High Priestess Abigail was alone in the Corvale central Church. Every year when the Grand Tournament ended and the three teams were chosen, she performed her own little ritual. Services continued as normal during the day, but as soon as the sun set she would completely empty the building out, granting her some much needed privacy.

  Abigail would spend the night praying to the Goddess for guidance, reading the scriptures…and occasionally drinking. Anything to keep her mind off the Hunters currently exploring the Forgotten City. She knew that her anxiety was foolish; no one had discovered anything compromising in decades, and those who did were always dealt with swiftly.

  Still, the fear was there.

  It hadn’t been a good year for Abigail. The prince had failed to Bond with Flagras. Fewer heretics were found than usual, and yet their presence was felt more than ever. Plus there was a suspicious lack of sick and injured souls in need of the Church’s services.

  And of course, there was Ethan Gods-damn-him Bishop.

  A healer from Terra in Abigail’s own kingdom, loose among her flock. And he lived! Left to spread his false beliefs to any who would listen. Abigail shuddered and poured herself another drink, her office feeling suddenly cold. The man was also an Assassin: someone with power, the ability to hide his presence, and a personal grudge against the High Priestess herself.

  She cursed the confluence of events that saved the man from execution. Only the combined power of the royal family, some power hungry priests in the Holy City, and the Chosen themselves had been enough to keep the man alive. And now Abigail couldn’t sleep. She hadn’t slept properly in months, as she continuously moved around the city, watching every shadow, waiting to be struck down by the heretic’s dark power.

  Perhaps it was being lost in those dark thoughts that made her jump at the sound from outside her office door. She had to remind herself forcefully that she was a High Priest, and a powerful Bonded in her own right before she managed to creep out into the supposedly empty Church. Her eyes darted in every direction for an intruder. When she at last moved into the main hall, the uninvited guest proved not to be who she expected.

  Sitting on one of the front pews, dressed in a heavy cloak, and appearing completely normal and at ease, was Princess Ellevaro.

  The silver-haired woman had lit a few candles, and was watching the statue of the Goddess curiously. Despite her outward calm, however, a quick glance into the Astral showed the princess’s Dreadweaver Familiar hard at work, the enormous spider weaving threads of magic as it loomed over her.

  “Princess?” Abigail said, noticing with some embarrassment that her voice had a slight slur from drink.

  “High Priestess,” the woman calmly responded, without bothering to look away from the statue.

  “To what do I owe this…honor?” Abigail asked.

  “I thought you’d wish to hear the results of the journey into the Forgotten City,” the prim woman said. “The teams finished earlier than expected, and it was an interesting excursion to say the least.”

  Abigail struggled to control her reaction, while curiosity and fear consumed her. “I hope they’re all quite well,” she said. “They went with the blessing of the Goddess.”

  Ellevaro turned a smile on the Priestess, one that didn’t reach her eyes. “Unfortunately, the Goddess’s blessing proved insufficient. Team Arrowhead was lost completely, as was everyone on my brother’s team–save for Calevaro himself.”

  “That’s terrible news, princess,” Abigail said, although Ellevaro herself didn’t exactly seem crushed. “We’ll need to have a proper ceremony to honor the lost. But if you’ll excuse a selfish question, what of the Brightsouls?”

  Ellevaro put on a sad expression that was obviously false. “Tragically they didn’t go unscathed either. From what I understand, they connected with my brother’s group in the third layer, but were forced to retreat from impossible odds. Most escaped, thanks to the brave sacrifice of Savilar Laurent.”

  Abigail’s eyes widened. “Savilar has fallen?” She immediately made a quick prayer to the Goddess in his name. “This is terrible news, he was one of our greatest warriors.” She paused. “But you say he fell in the Third Layer…they reached no farther?”

  Ellevaro nodded, a look of false sympathy frozen on her pristine face. “Indeed, none of the teams reached any new ground, I’m afraid.”

  Abigail struggled to keep the profound relief from showing. Savilar was a tremendous loss–his Sword of Souls an even greater one, but the situation was salvageable. She was preparing herself to make an appropriate speech when Ellevaro placed something on the bench next to her. It was hard to see in the light, but it looked like writing…on green stone.

  “Did you know that two of the three groups entered with only five members this year?” Ellevaro asked, turning back to the statue of the Goddess. “Given the city allows for six per door, that seems like such a waste, doesn’t it? Well worry not, for I had two of agents discreetly make their way inside. I’ve grown fond of stealth specialists recently.”

  Abigail couldn’t look away from the stone, nor could she school her expression of shock and terror at seeing it. She couldn’t read the ancient runes herself, but she knew very well where they came from, and what story they told.

  “Princess, the Church–”

  “Get a hold of yourself, Abigail,” Ellevaro said, her tone suddenly far more serious. “Trust that I know enough to recognize a secret that I don’t wish to know. The kind that would get me killed–possibly even get all of Viridus destroyed.”

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  Abigail sighed in relief, feeling powerful once again, and her political training took over. “Well surely none of us know what this actually says, but thank you for bringing it to me. I’m sure the Church can find some way to reward you for its return; there are so few relics of this type remaining.”

  “At least a dozen,” Ellevaro said, and Abigail froze. “That’s how many my agents were able to retrieve, though they assure me there’s more inside. Plus copies are already being made, naturally.”

  Rage painted the High Priestess’ features. “I thought you recognized dangerous secrets, princess,” she spat. “After all the work you did to tie yourself more tightly to the Church, now you would make an enemy of us?”

  Ellevaro smiled slightly. “I’ve found our closer relationship to be…stifling. I’ve chosen another path, one of greater influence, and I’m excited by the prospects laid out before me.”

  Abigail didn’t miss the overt reference to the Chosen, despite the alcohol still in her system. “You would align with those–those rebels? They seek to pull this world down around us! Can’t you see that you’re dooming your kingdom with this little play?”

  Ellevaro let out a small laugh, then finally stood and faced the High Priestess. “First of all, you’re talking to me, not my father. This has nothing to do with Viridus, and I’m sure you and the Church will enjoy a long and fruitful relationship with King Rothavaro; his ambitions have never gone beyond these borders.”

  Abigail tried to hide her relief at hearing that. The Church could survive needing to raise a kingdom to the ground–they’d done it before–but Abigail herself would unquestionably take the blame. “So you’re saying your own ambitions lie elsewhere?”

  “My ambitions have no limits,” Ellevaro said. “However, I also see no reason to needlessly antagonize the Church. I’m not interested in your secrets, I’m interested in assurances.”

  “What assurances?” Abigail asked, happy that the meeting was shifting to a negotiation.

  “My brother is about to leave this kingdom. The last brother of mine who did that was dead within the month. Should the Church in any way contribute to an attack on Cal’s life, then kingdoms all over the world will suddenly become aware of the intriguing mystery these tablets hint at.”

  Abigail glared. “Protection for Prince Calevaro? What possible interest could we have in his death?”

  Ellevaro made a dismissive gesture. “Cal, myself, my father, safeguarding our lives will become very important to you. Should any of us die, or disappear, things will be put in motion automatically. Oh, and the Assassin as well.”

  Abigail’s eyes narrowed. “You worked so hard to sell that heretic to us as some kind of perfect instrument of death, and now you seek to protect him?”

  Ellevaro laughed. “Some animals can’t be properly trained, High Priestess. The heretic has proven to be worthless as anything more than a body double for my brother. That role has value, however, even if it’s not everything I wanted from him.” She shrugged as if it were unimportant. “I don’t waste my time on failed plans, I move on to new ones.”

  Abigail was fuming. This arrogant little girl was trying to blackmail the most powerful institution on Nexum? Admittedly her little insurance policy was clever. The Church truly couldn’t risk their secrets being exposed, too many monarchs already chafed at their authority and would pursue any avenue that might limit it. But Ellevaro had no concept of what could be done while leaving her and her family alive.

  “Any more demands?” the High Priestess asked, teeth grinding.

  Ellevaro made a show of tapping her lips in thought, then smiled. “I’m sure I’ll think of something. For now, it’s enough that your little organization stays out of my affairs, and stays far away from my family and our assets.” Without another word she turned and moved toward the door.

  Abigail glared after her. The girl was an absolute fool. She thought herself the master schemer, always playing one side against the other. Who knows where she imagined herself ending up in the long term, what nation she might rule? It didn’t matter, as the Church would make sure it never happened.

  This was mutually assured destruction, they couldn’t kill the arrogant brat, but she couldn’t release their secrets without signing the death warrants for her family, and their entire kingdom. Abigail found herself smiling. Princess Ellevaro was going to find out exactly what the Church was capable of, and what true manipulation looked like.

  ***

  There was a chance that someone might see Princess Ellevaro as she exited the church, despite the dark cloak pulled over her face. But they would have lost her as she navigated the dark streets, ducking between alleys, looping around, and eventually disappearing into the forest bordering the city wall.

  Still being cautious, it was an unassuming man in plain clothes that exited the forest a few minutes later, and far from where the Princess had entered. Ethan then took a comparably elaborate route back to Valanor’s house, both for safety, and to go over the conversation he’d had with High Priestess Abigail.

  There’d been many risks in disguising himself as the princess, but he’d gained confidence when he discovered the High Priestess had been drinking. The only real concern was she might bring up some detail of their arrangement with Ellevaro that he wasn’t privy to, but Ethan had been fairly confident he could dance around the specifics as needed. The princess loved to speak vaguely, afterall.

  In the end though, his biggest risk was likely in not demanding enough in exchange for the princess’s supposed silence. He’d wanted to establish protection for himself if possible, and to destroy Ellevaro’s relationship with Church, but the secrets he’d found were, ironically, too powerful a bargaining chip. He needed it to look believable, but the last thing he wanted was to actually improve the princess’s life.

  Safety for Viridus and the king seemed like a good compromise. Ethan still didn’t have anywhere near the raw hatred for Rothevaro as he did for the man’s daughter, and he certainly didn’t want his political games to endanger the whole kingdom.

  Ethan smiled to himself as he made his slow way home. There were a few loose ends to make sure the princess didn’t find out about his deception, but he had plans for those too, just in case. He also suspected his other efforts were likely paying off by now, as Princess Olivia was surely back in her seat of power.

  Tomo appeared beside him. “Are you certain this is enough?” he asked. The demon was very aware of how powerful Ethan’s desire for revenge had become.

  “For now. I already decided I can’t kill her. Even without the ramifications, and her being Cal’s sister, I’m not going to become someone who just murders anyone who crosses me.”

  “She is not just anyone,” Tomo said, and Ethan laughed.

  “Very true. But if all goes according to plan, then I’ve taken away everything she’s worked for, everything she’s schemed and hurt people to achieve.” He looked meaningfully at his Familiar. “If that’s the case, then I can leave here happy. That’s called closure, Tomo, and it’s a sign of how mature I’ve become.”

  Ethan whistled quietly to himself as he continued along, wishing he could be there when Ellevaro realized all her power had been snatched away.

  Apparently he was also good at character assassination.