We stayed near Unitera for a few more days. Interrogating the Emperor did not provide a lot of useful information. At least not concerning the Inquisition.

The paladin had given us a possible location for the high inquisitors. It was our best lead so far. It was decided we would march there next. While the army prepared to depart, Iris was busy recruiting. Besides former imperial soldiers she was accepting refugees and freed slaves.

Nira and Adhira became her drill sergeants. It was fun seeing the small storm sprite shout at people, and zap them if they misbehaved. Having a demon and a fey help to train the troops certainly made sure they respected non-humans.

Our destination was called the Red Citadel. It was not the official seat of the Inquisition. It was a lone castle where a lot of shady things happened. It would take our army a week to arrive. While we were moving we heard more and more reports of demon outbreaks. Sadly, there was not much we could do.

The Empire was large. Even if we left the army behind, Lucy and myself could not be everywhere. Nor could we search an entire city for runic formations or demonic plots. It seemed as if Lilith was right, we had no way of stopping the cult.

As we approached the Red Citadel, the landscape changed. The grass looked grey, the trees were black and there was a distinct lack of animals. It stank of necromancy. I decided to ask the paladin about that.

When I approached Sir Francis he was staring at the area in shock.

“This… when did this happen?” He wondered.

“So, this is not normal? The forest was alive in the past?” I asked.

“Of course! No one would have accepted that! What happened here? Is this a ritual?” Sir Francis was clearly distressed.

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“Hm. It could be a ritual. I am not an expert in necromancy.” Lilith mused.

“I am not an expert either. But keep in mind that fey are good at illusions. They could have hidden this corruption for a while and stopped to bother now.” I pointed out.

“Impossible! We were trained to see through illusions! As a paladin hunting evil that was very important.” Sir Francis protested.

“Sure. What if they only trained you to see through some illusions? I would not be surprised if the Inquisition fooled some of their members even before Beira took over.” I theorised.

“It’s hard to say.” Lilith commented. “It would have been a gamble. People can learn to counter illusion on their own. Of course, with a healthy dose of brainwashing they would believe their leaders more than their eyes. That is why cults are so easy to corrupt. Since the members are taught not to think and only to obey.”

“Don’t you have your own cult?” I asked.

Lilith smiled. “Of course I do. Cults have their uses, if managed properly.”

I looked at Sir Francis. “What do you say about your queen having a cult?”

“She provides us with guidance. She saved me from corruption. I was not able to see the evil I served. She freed me. She opened my eyes. I shall be her loyal servant.” He replied.

Lilith grinned evilly. “I am very good at what I do. Would you like me to teach you?”

I shook my head. “No, I don’t need a cult.”

Our discussion was interrupted as Dalroc and Loriel approached.

“Queen Lilith, Lady Amaya, do you know about this corruption? Will it be dangerous for our troops?” Dalroc asked.

I pondered that. “Could be. If the magic drains the life of everything in the area, it might affect people. Since there are no animals I assume they either died or fled. The question is how fast the magic works and if it is still active, or if we see the result of previous rituals.”

“I agree with Amaya’s assessment.” Lilith said. “There are some corruption demons in hell who can create a similar effect. It will weaken anyone inside the area. Mostly weaker soldiers would be at risk.”

“Which means the support personnel, like servants or cooks, should definitely stay outside this place.” I added. “I would suggest a small elite force should take a look. I could go, together with Lucy.”

“Sir Francis should be there, he knows the place.” Lilith added. “I am willing to come as well. I want to see what is inside that castle.”

“Hm. I was thinking about some simple scouting first. But we could directly go in with a strike team. I would bring Lily and Shani as well, in that case.” I said.

“I think that is wise. It is unlikely we will get any meaningful information without entering. The army can stay here and intercept anything that tries to escape. It’s possible we will unleash some undead.” Lilith said.

She had a point. If we killed a bunch of necromancers, their minions would not necessarily disappear. We could be facing a zombie or skeleton horde. Considering the state of the Empire, an undead outbreak was the last thing the people needed.

“Let me gather my people, then we can go.” I said.