Lainor was an excellent tracker. He knew this much to be true about himself. If he had been doing this by himself, he could've gotten it done a long time ago, but Elder Sidrian was in charge of this mission. The Elder was a middle-aged man, but he must've been losing his vision because he squinted at everything and vehemently opposed any travel after dark.

What was the Hierarch thinking when he put this blind—

Lainor stiffened and killed that line of thought right away. Forgive me, Your Eminence, for even thinking of questioning your will.

Instead, he focused on the task at hand. Dusk was fast approaching, so they had little time remaining before the Elder called it a day.

Lainor took a deep breath, and his Acute Nose skill picked up an odd smell. Something that would be amiss in this part of Wiryar forest. Acute Nose was fantastic in an urban setting as it helped him differentiate between the various smells of a city. It's what made him deadly in a town and how he tracked down Meera and that sorceress.

In a forest, it was difficult as so many smells of plants and flowers mingled to create a thick soup of smells. It only helped when a particular beast or person had walked by recently. But that was not what it had picked up. It wasn't the smell of Meera, Kalrina, or even that annoying Aksha who seemed to have been everywhere in this forest.

He smelled poison and blood.

"This way, Elder." Lainor took off towards the smell without waiting for the rest of his company. He knew they would follow, as he was the most experienced tracker of them all.

"Finally. I had begun to grow roots," Elder Sidrian grumbled.

Lainor rolled his eyes and led his company through the trees and around the shrubbery. It wasn't long till they arrived at their quarry, and Lainor's jaw dropped.

It was a massacre. So many bodies littered the ground, riddled with holes, and they were all daughters of Aksha. He quickly counted, and there must've been a dozen bodies. It was hard to get an accurate count as many body parts lay around the clearing. Blood, sinew, and organs marred what once would have been a quaint part of the forest. But that was not all that littered the forest floor—mirror shards.

Mahon picked up a bloody shard. "Looks like we're on the right path. You've led us true once again, Brother Lainor."

Lainor nodded his thanks.

"So, a great battle between the girl and the hunters of Akhessai took place here," the Elder said. "But did our mark escape, or was she captured and taken to their stronghold?" He paused for dramatic effect like he usually did. He took a moment to look around before shouting his orders. "Fan out and comb through every inch of this place. Leave no stone unturned, but take care that you do not muddle their tracks."

Their company comprised five brothers and one sister of the Cult, including the Elder. Lainor wasn't particularly friendly with any of them, but they were competent, and Lainor had no qualms that they wouldn't be able to find the girl's tracks. So, he took some time to judge what had gone down here.

He walked over the corpses of the same woman. The Daughters of Aksha were famous for raising themselves from death, but then why hadn't they? It alluded to only one answer—Meera had slain them all with one devastating attack that mowed them down. It was a vicious attack. Lainor followed the trail of jagged mirror shards that all seemed to diverge from a single point in the clearing.

His feet crunched as he stepped over the shards, breaking them underfoot. He tried to ignore the gory body parts that lay strewn all around. He reached the end of the clearing that held only the shards, and most didn't have a speck of blood on them.

He bent down to study the shards, but only one thought was in his mind. Meera couldn't have done this alone.

Elder Sidrian came up beside him. "What did you find?"

"This was where they unleashed their attack," Lainor replied. "And if I'm not mistaken, the sorceress was here."

"Meera is still traveling with the sorceress. Are you sure?" The Elder asked.

"I'm sure. This attack was too powerful for Meera, and she couldn't have taken on all these daughters alone."

"But didn't you say Meera was higher leveled than this Kalrina?"

"Even still." Lainor caught something. "And that should prove it."

He pointed to the two pairs of footsteps leading away from the battle. The footmarks were heavy as if they were running. He followed the footsteps until they went into the shrubbery.

"Meera and Kalrina ran from the battlefield after unleashing their attack. They were followed by the daughters that remained. This way!" He called and went into the forest, following broken branches and the same heavy footsteps. The pair escaped from their pursuers at full tilt, but their footsteps ended abruptly at a big tree with a wide trunk.

"They got her," Mahon said from behind him.

"No," replied Lainor. "There are only these two pairs of footsteps leading away from here, and neither is deep enough to suggest they were carrying a heavy load. Unless Aksha has found a way to store living things in Hoard Belts, it suggests Meera and Kalrina escaped."

"Then did they fly off again?" Asked Joston.

The two ladies had gone to see the Cosmarian called Eryx, who was said to have made his home here in the Wiryar forest, but no one knew where. Lainor was sure the dragons knew, as did the sorceresses, and if Kalrina was with Meera, then maybe them running to this tree was not entirely perchance.

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Kalrina brought them here on purpose. If I were to bet, this tree is the entrance to the Cosmarian's abode.

One look at the Elder's face, and he knew the older man was thinking the same thing. If this was the entrance to a Cosmarian's home—a Cosmarian that no doubt did not want to be found—they could be in one hell of a fight. If it came to blows, the entire might of the Cult might not be enough to take him down. Dealing with Rothedon's son was a humbling experience, though he would never tell anyone of that.

He reached out with an arm and gingerly touched the tree. As expected, his hand went through the tree.

Lainor looked to Sidrian. "Do we risk disturbing a Cosmarian?"

Elder heaved a heavy sigh. "I don't suppose we have another choice." He looked back at everyone. "Be on your guard at all times. Do not do anything to anger him if you wish to return home and see your loved ones."

Their solemn nods were evidence that they understood the gravity of the situation. They all had heard of what slept undisturbed in this forest, and he was not the only calamity in Wiryar.

"Wait, what if it's an archdragon," Mahon said. "Isn't Raxor Winterbrace also supposed to make its home in this forest."

Elder Sidrian nodded. "Last I heard, but as far as I know, he is far deeper in the forest. And I've never heard of a dragon casting illusions. It's just not in their nature."

With another word of encouragement from the Elder, they waded in, with Lainor in the lead.

As soon as he stepped in, he knew he had made a mistake. A rope clinched tight around his ankle and jerked him upwards. He barely avoided hitting his head on the lip of the gaping pit, which held sharp spikes. But that wasn't all. There was a force that pulled him down so hard that if he fiddled around too much, the rope would break, and he would fall to his death.

The elder was coming through next.

"Stop!" cried Lainor, and thankfully, the Elder froze in place.

"I see," Sidrian said, eyeing the trap and the spikes. He pointed to the rope, waiting for him to apply more pressure. The rope froze in place. The elder stepped forward, and the rope shattered when it tried to enclose around his ankle. Next, he filled the gapping hole with ice, which didn't lessen the force enacted on Lainor.

With the threat of imminent death over, Lainor formed an ice dagger and cut off the rope, and he prepared for a hard fall, but a big cold hand caught him. The Elder had created big, icy hands that caught him like a babe. The Elder deposited him clear of the spikes. Lainor nodded his thanks.

The rest of the group arrived. Thankfully, no more traps awaited them, but what did, confounded Lainor? An old man was tending a batch of lilies, and he was filthy. If Lainor was correct, he had forgotten to bathe in over a decade. He could smell his stink from all the way here.

Elder Sidrian leaned in. "Do you suppose that is Eryx's gardener?"

Lainor shrugged and opened his mouth to reply, but the gardener answered.

"I do my own gardening, thank you very much." He gave a side-long glance to Sidrian. "And gardening is a splendid profession, I'll have you know. Far better than you lot and your fanaticism over things you know nothing about."

This is a Cosmarian. A far cry from the last one I saw. A quick use of Identify cleared any doubt from his mind, and given the expression on everyone's faces, they didn't hold any doubts either.

Sidrian gulped and glanced at Lainor. The Elder quickly bowed his head. "O' great Eryx, I didn't mean to offend. I was simply expecting—"

"Someone grand like a king?"

"In a way, yes."

"I've been a recluse for eight thousand years. So, this is what you get. Now, you have a single minute before I toss you out. My sweets do not like all that coldness you're bringing."

"Yes, I'll get to the point then," Sidrian said. "We're searching for Meera, the Champion's sister."

"Why?" Eryx asked without even looking at the Elder. He moved on to another patch of flowers and pulled out the wilting ones.

Sidrian looked to Lainor, clearly unsure if he should lie. So, Lainor stepped forward. "We've been charged with a mission of secrecy from the Hierarch to bring the girl to him. He didn't mention why, nor do we question his orders."

Eryx raised an eyebrow and laughed. "A half-truth… that's good." He calmed down and picked his nose. "I know precisely what you mean to do with the girl. That petulant brat, Elrasil, means to bring about the end of the great prophecy. You lot couldn't get your hands on the Champion, could you?"

The Elder shifted from foot to foot. "Uh…"

"Save it," Eryx said, eyes clearer. No longer clouded by madness. "I'm no longer anyone's spy, and I will not say anything to the likes of you. Now, begone."

Lainor's mind raced. If he didn't help them, they would be stuck in the forest searching for who knows how many days while Meera continued moving further away from their grasp. The Elder was at a loss as well, as were the others. They couldn't use force on someone whose tag was the Eternal Force. If they brought the entire might of the Cult, it might be enough to bring this man down, but it would be a slaughter of epic proportions.

Then Mahon stepped forward. "Eryx, sir—"

"Just Eryx," the Cosmarian replied with a frown. "What are you all still doing here?"

"We were just leaving, but I noticed you didn't have a winter rose in this beautiful glade of yours," Mahon said.

"What are you doing?" The Elder hissed.

Lainor grabbed his arm and shook his head.

Eryx shook his head. "Couldn't get one back then. They were rare back in my day, and now, Ealisto has gotten too cold. Besides, who would care for my lovelies if I left to get one now."

Mahon nodded. "That is true. If I lived in this place, I wouldn't want to leave either." He reached into his Hoard Belt and pulled out a single rose with blueish-white petals.

Eryx gasped and rushed to Mahon so fast that it looked like he had teleported. The scariest thing was, given his momentum, Lainor figured, he would cause a windstorm, but not a single leaf moved on the rose.

The Cosmarian had his face jammed into the rose as he inspected it closely. Then he broke a petal and ate it and almost passed out with a look of pure ecstasy.

Somehow, Mahon kept his face neutral while Lainor and Sidrian stepped back. They couldn't stand the stink coming off the Cosmarian.

"If you tell us which way Meera went, you can—"

"To the Sorceress of Akhessai," Eryx didn't even let him finish. "They went to the dragon keep. Now, the rose, please."

Mahon handed him the rose and bowed. "Thank you for your help."

Eryx had already turned and walked away, mumbling about where he would plant it and ensure it would get the perfect fertilizer and food. Lainor still couldn't believe that this man was said to be one of the key people who brought about Rothedon's downfall.

Lainor shook his head and turned to the exit, but as it turned out, the tree was solid. Elder Sidrian called out to the Cosmarian, but he never listened. It wasn't until Mahon called out that he did. Eryx snapped his fingers, and they could leave again. Once outside, everyone breathed deeply now that they were away from the Cosmarian's stink.

Sidrian nodded to Mahon. "Good work, Mahon. You saved us a lot of time."

Mahon smiled. "Anything for His Eminence."

"Now what?" Joston asked. "We can't attack the dragon keep for the girl."

"Nor can we infiltrate it," Lainor added.

Sidrian had a knowing smile on his face as he glanced at Neserin. "Can we infiltrate it?"

Neserin smiled that vicious smile of hers that always sent a shiver up Lainor's spine. It was no different this time. He could guess what scheme she was brewing.

"I'll need a volunteer, though," she said, eyeing everyone, but no one matched her eyes.

The Elder decided for them as he placed a hand on Lainor's shoulder. "I think it's a chance for you to clean up your mistake. Make sure the girl doesn't run from you this time."