Men wearing the blue cloaks of the City Guard had their eyes glued on the Citadel as Kurt led the way over to Corrington’s main bridge. Sarah, John, Hicham, and Udoriol followed behind the Marquis together with two dozen men in Blue and White Cloaks. Lucy had returned to the Grand Library to continue her research, though Sarah could not imagine her discovering anything in time for it to matter. Grimald had still not regained consciousness and had been left in the hand of the Church who were tending to the wounded.

“Any changes?” Kurt asked.

“No, My Lord,” one of the blue cloaked guards replied. He paused before asking, “Is it true? Can no one leave the city?”

“I’m afraid it is,” Kurt confirmed.

Sarah saw the guards begin to waver, and Kurt continued, “Do not fear, the two Chosen will be entering the Citadel. They will be our salvation.”

The Blue Cloaks noticed Hicham and fell to their knees and Sarah heard John click his tongue in irritation.

“We saw your fight at the gates!” one of them cried.

“Yes,” Kurt chimed in quickly, “He almost single handedly won the battle for us.”

“Now that isn’t fair to the other brave…” Hicham began to protest, but Kurt swiftly overrode him.

“He is the Chosen of the strongest God of the Pantheon,” the Marquis continued, “the minions of a minor goddess have no hope against him.”

“Praise be to Treto!” the guards cried, “Praise be to His Chosen!”

Hicham smiled confidently and waved as they continued towards the Citadel. He understood the importance of maintaining morale.

“You certainly seem used to the adulation,” Sarah remarked.

Hicham shrugged. “This has been my life ever since it was announced that I was Treto’s Chosen.”

“Don’t you get tired of it?” Sarah ventured.

“I don’t know,” Hicham remarked, “As I said, it’s just been a part of my life. Do you get tired of putting on your shoes every morning?”

“Focus now, please,” Kurt ordered as they approached the Citadel’s open gates, which looked all too much like the gaping maw of some sort of nightmarish beast.

“You feel it, don’t you?” Sarah asked.

Hicham scrunched his nose. “Yes, there’s no mistaking the foul stench of soul gems.”

“Why didn’t we sense this before?” Sarah asked, sounding worried.

“The walls of the Citadel are heavily enchanted against magical attack,” Kurt replied and cocked his head at the open steel door that connected the section of bridge between the two gates to the Citadel proper.

Sarah swallowed nervously. “It looks like they’re inviting us in.”

“I’ll take the lead,” Hicham declared as they came to a halt in front of the gates.

“Remember the plan,” Kurt said, “Clear the upper section first and then explore the bowels.”

Hicham nodded. They had already discussed the plan on the way over and it was the best they could do given how little they knew about what was going on inside.

“There should be at least fifty City Guard in there, five of them wizards,” Kurt added, “Nathan here knows the layout.”

“Like the back of my hand, Chosen,” the Captain of the North Gate confirmed, “I’ll be right behind you, but be warned. It was designed to be a death trap for invaders.”

Hicham nodded. “I will take the utmost care.”

“Don’t hesitate to signal for help if you think you need it,” Kurt said, “And go with Treto.”

The Marquis of Corrington bowed low to those who were entering before taking his leave. The others watched him walk alone back to the north side of the bridge before turning to look at Hicham.

The young man looked to Udoriol and gave a wry grin. “Are you ready, old man?”

“No,” the elf admitted, “But I don’t think I ever will be.”

Sarah’s heart sounded deafening to her ears as it thumped loudly. She felt the other presence stir within her and knew she had to be on guard. This was the moment of truth, and she was sure it would try to take control again. She then felt a hand take hers and squeeze it. She looked up to see John smiling down at her.

“You’ll be fine,” he said gallantly, “I’ll protect you.”

Sarah nodded and smiled weakly and wondered what the mastermind behind all this wanted with two Chosen. She suspected that she would soon find out.

“Well, let’s not keep our host waiting, shall we?” Hicham said as he drew his sword. The others drew their weapons and followed his lead and stepped past the gate and into the covered portion of the bridge.

Hicham paused outside the door and turned around to face the others. “Last chance to turn back,” he offered.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

When no one moved, he nodded and turned back to the open steel doors. “Stay close to me.”

Hicham was the first in, followed closely by Udoriol. Sarah and John were in the middle of the group. The door and the passage beyond were so narrow that could only enter in single file. Sarah hesitated at the threshold when it was her turn.

“I’ll be right behind you,” John whispered into her ear.

Sarah took a deep breath and gathered her courage before stepping through the door where she was greeted by a steep flight of stairs and the stench of blood. But what really caused Sarah to stagger was the almost oppressive feeling of the soul gems radiating from somewhere within. As she climbed the stairs, she saw slits above them where defenders could rain projectiles down on them. If they were to come under attack here, they would be completely defenceless. The stairs were so narrow that the men in front of her were obliged to walk at an angle and there wasn’t even enough room for the men to raise their shields. The stairs also doubled back on themselves several times, making the climb precarious, and increasing their exposure to the slits above.

The stairs doubled back on themselves several times before they arrived on a small landing. Here, a ladder was the only way to continue further into the Citadel. Above them were more slits. Hicham was already at the top of the ladder, peering through the heavy steel trapdoor at the top. Satisfied that it was clear, he pushed the trapdoor open. It landed with a loud crash that echoed through the eerily silent Citadel.

He disappeared into the next level and Udoriol with close behind him. The next man up waited at the top of the ladder for a sign. When it came, he too went up, and then the next, and then it was Sarah’s turn.

She hurried up the ladder and found herself in a large room strewn with body parts and viscera. The blood stained blue cloaks lying here and there identified the dead as the City Guard. Sarah tore her eyes off the remains and looked around the room. There was a large window that offered a view of the northern half of the city. She could see Victor’s army in the distance, having made camp on top of the hill. In the room were two staircases leading down, presumably to the firing slits that covered the stairs and room below. Three doors led further into the Citadel.

“What happened here?” John breathed behind her. “I thought they were the Night Goddess’ worshippers. Or allies at the very least.”

“Perhaps our friend no longer had use for them,” Hicham pointed out softly.

“Randal is that you?” one of the City Guard sobbed as he picked up a severed head. “What happened to you?”

“There’s no use in speculating about the allegiances of the dead now,” Udoriol said sternly.

“Where are the main chambers?” Hicham asked.

Nathan tore his eyes off one of the severed heads and pointed at a door up ahead. Cautiously, Udoriol pushed the door open and Hicham rushed in.

“Clear,” he called over his shoulder.

“Yes, I suspect we won’t find anyone living up here,” Nathan remarked as he entered the chamber.

“We should check thoroughly just to be sure,” Udoriol advised.

Sarah joined them quickly, wanting to be away from the bodies. In the next room, she saw a man seated in a chair holding his head in his lap.

“That’s Lord Aaron Finley,” Nathan said, “Commander of the City Guard.”

“We should speed this up,” Hicham suggested, “The sooner we confront the Enemy the better.”

Sarah wasn’t so sure about that but kept her concerns to herself.

Nathan barked orders to the Blue Cloaks who split up into pairs and moved through the rooms. They returned fifteen minutes later.

“It’s the same throughout the Citadel,” one of them reported. “We counted forty six heads including the ones outside.”

Nathan nodded. “Send the all clear signal to those outside.”

A Blue Cloak rushed off to comply while Hicham looked at the bodies, troubled. “Is this the fate of those who have their souls forcibly drawn from them?”

“No,” John said, “I think we’ve encountered people who’ve had their souls forcibly drawn before.”

“Where?” Sarah asked.

“Do you remember that church where we first came across the?” John asked.

Sarah’s eyes widened. It felt like all that had happened a lifetime ago now. The mysterious pale men in black robes in the secret library must have been priests of Ratri.

“We found no wounds on those people,” John recalled, “perhaps they had their souls forcibly removed.”

“That is possible,” Sarah allowed, “But I didn’t feel the foul energy then.”

“They probably sent someone away with the soul gems,” John pointed out. “We didn’t spot them down in the library either.”

“I suppose,” Sarah said.

“So this butchery was done for fun,” Hicham observed darkly.

“I took the liberty of executing the traitors,” Sarah whirled around and to her horror, saw that it was Aaron’s severed head that was speaking. “A gift for my fellow Chosen,”

“Hopefully this will hasten your journey to me,” the head’s eyes were black as midnight and seemed to be looking at everything at the same time. “I am waiting for you in the cavern.”

“What did these men do to deserve this?” Hicham demanded.

“These men swore sacred oaths and went back on them like that,” Sarah jumped as Aaron’s headless body snapped its fingers. “Anyone would be a fool to trust them. They met the ends they deserved.”

“At any rate, I’m sure you’ve discovered that the Upper Citadel is free from enemies,” the head continued, “So please, join me down below. I cannot wait to meet you.”

Before Hicham could reply, the head went silent. He exchanged an uncomfortable look with Udoriol. “You know,” the young man said, “I’m starting to think that meeting with this fellow might be a bad idea.”

“Gather the men,” Udoriol ordered, “I think we’ve done all we can up here.”

The Captain of the North Gate gave the elf a cold look before looking expectantly at Hicham. “You heard him,” the young man said with a tired smile, “Gather the men and prepare to descend into the cavern.”

Nathan didn’t move and Hicham raised an eyebrow. “What is it, Captain?”

“Do you think there will be more horrors like…” Nathan, looking visibly shaken as he waved his hand at the viscera in the next room, “that down there?”

“Steel your heart, Captain,” Hicham’s voice became firm, “And stay focused. This is all part of our Enemy’s ploy to unsettle us. You fought in the Orcish Wars, and you know that a moment of carelessness could be the difference between victory and defeat.”

“What happened up here,” he said, “Is this the fate of this city if we fail?”

“I don’t know,” Hicham admitted, “But this is all the more reason that we cannot fail, isn’t it?”

“Remember,” Hicham continued, “Treto watches over us. You fight alongside Treto’s Chosen. If… no, when we emerge victorious, they will sing about our exploits here for centuries.”

Unseen by Nathan, Udoriol began chanting and Sarah felt her heart fill with courage and determination. The elf winked at her and put his finger to his lips.

The Captain of the North Gate snapped to attention. “You are right, Chosen. Forgive my moment of weakness. I will lead the way and would be honoured if you would trust me with your back.”

Once the men were gathered, Nathan led them down a narrow spiral staircase that seemed to go on for an eternity. The foul miasma of the soul gems grew stronger as they plunged deeper into the depths.

“We have to be well under the riverbed by now,” John mused as the stairs showed no sign of ending.

It was dark, their surroundings seemed to swallow the light from their flares. The walls surrounding the stairs soon turned from masonry to natural stone. Water trickled from the stone, making the stairs wet and treacherous. Eventually, the stairs ended in a narrow corridor at the end of which was a solid looking stone door.

On an unspoken agreement, weapons were drawn as Hicham approached the door. Before he could place his hand on it, it swung open, and an almost overpowering feeling of malice and nausea flooded into the corridor, assaulting Sarah’s senses.

“Ah you’re here at last,” a familiar, high pitched voice echoed through the large cavern on the other end. “Please, do come in.”