“We won’t risk going back through Haren,” Ransey said.

“We’ll avoid Chayer?” Rian asked.

“Of course,” Ransey said.

They reached Fiddle, on the plains of Caerulis, later the next morning. Rian and Ransey continued straight through the village, not stopping. Sancta Knights were guarding the graveyard. Even if it hadn’t been guarded, Rian wouldn’t have wanted to stop. Quidvis wouldn’t be far behind. Ransey changed direction, heading for the forest.

It would be easier to stay hidden in the forest, and it would be easier to find animals for Ransey. They walked through the forest all day, staying where they could barely see the plains. At night Rian glimpsed the small village of Perch on the plains. He and Ransey went deeper into the forest, continuing even further before stopping for the night.

Ransey didn’t light a fire this time. It was a warm night, even though it was the season of Harvest. Rian and Ransey sat against trees opposite each other. Ransey had the hood of his cloak back again. He had lowered it as soon as they were in the forest. He’d found a rabbit earlier and had just finished eating it.

“Maybe we should try finding the others,” Ransey said, but he looked reluctant. “Perhaps Quidvis could help you with Ruari. We don’t know what Quidvis is up to, but if anyone could remove Ruari, it would be a god.”

Ruari pushed to the surface suddenly, taking control before Rian could even try to stop him. Red light cracked Rian’s bones as he fought against Ruari. Ruari held on tight.

Ransey tensed. “He’s trying to take over again?”

“He succeeded,” Ruari said with Rian’s voice.

Ransey frowned hard. “Let go of him.”

“What does it matter to you?” Ruari asked.

“It isn’t your body,” Ransey said.

Ruari laughed. “It has been as much my body as his for the last sixteen years. Rian won’t be going back to Quidvis. We’ll be going to the Bone Garden.”

Ransey stood.

“What are you going to do, pawn of Mortua?” Ruari asked, not moving from where he sat. “I know you hate what you are, but at the same time you think you deserve this, that you deserve to suffer for betraying your lady.”

Ransey grabbed Rian by the shoulders, pulling him away from the tree and forcing him to the ground. Rian’s hood fell back. The red light was still cracking his bones, the pain making it hard to focus on fighting off Ruari’s control of him. Rian saw Ransey’s anger drain out of him. He let go of Rian, moving away, sitting at the base of the tree where he had been before.

Rian forced Ruari back. Ruari let him do it, but why? At the moment Rian didn’t much care. The magic of the Speaker of the Dead stopped fighting him, the red light fading from his cracked bones. He sat back against the tree.

“Are you back?” Ransey asked quietly.

“For now,” Rian said, trying to push back the hopelessness creeping up on him. “I’m sorry, for what he said.”

“It wasn’t you who said it,” Ransey said, not looking at him.

Neither of them said anything more that night. As soon as Ransey appeared to be asleep, Ruari forcefully took control again. Rian tried to fight him, but he was too weary, from the magic of the Speaker of the Dead hurting him, from fighting Ruari, all of it. This time his magic didn’t hurt him, because he didn’t have the strength to fight it.

“You’re taking too long to see reason,” Ruari thought. “I’ll have to try something else.”

What would that something else be? Rian knew he couldn’t stop whatever it was. Ruari stood, then slowly moved away. Ransey didn’t stir. Ruari walked away, back the way they came earlier that day. Where was he going? After a while Rian heard voices, then he saw the light of a fire. Now he knew where Ruari was going, but not why.

Halbert, Quidvis, and Eiva stopped talking when they saw Rian. They looked uncertain. The hood of Halbert’s cloak was back. Eiva was sitting on the other side of Halbert, with Quidvis across from both of them, on the side of the fire closest to Rian. The All-Keeper stared at Rian with those almost golden eyes. Would Quidvis know Ruari had control?

“Ruari is gone,” Ruari said with Rian’s voice. “I barely defeated him.” He sounded as weary as Rian felt.

To Rian’s horror, the others looked relieved. They believed him, believed Ruari was him. Even Quidvis seemed convinced. Ruari sat at the fire, out of easy reach of Quidvis, but not too close to Halbert either.

“Now I can help you,” Quidvis said.

Ruari tensed, then forced himself to relax. “Could it wait until after I’ve rested on burial ground?”

Quidvis nodded. “Alright, but we shouldn’t wait past that. I can see the cracks in your bones. Does it hurt?”

“A little,” Ruari said. That was an understatement.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

“You wouldn’t admit that to them, so neither will I,” Ruari thought. He knew Rian too well.

“You were with Ransey before,” Eiva said.

“We…parted ways,” Ruari said. “He seems to be alright. As much as he can be. He’s been feeding on animals so he doesn’t have to go after people, and so he won’t give Mortua more power.”

Halbert looked relieved.

“You’re back?” Ruari asked Eiva.

Eiva smiled. “I am. I had to deal with some things, and I dealt with them. I think I’ll be alright now.” She frowned, looking at Halbert and Quidvis. “What now?”

“Now we deal with Percival,” Quidvis said. “Percival is seeking the Forgotten Grove. He is after a sword he thinks is a lost relic of mine that he can use against wild mages. We must also deal with the other gods.” He sat up straighter. “Now that we have Rian back, I will tell you about the relic, and the so called Forgotten Grove. The sword cannot be used against wild mages any more than another blade.”

“Is it a lost relic?” Halbert asked.

“It was not lost,” Quidvis said. “I used it to fell a god that has been forgotten. Trivius and I have another brother. His name is Ilidu. I didn’t destroy Ilidu, I bound him to the grove, sacrificing a bit of my power. I recovered that power while I slept, but Ilidu won’t stay sealed forever. The sword is what I used to bind him.”

“What was he the god of?” Ruari asked. He hadn’t heard of Ilidu before either. Trivius hadn’t mentioned him.

“A god of war, destruction, and wrath. The things opposite me,” Quidvis said.

“Do you and Trivius have any other brothers we should know about?” Eiva asked.

Quidvis smiled. “There are only the three of us.” His smile vanished. “If the sword is taken, the bond may weaken enough over time for Ilidu to escape. I will feel it if the sword is taken. For now, Percival has yet to find the grove. We will head for my Sanctum.”

“How do we get there?” Eiva asked. “Is it like Mortua’s Sanctum, where the way can just be opened?”

“No,” Quidvis said. “It is like Trivius’s Sanctum, the Bone Garden. Ilidu has such a place as well. My Sanctum can be found through the Grove of Truth outside Fen.”

Rian tried to take back control from Ruari while he was listening to Quidvis, but Ruari held him back easily.

Ruari laughed in his mind. “Did you think I was distracted?” he thought.

Rian had even less hope now that he could take back control from Ruari. Why had Ruari come to find the others? What was he going to do?

“Don’t worry, I won’t harm them,” Ruari thought. “Not Halbert or Eiva. I have no qualms about hurting Quidvis.”

Ruari stayed awake that night, with Halbert and Quidvis. Only Eiva slept. In the morning, they left the forest, crossing the plains. By night they reached Rise. The graveyard was guarded, so they continued toward the forest.

“Are you alright?” Halbert asked, walking beside Rian. “Hopefully you’ll have a chance to rest on burial ground soon.”

“I’m tired, but I can keep going,” Ruari said. “Do you need burial ground?”

Halbert frowned. “I do need it.” He glanced at Eiva and Quidvis, not far ahead of them. “I’m not sure this isn’t worse than just being undead, but if I could rest on burial ground, I suppose it wouldn’t be.” He held up a hand. The back of it had rotted away to the bone. “If I don’t rest on burial ground, I will eventually be fully undead again.”

“And Quidvis undoing it isn’t pleasant,” Ruari said.

Halbert grimaced. “Far from it.” He looked at Rian, worry in his eyes. “Perhaps Quidvis can get the magic of the Speaker of the Dead out of you.” He lowered his voice to hardly a whisper. “But at what cost?”

“I don’t think there is a curse,” Ruari whispered.

Halbert nodded slightly.

Neither of them said more, not with Quidvis so close. They stopped for the night in the forest between Caerulis and Virida. Halbert still had the bag with him, the one with the objects used to seal and unseal the Bone Garden. Rian had noticed Ruari keeping an eye on the bag all day. Was that what he was after?

Suddenly it made sense. Rian could open the way to the Bone Garden without the ritual, but only if he was willing. Since he wasn’t willing, Ruari planned to use the objects and the ritual to open the way. Rian struggled against Ruari, but it was no use. Ruari held him back easily.

Quidvis lit a small fire between them. Halbert had set the bag at the base of a tree and was helping Quidvis with the fire. Eiva was on the other side of the two, talking to them. Now was his chance. Ruari took a step closer to the bag, then he stopped. The others had stopped talking. Ransey had come out from among the trees, closer to Eiva than to Ruari.

“Ransey?” Eiva looked uncertain. “Will you travel with us?”

Ransey was staring at Ruari. He looked at Halbert. “Ruari has control of Rian.”

“Ruari is gone,” Ruari said.

“It’s true,” Eiva said. “It must have happened after you two parted ways.”

“Parted ways.” Ransey laughed harshly. “Ruari took over after I fell asleep and left with Rian’s body. Ruari intends to unseal the Bone Garden.”

“Ruari is gone,” Halbert said. “That’s definitely Rian.”

Rian felt even worse at that. Halbert and Eiva really believed it was him.

“Ruari has been with Rian his entire life,” Ransey said. “He could easily pretend to be him.”

The others were quiet at that, then they all three looked at Rian.

“I will not forget your interference, Ransey,” Ruari said. It was still Rian’s voice, but the way Ruari spoke was different.

“Impressive, Ruari of Derwen,” Quidvis said. “You had even me fooled. Why did you come here pretending to be Rian?”

Ruari moved fast, grabbing the bag with the objects and running further into the forest. A flash of the All-Keeper’s light shot past him, barely missing his shoulder. He could hear the others running after him.