Kaden went to find Ymersist, and found the Litch sweeping a hallway. “How’s it going?”

*The days pass and the young learn the ways of Death. Come, thou shalt learn the secrets the dead keep.* The Litch glided along through the Necrosium, leading him lower and lower, until they reached the Temple of Mortis.

The river which ringed it raged, throwing froth up as Kaden crossed the bridge. “Mortis welcomes the faithful,” the [Priest] said. “He was pleased with the gift you offered. Do you wish to begin a second class, as one of his followers?”

“Thank you, but no.” Kaden explained about the past wielders. “Are any of them still available?”

“One. The Dark Lord Malkoriathorax bides his time, unwilling to be judged by Mortis. I have summoned him from across the river.” The Priest looked down across the water, where a cloud of darkness became a towering skeleton in a robe of darkness.

“Speak truth, who summons me?” A voice like leaves in autumn wind spoke.

“Me!” Kaden said, heading down to river’s edge. “You look like Ymersist. How the heck did you ever wield Remembrance?”

Kaden took out the War Hammer. “I’m supposed to seek out previous users of this hammer to learn what it does. I know it builds up power. I know it can unleash stored up blows. Not too long ago, I learned a Tier Four spell while using it.”

“By what name did thou call it?” The Dark Lord leaned in.

“Remembrance of Battle,” Kaden said.

“Perhaps now. When I slew the armies of the Godorin Empire, it was named ‘Echo of War. It is a challenge weapon.”

Kaden didn’t know that at all. “And I know what a challenge weapon is. But just in case I didn’t, what would I know it does?”

“Against the weak, it is only your strength that drives it. Against the strong, it recalls other battles. It draws on the past. It is the same power that brings it back to thy hand. It remembers the time when it was held.” The shadow crossed its arms. “Thou did know this, did thou not?”

“Uh…yes? Help me remember exactly how I bring it back.” Kaden had almost never thrown Remembrance, primarily because getting it back would be almost impossible. It was an act of desperation.

The shadow mimed holding its arm out. “Remember. When it has drunk of battle , remember it within thy hand. If thou cannot handle this, all else will tear you apart. You carry the seeds of ruin and destruction. Do not seek to use what you cannot control.”

“But that’s the fun part!” Kaden protested. “I’ll come back and ask again once I get the whole recall thing working. See you soon?”

The wraith began to tremble with frustration and rubbed its skull, leaving marks with its bone fingertips. With a wail of rage, the shadows dissolved.

“The spirit has departed for the court,” the [High Priest] said. “I’ve been trying to convince it to accept eternal punishment for two centuries. He chose that rather than converse with you.”

That was hardly Kaden’s problem. Kaden thanked the priest and sought out his party. Eve was still working with Dannae, Ashi and Sara were watching from a distance. “What’s our next move to get the twins back?”

“Move,” Ashi said. “We know where they were but not where they are. We must search all of Omnor. If we move quickly, we can locate where they have been.”

Kaden had an idea.

For once, not a terrible idea. “What if we head to the Underground Market? There are sky-skiffs that could cover the whole city in hours.”

“You have enough gold to buy a skiff?” Sara asked.

Kaden had thought a lot about that. “I never said ‘buy.’”

###

Sara wasn’t certain their right to enter the market remained active, but the bouncers didn’t even talk, just waving them through. They headed straight for the nearest Udon representative, a young woman who immediately bowed and led them into a back alley—and into Suridev’s home.

Vanya wasn’t expecting them to arrive the way they did, but the old man was surprisingly limber, performing a twisting-bow. “Friends! I truly never expected to see you again. How can we be of service? Your choice of brokers is lower. Bluderyn is aligned with Diggus, Syntera and Oberix are not allies, but neither are they at war.”

Kaden nodded. “Let’s say I didn’t want to speak to a broker. I’m more interested in borrowing a sky-skiff from one.”

“That does sound like you need a broker’s permission.

Sara shook her head. “We were thinking more of borrowing without permission. Also, is there a way to get a skiff out of the market, back into Omnor?”

Vanya fell silent. “I need to consult. Would you mind waiting?”

“Not at all.” Sara’s horror looked left and right, each pseudopod pointing a different direction. “Where can we wait?”

Vanya pointed. “This way, please. I don’t know that we can help you. You have Lord Suridev’s favor, but what you propose is—”

“Like helping the Necromancers rob the Emporium?” Kaden asked.

“Like killing the head of security for the Emporium?” Sara added.

“Unusual.” Vanya said. He pulled back a curtain on a booth. “We’ll be by with tea. Normal tea.”

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Kaden and Sara waited patiently until a young girl wheeled up a cart and drew back their curtain.

“Honored Guests, do you take tea?” She asked, looking nervously to the woman—probably her mother—overseeing the ceremony.

“Does it have dragon spit in it?” Sara asked.

The girl hesitated. “I don’t think so.”

“Then I don’t.”

Kaden kicked her under the table. “We would love tea. Those are beautiful cups. Can you explain the ceremony?”

Under his glare, Sara accepted her tea cup, and Kaden said yes to everything. Yes to sugar. Yes to cream. Yes to peppers. Yes to what looked like a cricket. It was more leaf-based soup than drink by the time she was done.

Kaden took a sip—and choked.

“He likes it!” Sara said. “Oh, I think Kaden is so delighted, he’s going to drink every last drop. Isn’t he?”

It was moments like this that Kaden understood why parties turned on each other. It wasn’t the dungeons. It wasn’t the loot. It was the tea. He drank anyway. And again. And again, chewing.

Hard to Kill has granted you a new resistance: Resist Tea.

Now it was easier, and he chugged it back, grinding the bits and swallowing. “Delicious.”

“Oh, look, it’s Lord Suridev!” Sara attempted to ram the tea cup into one of her Horror’s maws, maws made to devour this plane of existence and all life within.

It refused, bracing its teeth against the edge of the cup to prevent it going down.

*Someone ask for me?* The Dragon’s question saved Sara. Today, Suridev was the size of a Monitor Lizard. He bumped aside the cart, stopping to nose the girl. *Excellent job. We stir the tea bloodwise, not counter-bloodwise. And the tray with tea add-ins is the bottom one, that one there is the stuff we serve [Goblins]. [Goblin] stuff will kill humans. Most humans. Other than that, good job.*

The girl—and her mother—seemed immensely relieved and retreated as soon as possible.

*What, you don’t like the tea?* Suridev said.

“There’s no dragon spit in it.” She folded her hands and waited. Then nodded to the cup.

He did not oblige. *What’s this about stealing a skiff? Weren’t you damned lucky to get out of here last time?*

Kaden explained about the Necromancers. About Fate. About the twins, and how important it was. “So I was thinking, what if I just steal a skiff, drag it back into Omnor, circle the city and find out where they are?”

“You see what I have to live with?” Sara asked.

Lord Suridev didn’t answer.

No one—not even Kaden—interrupted a Dragon, so they exchanged awkward glances until he finally decided. *You wanted to fly over Omnor, and your first thought was how to steal a boat from one of the most powerful people in the city? Not tame a flying beast and use it?*

In hindsight this seemed like a much better idea, Kaden had to admit. “Any idea where I can get a flying beast? Or any kind of beast?*

*There used to be giant bats. Blight ate ‘em. Drackens, too. Blight ate ‘em. Winged serpents. Blight..you get the idea.* The Dragon scratched at its back just below a stubby wing.

Sara took over scratching “So. What would a strong, wise, powerful dragon advise?”

*You trying to butter me up?* Suridev asked, stomping the floor with his hind leg and shattering the stone. *I can’t go to war with the brokers. I can’t help you go to war with them. Syntera’s a match for me and the others are more than just annoyances.*

“I understand. Your business is based on bringing clients to different brokers. I wouldn’t ask you to damage it.” Kaden sat, thinking. “Ashi had a spell, one she used to make our ship fly with balloons. She said it was a gift from her mother.”

*Balloons.* Suridev repeated it to himself. *It’s been a thousand years. It’s been longer, but they’re probably still out there. You know, before the Blight, you monkeys had a different way of traveling around Omnor, little flying boats. North of the city is where most of them were abandoned after the Blightfall. Odds are at least one is still functioning.*

Kaden liked the sound of this. “Why did they stop using them?”

*Blightlings kept dropping from the ceiling of the cavern and eating the sailors. Might want to watch out for that. Don’t get eaten.* Suridev pronounced it like an ancient precept of dragon wisdom.

Kaden accepted it. “We’re sorry to keep dropping in. You did your part. We got the spellbook and returned it. Whatever happens next doesn’t involve you.”

Sara kneeled and put her arms around the dragon’s neck. “Thank you. Best of business to you.”

Reptiles, particuarly dragons, did not cry, but he gleamed with pleasure and escorted them out. *If you ever have actual business in the market, I better not hear of you using another guide.*

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Sara said, as they left. “We should probably set out on foot through Omnor. It would be faster.”

Kaden took a moment to wrap them in [Stealth Aura]. “Dealing with all the politics and purchase rights? No thanks. Besides, we’ve got friends in dead places. We hit this ship graveyard. We find ourselves a flying ship. We staff it with skeletons to deal with the Blight,and we cover the whole city in hours.”

An hour later, Ashi and Eve met them at the north edge of Omnor, just outside Limey’s domain. Outside of the city proper, darkness held sway, and only the occasional burning Blightling served to light up the darkness beyond.

Ashi and Kaden drew Mana orbs for light.

Not half a mile from the city, ominious shapes rose in the darkness, thin hulled, long narrow ships. But these ships had runners on the bottom, and their hulls didn’t touch the ground.

“How, exactly, are we supposed to fly these?” Eve asked.

Ashi grew more excited by the moment. “This, I know. When I was young, for an Exodus celebration, we filled the sky with ships. All the citizens of Vichor aloft among the fireworks. Very few harmed by the explosions.”

“Does that mean you can fly them? Yes or no would be appreciated,” Eve said.

“Yes. Somewhat yes. Probably.” Ashi passed ship after ship—then pointed to one. “That is the one.”

The hull was black and smooth and sleek, but narrow? No. This was a sky-ship that had eaten other sky-ships for breakfast, probably for several days. It had snacked on other sky-ships and against the advice of its doctor, blended them up into sky-ship slurry which it slurped inbetween snacking on hulls.

Kaden leaped up to haul himself to the deck, then dropped a ladder for Sara and Eve, while Ashi used [Hover] to slowly drop herself on the deck. “We could probably just use a small one.”

“I do not want a small one. Since only I can operate the ship, it is I who decide.” Ashi headed toward the back of the ship.

“Should I even be here?” Eve asked. “Who’s going to resurrect you all when this inevitably goes badly?”

Sara had already leaped to the bow of the ship. “Show some faith!”

“Unwarranted,” Eve answered. “We can’t—”

The ship lurched as Ash empowered controls. Glowing globes of solar mana errupted above the ship, and it lunged upward, then slammed back on the ground, and rose again, then spun to the side, knocking over a smaller ship.

The kind of ship Kaden had thought they’d take. “Ashi—”

“Let me focus!” She glowed with solar mana, and the ship rocketed upward, then dropped ten feet.

Kaden caught Eve as she flew toward the side and set her beside the mast. “If we crash—”

“We are not crashing!” Ashi shouted. “We fly!”

Sara clung to a line tied to the bow of the ship, bracing herself with both hands and both pseudopods. “Less falling, more flying, please. Suridev wasn’t this unpleasant, and the dragon had a sawblade down his back.”

The ship steadied as Ashi finally put her hands on the controls. “Evelyn. You are needed here. I cannot steer, power, and pay attention to the [Thread of Fate].”

Kaden took her hand and led Eve up the stairs to the console that controlled the ship. “Ashi, Eve doesn’t have experience steering.”

“Away from volcano, away from lava, how hard is it?” Ashi put both hands on a globe, and the sky-cutter began drifting forward. “Evelyn. Steer.”

“I could steer,” Kaden said. “Show me how to steer. Look at me, I’m a sky-pirate.”

Ashi risked a glance to him. “You have a purpose. There is a reason the city abandoned sky-cutters outside the volcano. Ah, and there it is.”

Kaden looked back to the deck of the ship. White globs of fleshy mass had landed on the deck. Blightlings, drawn by the powerful mana data powered the sky-cutter. One looked upward, left, right—then locked its sightless gaze on Ashi and attacked.