They didn’t speak much on the way to the Stannerig clan’s main compound. A small procession of waywagons had been brought in for the Clanmistress’s travel. Avathene herself took one with a couple of her cultivator attendants. Another had the old Clanmaster with his guard. Rieren herself took the last, accompanied by the last cultivator left.

He didn’t speak to her all the way. Rieren wasn’t one to drag out a conversation from anyone, so she remained silent. The real reason she was being kept company was so she wouldn’t cause any trouble.

The trip didn’t take long, at least. They exited the city and went up the mountain, the waywagon rattling along the road. Batcat didn’t wake up even when their ride came to a stop.

When Rieren disembarked, she found that they were well within the main compound of the Stannerig clan. Apparently, she wasn’t going to be staying at a guest house further downslope like she and Silomene had done with the Ordorian clan. Maybe Avathene wanted to keep her closer, for whatever reason. It wasn’t setting off any alarm bells in her head, for now.

Rieren was taken to a small guest house near the main building. She didn’t get to see what became of Yonvig.

“The Clanmistress will call upon you soon,” her accompanying cultivator said.

“When might that be?” Rieren asked before he could close the door and depart.

“I am not certain.”

“Can you enquire?”

He frowned. “I do not think the Clanmistress wishes to be disturbed at this moment. Be patient and—”

“Unfortunately, I have business to attend to. Without knowing how long I am required to stay here, I cannot waste my time. If you will not ask, I can do so myself.”

The cultivator sighed. “Fine. I will be back within ten minutes. Do not wander off, please.”

When he closed the door, he did so with a resounding the thud. Rieren had no doubt she had angered him, but it needed to be said. She had a stage in her cultivation to climb through. The sooner she got to cultivating, the better for everyone involved.

True to his word, she did receive her answer within ten minutes. But it wasn’t the cultivator who brought it.

Instead, the man she had met while fighting the Arisen at the last outpost arrived.

“You haven’t been here for even an hour and already you’ve angered someone?” Oromin said by way of greeting. “What kind of creature even are you?”

Rieren hid her surprise at seeing him. He looked the same as he had that day, wearing robes that were white with the faintest hint of blue, his long grey hair combed right against his head.

“I was merely expressing my concern that this meeting with the Clanmistress might take longer than I can afford to spend.”

“The Clanmistress was kind enough to bring you here and provide shelter. Can you not recognize that generosity and be thankful for it?”

“I am. But—”

He raised a hand to forestall her. “Yes, I’m certain you have important matters to attend to. I frankly don’t care what they are and I have no intention of bickering with you. All I am here to say is that the Clanmistress is setting up an important meeting. It will be at least an hour or so before all the participants arrive. So, sit tight till then. It’s not a meeting you’d want to miss.”

As sharp as his tone was, Rieren actually appreciated that he was willing to cut to the chase of the matter. “A meeting with whom?”

“I cannot say. But have some faith. She wouldn’t call you here if it wasn’t important.”

“How I am to trust that I am not being duped?”

He stared at her with thin, unimpressed eyes. “What reason could we have for duping you?”

Rieren cocked her head, raising one eyebrow. “I was abandoned by you all when the Avatar came calling. What reason do I have for believing there isn’t another Avatar somewhere in this estate, waiting to finish the job their partner failed to perform?”

“That… is fair enough, I suppose. But, you came here for a reason too, yes? It wasn’t simply because the Clanmistress asked for you personally that you chose to accompany us. So if you want to accomplish your objective, you will unfortunately have to trust us.”

He was right. She would indeed need to have the minimum faith necessary for her to cooperate with the Stannerig clan, especially if she intended to make use of their Enlightenment Locale.

“What is your name, by the way?” the cultivator asked.

She hesitated, then stomped on the hesitation. “I am Rieren. Are you from the Tarciel clan?”

He squinted at her return question. Then he blinked. “Ah, Silomene. Yes, I am her uncle on her mother’s side.”

Rieren nodded. She would have guessed brother or even cousin, but considering the fact that he was an advanced cultivator, it was no surprise his appearance didn’t reflect his actual age.

“I would ask you how you actually performed your little… transformation trick, but I suppose trade secrets are not for sale,” he said.

“Temporal Recollectors.”

“What?”

“In the System Shop. Search for Temporal Recollectors. For people who reached greater heights in the previous timeline than they are currently in, it is invaluable.”

That was a wholly incomplete explanation, but Oromin had a thoughtful expression on his face. He took his leave of her, reminding her that it ought not be too long before the Clanmistress called for an actual meeting.

Rieren tried to take in the little house she had been provided. It was clean and well furnished. There was a nice bed, tables and chairs for dining, rugs for comfortable walking, an assortment of robes, slippers, combs, and the like. Rieren might have enjoyed it once. Now, she had no intention of getting familiar with any of that. She would be leaving soon, one way or another.

Batcat woke up for a while as she waited. Rieren talked a little to it, but the kitten seemed more interested in exploring their new abode. It only paid attention when she offered it some biscuits. Selfish cat.

Thankfully, Oromin’s words proved to be true. Within the hour, he returned and said that the Clanmistress had summoned her.

“Is it time for the meeting?” she asked, picking up the little kitten to place it on her head, where it started to go to sleep again.

Oromin eyed the little Spirit Beast. “Yes. Please follow me.”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

He led the way through the compound. The paths in the estate were curving but clean and lit by little lanterns to keep away the darkness. There weren’t many lights in most of the rest of the compound, though. Eventually, they arrived at the large, central building that was likely the main residence of the Clanmistress.

Rieren had only a moment to appreciate the little garden of bamboo before it and the way its roof had been coloured a bright aquamarine before she was ushered inside.

The meeting chamber wasn’t far within. Oromin opened some sliding doors before handing Rieren off to the first cultivator who she had so annoyed. He didn’t even bother looking at her, simply walking off and expecting her to follow like a hound on a leash. Rieren made no comment. It was a smidge insulting, but she was more intrigued by the meeting itself.

Her suspicion that it might be anything terrible had lessened a great deal, but her hand didn’t leave the hilt of her Receptor sword. She was glad she had Batcat on her head. When the cultivator finally opened the door, Rieren froze.

The meeting was between her fellow disciples from Lionshard Sect.

“Welcome, Rieren Vallorne,” the Clanmistress of the Stannerig clan said, beckoning Rieren from her seat. Rieren took a hesitating step into the large, airy, and bright room. “That will be all, Belstod, thank you.”

“My pleasure, Clanmistress.”

The cultivator closed the door behind him and left.

They all sat around a low table laden with a good deal of fruits. The lanterns hanging from high up glimmered as though they had fireflies trapped within them, and the walls were draped with richly embroidered tapestries. Rieren barely saw any of it. Her eyes were only on her fellow disciples, who all stared back at her.

There was Amalyse, looking stringier and wearier than normal, but with no less of a fire in her eyes. Rollo was trying to hide his surprise under his mask of casual arrogance. It was interesting to note how he had to sit with his knees tucked in thanks to his prosthetic leg. Kalvia was at the other end of the table, granting Rieren the briefest of smiles before adopting neutrality.

“Take a seat, please,” Avathene said. She cough, politely excused herself, then indicated the empty spot next to her. “Now that we are all here, we can finally begin.”

“I wasn’t expecting Rieren to be the final guest,” Amalyse said. She smiled as Rieren took her seat. “Not that I mind, of course.”

Rieren smiled back. “It is good to see you too, Amalyse.”

It was. Rieren’s chest had constricted as she had approached the meeting chamber, but upon seeing Amalyse, the tension had loosened. Even if she still didn’t know Avathene’s intention, she could at least relax in the presence of her one, true friend.

She knew there was now at least one person in this room who would be at her back, no matter what.

“How could you not expect it when I mentioned it?” Kalvia asked. “Twice!”

“I might have tuned my ears out during those moments.”

“What?”

“Apologies, did you say something?”

The Clanmistress cleared her throat. “Alright, let us begin, ladies.” She paused, her eyes falling upon Rollo with a small smile. “And gentleman. To wit, this meeting is for the express purpose of determining where your various fates lie with regards to the Shatterlands and all within it.”

Rieren could tell she was a bit out of the loop here. The Clanmistress’s words didn’t clarify much, but it seemed the others didn’t have a problem understanding. Of course, it was clear enough that Avathene wanted to discuss all their various intentions and how that related to the Shatterlands’ current predicament. But that didn’t explain the context behind this meeting.

Why had all the disciples of Lionshard Sect in the Shatterlands been gathered here?

“I still intend to make use of your Enlightenment Locale, my lady,” Kalvia said. “Though, with the situation turning more tense by the minute, I may have to rethink that.”

The Clanmistress took one of the silver apples on the table and took a dainty little bite. “Especially since we have received more missives from the imperial court regarding your status.”

“What?”

Kalvia had uttered it, but Rieren and Amalyse had done so at the same time. They all stared at each other.

“I am guessing each of your whats are actually a different question,” Avathene said. “Rieren, you go first.”

She nodded, then turned to face Kalvia. “The Clanmistress knows?”

“Oh, right,” Kalvia said. “Yes, both the Clanmistress of the Stannerig clan and the Clanmaster of the Ordorian clan know. Though, they are the only ones who know the specific truth. Everyone else within their circle of immediate influence believes I am just a whelp from some capital highborn here to serve as an assistant.”

“That’s close enough to the truth,” Amalyse muttered. Before Kalvia could argue, she went on, explaining the situation for Rieren’s benefit. “The Stannerig were the ones who originally hired us from Lionshard Sect. Lady Avathene contacted us, saying that she could secure a meeting with the rest of those from Lionshard who were here.”

“How did you know about me, then, Clanmistress?” Rieren asked Avathene.

“I actually scheduled the meeting while you were still with Mercion’s group,” she said. “Well over a month ago. I was not expecting an Avatar’s interruption, nor your disappearance.”

Amalyse muttered something unsavoury. “Cursed Avatars.”

Ah, so that explained why Amalyse hadn’t been expecting Rieren. They had lost touch with her after the debacle at the outpost. Mercion might have been intending to mention it after they finished the mission, but that had turned out to be impossible.

That also explained what Kalvia had meant. Her connection with the Stannerig would allow her to procure a way to the Enlightenment Locale.

“Now, what is your what, Lady Arraihos?” Avathene asked.

Amalyse grimaced. “Mine was because I suspect that, since your received missives from the capital, you might have some from the Arraihos clan as well.”

“We have. From all of them, actually. Arraihos, Karlosyne, and Lady Silk’s representatives. They all wish for your speedy exit from the Shatterlands before you fall alongside us.”

Rieren glanced at Kalvia. So, she had mentioned her real name to Rieren only. Foolish of her. An Empress shouldn’t be forming that sort of attachment, couldn’t afford that kind of sentimentality.

But more importantly, as Rieren turned to face everyone else in the meeting, she understood what the purpose of this little get-together was. They had to decide what to do next. All together.

It was kind of Avathene to get them in one place. The way she was simply content to sit there and peel open a red banana without pressuring them in any way meant that she really did intend to let them come to their own conclusions. She was simply facilitating their discussion, perhaps likely because she was the one who was corresponding with their guardians.

“Do all the missives say the same thing?” Rieren asked.

Avathene nodded. “They request the return of their charges.”

“Charges,” Rollo muttered dismissively.

“Do not be so hasty to disparage them, Lord Karlosyne.”

“The truth can often be disparaging, Clanmistress.”

“I am aware. However, let us not pretend the position of power and privilege you enjoy when compared to the vast majority of people is in part due to the fortune of your birth. Of your circumstance.” She glanced at Rieren. “You have things that others do not, paths and options some will never be able to acquire. It is always good to keep that thought in perspective.”

Rollo didn’t have any biting retort to that. How could he, when the Clanmistress was correct.

“I… I think I need some time to think it over,” Amalyse said.

“Of course,” the Clanmistress said kindly. “A decision made in haste is not a good one. That’s why I brought you all here, so you could discuss and help each other come to the right conclusion for yourselves. If that takes a few days, then so be it.”

“I have already made my decision,” Rieren said.

“Oh?”

Everyone was staring at her, but she kept her eyes fixed on the Clanmistress. “My contractual efforts for the Ordorian have been fulfilled. I never managed to claim all the remuneration I was to be provided. However, I am not insinuating the Stannerig needs to provide me with what the Ordorian owe. Instead, I wish to make a new deal. With you, Clanmistress.”

“Is that so? Please explain.”

“’Tis simple, really. I want access to your Enlightenment Locale. In return, I will assist you against the foes that threaten the Shatterlands. All of them.”

“We don’t have the time for that,” Kalvia said. “The monsters are closing in.”

Rieren raised an eyebrow at her. “And you expect four disciples of a Sect to make a great difference where the strongest cultivators of the region have failed?”

“Every little bit is a difference. Every little addition can tip the scales of balance.”

“I do not rest my hopes on little tips. I intend to overwhelm. When I aim for victory, I am sure to achieve it.”

A bold statement. Rieren even saw Rollo grin at her at the sheer arrogance of it. And yet, it wasn’t wrong. For all that Rieren had gone through, she hadn’t exactly lost.

Kalvia frowned at her, face hardening to the same imperious mask she had donned against Adjudicator. “You think there is enough time for something like that? We might not have a month till the monsters are at Falstrom’s doorstep.”

“You keep bringing up we. I am not advocating what anyone else might do. That is for you all to decide.” Rieren looked around at them, one by one. Amalyse had a troubled expression. Rollo looked like he had swallowed something unpleasant. Kalvia was reining in her temper. Only Avathene looked composed and placid as ever. “All of you must decide for yourselves.”

Kalvia made to argue again, but Avathene raised a hand.

“Say we grant your wish, Rieren,” she said. “After which, you will no doubt join the battle. But you make it sound like you don’t particularly care if your friends joined as well.” Her eyes grew surprisingly sharp. “Are you saying that they won’t matter, so long as you find what you seek?”

A twisted question. But here, among the ones she really could call friends to some degree, Rieren had no wish to hide from the truth.

“Yes,” she said.