The gates of Arsheen were open.

Out of them marched column after column of House Gabriel soldiers. They were roughly a fourth of what could be called up. They bore tall shields and long spears. Their helms hid their faces, and their red plumes swayed in the wind. A crimson banner flowed at the head, with the symbol of a golden cobra coiled to strike upon it. Behind them came many sellswords and mercenaries. These were clad in various armor with weapons of all kinds. And behind them was a contingent of local levies. These were wrapped in lighter armor with large shields and speared.

The Harlenorians numbered perhaps five thousand in total, including mercenaries. At the same time, the levies were only two thousand or so. Father was not sure they could be relied upon in more significant numbers.

Raynald had argued against it, of course. But Rusara had pointed out that men called up for war could not plot rebellion. Father had liked the idea of getting troops from local forces. From there, they would turn them into loyal soldiers. So it had been decided.

William marched alongside them, wearing only a suit of chainmail. It was heavy, even with the belt around it, and he didn't like having it on his shoulders. Still, his armor still needed to be finished, and he had to wear something.

Then Kiyora appeared. She didn't say anything at first, looking very distant. William approached her instead of the other way around. "Kiyora, is something wrong?"

"A lot of things," said Kiyora. "I don't want to talk about it. What is going on?"

"Father is leading an army," said William. "He intends to march out and demand Lord Asimir account for his actions. There are other reports. Something has been torturing the villagers in that region.

"This never would have happened if they'd adopted Anoa the Bright's militia system. But their Lords want them weak. It's why we're bringing in colonists."

"So you're going to war?" said Kiyora.

William nodded, disappointed he wouldn't be able to talk about history. He'd been hoping to give Kiyora some of the finer points he'd researched. "With any luck, it won't come to that. We're hoping Asimir will surrender. Mother will be running things in Father's absence."

"Well, why are you going?" asked Kiyora. "Aren't you a bit young to be fighting in battles?"

"It's a bit late for that," said William, feeling a bit bitter as he said it. "Besides, I'm not being sent there to fight. I'm going to heal some injured and sick people. Father wants me to observe him in battle. It's a shame. I was hoping to win some battle glory.

"Raynald and Rusara have already gone on ahead."

Kiyora remained silent for a long moment, watching the army march. The spearmen had given way to rows of men with smaller shields and long swords. And behind them were many Dust Elven archers dressed in hides with longbows.

"...Hey William," said Kiyora. "I know this is a bit late, but how exactly are you paying for my temple?"

"My Father is providing the funds and has done most of the work," admitted William.

"Right. Listen, I haven't been taking this world as seriously as I should have," said Kiyora. "I mean, maybe none of this is real, but maybe it is. So, I'm sorry I called you a cheapskate."

"Don't concern yourself with it," said William. "You've saved my life more than once."

"Right, I guess I did," said Kiyora. "So, where is your Dad anyway?"

William had known Kiyora long enough to know that 'Dad' meant 'Father.' Weird language. He pointed to the small domed building, which stood at a crossroads. The army was marching by it. "See that over there?" He asked.

"Yeah," said Kiyora.

"That's a shrine to Barden," said William.

"Right, and he is?" asked Kiyora.

William had forgotten how much Kiyora was willfully ignorant of. "The god of travel. The third part of the God Triumvirate. People pray to him for success in business, good family life, and safe travels. You know, prosperity?

"Anyway, it is a rule that when a war leader marches to war, he must first go ahead of his army and pray there. And he must do so until the army has completely left the gates. Otherwise, it is bad luck."

"So, who are the other two parts of the god triumvirate?" asked Kiyora.

"Well, Elranor is the head," said William. "He's the Lord of Knights, the nobility of spirit and martial valor. Though I guess I don't need to tell you that. Then there is Laevian, and she is the darkest of three."

"So she's evil?" said Kiyora.

"Not evil," said William. "She just... doesn't value the same things as Barden and Elranor. She cares about wild and dangerous things and loves the world's dark places. People don't pray for her favor; they pray to appease her. She has mastery over diseases. If someone angers the God Triumvirate, she carries out retribution."

"Sounds evil to me," said Kiyora.

"She's not evil!" said William. "She just has different priorities, which make her seem evil. If she were evil, her Seers wouldn't give us prophecies."

"Seers?" asked Kiyora.

"The Seers of Laevian. They're an order that dwells mostly in Escor and southern Antion. They commune with Rioletta, Goddes of Fate," said William. "Though they also have branches in other countries far from here. I'm not surprised you've never heard of them since you won't find any in the East. Although I suppose Rusara might be one, depending on how you view it. Not that you'd know since you don't exactly pay attention."

"That's not true. I'm fully aware of my surroundings-" said Kiyora as Father walked up behind her unnoticed.

"Ah, Queen Kiyora," said Father.

"Eek!" said Kiyora, nearly jumping out of her skin.

"Walk with me," said Father.

"Yes, sir," said Kiyora.

William walked with them, as well. Since Father did not say anything, he judged it as permitted. Father remained silent for a time as if considering his answer. "I gather you have faced our enemy many times."

"Yes. Once or twice," said Kiyora. "I mean, I've worked against him for a while."

"My son tells me his minions are located near an abandoned temple of Typhos," said Father. "I do not know what they intend, but I can guess. They mean to access the power of Typhos and use it against us. As for their motives, I expect it is some combination of patriotism and ambition.

"However, I do not know what motivates Laughing Wraith. I hope you shed some light on his intentions.

"I... don't know. I mean, Laughing Wraith is evil incarnate," said Kiyora.

"An impressive title," said Father, not sounding impressed. "However, that doesn't tell me what he wants or explain his actions."

"He just likes hurting people, okay," said Kiyora. "He doesn't even care about killing them. If he'd gone after William and I-"

"William and me in this context," said Father. "Whether you use either 'me' or 'I' depends on the context of the phrase. In this situation, it would not be appropriate for you to say, 'If he'd gone after I.' Rather, you would say, 'If he'd gone after me.' Thus, 'William and me.'"

"Whatever, if he'd gone after us seriously, he could have killed us," said Kiyora. "But he didn't. He took his time and stalked us through the whole forest. I think he likes making people afraid of him."

"So he is a bully." mused Father.

"He is way worse than that," said Kiyora.

"A bully can be anything from a petulant child to a petulant god," said Father. "It is a state of being irrelevant to one's power level. The real question is how we can make use of this information. The book William found said that Laughing Wraith is a dreamer summoned by that fool Emiran. With help from Melchious, of course.

"Why do you think he is different from you?"

"What do you mean?" asked Kiyora.

"You must recognize that Laughing Wraith seems almost a force of nature?" said Father. "You, on the other hand, are far easier to approach. One would think Laughing Wraith would have more personality."

"Look, if you don't mind, could you get to the point?" asked Kiyora.

"Emiran's notes say that he was trying to suppress the dreamer," said Father. "He wanted to create a sort of automaton god to do his bidding. He could not control the creature. Yet he may have succeeded in suppressing Laughing Wraith's personality."

"So he's brainwashed?" said Kiyora.

"It is worthy of consideration," mused Father. "I suspect Melchious may have twisted him into what he is."

"Laughing Wraith is a monster!" burst out William. "He should be destroyed!"

"Yes, but every time we kill him, he simply comes back. Let's look into alternative solutions," said Father. "If we can reawaken the dreamer Laughing Wraith once was, we may be able to do away with him for good."

"How could we do that?" asked Kiyora.

"I have no idea," admitted Father. "I was hoping you would have some insight." The conversation began their journey. At first, the army marched past many fertile fields. They saw farmers doing their work and occasionally saw carts riding along the side of the road. Father walked alongside them, keeping a keen eye on the troops.

They pitched camp in a field beneath the stars. Well, not really. Father had ensured his soldiers were well supplied with tents. Even so, it took some time to pitch them. By this time, Kiyora had already gone off alone. She was undoubtedly doing good deeds elsewhere. For his part, William was only too happy to stop, though this was far from the worst experience he'd had.

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They eat well. Not as well as in the palace, of course. Duke Vanion made a point of eating the same thing his men, albeit in larger portions. But it wasn't all that bad. It had only taken one trip to Seathorius to change his outlook. Things that would have been horrible to him were business as usual.

"Felix," said William over dinner, "do you remember when we had to wander through Seathorius. When did satyrs pursue us without any shoes?"

"Yes," said Felix. "Why are you bringing it up?"

"That was far worse than this," mused William.

The next morning, Kiyora reappeared, and they continued their journey. The men seemed in good spirits, and William supposed he could not blame them. After all, they had a god marching with them. Granted, a far less powerful god than Elranor, there was something to be said for appearances.

And then the fields quite suddenly faded away. In their place were plains of scrub grass. The trees disappeared, and the sun became hotter. As William had seen in the minds of those afflicted by malas, a slight haze appeared around them. There was a scent, slightly sweet, like cinnamon, in the air. Kiyora noticed it, too.

"Hey, is it just me, or are things getting very barren suddenly?" asked Kiyora.

"That is to be expected," said Father. "Artarq has yet to be fully brought into the influence of Elranor. Thus, the green fields disappear in further regions, and the malas fields begin. Look there; you can see it in the air.

"And smell it as well."

Soon enough, they began to see crews of men a way off the path. They were digging into the earth and sifting through it with tools. The haze was terrible around them. William guessed what they were at once, but Kiyora needed to learn. The scent of something like cinnamon was in the air.

"Will," she said, "who are those men over there?"

"Malas miners," said William. "They sift the sands for malas and then bring it back to Artarq. Harvesting a handful of the stuff takes a dozen men hours of work. Don't worry; things should improve once we near Khasmir. And my name is William."

Kiyora looked like she doubted him, but true to his word, the haze soon faded away, and they returned to the fields. But these were different. The plants here were strange. They were shifting things that seemed to cling to the ground instead of being rooted in them. The rocks were sharper. Everything was brighter and more rugged. The wheat fields they saw were white instead of gold and had thorns.

"Why is everything so weird?" asked Kiyora.

"Because Baltoth's worship hasn't faded from this place," said William. "When a god gains dominion over a place, it changes to suit that god's nature. Elranor is a benevolent and good god, so sites under his sway naturally tend to be pleasant.

"Baltoth believes in power through suffering, however. Thus, his domain is less hospitable."

"What about your home?" asked Kiyora. "You always talk about how cold it is?"

"Oh, Carn Gable is part of Haldren," said William. "Anoa the Bright took it from the clans of satyrs raiding his shores and colonized it. He defeated Neral Dinis, the vampire Lord, and his Furbearer servants.

"But there are still a lot of satyrs who worship Kreshlak, their ancestral god. His influence ensures that it is a very cold place indeed. Why do you think they are so hairy?"

"Why would anyone worship Kreshlak if he makes winter cold?" asked Kiyora.

"The worshippers of gods have an easier time surviving in their god's domains," said William. "And uninvited guests need help. Kreshlak's freezing temperatures are a defense mechanism of sorts.

"Only an idiot would ever try and invade one of his Kingdoms. It made fighting the Viokins a nightmare. Back when they were still raiding anyway."

"Viokins?" asked Kiyora, "You mean those minotaurs?"

"No, a Viokin is merely an inhabitant of Viokinar, which is very far north," said William. "Minotaurs live in Viokinar, and so are called Viokins."

"Right, okay," said Kiyora. "So why did they stop raiding?"

"The Viokins were able to make a good living by raiding the coastlines," said William. "Both Harlenor and Calisha hated them and each other. It was a three-way conflict, but their icy waters were hard to navigate. So Calisha and Harlenor weren't able to raid them. Eventually, King Andoa seized Estal from them. Then, he allied with Calisha and beat them in several crucial sea battles.

"After that, they stopped."

"You allied with the Calishans?" asked Kiyora.

"Elranor and Baltoth hate each other," said William. "Yet they understand the need to unite against common enemies. Elranor teaches us that pragmatism must come before idealism in some circumstances."

Then they came in sight of a village. One of the walls had been knocked in. There were only a few people in view save soldiers. The banner of House De Chevlon was flying on the walls. The gates opened. Raynald emerged from the gates as they drew nearer and walked toward them in full armor. It was the exact opposite kind of armor one would expect, bright white and shining in the sun.

"So, is that banner of a bear?" asked Kiyora, looking at the banner.

"No," said William. "It is a Calishan honey badger."

"Why would someone make a honey badger their House symbol?" asked Kiyora. "Badgers are cute fluffy things. It isn't exactly intimidating."

"Have you ever seen a Calishan honey badger?" asked William.

"No, but neither have you," said Kiyora.

"I got mauled by one once," said Felix. "It was neither cute nor fluffy."

"Oh," said Kiyora.

Raynald reached them and approached Father. He bowed his head quickly in recognition of Father's rank, then leaned in close. "Vanion, I'm glad you are here."

"What is it, Raynald?" asked Vanion.

"I'll tell you everything I know in a minute," said Raynald. "Is William with you?"

"Yes," said Vanion.

"Good," said Raynald. "We'll need his help. Ordinary healers aren't good enough."

"Here I am," said Wiliam.

"Go quickly then," said Raynald. "You're needed."

William looked to Father for permission. "Go on ahead," said Father. "I need to speak with Raynald alone."

William hurried toward the village. He wondered what had happened to get Raynald so worried. Raynald was never worried. Aside from the broken wall, nothing seemed to be wrong. However, the lack of people and the dead silence troubled him.

"What's this about ordinary healers?" asked Kiyora. "You said everyone got their powers from demons, spirits, or gods."

"They do," said William. "Every company has a sorcerer, someone who wields spirits assigned to it. They heal the wounded and attend to magical threats. However, they usually aren't as powerful as those who get power from gods."

"Oh, okay," said Kiyora. "So, what happened?"

William remembered the vision suddenly. And then he remembered the sunlit grove where they had first met Wraith. It was similar to this village. Then he sensed His presence and shivered.

"Laughing Wraith got there before us." He realized aloud.

He reached the gates and found Tanith Telus waiting for him. The tall girl had cut her blonde hair into a bowl cut since the last they'd seen. At her side were two long swords, and she wore shining white armor as Raynald had. She looked sick to her stomach.

"William," she said, "you're here."

"Yes," said William. "I'm glad you're alright. What has happened?"

"A lot of people are injured," said Tanith. "Though that doesn't really do it justice. Come on; I'll take you to them."

She led him into the village, through the empty streets, and to a building. A man was lying by the side of the door, clutching onto a stick. He had a long white beard and tan skin and was short and stocky, though not as much as a dwarf. His eyes had been torn out.

"My eyes..." he gasped. "he tore out my eyes..."

William felt sick and horrible. No one deserved this. "Stay still," he said, touching the man's shoulder. "This will only take a moment."

He channeled Elranor's will into the man, who gasped as darkness was purged from his body. The eyes he had lost soon regrew, and he looked down at his hands in amazement. "I... I can see." Then he saw William and fell back. "You! Keep him away from me! Stay away!" He was cowering in terror.

"I won't hurt you," said William. "I swear it on my honor!"

"You swear it?!" cried the man. "You were the one who did all this!"

"I tell you," said William. "I have never been here before in my life. There is an army that will attest to the truth of my words."

"An army?" asked the man before he halted. "The ears. Your ears are different. It was... terrible. Terrible, terrible. He came last morning without warning. He didn't kill anyone, but he made us beg for death. A monster stalked his shadow.

"He is laughing; he is laughing..."

William put both hands on his shoulders and set his will to drive out the remnants of his unnatural fear. What remained was trauma. "Calm yourself. I need you to lead me to the others so I can heal them."

"I... I will do so." said the man.

"I'll come as well," said Tanith. "You might need help."

Help in case one of these terrified people attacked him. Tanith always had thought of things like that. But why would Laughing Wraith wear his face? Except the older man had said something about ears.

The old man led him inside to a bed where a young girl was lying. Her arms and legs had been broken in multiple places, and she looked like she was hardly aware of the world. Perhaps that was a mercy. Then, as he approached, the girl gasped and began to scream and cry. The older man hugged her.

"Keep him away..." she gasped.

"Don't worry, granddaughter," said the man. "The monster who attacked you only wore his face. He can help you."

William lay his hands on her and channeled the power of Elranor. The bones were severely broken, but he could reverse it. Elranor had given it to him. He just needed to direct it. Yet it was hard. Every bit of energy he poured into it only affected the wounds slightly. The girl was crying out in pain.

Then it was over.

"Tanith," said William, "do you have a cloak I can wear? Something that will cover my face?"

"Um, hang on." Tanith pulled off her cloak. "This has a hood."

"Good," said William, fitting it around his shoulders and pulling up the hood. "Take me to the others."

What he had seen happen to the old man and his granddaughter paled in comparison to the atrocities he saw that day. One person had been half-flayed alive. They should have been dead, but Wraith's power had kept them alive so they could suffer further. And that wasn't even the worst of it.

He never wanted to remember what he saw that day. But he knew it would return to him in his darkest dreams. Thus, he passed the rest of the day and eventually found himself sitting on the wall with everyone healed. There seemed to be a haze of despair just below the surface. Raynald arrived. He bit his nails on his one good arm and paced restlessly for a while. Finally, he looked up.

"Even Calishans don't deserve this," he said at last.

"They aren't Calishans," said Felix, looking down at his hands. "These are subjects of Harlenor and are a different group from mine."

"What do you mean?" asked Raynald.

"Baltoth rules over many races. I am a Medi," said Felix. "These are Drens, an entirely different ethnic group. My people are thinner and taller-"

"Never mind, I don't care. They all look the same to me." snapped Raynald. "Tanith, fan out and look for any more victims in the surrounding farmsteads. Bring them here so William can heal them."

"Right, right," said Tanith. "Someone has to do it, I guess."

"I've got to go speak to Vanion about our next course of action," said Raynald. "Come when you are ready, William. I'll give you some time." He turned and made his way out. There was a mournful silence.

"How could anyone do this?" asked Kiyora, who had been silent until now.

"I want to know how they wear my face," said William.

"Ears," said Felix.

"What?" asked William.

"The old man said that the one who did all this looked like William. Except for his ears," said Felix. "When we first met, Kiyora, you mistook William for someone you had seen before."

"How do you even remember that?" asked Kiyora. "It was months ago."

"I have a good memory," said Felix. "Who was the one you mistook for William?"

"I... it was a boy named Laurus," said Kiyora. "I talked with him and figured out they weren't the same. Then he invited me to join the fantasy club. But he would never do anything like this."

"Really? Let's examine what we know," said Felix. "We know that Laughing Wraith is committing atrocities in a mortal form. We know that he looks just like William. We know that Laughing Wraith is a dreamer like you.

"That seems to be a solid case against this, Laurus."

"He would never do anything like this!" snapped Kiyora. "Laurus is not a monster!"

"Maybe," said Felix. "But it can't hurt to be sure when next you wake up. William, I've got an idea of how to deal with this. We should send out word to the surrounding villages. We'll say that your lookalike is causing atrocities. That way, we can stop people from thinking you are doing this.

"And if the scouts find that any of those villages have been hit, we can call you up, and you can heal them. With your permission, I'd like to suggest it to Duke Vanion."

"Right," said William, "that sounds like a good plan. Go ahead. Tell him I approved the idea."Felix nodded and rushed off. Once he was gone, William looked at his hands. He'd healed a lot of people. But a lot more were probably suffering. And people thought he had done it. He felt like blood was on his hands, even if he knew it wasn't his fault.

"This can't be Laurus," said Kiyora.

"He might not even know what he is doing," said William. "And we can't leave any stones unturned here."

"I... but..." Kiyora paused before standing up. "Fine! I'll check it out, but if this is wrong, I want an apology!"

"And you'll get one," William assured her.

"I'd better," snapped Kiyora.

Then, she was gone in a flash.