora, hoping she knew what was happening.

  Nope. She looks just as baffled as I feel.

  “Um, of course,” I said, doing as instructed.

  Relias bowed his head slightly in thanks before turning back to Nora, smoothly pulling out a small wire cage. “Dear Lady, would you lend me your skill? I must meld this setting to the Will of Euphridia’s frame so that it may properly cradle this gem.”

  That thing is definitely not a genuine OEM part!

  “Relias, I’m not exactly comfortable strapping demon lord accessories onto my holy sword!”

  Relias nodded solemnly. “Then allow me to offer an explanation, that your heart may be at ease.” He cradled the jewel in his palm. “This vessel was crafted to contain and suspend a vast concentration of animus. It empowered Aziza’s Altar to allow our access without releasing him. Now, with its energy spent, it shall serve a new Purpose.”

  “A Purpose like... holding him?” I asked.

  Serious doubt. Like, he can’t break magical glass or something?

  Relias produced a small, rectangular blue-and-gold pouch. “Long enough for you to slip it into this blessed bag. It is lined with eberorite at its core. Once sealed within, even one such as he should find no escape.”

  Oh no.

  He worked out a workaround for my most significant argument against sending Olethros to NAUGHT.

  A dirty, rotten cheat of a workaround.

  One I couldn’t even object to.

  I stared at the pouch for a long moment, noting its crude over-stitching. “It’s made from my hachimaki... You sewed this yourself?”

  Relias nodded, a faint, weary smile crossing his face. “Yes. I could not bear to see its sacrificed scraps go to waste.”

  Nora gave me one final questioning glance.

  I have to play along… but maybe…

  I looked down at my sword.

  You have reservations, I’m sure?

  The sword glowed a little too enthusiastically in my hand.

  You traitor.

  Will ignored the name-calling. I gave Nora a stiff, subtly defeated nod, feeling vaguely sick about the whole plan.

  After the light faded from the blade, Nora murmured a soft, unintelligible phrase, guiding the jewel and its housing into place over the dark mark that stained the foot of the sword. Both the sword and the assembly flared as she pressed it into place. Once she was done, I tugged at the attachment experimentally. The jewel itself popped free under heavy force, but the metal cage stayed fast. With a sigh, I pushed the jewel back into place with a loud pop and sheathed the sword.

  Relias handed me the pouch. “Once you strike his core, the sword should absorb his essence into the jewel. Remove it and place it inside swiftly. Then double-knot the sides, that it may be fully encased.”

  “Understood,” I replied as I turned once again to the glowing tile, not trusting myself to say anything else.

  Close inspection of the runes didn’t teach me anything. Relias, however, beckoned us to stand within their circle. “We are ready to advance. May Euphridia guide our path!”

  The surrounding glow burst around our feet and outward, engulfing us and expanding rapidly until it merged with the larger barrier already surrounding the tower, filling our now-open magical airlock with a sour, stagnant staleness.

  No vibrations on this side. Actually… I was expecting even more stimulation, not less. No lightning strikes at our feet? No swirling dark animus to greet us? Not even a horde of loyal demons rushing us from the entrance?

  What if he isn’t in here?

  “He is most assuredly in there,” Raelana responded. “But a threatened snake will retreat to the back of its burrow before it strikes.”

  After only taking a few steps forward, a loud scraping of stone grinding against stone split the air, and we all turned as one.

  The entrance to the tower was opening, just under the fangs of the great stone serpent, revealing the withered silhouette of Amos. His long, black hair lay lifeless against his gaunt face.

  He really did make it back! Even through the barrier...?

  But he’s still sporting the plain robes of a scribe…?

  Not exactly terror-inspiring.

  “Demon King Olethros has consented to an audience with you,” he called, his voice even and low, stripped of all emotion. “Follow me.”

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