To reach the cave of the cyclopi king they had to scale a long way. It hadn't been pleasant at all. Climbing mountains wasn't fun, even when you weren't wearing full battle armor. By the end, Tanith was in an even fouler mood than she'd been before.

She kept glancing at the guards around them. Her hand would twitch and go for one of her swords. Then she would draw it back.

As they got higher, they suddenly came out of the trees and saw a massive wall of rocks piled on top of one another. It circled the knees of the mountain, and all of the trees within three hundred yards of it had been torn out. Not down, out. There were gaping holes in the earth where the cyclopi had pulled them up, roots and all. The trees themselves could be seen in several huge buildings beyond the wall.

There was only one way into this ring of stone. It was a gatehouse. The gate was built from entire trees bolted together. As they neared it, it opened, pulled aside by two cyclopi. A third one came out to greet them, and he bore a gigantic round shield with a single eye at the center of it.

"What news, Kronel?" he asked. "Have you prisoners?"

"No Porly," said Kronel. "These are emissaries, or so they say. They wish to speak with our king."

"We've not had emissaries in years," said Porly, disappointedly. "No matter, the fence is open."

"Fence?" asked Tanith. "That is a wall."

"Not to them, it isn't," said Eitrigg. "The grandfather of King Estal tried to conquer this mountain. He defeated the cyclopi in a battle and pursued them here. But we could not break the wall and was worsted."

"Couldn't they have just shot them with arrows?" asked William. "Or cast down the wall with stone-throwers?"

"Cyclopi are great forgers of steel," said Eitrigg. "And they can make shield walls as well. Their shield walls are far thicker than any shield wall we humans can make."

They were led through the 'fence.' Beyond they had to scaled a way up until finally, the ground slid downwards as they neared the peak. They saw a cave whose entrance was as black as night. The cyclopi guards led them into the darkness.

Then, a very strange thing happened. As soon as they set foot beyond the mouth of the cave, everything was illuminated. They were walking on tiled floors with beautiful designs painted upon them. The ceiling and wall were similarly decorated. And the entire inside was illuminated by great spheres of light. Yet they were dull and did not hurt the eyes to gaze on.

"Behold, the cave of King Themos," said Kronel. "Where our King dwells."

"This is a very beautiful cave," said William.

"You did not imagine our King would live on a bare stone?" asked Kronel. "No, he is a craftsman greater than any other."

Cyclopi servants were walking this way and that with bundles. As it turned out, the cave became less opulent once you got past the entrance hall. There were still tiles, but there were no designs. William saw a cyclopi herding a vast number of sheep into one passage.

Eventually, it came to a great stone lying in front of an entrance. Kronel set down his mace and gripped ahold of the stone. Heaving with his legs he rolled it aside to reveal a great hall. Within it was a massive throne, and on that sat a smaller cyclops. His skin was darker than the others, and his horn was longer. His face was wrinkled, and he was missing his left index finger.

As they came forward, he raised his eyebrow. "Kronel, you return with a strange company. What is the meaning of this visit?"

"I come with emissaries from King Estal," said Kronel. "They have come seeking to negotiate the release of Princess Cassandra."

"Let them come forward," said King Themos.

William walked forward and came before him. Falling to one knee, he removed his helm, letting his hair fall around his shoulders. "Greetings to you, King Themos. I am William Gabriel, son of Duke Vanion Gabriel, and I bear no ill will toward your people. Indeed, I desire peace be reestablished between your people and the people of Estal."

Themos narrowed his eye. "You... you have seen the goddess Typhos."

"I am," said William. "I have been both friend and foe to her in the past."

"Your words are fair," said Themos. "Yet it is for peace that I have kept Princess Cassandra with me. It grieved me to do so, but Estal's armies were mustering. Many on both sides would have been destroyed had I not taken her there.

"But she does not languish in a dungeon as some may claim. She is given the freedom to walk my halls, even to go outside."

"May I speak with her then?" asked William. If he could get her to write a letter, it would go a long way to helping his case.

"You may," said Themos. "However, I cannot release her. Not so long as Estal plans to march against us."

"Perhaps some kind of agreement can be reached."

At that moment, a tall and thin cyclops came forward. He wore a long brown cloak, and a staff made from an entire tree was in his hand. He coughed.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Themos looked up. "Ah, my sage, Pelmus. What is it?"

"Majesty, I have received a vision from Typhos," said Pelmus. "I must speak to you at once."

"We will have to continue this discussion later," said Themos. "I will extend to you the hospitality of your house. So long as you vow not to harm anyone within or seek to remove Princess Cassandra by force."

"You have our oath," said William.

"Good," said Themos. "Kronel, take them to Cassandra."

Once again, they were herded into a side passage that led into the mountain. As they walked, Tanith looked even more irritated than before. "What are you thinking, William? We could have just hacked and slashed our way up here without spending time on boring negotiations."

"Tanith, you can't solve all your diplomatic problems by killing people," said William.

"Why not?" asked Tanith. "It's worked out pretty well for the Calishans."

"Baltoth prefers to divide their enemies one way or another. Rather than to conquer them one by one," said Felix. "To do that, you must have an active diplomatic presence."

"Oh, and I suppose you're an expert on Baltoth," said Tanith.

Felix smiled for some reason. It was a knowing smile. "I know him better than you."They came to a smaller room. And in this place, there were pieces of furniture that were not meant for cyclops but humans. Even so, they were big for a small person.

Sitting in one of those slightly overlarge seats was a pretty young woman clad in a white dress. She looked at William curiously. "So, more would be heroes?"

"Emissaries, milady," said William. "Are you Princess Cassandra?"

"Yes." said the woman. "Who are you?"

"We're hoping to arrange for your release," said William.

"Well, it's a better strategy than the last band of mercenaries," said Cassandra. "Most don't make it past the entry hall. Themos is clever. And very good at stealth."

"He's twenty feet tall," said Felix.

"Fifteen, actually," said Cassandra. "And that has never stopped him before. When he grabbed me from my bedroom, I was looking out the window, and I didn't even see him until he grabbed me."

"Is he related to Neseriah by chance?" asked Felix.

"Neseriah?" asked Tanith.

"One of Baltoth's children," said Felix. "The result of his union with a race of giant bats. They are very good at melding with shadows. I'm descended from her."

"That's disgusting," said Tanith.

"He shape changed," said Felix.

"Bats aren't people," said Tanith. "They can't give consent."

"I'm sorry, Tanith. Did you ask for consent from any of those priestesses you raped?" asked Felix.

"It was only one," said Tanith. "And that was during a war."

"How is what Baltoth did any worse?" asked Felix. "The bats certainly didn't care in the end. I expect the girl you're keeping as a slave back in Ran Telus might have some objections to her status."

"Can we please not discuss this?" asked William. "No one here wants to hear about Baltoth's or Tanith's conquests."

"Bah," said Massacre.

"Quiet Massacre," said William.

"I'm with the one in skull armor," said Cassandra. "This doesn't interest me."

"Of course, I forgot," said William. "I haven't introduced myself. I am William Gabriel, son of Duke Vanion Gabriel. You have been in the company of King Themos for some time. I wonder if you have any ideas as to what can be done to convince him to release you."

"Well, he's been very courteous with me," said Cassandra. "I'm never hurt, and he provides fine food and drinks for me. I do know that he thinks that he'll lose if it comes to all-out war. That's why he was so keen on taking me hostage."

"We could use that," said Felix. "If we convince Themos that King Estal will gladly sacrifice his daughter. Especially if it means avenging an insult."

"I don't want to threaten anyone," said William. "It breeds resentment."

"Look, why don't we grab the girl and hack our way out?" said Tanith.

"No," said William. "We have given our oath."

"You've given your oath," said Tanith. "I haven't said anything."

"We are not going to start a bloodbath under any circumstances," said William. "Now, stop asking."

"Fine," said Tanith.

At this point, Themos emerged from the shadows, clad in full armor. "I'm glad to hear that, young William. You may be someone I can negotiate with after all."

How had William missed him?

"He does this a lot," said Cassandra.

"...When did you get there?" asked William.

"I have been here the entire time. I am of the third generation descended from Neseriah," said Themos. "Your guess was correct. Cousin."

"Oh," said Felix. "So it was."

"At any rate, I have received news from my soothsayer," said Themos. "He says that Baltoth desires to establish relations with the cyclopi. I am inclined to accept his offer. Friendship with my ancestor's empire would protect my people."

"I wouldn't trust a friendship with Baltoth too deeply," said William. "You may end up one of his subjects."

"Of that, I am well aware," said Themos. "I want to negotiate with King Estal to gain his friendship. Playing the sides against each other is an ancient art with a long and glorious history.

"It is a shame that you aren't here as an emissary."

"My quest was to arrange the return of Princess Cassandra," said William. "I took some liberties with my methods."

"Meaning that King Estal wanted you to barge in, sword drawn, and hack your way to victory?" guessed Themos. "Just as several previous mercenaries and adventurers have tried?"

"More or less," admitted William. "Though I do not think he would object to having her returned peacefully."

"I cannot release Cassandra just yet," said Themos. "However, instead, I will send you back to King Estal bearing many gifts. There was a time when the Cyclops were sought after for our art and skill at craftsmanship.

"You will tell King Estal that I am willing to begin negotiations for his daughter's return."

"King Themos, would you allow me to write a letter to my father?" asked Cassandra. "I wish him to know the truth of my captivity."

"Of course," said Themos.

"Good," said William. "I will observe her writing it. That way, I may tell King Estal that she did not write it under duress."

"A good plan," said Themos. "I will give your company a place for the night. And in the morning, you will eat and depart for Estal."

"As you wish," said William.

It's not the most heroic of achievements, but it's still worthwhile.