You have cast doppelganger, transforming your form into that of Havick.

You have entered sector 45,104.

My entry into Sango went smoother the second time around. Texalo was waiting for me, and as soon as I appeared, he rushed me off to the brotherhood’s castle.

“What’s that smell?” Ghost asked, keenly observing everything from the safety of the Cloak.

“The sea,” I replied as we drew to a halt outside the castle’s entrance. “The castle is built atop a cliff overlooking the ocean.” My gaze drifted back to the structure’s steel-clad gates. They were sealed, I noted, but the brotherhood’s spymaster was waiting outside. When had he slipped through?

“Right on time as promised,” Senzo said, stepping forward to greet me as Texalo left.

I nodded absently as I searched for some sign of the promised brotherhood army, but the insides of the castle remained opaque to me.

“You sense anything, Ghost?”

“No.”

A second ticked by, then another.

My gaze slid back to the spymaster. He still hadn’t made any effort to open the gates. “We’re not going in?”

“Nope, they’re coming out.” He cocked his head to the side. “In fact, I think that’s them I hear.”

I couldn’t hear anything, which could only mean the brotherhood’s shields were also preventing any noise from escaping the castle’s walls. Schooling myself to patience, I waited.

A minute later, the gates were flung back, revealing a long line of brotherhood players armed and armored for war. At the fore, was Kartara riding a… stygian nightmare.

She wasn’t the only one so mounted, though.

Five hundred other brotherhood knights followed in her wake, led by Duskar, their commander.

“Tamed stygians,” Ghost marveled, studying the nightmares in fascination through my eyes.

I nodded imperceptibly, wondering what the pyre wolf would have made of the inside of the brotherhood’s castle.

“So, what do you think?” the spymaster asked, drawing my attention.

I glanced at him. “When Kartara said you’d be bringing a cavalry company, I didn’t realize this is what she meant.”

“What? Did you think the brotherhood would go into battle riding ordinary horses?”

That’s exactly what I had thought. I was spared from saying it out aloud though as Kartara dismounted beside me. The rest of the column trotted onward, into what I now clearly recognized as their mustering field.

“Havick,” she greeted, handing the reins of her mount to an attendant.

“Huntmistress,” I said, nodding in acknowledgment. “Are your preparations complete?”

With a small smile, she gestured at the passing players. “As you can see, they are. Five hundred cavalry. One thousand dedicated spellcasters. And five hundred infantry. As promised.”

“Hey,” Senzo protested, “don’t forget the fifty scouts.”

“And them,” Kartara said, her gaze staying fixed on me. “What about things on your end?”

Despite the casual nature of the question, I did not miss the intent look in the huntmistress’ eyes. Notwithstanding everything—the people she was committing and the weapons she had provided—her doubts had not been entirely assuaged.

“My people will begin moving into place shortly,” I replied smoothly. “They will be ready when yours are.”

I mentioned nothing of our recent hiccups, of course.

The huntmistress stared at me for a moment longer, then gave a clipped nod. “Good. Then there is no use standing around here any longer than necessary. If you will hand over the netherstone?”

Reaching into my pocket, I drew out the black stone. “Here, you—”

You have passed a mental resistance check! An unknown entity has failed to pierce your disguise.

My head whipped around to the gates. The cavalry column had finished passing through. Following in its wake was a much smaller group of fifty players, each clad in stygian leathers. Senzo’s scouts.

At their fore was a blonde woman who was staring at me with something akin to frustration.

The target is Fiona, a level 201 human diviner.

Kartara tracked my gaze. “Ah, you’ve discovered Fiona, I see. You’ll want to meet her, I’m sure.”

“That’s not necessary,” I said quickly.

Paying my refusal no heed, the huntmistress beckoned the diviner. “This way, Fiona.”

The blonde woman stomped over. My initial impression had been wrong, I realized. Fiona was not frustrated, she was seething.

Affecting a nonchalance I did not feel, I held myself still as Fiona bore down on me. I was not at all certain it was wise to let the diviner—a player whose Perception was likely on par, if not higher, than my own—get close, but what was I going to do?

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

Attack? Run?

Neither of those options were satisfactory ones, especially not with Kartara standing close by and watching me with hawkish intensity.

This is a test.

The entire encounter had been staged, I realized, almost clumsily so. But I didn’t think the huntmistress cared if I deduced her intent.

I had two choices.

Flee, and likely lose the brotherhood’s promised aid. Or grit my teeth, and let myself be subjected to Fiona’s probes, and hope she didn’t discover a damned thing.

I went with option two.

“Ghost, whatever happens, do nothing. And say nothing. We’re under observation.” Not waiting for the pyre wolf’s response, I shut down our familiar link and tightened the shields around my mind.

The diviner drew closer.

Matching stares with her, I folded my arms as she marched up and placed her face inches from mine.

Fiona has failed to analyze you.

“What are you?” she demanded.

“Don’t you mean who?” I asked lightly.

The diviner sniffed.

Fiona has failed to analyze you.

My brows drew down. “What are you doing?”

Stepping closer, the diviner sniffed again, longer and deeper, and with her nose almost brushing against my Cloak.

Fiona has failed to analyze you.

She stuck her tongue out.

I recoiled.

“No,” I said, glaring at the huntmistress. “Tasting is where I draw the line. She is not going to lick me.”

Senzo chuckled.

Ignoring the spymaster’s amusement, the huntmistress held up her hand, and with a grimace, Fiona backed away.

“Anything?” Kartara asked.

“He is human,” the diviner replied grudgingly. “That much I can say for certain.”

The huntmistress nodded. “What else?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?” Kartara echoed, her voice strangely devoid of emotion. It was almost as if she’d anticipated the diviner’s response. But that would mean…

She suspects something. But what?

“His spirit signatures appear genuine,” Fiona continued, “his mind is impenetrable, and his magic seems non-existent.” She paused. “Well, there is one other thing, but I’m not sure if it’s relevant.”

“Tell me.”

“He stinks of the void.”

“That’s hardly surprising,” Senzo said abruptly. “Considering where he’s been, what he is, and where we’re going.”

I said nothing, but inwardly I wondered if Senzo was right, or if it was Ghost whose scent the diviner had caught.

Nodding slowly, the huntmistress turned my way.

“Satisfied?” I asked, scowling at her.

“For now,” she replied evenly and stuck out her right arm, palm up.

Wordlessly, I dropped the black stone into her waiting hand. Drawing out something from her own pocket, Kartara held it out to me. “What’s that?” I growled, my outrage still simmering.

“A farspeaker bracelet,” she replied, ignoring my tone entirely. “It’ll ease our communication in the Nethersphere.”

For a moment, I considered refusing, but only for a moment. This was not the time or place for anger. And besides, I had little cause to be affronted. It was only my own deception that had spurred Kartara to act the way she had. Exhaling slowly, I took the proffered item.

You have equipped a farspeaker bracelet from the Brotherhood link set F05. Equipped items: 30 / 30.

Spinning around, Kartara marched off. “Let’s go.”

✵ ✵ ✵

You have entered sector 30,199 of the Nethersphere.

It took hours to ferry the brotherhood army to the sector. Most of that time was spent erecting concealment shields and other wards whose sole purpose was keeping the stygians from noticing the hostile force camping out on their doorstep.

Thankfully, the nether creatures on this side of the rift did not appear especially vigilant. Perhaps it was the lack of a void tree to goad them into action that accounted for their disinterest.

Whatever the case, the brotherhood force was able to move into place without detection. I hung around for the entire operation. Not because I wanted to, but because my presence was crucial for the coordination of our two-pronged assault from opposite sides of the rift.

It was only through me that both forces could coordinate their attacks, and even then, the coordination would be limited to ensuring both assaults kicked off simultaneously.

After that, the brotherhood would be on their own.

As would the forerunners.

“Everyone report in,” Kartara ordered from the dune top where she sat observing her people.

“Cavalry mounted and ready to charge,” Duskar replied. The nightmares and their riders were on the east flank. They had a singular task: hunting down and killing the harbinger.

“Mages in position,” Cait reported. “Barrier dome spell prepped and waiting for release.”

The nether witch was in charge of the brotherhood’s spellcasters, their biggest cohort by far. The mages had two responsibilities. The first was to serve as the army’s main damage dealers. They would be the ones killing the stygians en-masse. Their second task, and the more important one—from my perspective anyway—was to erect a shield barrier around the rift. As long as there were enough mages alive to keep the spell going, the dome would prevent the lesser stygians and the nagas from crossing the rift—in either direction.

The one downside was that Cait’s spell was only tier five.

It would not stop the harbinger from getting through. Which was what made the cavalry’s own part so important.

“Scouts deployed,” Senzo reported.

The brotherhood spymaster had the smallest role of all the huntmistress’ direct subordinates. He and the scouts were tasked with watching the army’s flanks to make sure no unanticipated threats crept up on them. I’d been warned time and again that if that happened, the brotherhood would withdraw—irrespective of whether the agreed upon four hours had passed or not.

“Infantry also ready,” Kartara said.

The huntmistress had taken direct command of the foot soldiers. Their only goal was protecting the spellcasters, which sounded simple enough, but was likely the most dangerous task of all since the nether creatures would almost certainly target the mages first.

“Everyone is in place,” Kartara said, glancing down at where I waited in a shallow dip.

I rose to my feet. “Then, I guess I better get going.” Turning to the brotherhood player waiting beside me, I whispered, “Go ahead, I’m ready.”

Closing his eyes, the mage began intoning the words of a portal spell under his breath.

I looked back over my shoulder at Kartara. She was still watching me. “Good luck, Huntmistress.”

“And to you too, Havick,” she replied softly.

The portal opened before me, and I strode through without a second look back.