“Huh, where’d he go?” Bornholm asked scratching his head.

“I don’t know,” Tantor said, shaking his head. He stepped forward to tentatively run his hand across the space the Power had so recently occupied.

Morin stepped up to my side. “What’s going on Michael?” she whispered. “Why is a Shadow Power interested in you as well?”

I bit my lip, not sure how much to tell her. I hadn’t told Morin about my Class evolution, or about the wolves, but she knew that both Ishita and Erebus were after me. “I think—”

“Greetings, children.”

The four of us spun about. Standing behind us was a figure dressed in a cowled robe of charcoal grey and leaning on an oversized white ash staff.

This time, I resisted the urge to cast analyze on our visitor. “Loken?” I asked uncertainly.

The stranger drew back her hood, revealing a human face seamed with age, silver hair, and pale colorless eyes. The old woman smiled. “In this aspect, I prefer the name Gestala.”

Alright, so he is a woman too.

“Come sit,” Gestala said, seating herself unceremoniously and patting the ground besides her. “Let us begin. I have much to tell you.”

The four of us did as she bade, forming a half circle around the old woman.

“I shall start at the beginning,” Gestala said gravely. “Erebus lied to you.” Her old eyes twinkled. “I realize you must have figured out this much already, but perhaps what you’ve not realized is the extent of his deception.” She raised an aged hand and began ticking off points. “You are, all of you, players already. You were so the moment you set foot in the Forever Kingdom. You were never candidates.

“Two, neither Erebus, nor any other Power knows who you were in your past life. Some of you certainly have no predisposition to violence. Others, perhaps. But your destiny is your own to forge.

“Three, you have all been trapped in a game of Erebus’s own making. Every so often, the cosmos introduces new blood into the Grand Game. From where players come, no one knows.” She smiled ruefully. “Not even the Powers. Players usually begin their journey in one of the central counties of the Kingdom—neutral territory unclaimed by any faction or Force. This time, however, Erebus managed to divert a group of you to his own domain.”

Gestala looked over the four of us carefully. “Are you all following?”

We nodded.

“Good,” she said approvingly. “Now here is the most important part. The essence of the Game is choice. The Game, while oftentimes brutal and unpredictable, is fair. Erebus has come perilously close to revoking your choice, but he has not done so completely. What he did in this sector is frowned upon by all the Powers, but it is not against the rules.” Gestala leaned forward. “Do you know what he has done?”

We shook our heads mutely.

“Erebus has manipulated events to force the outcome he desires, robbing you of many of your choices and leaving you with only two options: death or becoming Darksworn.” She leaned back. “There is only a single exit from this area, the sector portal, and none of you may use it without taking upon a Dark Class and forsaking the other Forces.”

The old woman’s gaze flitted to me briefly, but she didn’t add anything further. She knew of course that unlike the others I was Marked, but did she know that the Adjudicator had awarded me two more tasks? I hadn’t told anyone about them.

How far does a Power’s knowledge extend? I wondered.

“And is that why you are here?” Morin asked in the pause that followed. “To offer us a different path?”

Gestala eyed Morin shrewdly. “Smart girl. You are quite correct. It is because the Game prizes choice that my intervention here is allowed. The Adjudicator is not best pleased with the Crow at the moment, and because of that, it has acceded to my petition to intervene more directly. I am here to offer you four another choice.”

The old woman closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them again, a gold marble rested on the floor before each of the others. In front of me, there were two. I picked up both and examined them carefully.

You have acquired a master Class stone. This stone contains the path of: a blood siphon. It confers a player with four skills: dark magic, light resistance, scimitars, and leech. This Class also permanently boosts your Faith attribute by: +2, your Strength by: +2, and your Magic attribute by: +2. This is a Dark Class.

You have acquired a master Class stone. This stone contains the path of: a shadow operative. It confers a player with four skills: shadow magic, light resistance, regeneration, and dark resistance. This Class also permanently boosts your Faith attribute by: +3, and your Constitution attribute by: +3. This a Shadow Class.

My eyes widened at the description of the shadow operative Class. It was as tempting as the blood siphon one, which Loken had returned as promised. I looked up to find the disguised Power smiling at me.

“I told you I would return your stone,” she said.

“I don’t understand,” Tantor said slowly.

I glanced at him. He and the others were staring in fascination at their own Class stones. I assumed the stones Loken had given them were different from my own, but if trio’s expressions were anything to go by, what the Power had offered them was just as good.

“How do these Class stones help us escape the sector?” the elf asked. “It is a magnanimous gift, no doubt, but I don’t see how it will let us pass through the sector portal. With this we will become Shadowsworn, not Darksworn.”

Gestala cackled. “Oh, it’s not a gift. It’s a requirement.”

Silence.

“A requirement?” Morin asked finally.

The old woman nodded. “For me to open a portal to the outside world for each of you.” On the tail end of Gestala’s words, a message unfurled in my mind.

Your task: Find your own way out! has been updated. You have discovered another way out of the sector. Revised objective: Adopt a Shadow Class and use the portal provided by Loken. This task and the task: Escape the Dungeon, are mutually exclusive.

The others gasped, which I took to mean they have been given tasks of their own.

“Now,” the disguised Power said with a smile. “You have another path before you. How will you choose?”

~~~

I placed the golden marbles gently back on the ground and stared at them for a drawn-out moment while I pondered my choices.

Two Class stones. Two tasks. Two means of exiting the sector.

Yet I was not sure I favored either.

“I must have your answers now,” Gestala said, intruding on my musings. “I don’t know for how much longer I can shield my presence in the sector from Erebus.”

I glanced up to find the old woman looking at me. “I’m not sure yet,” I admitted.

Wordlessly, the disguised Power turned her stare from me to Morin. The painted woman bit her lip, and glanced at me. I kept my face expressionless. This was her decision to make.

“I need your answer, girl,” Gestala prompted.

Morin’s eyes flitted between me and the old woman, the struggle on her face clear. I could see that she was drawn to the gift Loken offered, and I couldn’t blame her. Her own choices were more limited than mine.

The druid sighed. “I accept.” The marble in her hand dissolved, fading into her skin as she absorbed the master Class it contained.

“Excellent,” Gestala said, a pleased smile on her face. She turned to Bornholm and Tantor.

Tantor’s eyes lighted briefly on me before he followed Morin’s lead. “I accept.”

Bornholm bobbed his. “Aye. I do, too.”

“Wonderful,” Gestala said. “Welcome to the Shadow Coalition, recruits.” She waved her arm negligently over her head. In response to her gesture, the air was rent apart and a glowing door of light appeared. “Step through the portal and enter the domain of Shadow.”

Morin, Bornholm, and Tantor rose to their feet. I did too. The painted woman approached me and mutely clasped my hands.

“I guess this is goodbye,” I said.

“It doesn’t have to be,” Morin replied, her eyes resting on the Shadow Class stone at my feet.

I shook my head. “I have something that still needs doing. I’m not ready to leave.”

She smiled sadly. “I thought that might be the case.” She exhaled a breath. “Michael, I hope you understand why had to make this choice. We don’t—”

“I understand,” I said, cutting her off. I raised my gaze to take in Tantor and Bornholm. “And besides, this may not be goodbye forever. I may see you three again.” I didn’t believe that though. And from their unhappy gazes, neither did they.

Tantor clamped a hand to my shoulder, and Bornholm swallowed me in a bearhug. Then as one, the three entered the portal and disappeared from the dungeon. The glowing doorway closed and I swung back to the old woman.

She was gone, and in her place sat Hamish.

He was staring at me. “Sit down, Michael. Let’s talk. It’s past time we had a franker discussion.”