It was darkness. No, darkness had substance. This was a void. Pure oblivion. William wandered in this place of emptiness. And he wondered if even he was real. Did he exist? Or was he the figment of some ancient and primordial gods' whims? Had he been given form by accident or for a purpose? And if there was a purpose, what was it? Was his existence simply for the god's amusement?

He shook himself from such musing.

"Where am I?" asked William. His own voice returned to him like a thunderclap. As if it was the first speech ever said in this place.

"You are in a realm now devoid of the power of the divine," said Arraxia's voice. "There is now only me. Rather the way I like it. And you are dying."

William realized she was serious. There was nothing casual in the way she said it. He could feel the poison rushing through his veins. He didn't want to die. But he tried not to show it. "So be it."

There was mocking laughter. "You can't hide your fear in this place. Even as we speak, the poison is sapping your strength. Draining away your life force."

William said nothing. Part of him was screaming to find a way out. Any way.

"No reaction?" asked Arraxia. "Well, let me ask you this; What do you think will happen to Kiyora if you die?"

"What of her?" asked William.

"She is trapped," said Arraxia. "Enslaved to the Iron Kingdom. Already their magics are working on her. She'll resist for a time, but eventually, she'll lose her very identity. Felix will be hunted down and killed. The Axe of Fortenex will fall into their hands."

"You're lying," said William.

"Am I?" asked Arraxia. "Am I really? You have part of her within you. What do you sense?"He felt that part of him open. He looked into a bright and blinding blue light and saw the truth. All that Arraxia said was true or seemed true. But William did not think Kiyora was as helpless as Arraxia claimed she was.

"So you see, it isn't so much as whether or not you want to sacrifice yourself," said Arraxia. "So much as whether or not you are willing to sacrifice everyone you care about to maintain your scruples.

"Especially since nobody would ever know."

"What do you want me to do?" asked William.

"Simple enough. Open your heart to me, and I will save you," said Arraxia. "I will bring out the power of Melchious within your being and use it to heal your wounds and ills."

"Won't that give him control?" asked William.

"Far from it. I will be destroying Melchious' means of control. And I will do it by sacrificing his power," said Arraxia. "Of course, I'll be trying to manipulate you using my own influence, but you were able to defy Melchious. Surely you can do the same for me. Assuming you want to."

William considered it. Once before, he had been given such an offer and had nearly accepted it. Once, a long time ago, he would have taken this one. But he was not the same person he'd been then. He wasn't the same person he'd been an hour ago. The world was always shifting, and people shifted with it.

"No. No, I will not give my will to you," said William. "If it is Elranor's will that I live, he will send aid."

"There is a difference between faith and stupidity," said Arraxia, voice frustrated.

"Perhaps. But I don't think Kiyora would want me to work with you. And Felix would call me an idiot for even considering it." said William. "I have already refused you once, demoness. Why do you persist in wasting both our time?

"I wonder if, for all your bluster if you do not have a personal stake in this."

"I wonder if you will sing the same tune when Felix is being tortured to death," snapped Apraxia. "No doubt by a Kiyora who has lost her very identity."

He'd hit a nerve. Although William could feel his veins burning, he smiled. "Felix is important to me. But in the end, he is just a servant, and I cannot sacrifice my will for his sake alone. And Kiyora is a goddess. I expect she can get herself out of this. And even if she couldn't, I doubt Elranor would stand for what the Iron Kingdom is doing. In time he will send aid.

"Also, you wouldn't have asked for my help if you didn't need me. So I think you're bluffing."

"Congratulations on realizing the obvious," said Arraxia. "I'm only making the offer to pass the time anyway."

William awoke. The pain of the poison was gone, and he was lying in a cotton bed. There was an open room, and he could see many other patients lying in beds like this one. His every inch ached. His sword was gone, as was his armor.

He sat up and realized he was shirtless.

At that moment, a curtain was pulled aside, and an old woman hobbled in. Her skin was wrinkled and pale. Her hair was covered by a hood, and she wore all black. She came to his side and looked at him. "So you are coming to at last then."

"Where am I?" asked William. "Who are you?"

"I am Cerel the Healer, and you are in my home," said the woman. "It is fortunate I found you when I did. If it had been a few hours later, the poison would be too advanced."

"You saved me?" guessed William.

"Yes. It was the least I could do," said Cerel. "You killed the Vulture of Melchious. He has been ravaging the villages of this place for years now. We were beginning to think we would never be rid of him?"

"Surely your Lord should have done something?" said William.

Cerel blinked. "Do you mean the Iron King?"

"I suppose," said William.

"He dwells in the Iron City and never comes out," said Cerel, walking over to one of the other patients. She began to administer ointment to wounds. "His warriors are stretched thin. And the Vulture wasn't considered a serious problem."

"Why not?" asked William. "Surely, such a vicious creature is a threat to everyone."

"The Vulture didn't destroy villages. Just robbed cradles and ambushed isolated farmsteads," said Cerel. "He didn't depopulate regions, merely terrorized them. He must seem like the least of our worries with all the horrors of late.

"He ate my sister fifteen years ago. And several of those who lie near you were hurt by him."

"And the others?" asked William.

"They were the victims of mining accidents," said Cerel. "Even dwarves are sometimes injured, and not all those who mine are dwarves."

"What do you mean?" asked William. "Dwarves are the only civilized race that can safely do mining. When humans do it, they die in droves."

"The local magistrate uses it as a death sentence," said Cerel. "A few weeks in the mines can kill anyone you want to get rid of. And the great source of revenue is the minerals in the earth. There are plenty of mines to go around."

"How can one live like this?" asked William, looking out a window to the lifeless forest. "In this... nightmare."

"One endures. One can't do much else," said Cerel with a sigh. "It was not always like this. Once, the Iron Kingdom was tall and strong. We were once the slaves of the minotaurs, taken from a thousand different lands. But the Iron King freed us, helped us overthrow our masters, and we built this place.

"The King roamed far and wide. He drove back all our enemies and made fortresses tall and strong. Yet those days are past, and we are decaying."

"The King has retreated into his palace, and his council rules now. Perhaps he has gone bad. Or maybe he is not the same King that the legends speak of. Whichever it was, our golden years are long past. Now is a time of wolves.

"All I can do is heal those who are injured."

William hesitated. Cerel's eyes were distant and sad. "How did you heal me? My own powers are useless." And he had just let slip the fact that he had divine powers. Idiot.

"There are many plants that have magical healing properties," said Cerel. "I know them all. However, I could not heal that scar of yours. How did you get it?"

"Battling a demoness," said William. He didn't want to discuss the matter.

"Well, however, you got it; no spell or medicine of mine could mend it," said Cerel. "Scars like that only happen when they mark something. It must have been from an important chapter in your life."

"More than one," said William. "It is a long story."

"I know. I read your journal," said Cerel.

William felt annoyed at that. Who was she to go around poking around in his things? Then again, she'd had no idea who he was and would have needed to know. He might have been a threat.

"Oh, that," he said. "I've taken to always keeping a volume on me to write my adventures in while I am having them. Just in case I end up being pulled on another one. Truth be told, it is less impressive than it sounds.

"In the first part, I was terrified for my life. In the second, I was only a supporting element. Raynald and Rusara were true heroes. As for this part, I can't make a judgment yet."

"I think you did as well as anyone could expect. And if these tales are true, you must be a formidable warrior," Cerel looked like she was driving at something. "May I ask a favor of you?"

"You may," said William. "I cannot promise anything until I hear what you desire." That sounded suitably dramatic.

"There is a village near this one. A place called Calacosh" said Cerel. "A vicious giant has raided it. Every night he has come and devoured one among the village. And no one can stop him. They have called for help from the Iron City, but no help has come.

"And now most of the soldiers have been sent north to hold the line against the Withering Lord."

"And you wish for me to help them." guessed William.

"Yes. I have no reward to offer you," said Cerel. "But I fear that if this giant finishes with Calacosh, it will come to my village next."

William sighed. He really couldn't turn down a plea for help like this. "Then I will do as you ask," he said. "Tell me, though, has there any news of a man named Lord Byran?"

"Whispers came from the village a few days ago that he stopped an invasion by the Einheroth," said Cerel. "News from the Iron City claims that it was utterly smashed. But I have some art of divination, and I know that the battle is far from over.

"He has stopped the vanguard. But even now the Einheroth pour out from the mountains. And with them go many goblins. The foul little creatures die in droves for their dark master."

"How is it that you draw power?" asked William. "Mine has been cut off." There wasn't much point in pretending at this stage.

"I do not gain power from a god but the spirits," said Cerel. "Laevian is a goddess, but she was first a spirit of woods. Every tree is one of her temples, and she grants me a measure of strength I cannot gain from the likes of Elranor."

"You mean she is not shut out?" guessed William.

"It all depends on what you mean by shutting them out," said Cerel. "As a god, she cannot directly grant me power while those cursed pillars still stand. Yet she holds sway over many spirits, and it is from those that I draw my strength.

"Of course, were I to ever reveal my powers openly, I should be sliced to pieces by the Iron Kingdom. They have a very harsh policy on anyone with power besides themselves."

"Why is that?" asked William.

"If you asked them, they would say because power must be under the control of those groomed to wield it," said Cerel. "That commoners could not understand the use of it. Of course, at the same time, they defy the gods on the exact opposite grounds.

"Those with power have the luxury of being hypocrites.

"How is it that you found me?" asked William. "I did not see any village for many miles."

"I was grabbed from my bed and flown through the air. Then I was thrown on the roadside far from my home. I began to walk back, and I found you around the bend." said Cerel. "I didn't understand it at first. But I think this demoness with whom you trade barbs is fixated on you and desires you alive for the moment."

"Comforting," said William. "Whatever the case, I will see to this giant of Calacosh personally. It is the least I can do, considering you saved my life. Where are my armor and sword?"

"I shouldn't leave just yet," said Cerel. "The poison may still be in your veins. Wait at least a day."

"...So be it," said William. "But I want to know where my armor and weapons are. I need to care for them."

"I put them in the cupboard," said Cerel. "Follow me."

It took several days for William to recover his strength. During that time, it quickly became clear that Cerel was no ordinary healer. She healed through ointments and herbs. Things that William had been brought up to view as a stopgap measure. Yet she got uses out of them, which he had not known was possible.

Even so, several of the patients died. Others recovered and went on their way. When William was strong enough to leave the room, he realized Cerel was well off. There were several rooms in her house and many beautiful things. There were runes of warding on the doors and windows.

If one looked out the window, one saw a hilltop looking over a village of thatched roofs and stone make. The despair in the rest of the kingdom was not so intense here. Some power other than the divine bolstered these people.

Yet the black pillar at the center of town stood tall. It leered down at them all. It seemed intent on sucking all meaning from the village. And the presence of something which defied it only seemed to infuriate the pillar. Or whatever power was behind the pillar?

Finally, he fully recovered. Donning his armor and equipment, he asked the question he'd meant to for some time. "Do you have any family?"

"My son is a soldier in the Iron Kingdom," said Cerel. "My daughter has married and moved away. My husband died some years ago. Now I live alone and tend to the sick."

"I'm sorry," said William.

Then Cerel drew out one of the ointments he had seen her use. "Take this with you."

"What are these made from?" asked William.

"They are made from healing plants grown in my garden," said Cerel. "And also from the leaves of a tree of Alchara."

"A tree of Alchara?" asked William. "I've heard legends of those. Didn't the goddess herself plant them, and their leaves can heal anything? I thought most of them were destroyed during the Founding of Harlenor. I know a few survive in Escor and the elvish reservations."

"Well, one survived here," said Cerel. "And I have planted its seeds in other places. Do not tell anyone about it. I fear if the Iron Kingdom learned of it, they would hack it down purely because it came from the gods."

"I promise you," said William. "I will tell no one. And I thank you."

"It is no trouble," said Cerel. "Actually, it is to my benefit. You can't kill the horrors infesting this land if you die." She handed him a pack filled with provisions."

"Fair enough," said William with a grin. "Could you point me toward Calacosh?"

He took the pack, and Cerel led him outside. Finding a road branching off from the main one, she pointed down it. There was even less hope on this path than in the other places he had been. It was almost painful to look at it.

"Follow this path for a day, and you'll reach it," said Cerel. "You can tell it by the feeling of absolute despair."

"I feel that everywhere in this place," said William.

"Oh yes, I had heard that outsiders respond to the Iron Kingdom badly," said Cerel. "We'll look for the worse case of absolute despair."

William laughed. Then, mustering his courage, he took his first step.