No one said anything.

Massacre met them lying in a road, and they walked together beneath fading trees as the wind howled. The road went from cobblestones to dirt and here and there were ruined towers. Cursed places where ghouls stalked and men dared not tread. These they destroyed out of principle, but they did not venture below. And now and then they had to fight off attacks.

"I don't have a problem with this," said Larxe. "They aren't my ghouls or Neral Dinis."

William called a halt to eat as things began to get dark. Larxe was munching on a rabbit she caught by hand and was not sharing any. When she finished, she threw it to her wolves, each taking turns biting from it. For his part, William ate what he had been eating this whole time. It was a kind of track that did not make you thirsty and reasonably easy to eat.

Uncle had given it to them, and it tasted far better than the stuff from Artarq.

Eventually, Larxe offered William the rabbit.

"Eating raw meat is unhealthy for humans," said William. "We have to cook it, or we get sick."

Larxe looked disappointed. "Suit yourself.

"So, what is going on?"

"Yes," said a soldier, coming forward. He was a massive man with a beard around his lips and a scarred face. His head was bald, and he had huge muscles. "What is going on?" He was a Sornian man and looked bitter. "We came here to help crush a rebellion, and you Harlenorians sick your dogs on us."

Larxe stood up, and her wolves did as well. The men held their ground, and things seemed about to go ill.

"Let me explain," said William.

"Why did you sic that creature on us?" asked a man accusingly.

"I sicced them on the undead," said William. "It was either that or be at Cirithil's mercy. And he called you here under false pretenses."

"You weren't here to crush a rebellion," said Jehair. "You were here to help enslave the population of Blackfear so Cirithil could sell them as slaves."

Silence.

"Jehair... explain," said the man. "Now. What is going on?"

And that was how William was abruptly drawn into a lengthy explanation of his adventures. And he had to do it several times, starting over as more troops came by. It was fortunate that no one seemed to particularly care for Cirithil.

However, William gathered that no one had been enthusiastic about putting down peasants. Since Anoa the Bright's laws, peasants did not exist. There were only commoners with training as militia. Cirithil's actions were viewed as a tyranny, and most of them had taken his payout of desperation. Nonetheless, negotiations would be tense if William hadn't had a chimera with him. And he felt very bitter about inadvertently causing the battle.

"His actions don't require defense, Finn," said the swordsman from before. He had appeared suddenly. His dark hair fell around his gray features.

"What do you mean?" asked William, hesitant.

"You acted according to your contract," said the swordsman. "You are obligated to escape and complete your mission. Our contracts put us at cross purposes. Therefore we have no quarrel."

"We lost the contract because of them," said Finn, stretching his arms.

"I had orders not to deliver William Gabriel to anyone but Saphra De Chevlon or Neral Dinis," said Larxe. "Cirithil is nothing but a frontman." And she took another bite of rabbit.

That settled things.

"And you are?" asked William.

"Garrick Estov," said the man. He was short for a dust-off, and William caught scale armor beneath his cloak. His sword was giant, almost as tall as him and half as thick as his body. How did he wield the thing? It was more like a straight cleaver. "Where do you go now?"

"At present," said William. "I have been considering turning around. But, unfortunately, I've faced a lot more resistance here than expected. And I'm concerned I may be killed."

"I see your point," said Garrick. "Had you time to collect yourself, you would realize you are very near Gel Carn. You need only get over the Border Hills and then over the river. I will be going there to the Tournament of Kings. I wish to observe the fighters."

"Fenus won't be able to pay you," noted William. "So unless you want to bargain for land, you won't be compensated. Though there are many lands out here if you could get rid of the taint."

"I say we get our payment from Cirithil," said Finn. "He owes us big for this."

"Either seems reasonable to me," said Garrick. "It might be wise for us to speak with the other captains and agree on a united front. If all goes well, we shall profit extensively from this."

William had no doubt that Cirithil's ill-gotten gains would all be eaten up by transport costs. He didn't have a ready supply of labor to go find it, with the citizens of Blackfear being his enemy. And even if he went out to find more, every day he waited was time Arkan could use to relocate the money.

The High Priest would gain virtually nothing by his evil deeds. But then, money had never really interested Cirithil. On the contrary, he seemed to enjoy taking advantage of Arkan more than the benefit he got from it. Somehow, William doubted that Cirithil cared about his gain so much as another's loss.

"Something wrong," said Garrick.

"Don't work for Cirithil," said William. "The man is evil. Whatever contract you make with him will likely be violated. Assuming you live long enough to demand payment."

"He may be right," said a tall, orange-haired woman in leather armor. "This contract has just been one disaster after another. I think we should seek a more reliable employer."

"There is a difference between money and value," said Garrick. "One can only understand the worship of Coinfurth once they know this difference. I am concerned with value. Sir Gabriel, there are standing stones on a hill near here. They should be safe, for they belong to Isriath. Will you follow me?"

"I will," said William.

Garrick led them on, but Jehair looked on in distrust. They moved off the path and came up onto a hill, where there stood three stones. They jutted out of the greening hills like jagged teeth where they rested. There they were, eating and drinking from their supplies. Neral Dinis had given them black bread, which was challenging and hard.

"What are these standing stones?" asked William.

"This was once a gathering place for the common fairies to Gel Carn," said Jehair. "They used to dance here, or so it is said in old tales. Anoa the Bright, though, drove them out. Now they no longer gather anywhere, and only the trees remain." She looked up. "The aura of darkness in the place is gone.

"It's just a dusty old set of ruins filled with bones."

"It is at this stage irrelevant," said Garrick. "Cirithil interrogated Arkan to get access to his illegal goods. "Cirithil has defaulted on his debt to me. And now pretends as though there was no arrangement. He refused to sign a contract earlier and pretends not to remember."

"What was the promised pay?" asked William.

"Something appropriate for one of my power," said Garrick. "I often work with verbal agreements. And I wanted to judge his character. Arkan was always honest insofar as his position allowed."

"What was your arrangement with Neral Dinis?" asked Jehair.

William explained that part in total. He hadn't gotten to it before though he omitted the apparent position of vengeance on Jehair. Larxe stayed away from the stones, sitting on her haunches with gloved hands on the ground. Her blue eyes were peering unblinking in the light, and she said nothing as her wolves came up behind her.

"A legal attack?" guessed Garrick.

"I made it a condition of cooperating with Neral Dinis that the attack is made honorably," said William. "Since we have an excellent means of attack in that direction, I see no reason he would not cooperate. My Father has always taught me that bloodletting is a simple solution."

At that moment, there was a flash, and Kiyora appeared in black pants and a shirt. She landed and kneeled down cross-legged. "Hey, William."

"Kiyora, where have you been?" asked William, accustomed to her being in and out.

"Oh, moving this way and that," said Kiyora. "I just directed a guy named Joseph Korlac to a pirate cove near the coast. Lots of stolen treasure and slaves, and Korlac is having all the pirates hung. They were carrying malas."

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"An alternative shipment from Khasmir, no doubt," said Garrick. "Do you profit by this?"

"Yes," said William. "But not in money."

"This is hardcore," said Kiyora, looking on in interest. "Oh, when you're done here, William, I've got a job for you. Long story short, a band of murderous satyrs lives some ways from here. Find their hideout, kill them all. They've been raiding the countryside and have killed quite a few people.

"Came in to join after the undead started fighting people. I think they were put up to it by priests, or so Tyrasa says. You know her, right? She says you do."

"Why?" asked William. Why had Tyrasa referenced him? He'd only met her briefly.

"Eh, I've seen their handiwork. But, doesn't exactly scream redeemable," said Kiyora. "No women or children, but you can judge for yourself. They're a bandit gang.

"Follow me; I've called in some people to help out.

"Oh, um, might want to know; there's some church guy there too. Cirithil, I think."

"What?!" said William.

"How is that even possible? We haven't been moving that slowly," said Felix.

"He might have had the meeting set up in advance," said Garrick. "If he rushed off the exact moment after we did and rushed for the Black Mountain without stopping..."

"He could outpace us," said William. "He was never this fit or determined before."

"He might have the support of Neral Dinis or some other power," said Garrick. "If so, his progress might have been sped. Someone has a serious grudge against humanity."

"It doesn't matter who it was," said William. "We cannot allow our own people to be sold as slaves. Get moving, now. I'm going to try and rustle up some more help here."

"I am not going with you," said Garrick. "I have seen the people of this land. They need to be stronger and have real value. It is good that they began resisting the undead but took measures too late. It is against my principles to go to their rescue."

"Why you heartless son of a bit-" began Kiyora.

"Kiyora, calm yourself," said William. "I thank you for the conversation, Garrick. It was enlightening, and your help here has been invaluable. Gods protect you."

"You as well," said Garrick.

"Well I won't be pulling for you, Garrick," said Kiyora in a huff. "Last I saw, the satyrs were arguing about price. This is going to take a lot of work."

"I'll see this for myself," said Larxe thoughtfully.

And shot off in a blur.

"Damn that woman moves fast!" said William.

The path took them over the ruined stones with a haze of blue. The stars were coming out little by little, and they moved on anyway. Hours of labor passed without complaint, and yet William felt himself becoming tired. The Black Mountain in the distance grew nearer and nearer, and they passed many towns.

Each had been seized, and old men and women were killed and thrown on the ground. Some had been torched and looked at, but all the corpses were old. Empty village after empty village went between them. One or two who held out spoke of satyr raids coming in the last night. They asked William to free the satyrs.

"I go to save the people the satyrs have been taken," said William. "Who will go with me?"

No one volunteered.

"No one?" asked William. He'd been expecting cries of enthusiasm.

"It's not our village that was taken," said a villager. "We're in this for ourselves." And there were murmurs of approval.

"Why should we care about you, knight?" asked one. "We're not dying in droves just so you can take the credit."

"What of vengeance for your countrymen?" asked William. "Those taken and even now being sold for slaves!"

"What of them?" asked another. "We don't know them. And now their land will be ours. Neral Dinis can't get rid of all of us."

"Fine," said William. "I hope you remember those words when you're the last village they come for! I'll go on alone if I have to! You may remain in your hovels and rot!"

Garrick had been right about this lot at least.

William got a similar reaction from several villages. A few were more apologetic about it all, and he could not blame them. But, oddly enough, the chirping of birds had gotten louder and louder. They saw wolves at night, not all of them Larxe's. There were vultures and bears, all gathering in numbers he had never seen.

The hills thinned out, and they were finally drawn to scale up rocky slopes. It was easy to hide here, but there was an old path. Jehair took them along it, and it had been cut from the rock long ago. However, all the cobblestones that had once been there were wiped away.

"Where is Massacre?" asked Felix suddenly.

William looked around. "She's gone, I think. Gone off before we met those villages."

"Perhaps she thought you'd be able to gather forces from the villages," said Jehair. "She's not a tame chimera best friend."

William did not laugh, though he appreciated the attempt at humor. Yet it occurred to him that this was Jehair's responsibility. She was known here and must have known of what was happening. How weak they were.

Yet effort had yet to be made to strengthen them. She was a spirit of this realm and had a vendetta against humanity.

"I think the warrior spirit of Harlenor has waned greatly in Antion," said Jehair. "When King Andoa phased out the militia system, hardly anyone had actually abided by it. Only now that the wolves have come out do they realize their mistake."

"I resent that remark," said Larxe. "We wolves have always been here. And we only eat humans if we're really desperate. Not really worth the hassle.

"Except for the Alpha, of course." Right, the bloodgiving werewolf god.

Jehair was rationalizing her actions.

"You truly are completely neutral, aren't you?" asked William, looking at her.

"I am a druid," said Jehair. "It is my job to be neutral. Perhaps we could seek aid from Farwa-"

"This has nothing to do with the elves of Qor'Dana," William stated quickly.

Coming along, they then saw the city. It was the city William had seen before in his match with Isriath. Though it was a burned-out ruin, it still stood, and all the ages had not beaten it down. It had a tattered beauty, with once bright walls turning gray. Elegant spires were broken here and there, though it was not much larger than a large village.

Yet it was defensible and well made. William felt sad that it should have remained in ruins for so long. Had it been a mark of respect that had made Anoa declare this place to go uninhabited? Or was it simply unnecessary? Or had he just felt that it would not be right?

Whatever it was, what he saw before it in torchlight was an abomination.

There was Cirithil, illuminated by two torches and in new white robes. His hair was ragged, and his face strangely pristine. Around him were many men inclined to be fat. They had guards who looked more like thugs and had a sneering disposition. Some looked dead-eyed or bitter, and their gaze kept going up to a field of stakes raised upwards before the city.

To one side were satyrs; many were drinking and dancing, and some were fighting. Many kegs of beer had been set up around them. And beyond them were ranks upon ranks of people in chains. Priests were holding them.

"A peculiar satyr tradition," said Cirithil as if in a sermon, and he motioned to the stakes. There were lump shapes on them. "Not to my taste, but ultimately a legitimate ritual. We must tolerate other faiths as we bring them into the light.

"What we have here is an outstanding achievement. These satyrs will now profit immensely from us as enforcers. Using them, we shall end the regrettable era of violence. We will enforce a civilized, thrifty class of commoners. Naturally, there will have to be more regulations, curfews, and binding to the land.

"The old ways of free movement from one land to another must be put behind us for security.

"Unfortunate, of course. But they have used their freedom to attack legitimate business interests." William was drawing nearer now and having a horrible feeling about the lumps. Cirithil hadn't even gone after the treasure; he'd come directly here. "These here will serve as a demonstration. To enforce discipline on an unruly population. There will be some resistance from... problematic members of the nobility.

"I'm sure Elranor will understand our concerns." Clapping from the men as William approached the stake, Cirithil raised a hand. "After all, when you look at it from the right perspective.

"This, too, is of the gods." And he motioned upwards.

William Gabriel saw what was on the stakes. And he saw the blood-soaked merchants avert their gaze. Instead, they congratulate one another on future profits and vision. They looked more like pigs in the light than men, feasting on meat sticks as they squealed in praise. Their voices could not distract, however, from what he saw there.

"Babies," said Jehair, eyes wide and handshaking as she saw it.

"Give the order, sir," said Felix, putting a hand to his sword.

"Don't talk damned nonsense," said William, and for the first time, he looked at Cirithil. Really looked, and he knew why he hadn't done it before. Every bit of hatred and wrath at the injustices around him poured out at once. "All your ways have been evil, Cirithil! Betrayer of your church, murderer of your flock! Debaucher of young girls and slaughterer of your kin!

"Your people clapped in chains and your sermons but falsehood for worthless minerals! Employer of monsters!" He motioned to the merchants. "Benefactor of ghouls and butcherer of the innocent! You have betrayed in spirit every law and custom of Harlenor! And now used the corpse of the bride you murdered as a shield!

"Even as you plot to usurp the gods, you should view them as masters!"

Cirithil smirked in triumphant self-satisfaction. The satisfaction of a man who has seen the worst of sins and cares not. The very notion of empathy for murdered children was a subject of scorn. "What of it?"

These men, these creations with a divine spark, laughed.

Laughed and laughed uproariously as though it was all the funniest thing in the world. All the merchants laughed as they pointed at him as though he were a court jester. Laughed, laughed with mocking scorn at William. At Elranor, at the very concept of good itself.

And then, all of a sudden, Cirithil's eyes widened, and he wasn't laughing anymore. His voice caught in his throat, and he choked out a cry of dismay. Then he stepped back in terror. A hoarse, wailing scream came from his mouth as he backed off and fell to the ground. Rolling on the ground, he wailed, and the merchants looked around in alarm.

At that moment, the satyrs ceased their revelry and drew swords. All of them raced toward the merchants whose guards abandoned them at once. But the guards did not get far and soon were surrounded and forced to fight. Madness overtook all of them as they hacked and slashed so that soon there were no sides. Just men killing other men, cutting eyes, and choking throats.

Their eyes were dead as if their souls had already gone to hell.

The priests, staring in horror, dropped their chains and fled up the mountain.

But even as they did, Felix and Jehair were in front of them, weapons readied and out for blood. They turned but found Coalmarsh and Ata appearing to one side with villagers with pikes. And no quarter was given when the priests howled for mercy this time.

Now there were only the merchants, snatching what goods they could and running.

Out of the rocks came wolves and beards and birds of all kinds. They descended on the satyrs. Soon they were tearing them apart with a rage uncharacteristic of animals. Jehair was with them, and the battle soon scattered. These satyrs were unlike those in Khasmir; they had no real courage and fled. Yet their eyes were pecked out by birds.

The merchants were fleeing down toward the towns. But Larxe and her werewolves came up the mountain with rage. And with them were many hungry vampires. The merchants pleaded and sobbed for mercy in vain as the feast began.

Blood was drunk in rivers as a great feast ensued. The screams of the survivors raised to high heaven, and William could feel nothing. Larxe and her kind remained separate as husks that moments ago had been men shattered on hard stone. Their fine clothes were all that marked them as the vampires shrank away with the coming of dawn. Finally, the beasts left, and Jehair and Felix sat down to rest. Meanwhile, Coalmarsh and his men freed the terrified slaves.

They were unhurt.

That left only Cirithil raving and screeching on the ground. Blood poured from his eyes and fingernails as he raved and babbled.

"Cut them down, for Elranor's sake," said Coalmarsh to the freed slaves. "Give your children a decent burial."

Then William looked to one side and saw Maius looking bitter as well. She wore now simply, natural white. Moving over to her, he halted. "Was this your doing?"

"Not the stakes," said Maius. "I didn't plan any of this.

"All I did was set up a trading system years ago. Years. Satyrs don't value money, so I convinced some merchants to bribe them with beer. Get them to go away, or use them as mercenaries. It worked for Lord Tarsus; I never thought this would happen."

"You are a god," said William. "But you do not control how mortals use your gifts. So these people will need all the help they can get."

"Yes," said Maius. "They will."

"Who let Cirithil do all this so quickly?" asked William.

"Isriath owed him a favor for the brothels," said Maius. "We can't break our word. All he asked was that he go swiftly and uncontested.

"We didn't control what he did with it."

Isriath appeared then, clad as though for the morning. "What now?"

"Isriath," said William. "This land can long stay unoccupied. These people will need a home. That fortress is as good a place as any.

"Will you allow them to dwell there for a time?"

"It is the least I can do," said Isriath. "I shall speak to Elranor and speak to them in turn."

And Isriath went to Coalmarsh, who was tending to the funerals. His conversation appeared to have been observed. And many of those men who had come with Larxe were sharing a bitter drink. Some of the villagers went to join them after the rites were complete.

"Who gave them this beer?" asked William.

"The Naker dwarves," said Maius. "They trade for slaves so they can use them to till the fields. That way, they can all be craftsmen and warriors. Lord Tarsus abolished slavery in his land, but they went by their own laws.

"Amazing what happens when you're drunk. Everything seems right with the world until it isn't."

William moved over to where Cirithil had begun to gnaw at the post while sniveling. He looked like an animal. He was less than an animal since he was hurting himself. His hands were bloody from scraping at the ground.

Coalmarsh approached and looked torn between being sick and satisfied. "Well, all he ever wanted to do was disgrace his position and avoid responsibility. So I should say this satisfies all parties."

"What will do with him?" asked William.

"Put him in a Sornian asylum and pretend he's still High Priest," said Coalmarsh. "It isn't as though he minded any of his responsibilities. And the last thing we need is one of his friends taking his place." Then he kicked Cirithil away from the post and tied a rope around his neck. Cirithil bit him, and Coalmarsh snapped.

Coalmarsh backhanded him across the face. Then he kicked repeatedly in the gut in a rage until Cirithil screamed in terror. Then, grabbing him by the hair, Coalmarsh smashed him against the post and let him fall.

"Shut up, cur," said Coalmarsh. "I would kill you on the spot if I didn't balk at the thought of your potential successors. Better to have a madman for High Priest than the alternative."

Given the situation, William could hardly hold it against him. Moving forward, he healed Cirithil on reflection. He wasn't even sure why he did it, so he looked to Ata. "You have no objection to this, Ata?"

"The man named Cirithil died a long time ago," said Ata sadly.

William shrugged. "I would not presume to meddle in church affairs.

"Who runs the temple now?"

"Me or no one, I think," said Ata. "Most of the proactive members of the clergy have been killed by now. They used their healing as cover for making business arrangements. There are still Rundas and Bishops, but they have their own lands to mind. And Rundas has been talking about going into hermitage.

"Seeing Cirithil in his full glory has sickened him.

"All of the others are up-and-coming initiates.

"So I am now de facto High Priestess by being the only one left. Coalmarsh is from the Haldrenian church, so he can't do it.

"You know, he did import some lovely art. Had good artists made it?

"He never looked at any of it, though. Not once."

And they walked off, carrying the unconscious High Priest to an eight-by-eight cell. The posts were cut down, the children were buried, and the people of Blackfear began to build a shelter.

It was not enough.

William looked to Larxe, who nodded. Then, moving over to Jehair, who looked older than ever, he halted. "Are you alright?"

"I think I'm going to die soon," said Jehair. "Mentally, anyway.

"The Jehair you see in a bit will be younger. I've seen too much."

"Well," said William sadly. "I think we can gain retribution for some of this before it happens. This seems to confirm what we suspected about Tavish's outpost up there. These men must have come over the mountain."

"Yes, you're right," said Jehair. "It is now the lynchpin of their operations. If we find it, all we need do is reveal its location. Once that happens, a guard can be posted down here and regulate the trade route.

This may be less of a stalemate after all.

William looked to Larxe. "Larxe, we'll need you as a tracker. We've thieves to hunt. First, I want to find the outpost they set up on the Black Mountain."

Larxe smiled happily. "It'll be a pleasure."

William had the feeling she'd be wagging her tail if she had one.