Lainor and Neserin, who had remained quiet, fell behind the rest. However, he caught glimpses of the storm in her heart—so much so that he knew what the exact words would be before she opened her mouth. He shook his head vigorously, telling her to stop, but there was no stopping her.

"Lady Aksha," she called. "Is it okay if I use one of these chamber pots? I've had to go for a while now, and I fear this trial will take a while."

"Go, but it is up to you to catch up." Aksha didn't look back nor slow her gait.

Neserin motioned to Aksha with her glaring eyes while looking at Lainor.

He sighed silently. "I'll stay with her mother so she doesn't wander off."

Aksha grunted her approval.

Neserin dived into the next open cell and pulled Lainor in. She proceeded to pull down her pants, at which point Lainor turned around, which was a mistake. As soon as the others vanished from sight, she pounced, and an ice dagger was at Lainor's neck.

"What in Rothedon's name was that?" She hissed in his ear. "Are you turning on us? Because if so, you better think differently, for I hold your life in my hands."

Lainor squinted. "What do you mean?"

He felt her warm breath on his neck as she snorted. "Meaning, if I die, there's no one to send your soul back to your body. You'll float around trying to find your path to your body only to fail and turn into a vengeful wraith for all eternity."

A chill went up Lainor's spine. There wasn't much that terrified him these days, but now it seemed there was always one thing or another popping up. He nodded slowly, taking care not to rip his neck open on the dagger pressing into his throat.

"I understand. From now on, I'll share all my plans with you."

She removed the dagger and came around to face him. She patted his cheek with the dagger. "Good boy. Now, why did you make up those ridiculous plans? And put me in a position to turn traitor as well."

"Because it's the only way. By revealing that we are working with the sisterhood's mortal enemies, we will put their entire focus on the dragons while we make off with our prize."

She pursed her lips. "It's a risky play, and now you've revealed ourselves. We've lost the element of surprise."

"We never really had one. Aksha could have gotten it out of Kalrina already. You saw the condition the woman was in. A prelude to our position if you fail to convince the sisterhood of the Cult and the dragons' nefarious schemes for this place."

Neserin smirked. "You leave that with me. What's the plan after that?"

"After that, I'll bring you in on suspicion of sneaking around. If you gain the trust of Kalrina or Meera—it doesn't matter which one—then we can escape from this stony corpse."

She scoffed. "They'll never trust me, a cult member after you turned them sour on the whole notion with your failure in Drurith."

"You're a defector, remember," he reminded her. "You escaped from the Cult's grasp for trying to turn you into a sex slave or something of the notion. Make up a sad story, one they'll eat up. Women fall head over heels to save a victim of rape."

He expected a fierce rebuttal or a curt remark, but all he got was an agreeing nod. "Okay, and I'll throw in the old my father sold me to the Cult story in there as well to really sell it."

Lainor moved for the door. "Now, let's go before the stone-faced bitch gets vary."

"Is that any way to talk about your mother?" Neserin chastised, making Lainor roll his eyes.

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The Hall of Judgment happened to be in one of the bigger lungs of the petrified dragon. It was just big enough that it could hold all the two-hundred-plus sorceresses. The initiates were not allowed to witness the trials or the proceedings of the sisterhood as they were not full members yet. Lainor knew all this from his body's memory of this place when he stepped onto the platform that led to the Hall.

Lainor, Neserin, and the two prisoners were taken to a separate chamber to the right of the entrance. There was a window that he could see out of. The jailor stood at the window with her back to Neserin.

The rambunctious Cultist made a quick gesture of slicing her throat. Her way of saying to end the jailor's life and make a run for it. He quickly made sure Meera and Kalrina hadn't seen her do that. Thankfully, they were too focused on the Hall of Judgment to notice. It wasn't a bad plan, but then they would have two women, both of whom did not trust the Cult at all. They would also have to kill Kalrina quietly, which would be easier said than done. Then there would be no way of smuggling Meera out of here quietly. Lainor shook his head lightly and focused on the crowd outside.

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The Hall of Judgement was made like an amphitheater, with seats reaching upward and enough seats to house the entire sisterhood. There was a small stage—as it were—where the prisoners could be seated for their trial. Today, two rusted or blood-drenched metal chairs were placed on the stage.

There was a half-circle table of white marble with five beautiful chairs, meant for the Five, the leaders or, in today's case, Judges. No matter how much Lainor racked his or the daughter's brain, he couldn't remember who they were.

Behind the Judges, on a raised dais, was a majestic throne with a backdrop of an eagle spreading her wings. This was for the Sovereign—the founder of the sisterhood, the killer of an archdragon. Lainor couldn't help but be curious about what that woman looked like. She was an enigma to most of the outside world and even the sisterhood, as no one had seen her in over a hundred years. But everyone, even His Eminence, respected her power.

It didn't take long for all the sorceresses to gather. One of the last to arrive was a woman with hair the color of snow, which had turned white not due to snow but due to age, it seemed, but her face lacked the wrinkles of age. It took but a moment for Aksha's memories to provide Lainor with the woman's name. This was Duinith, the headmistress and the sorceress in charge of teaching all the initiates to become sorceresses. The image of a lot of bodies of young women being dissolved in acid flashed in Lainor's mind. These were the initiates who had failed the headmistress's rigorous tests.

Another daughter pulled herself out of Aksha and walked to the dais. She raised her hands high. "Dear sisters, today we've gathered here to pass judgment on a creature most foul." Her voice was that of a great orator presenting a play before a king. The crowd responded with great fervor with many calls to take off Kalrina's head.

So much so for the sophisticated image of the Sorceresses of Akhessai.

"Yes, we all want to see the traitor's death, but before that, one of my sisters has returned, and she brings a gift," the orator said once the crowd had quieted a little. "A rare creature in our world. Certainly, never before have our hallowed halls had the pleasure of hosting someone from the Cult of Aetheron."

The crowd hushed. It suddenly got so quiet that if someone dropped a pin, Lainor was sure he would hear it.

"And this Cultist brings some exciting news, but I won't steal her thunder and let her present the news herself." She flourished her arm towards the waiting room.

"We're up," Lainor said sternly. "You better not disappoint, Cultist, or we will string you up along with this traitor."

Neserin gave her the stink eye when Lainor's back covered her face, but she got the move on. They arrived at the stage to the murmur of the crowd.

Lainor raised a hand, portraying an image of confidence, and earned another stink eye from the orator this time. She motioned to Neserin to speak.

Neserin nodded and began. "My name is Neserin. Until a few days ago, I belonged to the Cult of Aetheron." She quieted for dramatic effect. "No, the truth is, I was sold to the Cult by my father for coin. I hated the entire lot. They've used me…my body ever since I was nine years old." Fake tears lined her eyes as she spoke. "I've been trying to run away from them for years. When the Hierarch joined hands with the dragon to hunt down the Champion and his sister, I saw my chance. A team of Cultists is scouring the Wiryar forest for the Champion's sister. When I found this daughter of Aksha, she was on death's doorstep. They asked me to revive her, and I did. They planned to torture her for information, but we joined hands, and together we escaped their grasps, but they were hot on our tails."

"Yet, thanks to my mother's skills, we were able to cover our tracks," Lainor added. "But I'm sure it wouldn't have taken them long to ascertain our destination."

"Yes, the team of Cultists themselves do not pose a threat to the great Sorceresses of Akhessai," Neserin said. "But once they arrive here, they won't be alone. They'll bring their allies, your mortal enemies, the dragons of Gethys."

The Five glanced amongst themselves, and one began to chuckle, which devolved into laughter. The woman was strikingly beautiful, with dark skin and darker hair.

"We have nothing to worry from dragons," she said.

Her name was escaping Lainor as Aksha's memory hadn't provided the answer yet, but he figured it would soon come to her. To hasten it, he used Identify.

[Sorceress of Foresight – Level ???]

Still nothing. He frowned. Does she know what is coming next? Is that why she is laughing?

Regardless, Lainor's instincts told him she was one to watch out for, and he hoped his partner had the same sense.

"But our team met with the dragon called Tigris when we arrived in Drurith. He told us of what happened in the ruined city and which direction your prisoners went."

Tigris's name gave the sorceress pause, only for a moment, before she flew into another fit of laughter.

"I have no reason to lie to you," Neserin cried. "We did mee—"

"I never said you were lying, but that Tigris is cute," the Sorceress replied. "Did you know Aksha here burnt his scales with acid, which is why his scales are so black? It's a pity she didn't finish the lizard."

Lainor frowned, as this was not true. There was nothing in Aksha's memories that said she had ever even fought the dragon. Lainor felt there was some history between the two, but it was not this.

Aksha stirred. "Ask your questions, Firaan. Don't waste the sisterhood's time with lies."

Firaan, that name struck like lightning. It brought a deluge of memories to the forefront of what the sorceress could do. She wasn't laughing because she was dismissing Neserin's warnings. She was laughing because she knew the truth. The real truth. That Neserin was lying, that Lainor wasn't a daughter of Aksha, but a Cultist inhibiting a daughter's body. She might even know about their plan now that Neserin had lied about it. Anything they thought about, the sorceress knew.

Firaan looked to Lainor with a smile. "Even you can foresee what comes next."

Lainor snapped his head to Neserin. "Run!"