Sister Alharrow appeared, by all accounts, to be an old woman. Her dreadlocks had long since gone silver, and her skin was deeply tanned and wrinkled from a life spent moving from place to place with her shapeshifter pack. She a wore simple, heavy canvas cloak and sturdy hiking clothes; in her hand was her walking staff and at her neck was a necklace of carved wood twists.

But for all her apparent age, there was great power inside her. She moved quickly to the very edge of the circle, hissing as she threw a handful of what looked to be dried plants across the threshold.

“No!” Sesuuk hissed, but the effect was already happening.

As soon as the herbs crossed the glowing green lines, they flared a brilliant, shining white that pushed back the green glow. Wherever they hit the floor, the green lines of the circle sputtered and died, breaking the magical connection. Finally, the entire circle was fading to nothing but chalk lines.

“What have you done, old woman!” The Lamakai was incensed. “Do you know how long it takes to prepare that!?”

“Long enough that you knew you would use it before Esther was overcome by it today, Prophet!” Sister Alharrow snapped, walking forward to lean over Esther speak gently. “Holy Sage,” the wise woman said. “It’ll heal anything, given enough potency.” She gestured at the other Lycans behind her, who were drawing pouches of liquid and earthenware cups from their cloaks. “Prepare the healing draught. We need to start administering it immediately.”

“You are a fool! This will do nothing to heal Esther of the qlippothic energy!” Sesuuk visibly shook with rage.

Finn was silent during all of this, his eyes watching everyone in the room, but one thing stuck in his mind.

“This Rite of Replenishment. It takes time to prepare? You knew that Esther would come here, didn’t you? You planned this, Sesuuk?” he asked, his brow furrowing as his fists started to clench.

“Of course I planned this! Please, do not make the mistake of being as foolish as this one is, Finn! I saw that your sister contained qlippothic energy, and so I have been working on a way to draw it out of her for some time. It took me moons to acquire the proper ingredients!” Sesuuk hissed in frustration, reaching up to massage his brow bridges as if they pained him.

“The rite will concentrate the qlippothic energy,” Sister Alharrow contradicted. “It is used to enhance and harmonize energies, not get rid of them. What she needs is good, natural healing.” The Lycan took one of the cups and put it gently to Esther’s lips.

Finn saw his sister cough and splutter, but a little of the liquid went into her mouth. As soon as it did, she started to sweat.

“You will kill her if you are not careful, Alharrow! You cannot just fight the qlippothic energies. You have to balance them. They have already been held in her body for this long, we need to find a way for them to stand in balance with each other!” Sesuuk said.

“Rubbish,” Alharrow retorted.

It was all too much for Finn. He didn’t know which of them was right.

“Enough!” he shouted, and his voice echoed with such force that the vials on the shelving shook. There was immediate silence, because the anger of a Level 24 Knight-Defender was a powerful thing.

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“Who am I supposed to trust?1” Finn demanded. “I want that energy out of my sister, so it has to be the Lycan’s way. But you say to do that would kill her, Sesuuk. What am I supposed to say?” His voice broke. “If my sister dies here, then that is it. I am out. I will take the Hearthstone and I will leave Blackwood for good. Forever!”

The Lycan and the snake-man looked at each other with skepticism and scorn for a long moment. It was clear that Finn was beside himself with anger and despair, and he might just make good on his threat. He might actually abandon Blackwood if the worst happened, and without the Hearthstone, they would have no magical protection holding them together. Nothing at all.

“I suppose… There might be a way,” Sister Alharrow said through pursed lips, “but not the whole Rite of Replenishment. The prophet could use his powers to maintain Esther’s current state, and I could also use our healing draughts to fight off the energy that is already inside her… But it wouldn’t be a cure. It would just prolong where she is right now…”

“I can do that,” Sesuuk hissed slowly, his eyes glittering.

“But it wouldn’t be a cure,” Finn repeated. “What would?”

For a long moment, no one spoke, until Sister Alharrow’s eyes suddenly lit up.

“There is a legend that my people used to tell of a powerful shrine—one devoted to the Asai of Earth and to healing. It is called the Oldtree. If anywhere in the entire engines can heal your sister, then the Oldtree can,” Alharrow said.

“Sesuuk?” Finn asked, his eyes darting towards the snake-person.

The Lamakai nodded, but he did not look happy about it. “It should be possible. My people have heard of the Oldtree, of course. It is imbued with the essential power of the Asai of Earth herself. The most powerful healing magic in the entire engine…”

“Where is it? How do we get there?” Finn asked urgently.

“We can’t move her,” Sesuuk and Sister Alharrow said at the same time. They looked at each other with surprise.

“I see you can agree on something, at least,” Finn muttered, fighting to control his temper. “Solutions. We need to find the Oldtree. Where is it?”

“I do not know where the Shrine of the Oldtree is, but the acolyte would,” Sesuuk hissed.

Finn knew he was referring to the large, blue-skinned demi-god who had been in charge of Malvas before using Finn and the others to help his own ascension.

“Or the Asai of Shadow, as he is known now. You said he had libraries. Grimoires. My people have been traveling back and forth from Malvas to study them. He was keen on learning everything he could about the Celestial Engines, and all of the Older Zones and realms,” Sesuuk said. “If there is any record of where the Oldtree is, it will be in his library.”

Finn looked at Alharrow, who didn’t appear to want to agree with the snake-man about anything, but she nodded all the same.

“Good. Malvas isn’t far. And it’s our twin city. We travel before dark,” Finn announced.

“Finn…” It was Laurie Marr, looking around the room. “Those troll scouts you faced… I’d hazard they were from Termulain Trading Post. Maybe some new war boss. So far, we have been insulated from them because of the inner sea—and the ridge and forests—but if they have found out where we are…”

It will mean war. A large enough troll force to crush Blackwood.

“I’ll get reinforcements from Malvas. They’ll be happy to supply them.” Finn nodded. If Laurie was daring to suggest that he stay back to defend the realm, she had another thing coming.

“I’m going,” Rosa said immediately. She had appeared to become fond of Esther in these first few months they had known each other. Finn rather thought that Esther looked up to Rosa as a strong, independent woman. He nodded his thanks. Things would certainly be a lot easier with Rosa at his side.

“As will I. My people have the most legends of the Oldtree. I will be able to sniff it out when we are on the right track,” Sister Alharrow said defiantly.

“I will maintain your sister,” Sesuuk announced.

Alharrow added immediately, “And my Lycans will be allowed access to her, day and night, to ensure that she is getting the proper amounts of Holy Sage.”

This earned another scowl from Sesuuk, but he opened his scaled hands as if it was no matter to him either way.

“Then it’s settled. Everyone get your things together. We have no idea how long we will be gone for, but we will be traveling fast and light.” Finn looked around the group before he knelt at Esther’s unconscious side. “I will hurry back, Es. Just hang on in there, hang on!”