I really should take up lock picking.

I mean, considering how many jail cells I’ve ended up in in the past five years, you’d think it would be a useful skill to learn. Maybe even a life-saving skill. There’s just no reason not to have considered it sooner. But, in my infinite wisdom, I had chosen not to worry about such things, and now, I was trapped in yet another cell, along with Alicia and Alverd, stripped of our weapons and awaiting the beginning of Albrecht’s war.

Really regretting that decision in hindsight, now.

Lord Mattigen’s demon had incapacitated us pretty quickly. I wasn’t exactly an expert on demon lore, but I knew enough to recognize the handiwork of a greater glavornak. Greater glavornaks were pretty powerful demons that could knock out groups of soldiers with their mind-manipulation abilities. Mages had only just developed countermeasures for these abilities, but they didn’t always have time to use those countermeasures. Add those mind powers to several pounds of lean muscle, and the ability to channel fire elemancy, and you had a demon that would roast and eat your face in seconds.

What surprised me was that we were still alive. Albrecht had no reason to leave us still alive, now that he had Sheena to enact his plan. There were a few things that didn’t add up. Holes in the logic, so to speak. Some of the things Albrecht had mentioned had big gaping flaws in the reasoning, and I desperately tried to unravel them as I stood up.

Alicia had mentioned that Albrecht had claimed he would never hurt Sheena, and that he had killed her parents to keep her safe. That he was seizing control of Algrustos to take revenge on Ishmar for what was done to other children whose only crime was being born with the gift of magic. That he had gained the support of the Council of Magic in order to further his scheme. And that he had fooled Sheena into believing that he was her loving guardian.

But not all of the pieces fit in this puzzle. Not all of Albrecht’s motives made sense. I couldn’t believe I was one step away from attempting to justify what he was doing, but somehow, I couldn’t just dismiss the notion that something bigger was going on here. I checked Alverd and Alicia; they were still soundly out, so I decided to take a little risk. I knew that my only chance lay in contacting someone who had ancient knowledge of magic, the only person who I could rely on in a crisis like this. I prayed for luck as I closed my eyes, and very quietly, I whispered, “Deotra?”

I didn’t even hear her approach. I merely turned around, and there she was, in the cell, with me. She greeted me with her toothy smile, a carefree look of happiness on her face. “How may I be of service, Master?” That made my heart skip a beat. Master. I could feel my cheeks flush a bit. Any other boy in my position would probably be thrilled to have such a cute girl call them Master, but I didn’t have those kinds of perverted delusions. Well, maybe not THOSE kinds. I shook my head to clear out the inappropriate thought still taking form there.

“Ok, first? Don’t call me Master, it’s weird. Second of all, how much do you know about the Slumbering Calamities?” Deotra made a pouty face, jutting her lip out. “Why can’t I call you Master? That is the basis of our relationship, isn’t it? I thought you would like it…” She folded her arms and I was momentarily distracted by her chest. I quickly regained my train of thought.

“Look, Deotra, try to focus here. I need your help. Is what Albrecht said true? Can he activate the Slumbering Calamities by using Sheena’s blood?”

Deotra frowned again. “You know, I don’t think I like that witch girl. I’ve seen the way you looked at her, and it makes me very jealous, Kuro. Am I not also attractive? Did I not tailor my appearance upon your heart’s desire? And yet, you haven’t complimented me on my beauty, or ogled me or even tried anything untoward! I’m beginning to think you don’t like me. So, until you acknowledge me as the only girl you need, I refuse to help you.” She then smiled at me smugly.

I sighed. Even though this side of Deotra was indeed preferable to that of “Drache”, I was beginning to see that this Deotra had her quirks, too. But a little jealousy was normal, right? I guess I could humor her for now. “You are the most attractive girl I’ve ever laid eyes on, Deotra. In my defense, I hadn’t met you when I looked at Sheena the way you accuse me of. So, from now on, I have no reason to look at her in such a fashion. Will that placate you?”

Deotra’s smile grew wider. “It’ll do for now. So what exactly did you want to know, Ma…I mean, Kuro?”

I reiterated my question. “Lord Albrecht said that the Slumbering Calamities needed the blood of the royal family to activate. Is he telling the truth? Because some of the things he said before don’t add up, even if I’m having trouble figuring out what isn’t fitting in and what is.”

Deotra’s face became serious. “The Slumbering Calamities. It has been quite a long time since I’ve had to think about those. But I do believe that this Lord Albrecht is correct. The Calamities must be powered by royal blood. It was meant to be a failsafe, so that they could not be activated by just any individual. Only the Wizard-King or Witch-Queen, one who carried the burden of responsibility, would be granted the privilege and cost of activating the Calamities. But that…might not be the only way.”

Deotra scratched at her chin with her hand. “I observed this man, Albrecht. I believe as you do, that there is something else at work, here. His motives are not what he claims them to be. The fact that you are still alive is evidence enough. If he truly wanted nothing but revenge against Ishmar, his first course of action would have been to execute Alicia publicly, along with the two of you. And yet here you are, drawing breath.”

Deotra was right. Albrecht’s first act would have been to publicly execute us all. But then again, maybe the shrewd bastard was just waiting for the perfect time. After all, why execute us now when he could do it after the Calamities were awake? Then, he’d have the perfect way to start his war. The first drop of Ishmarian blood to be spilled in a long, bloody war.

But I didn’t know who’d come out on top. The Calamities were, at this point, an unknown. But if they were designed with the purpose of killing dragons, I could only imagine how they would carve a bloody swath through the dragon tamers’ lines. The fiery breath and dragontooth blades of the enemy would have no effect on their dormicite skin. It would be a slaughter, plain and simple.

But the dragons were legion. Their ability to swoop down from the sky and rain fire from above would decimate the ranks of mages on the ground. Their riders would deal death mercilessly from atop their backs, each one a fanatic fighting for their home. They would fight to the last man, that much was certain.

I turned to Deotra. “Who do you think will win? If this all comes to pass?”

Deotra shrugged. “Who’s to say? I really don’t care, to be honest. The only thing I care about is you, Kuro. Neither Ishmar nor Algrustos are innocent, you know. Each side has blood on their hands. Rest assured that I will not allow any harm to come to you. And woe to any who think otherwise.” A sinister gleam twinkled in her amber-colored eyes for a moment, the same kind that her split personality often showcased. I gulped.

Then she cocked her head. “Someone approaches. I’m sorry, but I must leave you now, Kuro. But I am not afraid. I’m sure you’ll find the answer you seek. Whether you’ll be able to salvage this situation is another matter entirely. I’ll be watching out for you…as I always do.” She giggled one last time, and then she disappeared as she did back in the Forest.

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The door outside our cell opened, and Captain McFarlane appeared, a large sack slung over her back. She dumped the sack at the foot of our cell, and kicked the bars with her steel-toed boot. Alverd and Alicia were roused by the noise, and their eyes sleepily focused on McFarlane, unbelieving. When they realized who was standing outside our cell, they sprang up, though they were still unsteady; the glavornak had obviously been more effective on them then it had been on me.

McFarlane waited patiently for us to give her our full attention. Then she opened the sack, revealing our weapons. Alverd’s eyes opened in surprise, then narrowed in suspicion, as did mine. We stood in silence for a moment, and then McFarlane spoke. “We are running out of time. My Lord requires your aid, posthaste.” She pulled the key to our cell from her pocket, which only added to our confusion.

Alicia piped in. “What the hell are you gibbering about? Why the hell should we trust you? Your Lord just tried to kill us all. Why would we help him?!” I could see the bloodlust in her eyes, and I immediately scoot myself back a few paces from her. I definitely didn’t want to be the first target of her berserker rage.

McFarlane reached into the sack she had laid at the foot of the cell. When she withdrew her hand, Alicia’s dragontooth hammer emerged. “Because my Lord is playing a bigger game than you think, lizard Princess. As much as it pains me to do so, I am here to release you and guide you to where the Magisters are attempting to revive the Calamities. We have to stop them, and you three are the only ones who can help.”

I could feel the wheels in my head turning as I finally put two and two together. If Albrecht indeed was trying to pull one over on the Magister Lords, then it might explain what was going on around here. But I was still wary. Just because Albrecht wanted our help in defeating the Magisters, it didn’t mean that he wouldn’t try to stab us in the back after the deed was done. He himself had admitted that he couldn’t take them alone. After they were dead, he could just get rid of us, usurp the throne and then march on Ishmar.

But no matter what Albrecht’s true intentions were, our straits were infinitely better outside of this cell, armed. Even if Albrecht tried to backstab us later, we’d be armed to the teeth and ready to fight back. I don’t think the old man would be able to handle a guy like Alverd, that’s for sure. I didn’t think any of those Magister Lords would be able to deal with my friend, either.

Speaking of which, my friend’s eyes were smoldering with a righteous but restrained fury. He got up and walked to the bars. “You would willingly arm us and then throw us at your enemies? Enemies whom we cannot distinguish from supposed allies? Are we to be your killers by proxy again? Or was Lord Necce a necessary sacrifice in your game?”

McFarlane snorted. “Lord Necce couldn’t hold back his anger. We had no place among our number for a man who could not follow simple instructions. Besides, if he is gone, your job is easier. One less Magister to deal with. Do you want out or not? The Witch-Queen’s life is in your hands.” McFarlane finally inserted the key in the lock, but didn’t turn it. She gazed meaningfully at us.

I looked at my companions. We were, technically, under contract to protect Sheena. But beyond that, we had honor. We had to save her. The thought of her bleeding out, surrounded by those who had betrayed her, was mortifying. I would not wish such a fate on her, even after what she had done to me. Even if this was a trap, it would be one I was willing to rush into headlong.

Alverd agreed with me. “Of course. We will not sit here and wait for Milady Sheena to die. Release us. But know that if you do anything suspicious, we will not hesitate to cut you down, Captain. I want that to be perfectly clear.” Gods, Alverd could be scary when he wanted to. The look in his blue eyes was like ice. I saw McFarlane flinch just a bit, but she was a soldier. I don’t think a mere death threat would be enough to faze her so easily.

Alicia was also eager to get out. “And I’ll be the one to do it. I’ve had it up to here with you bloody spellslingers. The things I have to do to get a damn peace treaty signed! It seems we can’t go anywhere without landing in the middle of some horrible debacle. Well, I’m done with diplomacy. I’m gonna start smashing some heads, and when I’m done, THEN we can talk about peace!”

Yeah. Those are my friends. It’s a wonder I’m still alive, isn’t it?

But then again, I can be just as bloodthirsty, if not more so. I mean, I had a knife sticking out of my back too. I had plenty of reason to get mad. So if I wanted to visit great vengeance upon my enemies, was I not entitled to in this situation?

McFarlane turned the key and opened our cell. She handed Alicia her hammer, and I quickly pulled the Staff of Farewells from the sack. Alverd lifted his weapons from the sack, tying his sheath to his back and securing his new shield to his left arm. In minutes we were ready to move out. Alicia turned to look at McFarlane. “So where are we going, anyway? I assume you know where Albrecht took the Witch-Queen?”

McFarlane nodded. “Aye. The Magister Lords in league with Lord Albrecht took her beneath the Palace, to the catacombs where the Calamities sleep. There is an altar there where the ritual to awaken them must take place. If we hurry, we can make it there before the ritual is complete.” She hurried off, her combat staff held to her side, checking the corridor outside for any guards. She gave us the all-clear, and we filed into the corridor stealthily.

I couldn’t help but suppress a chuckle. To be in such a similar situation so soon. It seemed like only yesterday when we had been running through the blackened stone halls of the Ishmarian Arena. But when I thought about it, it began to grow distant in my mind. I had to focus on the now. Sheena needed our help. I had a quick image in my head of Deotra making her faux-hurt expression as I mustered my courage, but pushed it aside.

We rushed through the corridors of the Ivory Palace, descending staircase after staircase, following Captain McFarlane as she ran headlong. We pushed by guardsmen and soldiers, but they did not impede us; as soon as they saw McFarlane, they bowed out of the way, and we passed them in a blur. I was thankful for that; I didn’t want to waste time dealing with small fry when every second mattered.

Eventually, we entered what had to be the catacombs. The atmosphere changed the moment we opened the large steel door, assaulting us with a musky smell, years of rot and decay rushing out of the tombs below to greet us. We descended the stairs into the catacombs, and both McFarlane and myself activated our lighting spells to pierce through the gloom.

That was a mistake. All around us were tombs. Entire walls were dug into, with coffins snugly fitting into the openings. Columns of skulls held up the ceiling at regular intervals, covered in dirt and cobwebs. Suits of armor, clutching their weapons of war, lined the passage leading deeper into the dark. I could hear Alicia whimper behind me; Alverd placed his arm around her, and she blushed heavily, though whether he noticed in the dim light was anyone’s guess. We moved down the creepy tunnel as a group, waiting for something to just leap out and attack us.

But nothing did. We got all the way to the end of the tunnel without any mishaps. It took a while, and I was starting to wonder if we were still under the Palace, or even under the city, for that matter. Just as I was about to ask about that, a giant door, made of dormicite, blocked our path. McFarlane waved her hand over it, and it opened slowly, grinding against the ground audibly. I shuddered at the sound. I hoped that it wouldn’t give us away. The last thing we needed was for our enemy to discover that we were coming after them.

Once the door had swung open, we went through and entered what appeared to be a different area of the castle. Walls were now bleached white, illuminated by fresh torches. Suits of armor like the ones from the crypt were stationed along the walls. Alicia pulled the visor up on one; she recoiled back in terror when she saw that it was occupied by a skeleton, long since decayed. She stifled her screams, at the very least. We reached the end of the tunnel, and peered over the edge of the balcony we had emerged onto, surveying what was going on below.

I saw an intricate ivory altar, resplendent with decoration. An earthen jar lay upon it, and several Magister Lords were now restraining Sheena as she fought futilely to break free. I spied Lord Albrecht nearby, Sheena’s staff in his hands, giving orders to Lady Kertouli and Lord Mattigen. Lord Mattigen’s demon was nowhere in sight. I didn’t know if that made me feel better or more worried.

At this point, I realized that we didn’t have a plan. Sure, we had gotten here. But we didn’t exactly know what we were gonna do once we got here. But that dilemma was solved for me when Alicia, screaming a battle cry, mantled the balcony and ran for the group ahead of her. So much for stealth. Oh well. As I pulled fire from my chest, I grinned. There was a time for subtlety, and then there was a time for action.

Now was definitely a time for the latter.