The courtyard echoed with Ako’s footsteps as she made her way to the ramparts of Ashenstead. She had no weapons and no means to protect herself other than her bare hands and her cunning. She knew that her people were out there—many underestimated the Kulok, but they could conceal themselves in any environment with the best of them. It wasn’t something advertised, but it was the truth, especially for those who lived close to the Lake of Peace like Yarran and his tribe.

Ako ascended the staircase quickly, trying to avoid thinking about how her body was trembling. I’m terrified, Ako thought, looking down at her shaking hands. She resisted the urge to curl them into fists and kept them straightened. She held her head high as she ascended to the top of the ramparts.

To an untrained eye, the surrounding area was deserted. The drawbridge was still down, but the doors were closed. The surrounding forest on the other side of the river was seemingly devoid of life as well—not a hint of movement could be seen.

“Chieftain Yarran!” Ako called, pitching her voice as loud as she could without straining herself. Her voice was still raw from the previous day’s exertions. “I know you are there. Come out!”

There was nothing. She leaned on the wall with an elbow, trying to project a carelessness that would no doubt both infuriate and intrigue the Chieftain. “I would speak with you!” Ako called again. “I would like to negotiate.”

This time, there was a shaking in the treeline as a man strode out of it. He was instantly recognizable. Even from this distance, she could see his familiar sneer as if those speaking with him were unfit to lick his boots.

Considering the Chieftain had been nearly struck by a bolt of lightning, he was in good shape. There was a new wound on his face and his clothes looked slightly burnt, but otherwise he looked relatively untouched. A shame, Ako thought as she watched the man languidly walk across the drawbridge. He should have the good grace to die when he is supposed to.

Yarran didn’t speak as he made his way out to the drawbridge alone. He stopped in the middle of it, spreading out his hands mockingly in a beckoning fashion.

“Speak,” Yarran said, looking bored. “I will not wait long.”

“Just how you have not waited in the woods for many hours?” Ako said, her lips curling into a smirk. “That seems like a contradiction for me.”

“I did not come here to be mocked!” Yarran snarled, his hand flying to his sword. “All it would take is me drawing this sword, and you would become a pincushion rather than a mocking woman who should keep quiet in the presence of her betters.”

“And I did not come here to negotiate with a fool!” Ako retorted. She gestured to the woods. “Have them kill me, Chieftain. Tell your men to shoot me full of arrows. I have come with an offer, and it would do you good to listen to what I have to say.”

“Your arrogance blinds you,” Yarran said. The retort was almost absentminded as he raised a hand to his chin, visibly considering Ako’s words. “And yet I have not known you, Ako, daughter of Elan, to be a fool.”

“He is no father of mine,” Ako said, her good mood vanishing at the mention of her father’s name. “He is dead to me, just like the rest of my family.”

“And yet you claim someone else as your family, do you not?” Yarran said knowingly. “The Núwek. The Zak.”

“Yes,” Ako said after a moment’s hesitation. “I do.”

“And yet you have come here knowingly, knowing what this place would do to him and those of his ilk,” Yarran said angrily. “You claim to be a Kulok, but all I see is a woman who rebels against her betters. Your family picked a good match for you, and you spat in their face.”

“My ‘supposed match’ was as much of a fool as you are,” Ako said, surprised when Yarran threw back his head and laughed.

“Truly, your words are as cutting as your arrows,” he said, still chuckling. His mirth flickered and died as he drew his sword with a flourish. “Give me one reason not to kill you right now, daughter of Elan. I need only to chop down my sword to see it done.”

“We have found the treasure,” Ako said, not wanting to be too specific. “Marek is about to claim it.”

Yarran recoiled. The hand holding his sword jerked as if to swing down and send the order to release the arrows that would mean Ako’s demise. Before it could reach lower than his side, Yarran’s sword stopped.

“If I am a fool, then you are the Goddess of Fools,” Yarran said lowly. Ako shrank back—she had never seen a man look so cold. “The Ekke Kyakú will consume you all and will unleash an evil upon this world that cannot be beaten. You know this, daughter of Elan. Come! Throw open your doors and let us in willingly, and we can kill the Zak and end this charade. Should this place claim him, there will be nowhere a man can hide on Diev and not eventually be found.”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“I do not think Marek would hunt down every man upon this planet,” Ako tried to say angrily, but instead, it came out weak and afraid. “I know him. He would not do such a thing. He would not even think of doing so.

“You would die for him,” Yarran said. It sounded more like a statement than a question. He ran a thumb along the top of his blade. “You are dedicated to him.”

“Like I said, Marek is family to me, a brother in all but blood,” Ako said firmly. “He would die for me, and I for him. He has never abandoned me, unlike my blood family. We have looked out for each other as best we can. I am looking out for him now. We need three days.”

“He is there, is he not? He thinks to understand the secrets that this place contains.”

Ako opened her mouth to respond, but Yarran flicked his sword, cutting her off. “Do not lie to me,” Yarran demanded. “I know how Zak think. They think themselves above us, as if we are their inferiors. Your Marek is better than most, I will admit that plainly. However, he still lusts for power like any man. The staff contained within the castle is too much temptation for any man of any magical caliber. He will try to claim it like I or any other man would, and the Ekke Kyakú will use him like a puppet.”

“We would leave if we could,” Ako said. “Let us leave unmolested, and we will do so. We never sought to quarrel with you, Chieftain. Only to make our delivery as scheduled.”

“You speak reasonably, but the Zak spoke reasonably too,” Yarran said. “I would lead the charge myself upon this place, but such a thing would doom our souls in return. You want to negotiate? I will give you your three days, daughter of Elan. Three days. Use them wisely and flee. Take as many as you can. Try to save your ‘brother’ as well, but such a venture is doomed to fail. The Ekke Kyakú will not let him leave. It has him now, and soon it will have you and whoever else dwells within that haunted ruin. After three days, we will assault this castle, just like our forefathers did. We will die, but we die saving our world from Zak foolishness.”

“Three days,” Ako said numbly. “I will relay your offer, Chieftain.”

She turned and left, thinking deeply on what Yarran had said. She didn’t realize it, but her trembling stopped as she began to walk down the stairs. Her walk turned into a fast walk, then a jog. Soon, she was running, sprinting across the courtyard as fast as she could.

She burst into the Main Hall, where Talon’s guards and the rest of the caravan guards were waiting after they had presumably searched for their leader. They stood as Ako kept running, barely giving them a second glance.

“With me!” Ako barked. “Draw your weapons! Now!”

Without a word, the men fell into formation behind her. They all sped to the door leading downstairs. Hold on, Marek, Ako prayed, urging herself to go faster as she descended the staircase three stairs at a time.

Leaving Marek behind had been a mistake. If Yarran’s words were true, she had left Marek alone, weak, and undefended, against a foe that even he could not overcome with all his power. She heard voices as she ran down the hall. When she made it to the doorway, she stopped and looked on in horror.

Marek was holding a wand of Dominion Wood in one hand. His other was around a woman, one of the most beautiful women that Ako had ever seen. She wore a dress of pure white and had long blonde hair that many girls would kill to have. Both Marek and the woman were close to each other, almost nose to nose as they both leaned in to kiss each other.

“Get. Off. Him,” Ako panted, lunging at the woman to separate her from Marek.

She vanished, and Marek reared back. There was a faint glow in his eyes as he brandished his wand, looking as though he wanted to kill her. That made Ako stop short, and she took a step back.

The soldiers that had been following arrived, crowding the doorway with their weapons drawn. They didn’t say anything, they just stared over Ako to Marek.

Ako looked back at Marek. The glow in his eyes was gone. Must be a trick of the light, Ako thought. She stepped back close to him. “Marek,” Ako began tentatively, “what happened? Who was that woman?”