Night had the five travellers settling down about an hour from a distant road. Setting up a campsite beneath a tree, and all of them seemingly exhausted from the day.

As Gruna lit the fire, and thanked the trees for what they had provided, Elion pulled a lute from… Somewhere? And began to strum it, tuning the instrument.

Ghost huffed and snuffled around a bit before dropping to the ground. Head falling to the ground between his paws, before letting out a final dissatisfied snort.

“Before the Black Gates calling…” Elion sang lightly, before frowning and twisting a few more threads.

Phoebe was kneeling in front of one of the trees, mumbling and trying to form the words that Gruna had taught her correctly. All she was saying was the equivalent of ‘thanks’, but in the language of the trees it was a series of rising whispers, tangling and tailing and drifting out into the wind.

“Bi… uurd… talar…”

Gruna had explained that it was because of the intent of the word. When you said thankyou to someone, it was intended to be something eternal. You were forever grateful, and that gratefulness should be a thing that went right the way around the world until it was needed again. Phoebe thought the idea was rather sweet.

“Khaj… yavdag…”

Drektanion snorted at her efforts, before lying his house-sized head down besides the tiny fire. He almost closed his eyes, but not quite. The pupil staring out at the fire that looked so small beside him, stretching out as if it were trying to devour the flame, pull it in to the great beast.

Phoebe thought for a moment about interrogating him. The dragon hadn’t been part of their aborted introductions. Though… She didn’t feel much like interrupting his sleep. Nor did she really know how you should go about asking how a nigh-immortal relic of the creation of a world how they day was going.

She stood up and briefly touched the tree of the bark before walking over and dropping cross-legged beside the fire. Scanlan would know what to do here. He always knew how to make the entire party laugh. Phoebe gave a sad sort of smile, “Are gnomes a thing, here? We have short people back home, but call one a gnome, and you’ll be eating through a straw.”

“Gnomes?” Elion burst out laughing, and then nodded, “Horny little buggers. Mostly hang out in the cities, under the protections of the holy knights. Known one or two in the sheets. Not bad, but not worth the silver.”

Phoebe threw up in her mouth a little.

Gruna grunted, “If you could refrain from referring to people, with lives, hopes, dreams, as nothing more than bedding compatriots, it would be appreciated. If you do not, then I may feel the need to take excessive action.”

He just laughed and went back to tuning his instrument.

“So, gnomes are real. Hobbits? My favourite book is about a hobbit who takes on a dragon.” Phoebe smiled.

Drektanion snorted, but otherwise showed no evidence that he was even paying attention to the conversation. Gruna grunted as she removed her breastplate, putting aside the heavy metal and revealing a skin-tight black shirt that Phoebe hadn’t seen before. The orc stretched and then began removing her gauntlets, “Indeed, there are. Technically, hobbits and gnomes are faekind. Crossbreeds with humanity, or the others of the three races.”

“Three races?”

Elion looked up at her, “You are shitting me. You don’t even know that? Where the… What kind of world have you come from?”

“One without magic, ass.” Phoebe glared.

“Magic… Magic was stolen.” Elion said in disbelief, “None of us had it, to begin with. None. The dragons were the first to nick it. Stole it right out of the sun, and plunged the world into darkness, and unleashed the Underworld and nearly buggered us all.”

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

It… Did not occur… That way."

Phoebe looked at the dragon, and saw his large eye finally closed. A tiny bulb of black of water pooling in the centre of the lid, almost about to feel. She looked at the sharpened scales and thorns surrounding the surface, and finally began to pity the huge creature.

Elion yawned, “Whatever. We were both there. You and your bastards stole the power of the gods, and it took the elves to reverse engineer magic, and fix our world before the demons killed us all.”

“I’ll rip and tear you, if you don’t show some sort of… Compassion. Guy’s hurting!” Phoebe glared at him.

Elion blinked, “Rip and tear? Now, there’s a phrase. One I haven’t heard in a very, very long time. Not since Arlene died. Now, there was a real woman.”

Phoebe shook her head and dropped backwards onto the ground, “Can you, for three seconds, not be a jerk? Please? I’m tired.”

“One… Two… Three. All done, woman who has had her destiny served to her on a golden platter, by someone who has the balls to take on the gods, and yet still rejects it.” Elion sneered.

There was a heavy clunk as one of Gruna’s gauntlets knocked the elf flat.

Phoebe rolled onto her side, hugging in around herself as she felt the cold flowing through the ground and into her chest. She felt completely alone in this place. She wasn’t a witch. She couldn’t stand and fight. Everything that they talked about… She was just a coffee addict. How could she do anything that they needed?

A firm hand touched her shoulder, and she heard Gruna’s voice rumbling, spilling out in heavy tones that seemed to crash into the night and knock it backwards. Forcing the world back, and giving Phoebe the space she needed.

> “In the shadows we walk,”

> “Beneath the moon’s dark gaze”

> “we fight for truth and justice,”

> “for Go’ruuk, for vengeance,”

> “against blood spilled, and magic tainted!”

Elion sneered, “Oh come off it, do we have to have a bloody hymn right now? Fuck Go’ruuk.”

Phoebe snapped upright, grabbing the orc’s elbow, and shaking her head, “He’s not worth it.”

Every muscle in Gruna’s body flexed, as her green eyes considered the elf very carefully. There was an anger there that wasn’t about to die anytime soon. This was something that the holy knight was never going to forget.

> “In battle, we will triumph,”

> “In victory, we’ll sing,”

> “For our Go’ruuk,”

> “We fight, we serve, we bring the rage.”

Phoebe shivered at the last word, and slipped one of her arm’s around Gruna’s waist. Pulling her in and leaning onto her shoulder. Not knowing a single thing that she could say. She didn’t know what feeling your deity insulted would feel like. Especially not if that same deity let you fuck up just about anyone who walked by.

“Ancient Elion. Elf of the First Legion.” Drektanion thundered, without opening his eyes, “Consider well your next words. As they may be your last in this world.”

The elf sat comfortably, and began to strum his lute, “If we have to sing, at least let’s have it be a good song, eh?”

> “Raise a glass, to the one so bold,”

> “Who will fight, so fierce and cold,”

> “Their name will be forever told,”

> “In tales of courage, brave and old.”

Gruna grunted and leaned back onto her wrists, joining in as if the song was just something that everyone knew.

> “In a land cursed by darkness, fear and plight,”

> “A hero arose to stand and fight,”

> “Against a witch of wicked might,”

> “Whose evil deeds brought endless night.”

Phoebe winced, “Please tell me, that she hasn’t actually brought endless night. That sounds like a freaking nightmare.”

Ghost sat up, and let out a long howl, joining in with the music as the other kept on.

> “They challenged her, with nerves of zeal,”

> “To end her reign, to break the seal,”

> “And bring back light, to make things real!”

All three launched into the chorus as they bit of the last word, even Drektanion seemingly humming along. The tune resonating with Phoebe, if she had to admit it.

> “I’m fighting a witch with blue fire!”

> “Battling flames, gotta take her higher”

> “I won’t let her win, never gonna tire,”

> “I’ll stand my ground and never retire!”

> “Fuck that bitch, there ain’t any who admire,”

> “She’s nothing but a game, we’ll make her death transpire!”

> “Fuck that bitch, fuck that bitch!”

> “Ain’t gonna twitch, bring out it in the entire,”

> “we’re gonna acquire!”

> “That goddamned blue fire!”

> “Blue fire!”

Ghost’s howl turned into a growl that resonated deep inside Phoebe’s chest.