Kaverlna charged, gripping the sword with both hands, and Hermit stepped forward to meet her. Vaela ran into the hallway and the blonde priestess sprinted past Hermit after her. Vaela whirled and faced her, while she called out to Surah, “Get something to block the doors!”

He raced to the other side of the room and grabbed a chair. The blonde ducked into the hallway and prowled up to Vaela, Ice Knife in hand. At the room’s threshold, Hermit held off Kaverlna with his staff. The rest of the clergy stayed back out of range of Kaverlna’s wild swings.

The blonde priestess closed in and Vaela raised her stick. The priestess neared until the tip of Vaela’s stick was a hands-width from her face. Vaela’s grip wavered and she lowered it an inch. “You don’t have to serve her. Sh-she’s mad.”

The blonde priestess’s face was ashen and her eyes darted back to the room. Kaverlna hacked at Hermit, metal thwacking off of wood in rapid succession. Beyond them, the dead body of the priest–gutted. The blonde priestess’s chest shuddered. “I-I can’t. She’s dangerous, more than what you can imagine.” She tightened her grip on her Ice Knife. “I have to obey her or…” Fear and despair warred over her face.

Vaela lowered the stick further. And what now? Hermit might beat Kaverlna back and they’d run–fleeing once again. And she’d leave this woman to rot in the church. Abandon another person.

No.

Vaela pulled her stick back and the priestess jumped forward, jerking her Knife up. She pressed the tip to Vaela’s chest. Cold penetrated through the fabric of her tunic, the point jabbing into her flesh. Confusion flitted over the priestess’s face. Vaela locked eyes with her and then took a step forward.

The priestess retreated, her eyes widening. She shook her head and pressed the tip back to Vaela, over her heart. “Stop. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Vaela shifted forward and this time, the priestess didn’t withdraw. The tip of the Knife poked through Vaela’s tunic and pricked her skin. She leaned further and the Cold burned through her chest as the Knife cut into her.

“STOP.” The priestess’s hand shook as the Knife met the resistance of Vaela’s flesh. Blood oozed out and trickled down the Knife.

Not this time. She wouldn’t abandon another person.

Vaela’s blood ran down to the priestess’s index finger, pooling between her hand and the Knife. Pain burned from the wound, but Vaela pressed further. “Leave.” The priestess’s arm bent, pulling the Knife back, as Vaela kept forging forward, the point still digging into her chest. The woman’s elbow bent until Vaela stood only a few inches from her, their breath mingling in the air between them. Vaela’s blood slickened the Knife and webbed over the back of the woman’s hand. Vaela reached up and grasped her hand, but made no attempt to pull the Knife away. “Leave and come with us.”

The priestess panted, fear clouding her eyes. From the door, Kaverlna and Hermit exchanged blows. One wrong move and Hermit would be hacked down, the clergy would flood through the doors, and sweep Vaela and Surah away in a river of blood. Maybe they’d be opened up over that wooden altar.

But she wouldn’t leave another person. Not again.

The priestess jerked away, withdrawing the Ice Shard. She raced towards Hermit and Kaverlna, Knife held high. To the side, Surah held a chair, legs tensed, ready to shove it under the door’s handles. Kaverlna swiped at Hermit and he smoothly ducked. His staff whipped into her head, knocking her back with a spray of blood. Before she stumbled out of range, he cracked the butt of his staff into her temple and her legs gave way.

Hermied jumped back through the door and threw it shut. Surah shoved the chair under the handles of the doors. The blonde priestess charged them with her Knife and Vaela flung out her arm. “Look out!”

Hermit slid to the side, his staff held in front of him, but Surah still faced the doors, cramming the chair into place. The blonde priestess slammed into the shut door and her Knife arced past Surah’s face. It jammed into the crack between the doors, wedging them further shut. She spun, bracing her back against the door, eyes fierce with rebellion. “Let’s go.”

The doors bowed as priests battered it from the other side. The chair under the handles rattled and the Ice Shard twisted at an angle. The blonde priestess jammed it back into place before rushing past Hermit, Vaela, and Surah. “Come on.”

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Vaela and Surah followed her down the hall. The priestess dashed to the end and around a corner, Surah close behind. Vaela spun at the turn. Hermit strolled after them, making no attempt to rush. She waved at him frantically. “We don’t have much time.” Something heavy smashed into the doors and the handles groaned, straining against the chair.

Hermit shrugged. “Inky is out cold. Nothing they can do.” Whatever the clergy were using battered into the doors again and the chair slipped partially out of place. The Ice Blade stopped the doors from opening and wood splintered around the Blade. Hermit neared Vaela and she reached for his wrist.

“There’s still a room full of them. Let’s go.”

He stopped just out of reach and cocked his head. “You think a couple of priests can stop us?”

She opened her mouth and paused. She’d never considered herself a fighter, but she had defeated the Meteor. And the clergy had just seen their leader brought down by Hermit after an impressive demonstration of Power.

Another smash and the doors burst open with a resounding crack, the Ice Blade falling to the ground. Two priests stumbled out, still holding the bloody table they’d battered the doors with. Behind them, several of the clergy crowded around Kaverlna’s body on the floor. The two priests dropped the table and drew swords from their belts. Hermit faced them, Shadows lengthening along around him before jutting out of the floor like black crags. He lowered his staff at both of them. “Run along now. Best tend to your master. Don’t want to look unconcerned when he wakes up.”

They eyed his staff and made no motion to approach. The Shadows continued erupting out of the ground. Hermit shooed the priests with a shake of his staff and turned his back on them. He strode past Vaela with a sniff and the Shadows melted into the ground. As Hermit turned out of sight, the priests lowered the weapons and rushed back to Kaverlna.

Vaela stood rooted at the end of the hall, the last of their group now. Free. And they were practically walking out. She shook herself and followed Hermit. The blonde priestess led their procession through the winding halls of the church. Surah let Hermit pass and he walked beside Vaela. He nudged her with a grin. “Shoulda let me eat those sausages, what a waste!”

She laughed and shook her head. They were really doing it. No footsteps chased after them, no angry mob nipping at their heels. She linked arms with Surah and trained her eyes on Hermit. The Created, the Twisted–maybe utter nonsense. Just Shadows Spun by a lunatic she was at least partially certain was a fool, a liar, and a thief. But his fighting skills had been no exaggeration. Kaverlna had hacked at him with such ferocity, Vaela was sure he’d be gutted. And yet, he’d cooly held her back. More than that, he’d handily beaten her.

And Kaverlna’s Lightning. As fearsome as Burning Gerad had been, that had been nothing. The Lightning would have killed anyone in an instant. Vaela traced her fingers up her new mark as they exited the long hall back into the dining room. Was it possible…? Could she Wield that kind of Power one day? That and Hermit’s ability to Fade from it?

Surah and Hermit let out shrieks and descended upon the uneaten food of the clergy. The blonde priestess retrieved a metal staff from the cluster that leaned in a corner of the room. She rapped the table, succeeding in halting Surah’s and Hermit’s feast for only a second. “We have to leave. Racole will Heal her, she may already be up.”

Hermit snatched a cup and chugged it before spitting it back out. “Egh, water.” He grabbed a hunk of bread and shook it at the woman. “Don’t rush us, new kid.”

Surah nodded and cut a piece of cheese. He dangled it out to Vaela. She snorted. Oh, Blood and Fire. Might as well enjoy a victory when they had one. She tossed her stick on the table and crashed down. Surah whipped the cheese away just as she reached for it and he popped it in his mouth. She snatched the entire block and bit off a chunk. Surah chuckled and crossed to the cabinet, rummaging through it.

The blonde priestess paced back and forth, twisting the staff. “I shouldn’t have done that. What was I thinking?”

Vaela held up a hand. “Calm down, Kaverlna can’t do anything. Didn’t you see Hermit knock the shit outta her?” Surah plopped down at the table and Vaela grabbed her stick. “He was all”–she mimed hitting Surah and his head jolted back, blood leaking from his mouth. Vaela pounded the table. “Hey, where’d you get that?”

Surah wiped his face and pulled a wine bottle from behind him. He waved back towards the cabinet. “Courtesy of our gracious hosts.”

Hermit and Vaela cheered as Surah poured cups for them all. Hermit raised one up. “To kneecapping snakes!”

They all clinked cups and drained them. Vaela poured another round and Surah extended his out towards the blonde priestess. “To the new guy! Uh, Ice Priestess, no, the Icestess!”

Vaela poured wine into a fourth cup and carried it to the priestess. “What is your name?”

The woman stared at the cup and Vaela held it out towards her. The priestess grabbed it, her fingers wrapping around Vaela’s. A lock of hair fell across her face as she looked down and Vaela fought the urge to brush it back. The priestess raised the cup to her lips, but lowered it before she took a sip. “Adyr.” She took a tentative gulp, then tipped the cup up and drained it in one pull.

Vaela grinned and Adyr flushed. She thrust the cup back to Vaela, eyes bright with exhilaration, and a giggle bubbled out of her. Adyr covered her mouth, but the laughter tumbled out past her fingers. Vaela joined in and Hermit chuckled behind them.

Surah grinned at Vaela and raised his cup to her. “To your ‘simple conversation’ with Kaverlna!” She scoffed and he burst out laughing, pounding the table.

Hermit pushed to his feet and nudged Vaela with his staff. “Well, kid, are you ready to leave now?”

She tossed the cup aside and retrieved her stick. “Yeah. Just one last stop.” She led the way out of the dining room, down the entrance hall, and out the church doors. “Need to say goodbye.”