Day Five. Dawn.

Not wanting to linger—or be caught out by my half-truths—I left the Tartan barracks soon after the captain and I finalized the terms of our second Pact.

Pausing outside the barracks, I considered my next move. There was still much to do, and my plans were in flux. I’d not learned as much as I wished during my visit with the captain, and much of what I had learned was confusing.

But as disheartening as it had been to find out about the shield generator, its existence did give me additional options—assuming I could find it, of course.

Discovering the generator’s location was now a priority.

The sector dynamics were an interesting twist, too, and made me doubly grateful that the valley was not already under the Awakened Dead’s rule. But given that the Howlers were supposedly already allied with Ishita—something else I needed to confirm urgently—the sector could be claimed on short notice, which made it all the more imperative that I left quickly.

It was clear, too, that someone, or more than one someone, was lying to me. And it was time I confirmed my suspicions in that regard.

Ducking my head so that I was more inconspicuous, I hurried towards the dark druid’s cabin.

~~~

Mariga opened the door as soon as I knocked. Brushing past her dark-robed figure, I slipped into the room.

“Make yourself at home, why don’t you,” she hissed in an amused tone.

Ignoring her words, I spun about in the center of the room to scrutinize her shrouded form. Frustratingly, her identity remained as opaque as ever. Reaching out with my will, I tried analyzing her.

You have failed a perception check and are unable to analyze your target. This entity bears a Mark of Greater Dark.

Once more, the dark druid sensed my interrogatory spell. “Ah, you’ve gained improved analyze. The little player is growing up,” she said, sounding approving.

“Enough games,” I snapped. “What are you?”

She didn’t answer. I attempted to analyze her again and failed once more.

“Stop that!” Mariga hissed in a sibilant voice. “I told you it’s rude. As for what I am, you know that already. I’m an agent of Shadow.”

Narrowing my eyes, I studied here carefully. “Are you? How can I trust anything you say when you’ve lied to me?”

Mariga spread her hands, flexing clawed fingers. “Me, lie to you? About what, pray tell?”

“About being able to use a portal scroll to escape this valley,” I said, watching her closely.

“Oh, that,” Mariga said, seating herself and making no attempt to deny the accusation. “You’ve learned a thing or two, have you?”

I sat down opposite her. “I have. Now I want an explanation.”

“That sounds suspiciously like a demand,” Mariga said, sounding amused again. “You don’t get to demand anything from me, boy. I told you then, and I will tell you now, I don’t care if you complete my task. Decide how you will.” She hissed, displaying two prominent fangs. “Now go. I tire of this conversation already.”

I didn’t move. “You knew a portal scroll wouldn’t work, didn’t you?” I persisted.

“I did.”

“And you know about the shield generator?”

“I do,” she said in a bored voice.

“Where is it?” I asked, leaning forward slightly.

“If I knew that boy, it would be destroyed already!” Mariga snapped. “Now I told you to go. This is your last chance to leave.” The druid’s snake-like eyes glittered. “I won’t ask so nicely next time.”

I ignored the naked threat in her words. “Give it to me,” I demanded.

“Give you what?”

“The portal scroll,” I said.

“Why would I do that?” she asked lazily.

“Because if you don’t,” I growled, “I will tell Ishitia’s sworn you are an agent of Shadow.”

For a moment, my bald threat seemed to strike the druid speechless. A moment later, she recovered her equilibrium. “Are you threatening me?” she asked silkily.

“I am,” I retorted bluntly.

She laughed delightfully. “My, my, you’re growing indeed.” Reaching into her robe, she pulled out the portal scroll and placed it in my hand.

You have acquired a portal scroll.

I stared disbelievingly at the parchment in my hand. Mariga had handed it over with less fuss than I’d expected. “You’re just giving it to me?”

“Well, that’s what you wanted, isn’t it?” she asked with a chuckle.

My gaze narrowed. She was being awfully cooperative suddenly, and I distrusted her motives. “Why give me this?” I demanded again.

“Why not give it to you?” she rejoined. “And as we already established, it’s useless to you.”

“But only in this sector,” I countered. “It’s still worth a lot of money.”

“Ah, money,” she exclaimed. “What do I care for money?”

I snorted. Was this the same player who’d refused to negotiate the price of her spellbooks? Either she’d been toying with me then, or she was now. I ground my teeth in frustration. What game is she playing?

“If you don’t want the scroll, hand it back over.”

I made no move to do so.

Mariga laughed. “So you do want it?”

I nodded reluctantly.

“Good. Now, you’ve got what you came for. So go!” she hissed.

I rose to my feet, suspecting some form of trick but not knowing what. More troubling still, I was leaving the druid’s cabin just as unenlightened as I’d been when I had entered.

My thoughts muddled, I headed slowly towards the door.

“Out of interest,” the dark druid called out, stopping me on my way to the exit, “how far did you get with the task I set you?”

I paused and swung around. She was still seated and facing the other way.

Pretending disinterest? I wondered. “Why?”

“Call it curiosity,” she replied.

I was still being manipulated, I knew, but I decided to play along. Perhaps if I strung her along, I could find out what she was really after.

I shrugged with affected indifference, not that she could see it. “By midday, I expect the Long Fangs will be no more.”

Was it my imagination, or had Mariga stilled at my last words?

When she said nothing, I went on, watching her carefully. “I also have the Howlers and Red Rats poised on the brink of open war.”

This time, there was no mistaking the sudden tightening of the druid’s fingers. I smiled to myself and kept her waiting for a drawn-out moment before adding casually, “It will not take much to push them over the edge.”

Mariga still said nothing.

But I wasn’t deceived anymore. My news had quickened her interest. I turned back towards the door. My hand was halfway to the latch when she finally spoke. “Can you do it?”

“Excuse me?” I asked, my face void of expression.

“Don’t play the fool, boy!” she snapped irritably. “Can you force them into open war?”

“I can,” I said simply.

“What will it take?” she demanded.

“One thousand gold,” I said equably.

The druid snorted. “I don’t carry around money like that, and in case you don’t know, there is no bank here.”

I let my lips turn down. “Oh well, that’s disappointing. Maybe next time—”

“Perhaps we can come to some other sort of accommodation,” she said, interrupting me. Rising to her feet, Mariga swung around to face me at last. “After you get the job done, we can—”

I shook my head with pretended sadness. “Oh no,” I said. “I’ve learned my lesson. I won’t believe your promises anymore.” I held her gaze. “If you want me to do your dirty work for you, you will give me the money I asked for—upfront.”

“I wasn’t lying,” she hissed. “I don’t have the money.”

“That’s a pity,” I said and turned back to the door.

“Wait!” she screeched.

Interesting… She almost seems desperate. But was this her true emotions I was seeing or another act?

Keeping my own face smooth, I turned around.

Mariga’s tongue darted out to lick at her lips. “What if we form a Pact?”

I blinked. A Pact was the last thing I’d expected her to suggest. “How would we—”

“I’m an envoy,” she said.

I stared at her, struggling to contain my shock.

From what Talon had told me, I knew being an envoy was no small thing, and here she was in what was surely enemy territory.

Mariga had taken a big chance by coming to this sector. While the Awakened Dead could not kill her in the safe zone, controlling as they did the only portal into and out of the valley, they could imprison her here nearly indefinitely. Whatever Mariga’s true mission, it must be vitally important to risk all that.

“Will you trust to a Pact?” she asked, interrupting my musings.

“Maybe,” I said cautiously. “What terms do you propose?”

“Exactly what you stated,” she said. “You get the Red Rats and Howlers to meet in open battle, and I will see to it that one thousand gold is deposited into a bank of your choice.” She paused. “I have one other minor request.”

Ah, here it comes. “And that is?” I asked tersely.

“You promise to keep my identity a secret as part of the terms of the Pact. You can tell no one of my true nature.”

That seemed reasonable, almost too reasonable. I rubbed at my chin while I considered her words from every conceivable angle, but I could see no unseen danger in accepting the druid’s proposal. “Alright, we’ve got a deal.”