Aran and Lines are sitting with two Sisters at one end of the table. Kara is sitting with Sister Maen, Shae, and Sister Silentstar at the other. Ava and Sylnoa get plates and sit down with them. Xanathe is going on about how wonderful this morning felt, and Kara is telling her to always serve Veleris first. Shae and Sister Maen are talking, something about “Poof.” Sylnoa looks around. The auras in here all seem so “sweet.” It makes her feel so alive like she wants to be here.

Elra walks over. Everyone slides a little to make room for her. She sits and looks at Kara, “Still no word from the Sisters.” Kara’s aura turns a little darker. Elra looks at Ava, “You should have Dawnbreaker back today. Sisters have been working on her nonstop. They even brought her out this morning for the prayer, but you were too busy looking at someone else to notice.” Ava and Sylnoa blush. Elra looks around and sees Aran and Lines talking and laughing with two other Sisters. Kara asks Elra, “Will there be a problem?” Elra shrugs, “We don’t take vows of celibacy as long as they don’t do anything in the dorms. They are the first men to step in there, and I don’t want these Sisters to get any ideas.” Ava, Shae, and Sylnoa all look at the table with Aran and Lines. Sylnoa says, “Oh, oh. okay.” Ava giggles as Sylnoa blushes, “You’re as red as Ava’s hair.” Xanathae says to Sylnoa, “It’s good to see you happy.” Sylnoa looks at Ava, “It’s good to be happy. It’s been so long.”

Kara asks Elra, “Will tomorrow be too soon?” Elra sighs, “Any day will be too soon, but if I don’t back you, you’ll do it alone.” Kara nods, “Some haste potions would come in handy. I’ll spend the day working on a tattoo I’ve been trying to complete. If you want to get the word out, I’m looking for an armorer for Sylnoa and will visit the best one in town tomorrow.” Elra says, “I’ll get that done and assign Sisters to be at various points. Ava asks, “What?”

Sylnoa sees Lines's aura change; it looks weird somehow. She sees his surface thoughts. An image of him in battle, but he’s casting spells at Sisters. She sees a thought of him firing off a spell at Aran. It feels strange, almost as if someone else is there, listening to them talk. Lines tells Sylnoa, “A copper for your thoughts.” She jumps. He sits back, looking at her, not sure why she jumped. She realizes that he’s not aware of his own thoughts about the battle. She says, “Sorry, I was just lost in thought.” Ava smiles, “Thinking about me?” She nods. Lines smiles at the two of them and winks.

Kara says, “I’m going to try to lure Night Talon out tomorrow.” She looks at Sylnoa, “He will probably be going after you, Sylnoa. I will protect you no matter what.” Ava gets visibly upset, “No, no, I can’t.” Sylnoa puts an arm around her, and Ava feels a calming peace come over her, “I’ll be perfectly fine, Ava. I’ll have you there to protect me, and Shae plus Kara won’t let anything touch me.” Elra says, “Still, there are a few items I want each of you girls to wear when the time comes.”

Elra says, “Glad to see you not hurling all over the place this morning.” Kara smiles as she mashes jelly into a baked potato. Sylnoa says, “I’ve never seen a potato prepared with jelly. What’s the jelly?” Kara slides the small bowl over so she can sample it. Ava and Sylnoa get a little on spoons. Kara takes a big bite of the mash, looking very happy with the flavor as her eyes roll up “Mmmm,” Ava and Sylnoa put the spoons in their mouths as Kara says, “Jellied pickled pigs’ feet, mixed with jellied fermented cabbage and strawberry jam.” The two start turning green, then dash to the bins, pushing several Sisters out of the way. Elra laughs and tries a taste herself, “That is horrendous, you know that, right?” Kara smiles, “It’s the food of the gods. I know it shouldn’t be, but I can’t help it.”

Sylnoa whispers to Ava at the trash bins, “We need to talk to Kara.” Ava wipes her mouth, “I know right.” Sylnoa thinks it best to keep her in the dark for now, “Yeah, Beautiful, that was just nasty.” She chuckles. Ava smiles at being called "Beautiful" again.

When they return, Ava glares at Kara, “Veleris should punish you for trying to poison us.” Kara smiles at them as she adds a little more jelly to her potato, “I know. Some pickled garlic would be wonderful with this.”

After breakfast, Kara returns to the dorm and casts divination, “How can I protect Sylnoa?” She hears the answer in her mind, “Force sphere when you see the blue dress.” Kara breathes out. She looks over her supplies and turns to Shae, “Is Shae ready? Kara promises it will be complete today.” Shae removes her top and lays down, “Shae is not bothered by the pain.” Kara cleans the needles and then goes to work. This is one of the largest tattoos she has ever done. Focusing on the spell as she taps the needles. Shae lies in silence with no complaints.

Elra asks Ava and Sylnoa to join her. First, she takes them to her office, and both stand there, looking like they’re in trouble, until she hands them each a ring, “Welcome to the Sisters of Veleris. I know neither of you follows Veleris, but I’m opening the Sisters to followers of other Prime Gods who align with Veleris.” Sylnoa says, “We need to talk.” Elra sees the seriousness of her expression. Ava asks, “What’s wrong, Syl?”

Sylnoa says, “I was going to talk to Kara about it, but then I thought about it. The mystic was in her mind. I haven’t seen Kara’s aura change or picked up any surface thoughts from her that are different. When she started talking about tomorrow, Lines aura changed. It was weird. He started thinking about killing Sisters and Aran. I don’t think it was a conscious thought. It felt like someone else was there but not there. Does that make sense?” Elra asks, “Are you sure about this, girl?” Sylnoa looks at Ava and nods. Elra says, “What you just said doesn’t leave this room.” She looks at Sylnoa, then Ava. Both nod. Ava wraps her arms around Sylnoa’s waist, asking her, “What do we do?”

Elra sits to think, “I think it’s a good thing you came to me. Can you delve deeper into their minds?” Sylnoa nods. Ava asks, “Their?” Sylnoa says, “The mystic was in Kara’s mind and has been for a while. What if she has been compromised?” Ava shakes her head, “Impossible. She is strong enough to kill any of us any time.” Elra says, “I agree, but what if,,, Never mind what I going to say. We need to make sure. What about Lines?” Sylnoa says, “Kara is used to me connecting to her. She won’t be a problem. Lines, I don’t know. He is a Blood Mage. His mind is disciplined.” Elra looks at Ava, “You stick close to her. I mean lover close. Be ready to pull her away. Report back to me and only me as soon as you know. I’m going to take both of you into the Vault. If you need a place to hide, this is it. It will protect you from Lines. It won’t protect you from Kara. Shit. Put those rings on and follow me.”

Ava and Sylnoa place the rings on their fingers. Then she leads them down to the vault, going through the integrate unlocking procedure. Inside, they see the large stone room lined with shelves.

Elra looks at a piece of paper and then finds a box. When she opens it, she removes a cloak, snaps it out, and hands it to Ava: “Sit down and attune to this and put it on now. It’s a cloak of displacement. It won’t make you impossible to hit, but it will make you more difficult to hit. It won’t protect you from area spells but will help against direct attacks.”

Elra starts walking up and down isles, pulling out items and placing them on a table: studded leather armor, a crystal, a hat, and another cloak, “Put these on Sylnoa, get attuned to them. Sister Maen will look like you tomorrow. The hat will allow you to look like her, the crystal should enhance your abilities as a mystic, and the armor, well, it’s armor, it will protect you better than the armor you’ve been wearing, plus you can make it look like clothing, etc.”

Ava says, “We don’t have a way to repay you for this, Elra.” Elra looks at them and says, “Kara has given me enough to pay for everything in this room a hundred times over, and I want to see the two of you happy together. Now let’s pray Kara hasn’t been affected by that mystic.”

Ava looks at her, confused, “What do you mean by paid?” Elra says, “Follow me.” She leads the two deeper into the room where Sister Xiam and Sister Varsk work at transcribing the journal. Ava looks over their shoulders. They are slowly working. Off to the side are hundreds of pages where they have worked on duplicating Kara’s handwriting and hundreds of drawings, each closer and closer to Kara’s drawing style. Elra stands between Ava and Sylnoa, “To me, this means nearly as much as the two of you mean to each other. Would you give everything in this vault to keep one another?” Both nod.

Elra says, “Let me know what we talked about by this evening. As for tomorrow, to be sure you both understand, the two of you stay out of her way when it starts. She will sacrifice herself to save each of you; I know you don’t want that on your conscience. Trust her to protect herself. We will be there to help her. If he tries to run, she plans on following him in any way possible. That’s part of the reason each of you has these rings. Keep his minions off her and watch each other’s back. Got it?” They each nod. Elra looks at Ava, “No matter what happens, don’t panic, girl.” Ava says, “I promise I won’t.” Elra closes her eyes and smiles, “Now the two of you be off; spend as much time with each other as possible.” Ava and Sylnoa understand the unsaid words.

Ava leads Sylnoa to a small room inside the temple meant for private prayer before trials are held. Sylnoa says, “I don’t think Veleris would approve of your choice.” Ava smiles at her, “You never know, but that’s not why we’re here. I want to look again, in my memories, for anything about what happened on my world, like we did last time. I’ve been thinking of a time a few weeks after that the adults were getting worried. Then we go find Lines.” Sylnoa sits down with her legs spread out in front of her, “After Lines, we check Kara, too, right?” Ava forces herself to nod. Sylnoa says, “Sit here, wrap your legs around me, and hold me tight.” Ava does so, “You know, we’ve never sat this close before for this.” Sylnoa gives her a kiss, “I want our connection to be as close as possible. Remember, these are only memories. There is nothing you can do to change what happened.” Ava nods and closes her eyes. Sylnoa presses her forehead against Ava’s.

There is a brief falling sensation, and they are standing next to a line of people inside a very large market. Ava’s mother has a metal wire cart in front of her, filled with cans, boxes, and other supplies. The young Ava holds onto the cart with one hand and her little brother and sister with the other. Sylnoa looks at the real Ava next to her. Ava explains, “This is the supermarket; we would come here to purchase all of our food.” Her mother looks very worried. Several of those vids are high up on the wall, only much larger than the one in Ava’s home. People are talking or staring at the vids all around them.

A female inferni is talking in the vid; it switches to a distant view of a city, “We’re looking at Praso. This is as close as they would allow our crews to get. Nothing has been heard from inside the city for several days now. Troops were sent in yesterday to find out what happened.” There is a blinding flash of light. It looks like a star exploding. The person on the vid can be heard saying, “Oh my god, what. Oh god, I can’t believe they…” The vid zooms out; a fireball is rising, parting the clouds. The vid can’t handle the sound from the fireball; only a crackling roar can be heard, “They nuked Praso.” The shock wave hits the camera, and it goes flying; the vid switches back to the woman; she is crying, “They nuked a city of people; why? Oh god.” She is seen getting up and walking off the vid. People in the supermarket are standing there stunned, staring at the vid as it goes blank, and then brightly colored stripes appear. Someone next to Ava’s mom says, “I bet it has something to do with that skull with the diamond eyes found in the Ziggurat.”

Ava and Sylnoa snap back to the present; Ava stands quickly, backing into the wall like she’s trying to get away from something. Sylnoa jumps up and holds her, “It’s okay, Ava.” Ava says, “No, no, it’s not okay. I had forgotten they started nuking cities.” Sylnoa says, “I don’t know what that is, but how can something that powerful exist?” Ava wipes away tears, “We built them to stop wars. They were weapons capable of wiping away entire populations. Everyone was so afraid of them, no one would fight, out of fear of them being used.”

Sylnoa wipes some tears from Ava, “Ava, the person mentioned a skull with diamond eyes. There is only one legend that I can think of concerning that. An ancient lich lord. If one was on your world, and someone got close enough to it. It could have awoken. Oh, Ava, I’m so sorry.” Ava asks, “Who or what is that?” Sylnoa shakes her head, “They are liches so ancient that the only thing left is their skulls. Sometimes, in the most powerful ones, they will have gems of some sort for eyes. Diamonds, oh gods. Their goals are to turn worlds into undead wastelands, absorbing all of the life, making themselves even more powerful. Ava, I’m so sorry. Your world had no magic and probably didn’t even understand what was happening. They are next to impossible to destroy. Here, ziggurats are built to imprison them. I think, I hope there was only one. Years ago, less than a hundred or so, some heroes battled one.”

Sylnoa says, “Let’s go find someplace a little more comfortable than this.” Ava wipes her eyes and sniffles, “My eyes are all puffy, and I’m ugly now.” Sylnoa looks at her, “Beautiful, you couldn’t be ugly if you rolled in pig shit.” Ava laughs, “But I would be stinky.” This causes Sylnoa to laugh. Ava says, “Syl, you called me Beautiful again.” Sylnoa thinks for a second, “I guess I did. You don’t like it?” Ava shakes her head, “No, I love it. That’s how Sasha tells Kara that she loves her.” Sylnoa smiles, “I guess I do love you.” Ava grabs her, hugging her and kissing her, “I love you too. Our babies will be beautiful red-headed babies.” Sylnoa looks at her, “You realize we’re both girls, right?” Ava shrugs, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way, and I am more than willing to try and try hard.” Sylnoa laughs, “Then you’re right. Our babies will be beautiful red-headed babies. Now, which one of us is getting pregnant? For now, though, we need to get back on mission. Let’s find Kara.”

Kara subconsciously begins to sing while she works on Shae’s tattoo. She sings the song in celestial. Shae doesn’t understand the words, but it’s beautiful. Sister Maen comes up the hall and stands outside the door when she hears the singing and starts crying. Kara doesn’t realize she is singing it, much less where the words come from. It’s about a sister being forced to kill her brother to save her family. She stops when she must dry her own eyes; she looks at Shae, “Kara is sorry, Shae, she needs a break for a few minutes.” Shae sits up, “Shae thinks the song was beautiful, but Kara is sad.” Kara dries her face with a towel. Sister Maen says, “I’m sorry you have to do this, Kara; no one should have to kill their own family.” It dawns on Shae what the song is about, “If Shae could take Kara’s place, she would. Losing a sibling is very painful.” Kara sees the loss in Shae, and that she is now upset. She decides to let it rest. Shae will talk when Shae is ready.

Kara smiles at them, “When this starts, I want you as far from my brother as possible. Sister Maen, you have your orders. Clear?” Sister Maen nods, but Shae does not, “Shae, Kara means it. Shae will not engage Kara’s brother.” Shae shakes her head, “Shae is bound to be Kara’s protector. Shae will stay out of reach, but Shae will not abandon Kara.” Kara kisses Shae’s forehead, “Shae, you crazy wild elf.” Shae says, “If Kara dies, Shae dies too. Shae has made peace with Raventh. This crazy wild elf will accompany Kara into the After. If Kara doesn’t want Shae to die, then Kara must live.” Kara says a prayer to Raventh, asking her to protect their souls.

Cold chills crawl across Sasha’s body. She stops in the middle of a wedding, and the audience waits for her to pronounce the husband and wife. She shakes her head, then says, “You are now husband and wife. May you live your lives in happiness.” She walks off the dais toward the Portal Control Room. The guards open the doors, and High Priestess Avvaran follows, “What is it, Your Highness?” Sasha says, “Something doesn’t feel right Avvaran, I just got the chills, and it feels so wrong.” Avvaran says, “I’ll do a divination, but I don’t think I’ll get an answer if I ask why Princess Cinderblade got the chills.” Sasha snaps, “Try!”

Avvaran looks at Sasha for a moment, trying to determine whether she is serious, “Very well, Your Highness.” They step into the newly rebuilt library, and Avvaran prepares and casts the spell; she says, “Why did Princess Sasha Proudshard Cinderblade just get the chills?” She expects to hear nothing and is surprised when she hears a voice in her head, “The life of Karael and her unborn are in question and maybe extinguished tomorrow.” Avvaran is shadow elf, she can’t go pale, but the look of terror on her face causes Sasha to get physically sick, she throwsss up into a waste can. “What is it? Tell me now, Avvaran.”

Avvaran sits there, stunned, trying to process what she just heard. She sees Sasha throw up in a bin again, then stands and starts shaking her. She is saying something over and over. Avvaran brings herself back. “Raventh said, “The life of Karael and her unborn are in question and maybe extinguished tomorrow, Your Highness.”

Sasha screams in agony, backing into a corner. She slides down to the floor, sobbing. Guards come running in, and they only see The Princess and Avvaran. They stand there for a moment, and one runs out. Just seconds later, Gunthar comes running in. He kneels, checking Sasha, asking her, “What’s wrong.” She doesn’t seem to notice him. Her face is a mixture of terror and sadness as she shakes, sobbing. He pulls Avvaran up from the chair, “What is wrong, Avvaran? Speak now or,” Avvaran says, “Kara and her baby may die tomorrow.” Gunthar releases Avvaran. She sinks back down into the chair. Gunthar looks at the guards, “GET ANYA BACK HERE, NOW!”

Shae says, “Shae is happy now.” Kara rechecks the supplies as Shae lays back down for Kara. Sister Maen walks in, “May I watch? I’ve never seen a magical tattoo created.” Kara motions to the other stool, “Of course, I’m almost finished. Sasha loves to watch me create tattoos.” Sister Maen asks, “Sasha is your wife, correct?” Kara nods. “You will see the magic trace itself into the pattern if everything is correct.” She picks up a needle from a piece of folded cloth, “Then I can pull the tattoo into this needle, and it can be reapplied to anyone.” Sister Maen says, “I apologize for the questions, but what will it cast, and does it hurt when pulled into the needle or reapplied?” Kara replies, “It’s a Force Sphere tattoo; no, it doesn’t hurt when pulled into the needle; it kind of tickles. Yes, it burns when it’s reapplied. Not too bad, though.” Sister Maen nods in understanding, then sits quietly watching. Shae says, “Kara has never said what her Sasha looks like.”

Kara stops momentarily, “The first thing Shae will see is her eyes; they are like an elf’s, the shape of almonds, and the color of the turquoise waters surrounding islands when the sun strikes them just right. They’re slightly upturned at the corners. Her ears are pointed but much sharper than an elf’s ears, with a slight turnout at the tips. Her nose is small and perfect. Her lips are full and soft, the softest lips there are. Her skin is almost golden but just a shade darker. Her hair is the color of polished copper, long and straight. She is only slightly taller than I, and her body is perfection beyond imagination.“

Kara takes a breath, “She has a radiance and a presence that demands that she is the center of attention, Shae. She is far beyond anything Kara deserves, yet she loves me, and I love her absolutely and unconditionally. She likes to wear her hair up so I can kiss her neck; it drives her wild. Just like it drives me mad when she nibbles my ears, her voice is the voice of a goddess, soft and loving.”

“When she looks at me, I melt. I remember the first time I saw her. I had charged Tiamat. We were drawn to the Astral. I closed my eyes to the vacuum of the void so I wouldn’t see the end, and then someone grabbed me. I hit the floor. When I opened my eyes, she was the first person I saw. I knew her, and she knew me. We knew then that there would never be another Shae.”

Shae feels a burning sensation as magic traces the tattoo. Kara sits back and watches. Shae has tears streaming from the corners of her eyes, not from pain, “Shae hopes she finds someone as wonderful as Kara’s Sasha.” When Sister Maen speaks, she makes Kara jump because she forgot she was there. “Sasha sounds magnificent, and I can’t wait to meet her.” Kara says, “Both of you will, and Shae will find that someone, too.”

Ava and Sylnoa walk the grounds looking for Kara but see Aran and Lines roaming. They step behind a column. Sylnoa says, “I’m going to try. There is a chance he will feel it.” Ava says, “I’ll, I’ll. Hells I don’t know what I’ll do. Go ahead.” Sylnoa peeks around the corner to look at him, then focuses her mind on his mind. She immediately feels a malevolent presence. Lines stops and looks around. Ava grabs Sylnoa and spins around the column so they are in sight, then kisses her deeply. Ava opens one eye, looks at Aran and Lines from the corner of her eye, and motions for them to get lost.

Aran and Lines stand outside, scanning the grounds for Rasome and Tai. They see Ava and Sylnoa locked in a kiss, and Ava motions for them to go. Lines starts making a gesture, holding two fingers up but apart and wiggling his tongue between his fingers. When they hear Sister Stoutstorm behind them, both cringe and grab their crotches with both hands, “There, you two are. I don’t care if you’re fooling around with a few Sisters, just not in my dorms.” She looks past them, sees Ava and Sylnoa, and starts to wonder if they are still on the mission when she hears Sylnoa’s voice, “Lines, something is wrong.” She looks at the two men, “Anyway, I brought you two some things. Both of you make sure you have these items with you tomorrow. As much as I hate saying this. Stay out of Kara’s way, too, so she doesn’t have to protect you. Just keep Night Talon’s followers off her. Got it?” She hands Aran a ring, “This is a Ring of the Ram. It’ll give you a few more pushes, with more oomph than your shield.” She hands Lines a wand, “It’s a Wand of Fireballs. Be careful where you point that thing, and don’t use it until you have to. That’s a lot of destruction.” Aran says, “Thank you, Elra,” She glares at him, “I mean Sister Stoutstorm.” She turns and walks back in.

Aran wipes his forehead. Lines elbows him in the ribs, “Thank you, Elra?” Have you lost your fucking mind?” Aran smiles, “That woman scares the shit out of me.” He looks around to make sure she’s not hiding somewhere close, “Let’s go see if we can find Rasome and Tai. Maybe they are in the place?” They both run off in the direction of where the four of them went yesterday; sure enough, both are there and have already started. Tai looks at them, smiling, “The two of you can wait right there, but shut the door and get naked.” Rasome laughs as Tai pulls her face back down between her legs.

When Aran and Lines leave with a purpose, Ava steps back to look around when Elra says, “What did you figure out.” Both of them nearly scream, then take a moment to calm down. Sylnoa says, “There is something or someone there. I don’t think he knows it. It’s like another personality written on top of his. I’ve felt things like that before, mostly in slaves who have had their minds dominated and their free will taken away.” Elra says, “I’m familiar with it. There’s no breaking it with any power we have available to us. Maybe we need to take him out before,,,” Sylnoa is already shaking her head, “No, if we do whoever it is will know. That will alert them.” Elra asks, “Have you seen Kara yet.” Both women shake their heads. Ava asks, “What did you give them.” Elra says, “I gave Aran a Ring of the Ram. Thanks to your girl here, I gave Lines a fake Wand of Fireballs. If he’s on our side he’s going to feel betrayed, if he’s against us, it’ll be a nasty surprise. Let me know about Kara.” Elra walks off.

Anya runs into the library. Gunthar and Avvaran sit close to Sasha, taking turns talking to her. Anya looks at both. All they can do is sit there and shake their heads. Anya takes Avvaran’s hand and leads her out into the hall. “Tell me, word for word, what the divination said,” Avvaran repeats it. She’s been playing in her head repeatedly since it was said to her.

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Anya pinches the bridge of her nose while she thinks, “Can you cast it again?” Avvaran nods, “I can, as a ritual.” Anya says, “Do so. Ask this question, “Will Karael Vala Elyslynn Proudshard Cinderblade find happiness?” I will be in there; if the answer is good, nod to me; if not, then cast again, “How can Karael Vala Elyslynn Proudshard Cinderblade survive?” Do you understand where I’m going with this? You keep casting until you find an answer.” Avvaran nods; Anya looks at the guards, “Get some other priest in here to assist her; get her anything she needs.”

Anya returns and kneels at Sasha’s feet, “Sasha, listen to my words. Kara has been in lots of situations that she should not have survived. Hells, she shouldn’t have survived coming to Nexus all those years ago. Yet she does, each time she comes back, stronger than before. She is a survivor, Sasha.” Sasha looks at Anya, “I can’t do this without her. I can’t lose her.” Anya places her hands on Sasha’s shoulders and pushes her back so she has to look at her.

“You listen to me, Sasha. You have three children waiting for you to bring them home. You can and will survive for them. If I have to hold your soul in your body through shear force of will, I will. ” Sasha focuses her eyes on Anya. She continues, “I have Avvaran and the other priests casting divination over and over, asking question after question. We’ll figure this out. Come over here and sit on the sofa.” Anya stands and steps back. Sasha tries to, but the grief has taken a toll. Gunthar helps her stand and walk to the sofa, then gently helps her sit. He pours a glass of wine for her and sits it on the table next to her. Sasha reaches for the glass but is shaking so hard she can’t pick it up. Gunthar starts to say something but stops, realizing it won’t help. Sasha says, “We’re both immortal. We could have spent an eternity together, now….” Gunthar says, “You will spend it together, so don’t give up before it’s over.” Anya smiles at him, letting him know that was the right thing to say. The door creeps open; Avvaran nods to Anya and then closes the door.

Hours pass, and Sasha finally manages to calm down enough to drink. Avvaran comes back in and sits down. She looks exhausted. Anya tries to get a read on her but can’t. Avvaran says, “We’ve asked Raventh many questions. She says Kara will find happiness and survive if she doesn’t try to kill the dragon. Many will die in the battle. Kara will find the enemy in the shadows. The last question we asked was, “What is blocking magical communications?” She answered, “An artifact in the hands of the true enemy.”

Sasha sits up and looks at Anya and Avvaran. “Have we made it into the vault yet?” Anya shakes her head. “They are close. I just thought the same thing: We have or had an artifact that could do just that on a planetary scale. If this true enemy has that, it could be bad because she could employ it and still be able to communicate herself. She could listen to any Sending, watch any Scyings, or make it impossible for anyone to communicate. They have the Silencer of Worlds and have begun the ritual to use it.”

Kara sits down for an evening meal with Aran, Ava, Lines, Sister Maen, Shae, and Sylnoa. Sylnoa sits next to Kara, “There is a lot of worry about tomorrow among the Sisters. Would it be alright if I connect with you to filter it out?” Kara nods, “Of course. You don’t need to ask.” Kara kisses her on the forehead and looks at Ava and Sylnoa, “I love both of you, you know that, right?” Sylnoa connects to Kara’s mind as she nods. She feels nothing but love for each of them and confidence that tomorrow will put to rest a demon that has haunted her for fifteen years. She feels no other presence.

Aran says, “Hey, what about us?” Kara looks around the table, “I love all of you. About tomorrow,,” Aran interrupts, “I know, stay out of your way, keep the minions off of you.” Kara shakes her head, “No. Tomorrow, I want all of you to be careful and watch each other’s backs. Aran, you and Lines will be with Sister Stoutstorm. You’ll leave before the rest of us head toward the armorer. Try not to look like you’re watching for trouble. Ava, Sister Maen, Shae, and Sylnoa will be with me. Sister Maen and Sylnoa will change to look like one another.” She looks at Ava and Sister Maen, “That means the two of you need to pretend you’re in love.” She looks at Sylnoa, “Can you interfere in a way that would confuse any mystic with them?” Sylnoa nods, uncertain, “I can try; no, I think I can. If Sister Maen is willing, swap our consciousnesses temporarily.” Sister Maen nods, “Anything that will help achieve the goal.”

Sylnoa connects to Elra’s mind, “Kara is fine.” Elra stands on a table, glances at Sylnoa, and then bangs two metal plates together. “Sisters, tomorrow we go into battle. Our jobs are twofold. First, we will aid Kara and her companions, The Wandering Mountain Trading Company. We will try to stay out of Kara’s way so she can confront the most powerful of the enemy, and we will assist the rest in their fight. Second, if you’re not engaged or I’ve already talked to you, you will keep the civilians safe and away from the combat. I know some of you wonder who this girl is. All you need to understand is that she is a Sister, and that should be enough. I would lay down my life for any Sister, and so would she.” Someone whispers, “She didn’t serve as an acolyte.” Elra looks around, “Whoever said that? You're mistaken; she served as an acolyte before some of you were born. She has served Veleris for nearly two decades.” Elra motions for Kara to join her.

Kara stands on the table next to Elra. Kara says, “I wish this could be avoided, but the thing that inhabits my brother’s body has made it clear. He will start coming after Sisters when he finishes with us. I’m sorry I’ve brought this upon you. It will end tomorrow, one way or another. If I fall, do everything you can to stop him.” Elra looks around the entire room, “When he falls, no one is to touch the sword he carries. If you see another reaching for it, stop them using any force necessary. Is that CLEAR!?” The room sounds with a collective “YES SISTER!”

Kara goes back to her table with all the other Sisters watching her. Unlike Sasha, she doesn’t desire to be the center of attention. Aran says, “They are waiting for you to prove you have the strength to do what Sister Stoutstorm says you can do. They want a show of power and strength.” Kara looks around the room again; every eye is glued to her; she turns looking, realizing all they see is a little girl who looks younger than most of them. Even Ava looks like she could be her big sister.

She holds out her arms as radiance explodes around her body. A wind starts to blow in the main hall. She lifts off the floor, floating higher than the tables, and her eyes become stars. Her wings unfold from her back, becoming blades shaper than any razor. Bolts of radiance begin to strike all around the main hall harmlessly to the spectators but melt the stone floor in places. A radiant sphere of death surrounds her, harming no one, but tiny flashes can be seen as dust contacts it and a piece of paper blown into it bursts into flames. Unexpectedly to Kara, a column of radiance shines from the ceiling, surrounding her. She looks at Elra, but she seems to be as awed as everyone else.

A halfling Sister pokes Elra, “WOW, that’s something; look at all that and the spirit guardians; not many can do all that. Holy cow, she is a war front all her own?” Elra looks at the halfling. She’s talking so fast that she’s hard to understand. She looks back up at Kara; she is so bright that Elra has to shield her eyes.

Elra looks back at the halfling, but she’s gone. She looks around the room. There’s a brilliant flash of light as an enormous beam of radiance strikes through Kara. Everyone covers their ears, but there is no sound at all. The flash is so bright that the room seems to go pitch black. When people’s vision clears, Kara is standing back on the floor; she has returned to normal, and the spirit guardians are gone. She sits back down and looks at Aran. Everyone at the table gives her a thumbs up. Sister Maen asks, “How did you do that, the column of light and the silent column of radiance?” Kara shrugs, “I didn’t. I only went into The Dawn Bringer and seraphin forms. I cast spirit guardians, too, but that’s easy. I didn’t summon the radiance to strike around the main hall. I wouldn’t know how to control it like that.” Ava sighs, rolling her eyes. Kara looks at her, “What’s wrong?” Ava says, “I was hoping one day I would be able to do that.” This gets a laugh from everyone.

Sisters eventually start eating and talking,with excitement. As they finish their meals, they walk by, touching Kara’s arms or shoulders, some whispering, “We’re behind you, Sister, we’ve got your backs.” Elra asks a few other Sisters if they saw the halfling, and all shake their heads. As Sister Silentstar walks by, Kara takes her hand, “Please sit with us for a minute.” Looking intrigued, she takes a seat. Kara looks at everyone, “I don’t know what tomorrow will bring. I want to share something with everyone.” She sees Elra looking at them, “Elra, would you join us too, please.” Elra walks over.

Kara lays a mirror on the table, “I asked Sisters Xiam and Varsk if they had anything that would allow me to share memories with several people. To my surprise, they had it sitting there with them. They use it when working as a way to take reports from Sisters who can’t read or write.” Kara’s eyes turn watery, and she wipes them, “Tomorrow, I will try to finally put my brother to rest, at least my memories of him. You have seen and heard of the worst, when Azura raised him from the dead, and what has happened since. I wanted to show everyone here the way I remember him. Maybe you’ll see why I hesitated.” She looks at the mirror, “I’ll touch the mirror first. When you see it glow, if you want, you can touch the mirror and enter my memory.” She looks at Sylnoa, “I thought this many people may strain you.” Sylnoa shakes her head, “You’re right. Three people is my limit.” Kara touches the mirror and closes her eyes. After a few seconds, the mirror begins to glow.

Ava and Sylnoa touch the mirror first, and their faces become filled with wonder. Sisters Maen and Silentstar touch the mirror next. Their faces reflect the same wonder. Aran, Shae, and Elra follow. Lines stands back.

They stand in a village, perfectly manicured, somewhere in a jungle, surrounded by coconut trees. A warm, salty breeze blows, and people walk around, all smiling. Most appear human, some are of other races, and all their eyes glow faintly. Houses are constructed of thatched palm roofs and bamboo walls. A younger-looking Kara is playing with several other children. She looks to be about twelve years old. The others look to be about the same age. She tackles a boy with coal-black hair, and both laugh, “I got you, Gaelan.” The young Kara yells as she comes up running. He jumps up, chasing her, kicking up sand as they run barefooted.

Everyone in the memory moves as Kara moves, following her without effort. Kara toys with Gaelan, allowing him to get close before dashing off laughing. Soon, they break into the open on a beach with the ocean waves rolling gently onto the shore. She runs ahead of him on the wet beach until she stumbles and falls. He grabs her, “You’re it, Kara.” Then he starts to run and stops when he sees her holding her foot with tears in her eyes.

She sits on the sand, holding her foot. He sits down at her feet and takes her foot to look closely. He says, “Ouch, an urchin’s spine. It’s not deep, just barely stuck you. Grit your teeth, and I’ll pull it out on the count of three. One, three.” He snatches it out, and she cries out in pain, “You said on three.” He laughs, “I pulled it out on three silly. Now quit crying.” He starts blowing on her foot while she lays back, acting like she’s in agony. He tickles the bottom of her foot, causing her to go from agony to hysteria instantly. He jumps up, “You’re it.” He dashes off.

Forgetting her pain, she comes up at a run chasing him, “I’m gonna get you, Gaelan.” She’s obviously running slow, watching the sand closer now. Both Kara and Gaelan run and laugh. They feel her emotions; they feel that she loves him and will do anything for him. They run and chase each other. The laughter never stops. They end the day in a longhouse with hundreds of others. All talking and telling stories. Gaelan jumps onto a table and yells, “Kara said she would sing.” Kara shakes her head and holds her hands in front of her face, embarrassed. Finally, she stands and starts singing a song that mesmerizes everyone. The song's emotion emphasizes that this place, her home, knows nothing of war or hate.”

Everyone returns to the table, and Kara tries to dry her eyes, “We used to play like that all the time. I would find pies cooling and steal them; when the adults would catch me eating them, Gaelan would tell them he took the pie and gave it to me. I would sneak into places I shouldn’t be. If I got caught, he would say he dared me—anything to keep me out of trouble or share the blame. The only trouble he ever got into was getting me out. Above all, he never lied to me, he always protected me, and I always listened to him.”

She gets a big smile. “He also always made me feel better when I was hurt.” She looks at everyone, “That is my brother. Not the monster you’ve met, not the monster that murdered Persi. Most definitely not the monster we’re going to face. I should get this back to Sisters Xiam and Varsk.” She tries to stand but starts crying instead. Sister Silentstar picks up the mirror, “I’ll return it. All of you get some rest. Thank you for sharing this with me, Kara.” Ava and Sylnoa lean against her on either side as Shae leans down behind her and wraps her arms around her.

After Kara calms down, everyone returns to their rooms for the night. Ava sleeps curled up in Sylnoa’s arms. Sylnoa guides Ava’s dreams to a time when Ava was having fun, playing with her siblings and her mother. Strangely, Sylnoa can’t find a time when her father was around for more than a visit to eat. Since dreams don’t have to be perfect, Sylnoa takes the role of one of Ava’s friends, playing with them.

Kara whispers to Shae, “Shae remembers what she must do, right.” Shae nods, clearly not happy.

Aran and Lines quietly joke about their experience today with Rasome and Tai, wondering what they can do tomorrow when they get back.

Kara lays on her rack, wondering what Sasha is doing, and finds sleep difficult for the first time in a long time. When she finally does sleep, she dreams of fighting against her brother, not the thing that is Night Talon but Gaelan, the brother she showed everyone at dinner. He keeps asking her why she’s trying to hurt him. Something is always behind him in the shadows.

The next morning, all the Sisters are again on the steps for dawn. This morning, Aran and Shae join them. Ava asks Aran, “Where’s Lines?” Aran scowls, “Still snoring.” At breakfast, everyone eats very little and says less, except Lines, who eats a plate full of sausages, bacon, eggs, and everything else he can fit on his plate. Elra walks over, carrying Dawnbreaker, and hands it to Ava. “Sorry it took so long. We wanted to make sure it was just right.” She turns to Kara, “Everything is ready, informants have been informed, and so on. Sisters have been slowly heading out since prayer, most dressed in normal clothes to blend in.”

Kara looks at Elra, who shakes her head. “No, there's still no word from the Sisters I sent out.” Elra walks off. Kara looks at everyone. “Aran, Lines, go with Elra.” Aran and Lines stand to follow her, and Lines takes a sausage with him.

Kara stands and places Misery on her shoulder. “Sister Maen, Sylnoa, forget what I said yesterday about changing places. There has been a change of plan.” She looks at Sylnoa. “I hope you’re wrong, but that was some top-notch covert work from you. You may have saved a lot of lives. Elra spoke to me this morning.”

Sister Maen looks at Kara, confused. Ava, Shae, and Sylnoa understand. Kara and Shae walk toward the temple's exit. Ava places Dawnbreaker over her shoulder, feeling good to have her back in her hands. Sylnoa holds Ava’s hand lightly, and Sister Maen walks ahead of them.

Flamegarden is fully awake, and the streets are busy with people shopping for supplies as spring caravans restock en route here or there. Street callers yell out their wares. Kara remembers slogging through mud-filled streets the last time she was here. Now, they are cobblestone.

Flamegarden is as beautiful now as she’s always thought the name was. The five of them meander around, window shopping. Trying street foods, Kara finds some of the fresh squid that’s still wiggling that she loves. Even Shae almost pukes as Kara slurps in a tentacle that tries to cling to her nose. Kara wiggles her nose and laughs at them as they hold their hands over their mouths. Ava looks at Sylnoa, “You’re going to have the babies.” Sylnoa shakes her head, “No, no, you’re the baby momma.” Kara hears them and laughs, thinking about how wonderful it would be to see their red-headed children playing around Nexus, maybe even with Camiella, when she sees a young girl in a blue dress run out of a shop, “SHAE!”

Shae uses the tattoo. The instant she hears Kara yell her name, a force sphere snaps into existence around Sister Maen. A part of Kara hopes she is wrong, but every fiber of her being prays she’s right. The green disintegration ray strikes the sphere, shattering it. Kara looks in the direction it came from; she sees the dandy from the slave brothel.

The female goliath comes charging out of an alley, only to be stopped cold when Dawnbreaker slams into her chest, knocking the wind out of her.

A halfling appears from nowhere, driving a dagger into Sylnoa’s thigh, “You bitch, traitor, betray us, and I’ll gut you for it.”

Sister Maen casts two spells simultaneously, healing to heal Sylnoa and a radiant bolt at the half-orc charging out an alley adjacent to the goliath, hitting him center mass and causing him to begin to glow with a golden aura. The half-orc continues the charge, swinging at Sister Maen, cutting her across the jaw with his sword.

Kara drinks a Potion of Haste and charges the dandy, the impact of Misery sending him flying into the wall of a stone building. She runs back to Sylnoa as the column of flame appears next to her. She swings Misery into the flame, feeling a solid impact and hearing metal ring on metal as her brother flies away from Sylnoa.

Aran comes from nowhere, extending his shield over Sylnoa and stopping several arrows. He looks at her and says, “I’ve got you covered.”

A bolt of fire from the dandy strikes Ava in the back. She looks at him and says, “Really, fire?” Ava inhales some residual flames and breathes out a puff of smoke.

Night Talon steps from an alley and glares at Sylnoa; Kara glares back at him, “You want her; you go through me.” He rushes Kara, she ducks the first strike, and the second slashes up her side, cutting into her thigh. She brings Misery down just in time to slide the third stab toward her stomach to the side, “I’ll cut it out of you, sister, and dangle it in front of you so you’ll have something to scream about as you die.”

The goliath stands spinning a nasty-looking great ax in her hands as she spits a glob of blood and smiles at Ava, “I don’t think I’ll kill you right away. You’re too pretty. I’ll hold your legs apart and watch my men rape you.” She charges and swings, getting nothing but air. She swings a second time, and once again, Ava is not where the ax is.

Ava drinks a Potion of Haste; her pupils dilate and then increase to nearly the diameter of her eyes. “Oh, there it is, that feeling.” Dawnbreaker slams into the goliath’s stomach; the sides of Dawnbreaker glow with the Symbol of the Dawn Bringer as the face of the maul lights up with the Symbol of Galathor as she fills the maul with the power of a Divine Smite powered by two gods, “That’s some real hurt you’re feeling there, and the only one getting between these legs is the pretty redhead behind me.”

Around them, men and women run out of everywhere with weapons raised; one yells, “Kill the half-elf.” Sisters come out to meet them, giving them other targets to worry about. Aran sees Rasome charge out with a massive club, with spiked metal bands wrapped around it, raised over her head, dropping one of them in a single blow, but two land hits on her, and she howls in rage.

Aran yells out, “How are there so many of them?” Shae yells back, “A traitor among us.” Ava yells back, “Who?” She looks at Aran and Sister Maen, not even considering Sylnoa. Several force missiles slam into Rasome; Aran looks to their source and sees Lines on a rooftop. Shae fires a shot from her bow at Lines, but he waves a hand, and the arrow changes course, missing him.

Steel and spells clash all around them. Other spells counter some spells directed at Sylnoa or Ava. Lines yells at another caster and points at Aran. The other caster is an elf with a mohawk. She throws a tiny bead of flaming bat quango at Aran as Lines laughs and yells, “You’re gonna love this, buddy.” Aran yells, “FIREBALL!” Sister Maen instantly casts the counterspell, and the flame dies; a burned-out pellet of charoal hits the ground at Aran’s feel.

Sylnoa drives a psychic hammer into the halfling’s head. She feels like her head is about to split. The halfling spins around Sylnoa, making several cuts on her legs. She makes a second attack, driving the dagger toward Sylnoa’s crotch, but the edge of Aran’s shield knocks her hand away. Aran punches at the halfling, but his fist comes up short; she sneers at him, “What a bunch of lose….” Aran’s ring fires a blast of force, driving her into the cobblestones, cracking them like loosely packed sand, bloodying her mouth, nose, and eyes with one punch, “Speak up, shorty, the losers can’t hear you.”

The dandy stands, preparing to cast; Elra steps into his line of sight, “You and I are going to get to know each other; if you manage to live through it, I’m going to cut off every appendage you have, starting with the one between your legs boy.” She looks up at Lines on the rooftop, “WHEN I FINISH LETTING YOU WATCH WHAT I DO TO HIM, YOU’RE NEXT LINES!” Elra casts at the dandy; he tries to counter the spell but fails, and a column of fire and radiance slams down on him from above. She lifts her great ax and charges at him—a Lightning Bolt arcs from his fingertips, through Elra striking Ava too.

Seeing that Aran is handling the halfling, Shae takes advantage of the opportunity, dropping her bow and plunging a dagger into the halfling’s side. She screams out in pain, spitting broken teeth out. Then Shae drinks a haste potion, smiling at the halfling, “Shae’s friends are not losers.”

Sister Maen drinks a Potion of Haste, then twin casts a life transferring at Ava and Kara, their wounds vanish. She grimaces in pain as the wounds appear on her. Kara glares at her and shakes her head, telling her not to do that again.

The half-orc charges into Sister Maen with his shield, pushing her backward into Shae, and then thrusts his sword into her shoulder. Being too far away from Kara for her to take the sword thrust herself, she rebukes him. A blast of radiant power travels from the wound, through his sword, and into his arm. He jumps back, howling in pain.

Night Talon is on Kara as she turns back to face him, “Remember all the fun times we had, sister? He wasn't the kind soul you thought he was. He wanted to fuck you so bad. He would sneak around so he could watch you, bathing. He would,,,,” She slams a knuckle duster into his mouth, "Shut up, lier." He steps past her, drawing that wicked blade across her back, adding his divine smite into it and a blinding smite. Kara stumbles forward as her vision goes black. The second slash catches her in the small of her back; this time, she feels some of the sword creep into her and burn as black veins spread from it. She releases her body completely to The Dawn Bringer and ducks as the third slashes toward her neck and passes over her head.

Unable to see, Kara uses lay-on hands to restore her sight, then spins with Misery as her counterweight, hitting Night Talon full force in the chest, adding divine smite to it and a thunderous smite. Night Talon is propelled away as the crack of thunder echoes through Flamegarden, windows shattering nearly two blocks away. Night Talon slams into a stone wall with a dull thud as the stone around the impact shatters. “Yeah, I remember the fun times with my brother. You are not my brother. You are a dead thing, an abomination, and I will place you in a hole so deep you’ll see the universe end before anyone touches you again.” Kara walks toward him.

The goliath feints high then goes low, catching Ava in the stomach with the great ax, “Now I can see you, pink little bitch. Not blurry anymore.” She snatches the ax out and swings again, but Aran’s shield is there to stop most of it. Still, it deflects, cutting across the bridge of her nose and nearly taking her eye. Ava staggers back, coughing up blood, nearly stumbling over the halfling.

Sylnoa pulls a potion from her belt, grabs Ava, and turns the bottle up in her mouth. The halfling uses the distraction to drive a dagger through Sylnoa’s calf, yank it out, stand, and then disengage, retreating behind her half-orc partner.

Aran punches toward the goliath, releasing the remaining charges on the ring, sliding her backward ten feet. She flexes her neck and smiles at Aran, “You better have more than that boy.” Shae flips over Aran, landing on the goliath’s shoulders, and drives both daggers into her neck; the goliath howls in rage and pain, “Shae’s friend Aran has much more than that for an ugly, ugly woman.” Aran grumbles under his breath, “Shut up, Shae.”

Lines hurls a green orb at Sylnoa. When it strikes, it breaks, spraying green liquid and causing her to scream in agony as her skin begins to smoke and dissolve.

Sister Maen does the one thing she didn’t want to do. She grabs Sylnoa, “You’re coming with me.” there is a flash of light, and then they are standing in the storage area of some shop in the city. She casts a healing spell on Sylnoa, and the burning stops. Sylnoa looks at Sister Maen, “I’ve got to get back to Ava.” Sister Maen shakes her head, “No, you’re staying here. I promised Ava and Kara I would get you out and protect you.” Sylnoa says, “Don’t make me fight you.” Sister Maen replies, “You would lose Sylnoa, you know this. Trust your friends.”

Sister Maen feels her body lock as the crystal Elra gave Sylnoa glows brightly, “I’m sorry, Sister, I trust my friends, but I can’t turn my back on them.” Sylnoa runs from the shop and out the front door. The city is unfamiliar, but she hears battle to the east, so she runs in that direction.

Elra swings her great ax with everything she has at the dandy, but an invisible shield blocks the ax. She casts a mass healing spell at the highest level she can, centered just past Ava. Everyone wounded, including Ava, Kara, and several Sisters, are healed of all their current wounds.

The dandy laughs, “Your friends are your weakness.” He turns into a shadow and vanishes.

Rasome crushes the skull of a would-be attacker and then licks some of the blood off. She looks to where Tai is just in time to see Tai turn to charcoal as a lightning bolt hits her and kills four other Sisters. Rasome screams with rage, running to Tai and lifting her body off the ground. She holds Tai’s head against her shoulder, crying out. Lines laughs and yells, “She wasn’t that good a fuck. Quit whining.”

Sister Silentstar steps up, taking Tai from Rasome’s arms and casting a healing spell on Rasome, “Kill him, Sister.” Rasome snatches her great club up, charging toward the building Lines stands atop.

Sisters Ula, Ari, and Seit fight back-to-back, with Ari healing and buffing, while Ula and Seit hold off attacks and counter-attacking; outnumbered two to one, the three are proving to be more than a force to be reckoned with. Ula and Seit are both bloody from their wounds and the blood of fallen enemies. Ari says a prayer to Veleris, and she begins to glow, healing Ula and Seit. She sees Sister Silentstar holding Tai, “Sisters, Xanathae needs our help. All three move in unison toward their Sisters.

Night Talon lunges from the indention in the wall, wings heavy with blood erupting from his back. Charging, he grabs Kara, pushing her across the street and through a wall into a house. A mother grabs her son and attempts to flee. He plunges his sword through the boy. Kara takes the wound, more black veins spreading across her chest. Radiance blasts from Kara, and her eyes flare white hot. A bolt strikes him, searing him as if he stepped into a fire; she thrusts her hand into his chest, casting a pulse wave, sending him flying backward out the same hole they entered the house through. She flies after him, riding on light. He plants his feet and thrusts with the sword, spearing her thigh.

Ava sees the beam of radiance from the sky and becomes an avatar of the storm, summoning the blessing of The Storm Bringer, looking at the goliath, “You want me bitch, now you’ve got me.” She charges, riding the lightning beneath her feet like ice skates, bringing Dawnbreaker down on the goliath’s shoulder as Shae leaps free. Thunder cracks from the force of the impact, sending a shock wave of dust and dirt flying in all directions. A bolt of lightning strikes, hitting the goliath in the head. The goliath shakes her head, looking around. Ava in front, Shae behind, there is only one way out; she swings at Shae, managing to land a shallow hit across Shae’s stomach; she grabs Shae around the neck and pushes them both away from Ava. Shae starts stabbing goliath’s arm over and over, driving her daggers in and grinding them around, causing blood to spray like fountains.

The half-orc charges Aran, bringing his sword over, but Aran easily dodges it. Too late, he realizes the feint; the halfling drives a dagger into the small of his back. Aran brings the mace around, cracking the halfling in the jaw, sending her tumbling end over end. Then he spins under the shield of the half-orc, dropping the mace, pulling a dagger from his boot, and driving up through the chin of the half-orc into his brain. The half-orc stands there staring at him, unable to understand what just happened. Aran looks up at Lines just in time to see him pull the wand Elra gave him.

Lines flicks the wand at Aran, “It’s been fun fucking with you dumb ass, but it’s time for you and your little pink friend to die.” an ember of charcoal flies from the wand and lands at Aran’s feet and fizzles out. Aran laughs at Lines, “I’m not the dumb ass that just pissed off a frenzying barbarian. You had better hope she finishes you before I get to you.” Lines looks at the wand, then at Elra, “Fucking bitch.” Then he sees a hand grab the ledge in front of him; Rasome swings up; her eyes are bloodshot, and her face is pure rage. The great club comes over, driving Lines’ head down into his body; his back and ribs collapse, and his legs turn to splinters. He never feels the club's second, third, fourth, or fifth blows as she howls in rage. Aran looks around, telling no one in particular, “That’s my girlfriend up there.”

Sister Silentstar kneels, placing Tai’s body on the ground, as Ula and Seit take positions to protect her. Ari says a word in celestial, casting spirit guardians; great axes swirl around the Sisters, creating a sphere of death to any that aren’t her friends. Xanathae places her hands over Tai’s heart as she prays. There is a surge of power. Tai’s body arches off the ground, and she takes a deep breath. Xanathae says, “Be still, Sister. You’re still gravely injured.”. Tai looks around, trying to make sense of what just happened. One second, she thought she was on Mount Celestia, but now she’s back, and she looks around and sees Rasome on a rooftop, bringing her club down, over and over with blood coming off in great arcs.