Hump stood by as Bud did what he could to get information from Fiona, but she was a blank tablet. The anger from before was gone, replaced with impassive indifference. She stared straight ahead and told Bud nothing.

“Just give up,” Emilia said. “Leave the traitor to her silence.”

Bud drew a long, shuddering breath. Hump could tell how furious he was. This woman was at least partially responsible for the members of his company that were killed during the attack on Fort Nordric, and she was sitting right there saying nothing.

“Fiona, it is not too late to cling to some shred of dignity,” Bud said. “You could not have always been this way. Speak with me, and perhaps the gods will see the shred of good in you. You will surely meet them soon, after all.”

The woman didn’t look at him. None of the warlocks did. Their faces were ones Hump was familiar with. His master had once encountered a warlock that had used a combination of magic and alchemy to entrance a number of women to marry him. He had been a weak wizard, but had known just enough of magic to ensnare them. After he was dealt with, the women had had that same empty gaze, refusing to speak on anything but the demand to release their husband. It was the mind of fanatics, and Hump knew there would be no negotiating.

Celaine had no interest in their attempt at an interrogation. Instead, she had taken Nishari with her to collect the heartstones of the demons. Bert’s adventurers watched on in amusement as Nisha hopped excitedly between the different creatures, watching with enthusiasm as Celaine removed their heartstones. It was grim business, but for the little dragon such gore didn’t faze her in the slightest. The loot would be divided up amongst the company members and adventurers. Hump had no need for such low level heartstones, and his reward was far greater. He wondered once more what the vault of the Inquisition might hold. And then there was the promise of an artifact from the Royal Armoury too for their work opening the Infernal Gates.

The Inquisition arrived in a procession of horses and prison wagons, the very sight of which instilled an instinctual fear in Hump. He had seen many wizards dragged off caged within those iron bars, inscribed with runes that prevented the use of any magic within. They were the fate that any wizard caught falling to dark magics could expect. Hump had feared he might end up in one himself once, yet now it was he that put warlocks in there. Not for the first time, Hump wondered what the old man would think if he knew where Hump’s life had taken him, aiding one of the groups that his master had tried so hard to avoid—a group that his master’s very killer belonged to.

But Eliana was dead, the old man was avenged, and despite his crusty exterior, Wizard Aldric seemed like a man that Hump could trust. The man rode at the front along with Inquisitor Harris Parchin—Inquisitor Sarielle’s second in command in Fort Nordric.

Aldric gave Hump a nod as the group neared, then stiffly dismounted. He removed his cane from a loop on his saddle and leant against it, reaching frantically for a silver flask in his robes. He opened it with one hand before taking a large swig, gasping as he finished.

“I am pleased to see you in good health, Wizard Humphrey.” His eyes roamed the company and wagons first, then went to the dead demons nearby, not even glancing at the captured warlocks. “What’s the situation?”

“Everything went as planned,” Hump said. “One of the men broke his toe getting onto the wagon, but other than that we have nothing more than a few scratches.”

“Excellent work,” Aldric commended.

“Truly,” Inquisitor Harris said. He was a tall man with a face filled with sagging wrinkles. “Not a single casualty, yet so many of our enemy defeated. We are truly dealing with incompetence. But it takes skilled execution to capitalise on it.” The man extended a hand to Hump. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Wizard Humphrey. I have been hearing more and more of you of late.”

Hump took the man’s hand and shook. “Good to meet you,” he lied. Hump wasn’t sure if it was the man’s delicate grip, or the way he carried himself a little too upright, but something about the man didn’t sit right with Hump. “Robert’s already identified one of the warlocks. A Lady Fiona Heinlock.”

Aldric’s face darkened and he turned to the captured warlocks, a grim smile forming on his lips. “Lady Fiona Heinlock… Why am I not surprised? Disappointed, of course, but not surprised.”

Once more, Fiona’s face contorted in anger, the impassiveness from before lost in the presence of the inquisitors. “You are a fool if you think this small victory changes anything.”

“Perhaps, but I do feel much better for it. Wouldn’t you say Harris?”

“Oh yes. I’ll sleep easy tonight.”

The warlock leader snarled. “You face powers beyond your understanding.”

“Well then, please, go ahead and enlighten us,” Aldric said. When the woman said nothing more he frowned. “Pity, but there will be plenty of time for us to chat later.” His eyes roamed the other ten members of her warlocks that survived. “Now, who else do we have here?” A few eyes looked away. “I’m afraid to say there are a few too many familiar faces. Fiona… you have been busy. Well, we shall figure it out.”

“What will happen to them now?” Bud asked.

“They will return to the rest of the army with us, Sir Robert,” Aldric said. “What happens after that largely depends on them.”

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Bud frowned, clearly sensing the additional meaning to the man’s words. Thankfully he decided not to press further. “I see.”

As the Inquisition started to shackle the prisoners and escort them to the wagons, Wizard Aldric stood by to address Hump and the others. “You should know that I have already written to Inquisitor Sarielle along with the Master of the Vault, Inquisitor Yivish, in Elenvine. Even if I die, you shall get your reward. All of you.”

“My thanks,” Hump said. “And I appreciate the opportunity here.”

“There is no need for that. I serve my king and my people. I will use any and all resources to that end. You have all proved yourselves to be valuable, which is why you are here, and why dear Fiona is now in shackles. I’m starting to think that we may just be on the same side after all.”

Hump frowned his brow, trying to figure out what the man meant. “Just starting to? Is that right, sir?”

The man gave a sly smile and winked. Whatever he meant, he moved on swiftly. “This will be my last task for you for now. I believe the immediate threat the warlocks posed to the expedition is now dealt with. The siege comes next. We are two days from the walls and then the Grand Engineers of Korvossa will begin to assemble our siege equipment. Battle will come to us soon enough, but until then you and your party are free to act as you wish. Enjoy the peace, for it will not be long until we are busy once more.”

Hump nodded. “Understood. Until then, we’ll escort the adventurers back with the wagons. Wouldn’t want them caught out here alone.”

“Indeed we would not.” Aldric turned and walked away, leaning heavily on his cane and taking a swig from his flask. He started to chuckle and turned back. “We wouldn’t want to end up with another stubbed toe.”

***

“Is this Inquisitor Yivish important?” Celaine asked when they were back in their wagon.

The five of them rode together now, with Nisha splayed over Hump’s lap. With the warlocks dealt with, the Blackthorne company no longer needed to conceal their strength. A few guards at any one time were more than enough to make sure the trip transpired safely.

“He’s one of the most senior members of the Inquisition,” Hump said. “Aldric effectively told us that he has reported our actions to him, which means he knows our name.”

“I thought you’d be against that,” Celaine said.

Hump shrugged. “I have mixed feelings. It will be good for business. If I ever end up locked in the Inquisitions dungeons, however, I’ll definitely think back to this moment. It has been on my mind though.”

“I think we can trust Wizard Aldric,” Bud said. “He’ll look out for you. There are not many wizards of the First Order, right? And it’s clear just how much sway he holds over the Inquisition.”

“Exactly,” Emilia said. “We should just enjoy the benefits we’re getting. There’s nothing more important than our equipment, and right now we’ve all been promised two artifacts each. They will hugely bolster our strength.”

“Our lives are more important,” Dylan said. “We’re strong enough to do almost anything we wish.”

“Other than the fact that we’re required to be here by the king,” Emilia said.

Dylan pressed his lips together into a frown. “Yeah. Other than that.”

Hump sat back against the wall of his cabin listening as they chatted. His mind went to Inquisitor Eliana. She had known of his spellbook, as had her master back in Elenvine Academy. The two of them had both attempted to take the old man’s life and one of them had succeeded. Likely, there were even more people out there after the Book of Infinite Pages. People like the assassin that had infiltrated Hump and Celaine’s apartment.

These two new artifacts could significantly improve his odds of surviving the next attack when it inevitably came, but eventually he would need to find out who these people were and why they wanted his book beyond the secrets it offered. Here in the Infernal Halls he was somewhat shielded from them, as ironic as it sounded, but once he was free of this dungeon everyone around him could be in danger. Already, Celaine could have died.

“What are you thinking?” Celaine asked.

Hump glanced up at her from his daze. “Just that I’ve probably had too long a break already. I’ve got two days until we arrive—I need to try and figure out Spell Sculpting.”

***

After what felt like the hundredth failure of the day, Hump let out a long, weary sigh. He turned to Nishari who was keeping him company throughout his efforts. She watched him with curious eyes. He could sense her fascination with his magic and the way he used Transform Earth to manoeuvre stones through the air. Her presence was a comfort to his frustrations, but comfort didn’t help him. He needed progress, and with evening already setting in, the days left where he could train were dwindling.

Taking a deep breath, Hump worked up the motivation for his next attempt. This style of study was far from suited to him. He’d always learned from practical situations more so than books and repetition, but this was all he had to work with.

Closing his eyes, he envisioned the essence of his soul as a steady, glowing flame at the centre of the channels in his body.

“Transform Earth,” Hump said. The two runes on the tablet came alight with earth essence. It was such a simple formation, yet it was able to control so much: the hardness, density, shape of the earth. He could turn a stone to dirt with a thought simply by willing the essence to weaken its grip. These two runes translated all of his will into action. The more he became acquainted with them, the more he realised how perfect they were to do so with such varying degrees of power and precision. All he was trying to do is edge it into different directions.

Slowly, he trickled that power into the stone tablet, using it to tap away at the earth essence within using his own, forcing it out. Already, he sensed the stone coming apart. Dirt and dust trickled to the wagon floor. Small fractures formed across its surface, like sun baked earth. He’d been here before. The more essence he added, the more he overwhelmed the intent of the earth and disrupted its functions.

He stopped and held the tablet in place, watching the tiny cracks spread across its surface. Bronze essence smoked out from the gaps in wispy streaks. He sensed the intent of the earth within, ageless and unceasing. His mind went blank and all thought left him as he gazed into the light. There were elements to the bronze. Lights and darks, and different shades. A low hum resonated in his ears, growing louder with each heartbeat. He felt the pulse of the earth itself, a rhythmic beat that synced with his heart. His soul started to change, taking on a yellow hue. Time left him. Slowly, he chipped away at the essence of the tablet.

Then he felt a change. The stone was a part of him, like a third hand. It moved to his whim, turning through the air so easily that it felt like a dream. The cracks were gone entirely now, and its shape morphed as naturally as liquid. As he realised what he’d achieved, the spell collapsed, his excitement getting the better of him.

Yet it was progress. Nishari looked at him with excitement, the image of the floating stone running through her mind. Play. Play. Play.

Hump laughed. “That wasn’t for you, sweets. But I’ll show you again.”