XXXXII

The caves were dark.

And cold.

In the distance, water droplets landed, echoing through the caverns. He hoped these caves were safe, because if they were not, the group would have yet another fight on its hands, and Yoreno, up to this point, had seen enough fighting to last him several months as an adventurer.

As if to parallel his thought, Mai said, “I hope there’s no monsters in here.”

She was quiet obviously exhausted, but they had had no choice but to press on. With the risk of the enemy returning, they couldn’t simply make camp atop the plateau.

But then thinking about it, Yoreno decided that might not have been such a bad idea—save for the storm. The location had provided them with a high position from which to observe enemy movements.

“We’re in a sizable group,” Dentera said. “Monsters aren’t a problem.”

What it also had provided—and the only reason why they were probably still alive—was that it had a natural choke point with only one possible ingress, not considering the caves of course.

But these catacombs were far to numerous and long to have been used by the enemy as a backdoor entry.

Had they that advantage, the Emblazoned Party and Dantera, would probably be dead now.

Yoreno shivered.

As it stood, if he didn’t get some warmth in his bones soon, he might drop from exposure. “We should stop,” he muttered.

Glancing at Mai, and then taking her by the arm to get a closer look at her in the torchlight, he saw that she was huddled in on herself.

“Mai isn’t doing so well,” Dell said.

Dantera, seemingly unfazed, turned and lowered her face covering. She glanced about as if considering the situation. “Very well,” she finally said. “I doubt those heathens will return, and these caves do not contain monsters.”

“How do you know?” Dorrin asked.

“Because,” Dantera said with a smirk, “I already killed them all.”

“You did?” Dorrin asked with surprise.

“Of course,” she said. “I’ve been roaming these mountains for some weeks, actually.”

The passages were large enough that Dantera could lead her horse through them. She lifted something out of her saddle bags. It was wood.

“I’ve been saving these enchanted logs for an emergency,” she said. “I suppose now counts.

Yoreno sat Mai down atop a sheet of leather to keep the rocks from spreading their coldness into her body.

“Maybe you over did it? Lev asked as he glanced into Mai’s eyes. “I feel great. And you…”

She opened her eyes. “Look like a corpse?”

“You are rather pale, Sorika said.”

After Dorrin had arranged the logs about some loose rocks in the cavern, Yoreno dipped his torch into the kindling and lit the fire.

It crackled merrily, spreading its heat across the group, who huddled about it as they rubbed their hands. Dantera brought out her tea pot and some other parcels.

Laying down on her hands, Mai closed her eyes.

“Do not sleep yet,” Dantera said. She hung the teapot over the fire and poured water into it.

Mai blinked. “Why not?”

“I have something for you,” Dantera said. She unwrapped the parcel.

“Are those mushrooms?” Lev asked. “Will they make us have good dreams?”

“Ha!” Dantera scoffed. “Not quite, Levrin Ferweis. And stay out of them. They are for Mai.”

“For me?”

Yoreno leaned over and patted their mage on the back.

Dantera nodded. “These mushrooms are special to the caves in these parts. They contain natural magicks. They will invigorate you.”

“Oh,” Mai said, sitting up.

“Let them boil.”

Mai nodded.

“I’m starving,” Dell said.

“Of course you are,” Sorika said. “You’re always hungry.”

“That’s not true.”

“I have food in my saddle bags,” Dantera said. Her eyes flicked up to Dorrin. “Go get the food.”

He did as he was bid, returning with various dried meats and vegetables. She even had a special grain called rice that was quite small, but when cooked it soaked up a lot of water, making it very filling.

Dorrin set out other various cooking utensils and started putting food together. She instructed Dorrin to boil the rice while the meat sizzled across a small rack on the fire.

“We will have to go hunting to replenish these stores,” Dantera said, “or find a seller if we enter another town.”

Sorika nodded silently.

“Now,” Dantera added as she poured the tea for Mai, “drink this. No, no. Not so fast. Slowly. Let the magics trickle into your body or you will waste them.”

Mai nodded, holding the metal cup with both hands as she sipped at the tea. “Gah!” she noised, making a face Yoreno had never seen before. He almost laughed, but thought better of it.

Lev certainly laughed. “You look like a bulldog when you do that.”

“Let’s see what face you make after you try this abominable tea.”

Dantera smiled, and Yoreno saw her eyes move across the group. She had always seen the members of the Roaming Lions somewhat like her children. But that was when the Roaming Lions was hers. Now… nothing was hers.

They needed to find those assassins, avenge the king and restore Dantera’s honor.

“Are you feeling better?” Dorrin asked Mai.

She nodded, her skin already more natural looking than it had been before. “I do,” she said. “Thank you, Dorrin. This tea is the worst thing I’ve ever tasted, but it’s wonderfully potent.”

“Some alchemy skills,” Dantera said, “are useful, even to a blade master like myself.”

“We’re going to have to remember that,” Yoreno said. “So what are you doing out here?”

All eyes went to Dantera.

She paused for a moment, then finally said. “I’ve been tracking the king’s assassins. I know the name of their group.”

“You do?” Mai asked, her eyes wide as she lowered her cup of tea.

“Si.”

“Are you going to tell us what it’s called?” Lev asked.

She seemed thoughtful for a time. Then she said, “I do not know the ultimate name of their organization, but I do know they are made up of several groups, one being the Goat of Saineshal.”

“The Goat of Saineshal…” Yoreno repeated quietly to himself.

“And the other groups?” Sorika asked.

“Nai Sha’el,” Dantera said heavily.

“What?” Dorrin asked. “Why did you do that?”

“Do what?” Dantera asked.

“Become so dour the moment you said that name?”

“Hmm…” She glanced at them all in turn.

Yoreno’s heart was beating fast. Dantera had managed amazing feats of information gathering. Up to this point, neither Yoreno or anyone of the Emblazoned Party, much less the queen, knew who had attacked the castle.

“The Nai Sha’el,” Dantera finally said.

They looked at her, waited.

Dantera nodded heavily. “That is the name by which the group who attacked the castle is called—the very same group of assassins that murdered the king.”

“Nai Sha’el,” Sorika muttered. “I believe I almost killed their leader.”

“I know,” Dantera said. “I was made privy to the entire report before I was… Before I left.”

“So what do they want?” Dell asked. “Why did they assassinate the king?”

Dantera regarded Dell in his thick travel cloak and runic plate armor. He was dressed much the same as Yoreno was.

Dell’s question made him feel somewhat tense. The answer was not a good one, that much Yoreno knew—and how could it be?

“Yoreno?” Dantera said.

He glanced at her. “Yes?”

“Do you remember the Isle of Morr?”

Images of his trials came into Yoreno’s mind. Images of Dantera, alone with him in the forest as they waited to ambush a group of warriors in the night.

“How could I forget it?”

“Do you remember those men we fought, what they called themselves?”

The answer he knew was coming had just been confirmed by his mentor. “Schuarists."

Dell jerked his head around to look at Yoreno. Sorika, who was sitting next to him, swallowed visibly while Lev narrowed his eyes.

“I was afraid you would say that,” Mai said.

“Wait,” Dorrin said. “Schuarists? But weren’t those the followers of the Grand Bastard? He’s been dead for seven-hundred years.”

“As far as you know,” Dantera said. “Some believe he is still alive.”

“Fables,” Lev said. “I believe there are neo-Schuarist cults about, but the Grand Bastard? Still alive? Hogwash.”

“Hmph,” Dantera scoffed with a smile. “Perhaps. And I hope you are right, Master archer. But we cannot discount this possibility, yes?”

Lev gave her a doubtful look as he tightened his cloak about himself.

“Anyway, those men we fought on the Isle of Morr. I do not know what their group is called, but I do believe they were one of the lesser orders of this grand coalition of new-age Schuarsits. If you will recall, we also took prisoners at the end.”

“That’s right!” Mai said. “They might have information we can use.”

“That information,” Dantera said, “is back in Aevalin.”

“Damn!” Yoreno growled. “Why couldn’t these assassins just be religious zealots or have different views about who should be king?”

“Oh, they have those views,” Dantera said. “Make no mistake, Yoreno. If these moral and philosophical evil doers get their way—they will plunge the whole world into another Age of Darkness.”

“We have to stop them!” Dell said as he clenched a fist.

Yoreno nodded vigorously. “Yes,” he said. “We should send word to the Roaming Lions—bring more of our members with us so we can hunt these cultists down.”

“No,” Dantera said.

“Why not?”

“You should not risk any more lives.”

“What if these men should get their way?” Yoreno asked in challenge. “Then what?”

Dantera looked at him and said nothing.

“We have to do something,” Lev said. “I don’t like sitting on my hands—even if I’ve never been one for idealism, especially not with delusions of grandeur saving the world from nihilistic dark magic worshipers.”

“We do not know everything,” Dantera said. “We are not privy to all the information that we need. Let time play out. I fear more will be revealed to us—things that may shock you all. Even me.”

They all glanced at one another in turn.

Yoreno swallowed.

Hearing such words from Dantera… well, it spooked them, including Yoreno.

“Now,” Dantera said. “We have all had a very rough few days. We should rest, continue tomorrow. We can speak more of this then.”

They nodded their ascent, Yoreno included.

“Good,” Dantera said. Then she added. “Go to sleep.” The statement was not one of suggestion.

Part of Yoreno wanted to grin and shake his head, but in truth, Dantera was who she was—a leader. And whether or not she had been cut down to the station as simple as a knight errant, that didn’t change who she was at her core.