There was only so much training one could squeeze into a couple of days. The incantations were a bust. Whatever magic spells Grim had thrown at me were too complicated. Beyond the one I managed to use by corrupting it with my shadow mana, I was left to spar with Alice.

And she was a blade honed and focused.

Conversations were stilted after another round of ‘Where’s Devon.’

When we sparred she fought hard. Blood spilled, bones creaked. Long hours of our time practicing incantation was draining yet she kept at it.

And now we’re about to perform for the crazy monster’s entertainment.

I slipped toward the river and washed myself clean before carefully approaching the sleeping beast. I grabbed a roll of gauze and lobbed it at her shoulder. It bounced and she sprang to her feet.

“And this is why I refused to let you keep your axe nearby,” I said as she took in her surroundings.

“It’s a good habit to have. You sleep too calmly for a Grimm,” she replied.

“You’re going to hurt someone someday.”

“Exactly.”

I shook my head and ran through planning as Alice cleaned up.

Besides Astra, every Grimm we asked had about zero idea what was happening. And I never caught sight of the other Grimms who were at the meeting.

Like Devon they were all in hiding, a fact that infuriated Astra to no end.

When we walked down the mountain there was a good chance some big scary monster was awaiting us. Or worse. Multiple big, scary monsters.

We’ve fought together enough, divide and conquer was the plan. Take down whatever was thrown at us before it became a problem. If we couldn’t do that and for some reason we were separated, then we worked to get to each other.

She freezes, I burn, we both slash and chop until it was dead.

I guess there really isn’t much to our plan. It’s the same crap we always do. Well, it’s worked out for us so far.

“You ready?” Alice asked as she walked up.

“Yeah. Let’s grab breakfast and get out of here.”

We exited the Haven and traversed the Whisper Tunnels. When we walked through the wall, I stopped and sniffed the air.

What the-

“Hey, you smell that?” I asked.

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Alice covered her nose and led the way down the tunnel. It smelled smoky, of ash and charcoal. But there wasn’t any smoke, the tunnels were clean, and nobody was screaming.

The mess hall was empty but as we walked in I rushed over and grabbed the smoking pot off the fire. Alice raised her hand and I backed away as she unleashed a wave of frost that doused the flames crawling up the stand.

“Where’s Volto?” I asked.

Alice dipped into the kitchen but swiftly returned and shook her head.

Where the hell is he?

“I thought Volto never left.”

“He doesn’t. He’s never let food burn in all the years I’ve been here.”

“Then something’s going on. Wanna bet it has something to do with Grim?”

Alice chucked the pans into the wash basin and headed for the door. “No.”

On a hunch, we slipped into the Whisper Tunnels and appeared near the armory. Like the mess hall, the place was absent of life.

As a final check, we went to Neina and found her chair empty.

“This doesn’t feel right,” I said.

“We’ll find out in the town. No point in delaying.”

A part of me wanted to head back to the mess hall; to relax and not deal with the bout of insanity that was coming our way. But I quashed that feeling and we headed for the entrance.

As soon as we breached the outside world I sniffed the air.

Cor-

I know already. It’s thick.

“Alice…”

“I smell it too. Let’s go.”

We hopped on Freki and raced down the mountain. As we neared the town, the scent of bitter blood overpowered the sea salt and fresh forest. More decorations and sigils had been added, along with a latticework of threads tied around the giant chains leading to the center.

Doors were closed, windows shut. The town looked empty without a single soul in sight.

Yeah, this aint creepy at all.

Freki returned to my shadows and we made our way to the center of town.

Surprisingly, the scent became manageable a minute in. By the time we reached the square, it almost smelled normal again.

However, the scene before us was anything but.

At least we know where everyone is.

The entire Warren from the youngest Grimm to the oldest stood shoulder to shoulder. Their cloaks fluttered in the breeze, their eyes to the ground. Around them burned a crimson circle that licked the air but left them untouched. The ritual lines extended into the caged blood siren who screamed silent wails inside its prison.

Only one person stared at us directly. His canines were on display as he spread his arms.

“Come pups,” Grim shouted.

I pulled out my axe and Alice did the same as we slowly approached. The other Grimms stood stock still, frozen like puppets.

Getting a real bad feeling from this.

As we passed the first set, my eyes widened as I spotted Devon. I nudged Alice.

She nodded but kept her eyes forward, axe in hand.

“Is all this necessary?” I said as we stopped near the fountain.

Grim lowered his arms and chuckled. “No. But it’d be a shame to ruin tradition.”

“Are you controlling them?” Alice asked.

Grim glanced her way but he kept his gaze locked onto me.

“They are following orders. They’ll be free to do what they want after the trial.”

“Let’s get on with it then. We’re ready.”

He shook his head and patted the iron cage. The blood siren started to weap tears and he growled. The monster froze before melting into an amorphous blob that bubbled on the floor of the cage.

“We’ll start once everyone is in attendance. Not before.”

Alice scanned the area. “Everyone’s here.”

Grim tisked and extended a claw inside the cage. The monster had enough time to extend its own tendril before a blaze of red flames set it alight.

A rune activated along the pillar and a series of chimes filled the air. There was a scratching, like nails on glass, before a seam cut itself into reality.

It split down the middle and became a void of mind-numbing black.

The ground around the pillar churned and black roots thicker than Devon sprouted up and around it. Within seconds, the iron pillar had become a tree with the reality tear as its eye.

Grim turned to the tree, as a figure emerged from the portal. They were stout, and short, but they wore a familiar red cloak.