Stathis soared through the light of the dawn, feeling the air rush over her wings as she curved through the golden light. Yeros was close by, his own wings out, thinner and harder to see than hers.

‘Are you sure this is alright? Won’t anyone notice?’

‘This is a time of wonders and miracles, when darkness stalks the land and terror waits in every shadow. For angels to be seen dancing above the Sacred City will bolster hope. And be ignored as strange rumours by most. And this seems the best place to talk in peace.’ They swooped together, diving close past a spire. ‘I have to apologise, Udaipur’s alliance with vampires was not something I anticipated. Although you dealt with matters quite magnificently, I have to say.’

‘What about Aimodia? She’s still a vampire, even if she’s being nice right now.’

‘I think she has no desire to return to the shadows. Metaphorically, of course – she still very much prefers the darkness on a regular basis. She has little appetite for destruction, and a few shaving “mishaps” seem to provide enough sustenance for her.’ His throat had a few scratches on, the wounds not fully healed. ‘She has expressed an interest in sampling you as well, if you’re interested.’

‘Still don’t get the “biting” thing. So you think you can keep her under control?’

‘I think spending time where she doesn’t have to murder and lie to survive will probably do her good.’

Stathis did a tight curl, trying to find the right words before speaking again. ‘I don’t know if it’s entirely fair. How many do you think Aimodia has killed, over the years? And now, she simply… steps back. No punishment, nothing.’

‘I know. You’re asking if it’s justice. And I can’t answer you. She doubtless has murdered and maimed, spread darkness across the world. But what would we do? Bind her in shackles of adamantium, throw her in a pit, hope she never escapes? Or shall we ambush her, and claim her head? She has sinned, and deserves punishment, but that is beyond our reach. Better she do some good, or at least no evil, then the alternatives, I think. But these are heavy thoughts for such a glorious morning, are they not?’

She flicked her wings, soaring high, flying towards the sun, feeling the warmth soaking into her body. ‘True, but even so. It seems like something should be done.’

‘I agree, but we have a lack of options, sad to say. Aimodia now seems inclined to be friendly, which is certainly preferable to the alternatives. Perhaps she and Janaxia should form a pairing, and help support other creatures of darkness?’

‘Janaxia’s not murdered anyone. Well, that I know of, and that didn’t deserve it.’ She could feel her wings starting to weaken, and Yeros’ own were virtually invisible, as they dropped low, landing on the empty rooftop of the chapterhouse. ‘I’m still trying to find out what the hell she is, but I don’t think she’s actively harmful. Just as long as she’s kept fed and happy, anyway.’

‘You make her sound like a cat. Feed her, scratch her belly, let her do what she wants and she’ll be well-behaved, with only the occasional bird or rat as collateral damage. You’ve even got a collar on her.’

‘Would people please stop calling it that? It’s a choker! And she wanted it, not me. Aside from being, well, inherently evil, she’s not too bad though. She even managed to absorb that spike and not go funny, although that might be an effect of this place. I just can’t talk to her about it though, I genuinely don’t think she knows, or she’s supressing the thought of it pretty much completely. I guess her family don’t think she’s anything that special, otherwise they wouldn’t let her be out and about, or she’s just a test subject or something.’

‘They’re up to something, I know that much. Been calling in favours, digging up a lot of old stuff, burning gold like it’s going out of fashion. Nothing too disruptive yet, but sooner or later something’s going to blow up. I suggest you claim this as a victory, as such things may be scarce in the days to come.’

Stathis groaned. ‘I hate it when you’re right. Although congratulations on managing an entire conversation with no prophetic bullshit.’

‘I wouldn’t want to wear the act out, such things should be kept for a more appreciative audience.’

Part of the shadows moved, Aimodia appearing, but not stepping into the sunlight. She curtseyed, skirt just about long enough to allow the movement without flashing anything. ‘Breakfast has been prepared. Semari is currently teaching the novices an important lesson in trust. Namely, not to have any, at least when money and cards are involved. Hakara is teaching a lesson in applied magical theory.’

‘Let me guess, Janaxia’s still in bed, and Parth’s buggered off somewhere?’

‘Parthenelle is currently in the library. For an elf, she is surprisingly well-read and has been recommending some titles to me.’

Yeros chuckled. ‘This one’s quite the reader.’

‘Yes, now I have light to read by. I can sense prey in the darkness, but not see well enough to read by, so having such an opportunity is pleasant.’

They headed downstairs, Aimodia staying close to Yeros, her eyes tinting red as they stepped into the shadows and headed inside. Yeros stepped back, putting an arm around her shoulders and giving her a kiss on the forehead. She froze, then giggled and blushed, bone-white skin shading pink. He whispered something to her, and the blush deepened. Stathis left them to it, heading into the building.

‘Four of a kind. Hand ‘em over, boys.’ Semari tossed her cards onto the table, a groan running around the table. She looked at their hands. ‘Bluffing with a pair of aces? Seen worse, I guess, I thought you had higher. Baran, you went all in with junk. What the hell, man? You gotta read the room, not just charge in. No wonder you get, like, drubbed on the training ground all the time.’ Stathis flipped her own cards over, revealing three of a kind.

‘Didn’t think you had that much. You’ve been getting lucky a lot today.’ If it hadn’t been for Semari only wearing a short-sleeved top, and Stathis closely watching, she would have assumed Semari was cheating. Semari collected up the piles of coins, piling them up in front of her. ‘You’re getting better. Still got a while to go though! Hey, listen to me, I’m still talking!’

All of them were distracted, looking past Semari as Aimodia entered the room, cleaning tools in a bucket. Several of them stepped forward, all volunteering to help, Aimodia organising them before coming over. The sounds of activity started in her wake, surfaces getting cleaned and polished with a vengeance.

She shuffled the cards, hands moving with superhuman speed as Stathis spoke. ‘Shouldn’t you be doing that?’

‘Cleaning is an important life skill, as is knowing how to work in a group. And if they do will enough, I may reward them.’ She sat down, taking a seat as far away from the sunlight as possible. ‘With Yeros away so often dealing with that mess at the Inner Shrine, I must entertain myself where I can.’ She favoured one of the novices with a smile, their wiping growing more intense. ‘Far easier this way than I ever thought it would be.’ She cracked open a book, eyes skimming rapidly over the page.

‘Just don’t do anything to end it.’

Aimodia’s tone was almost sleepy and dreamlike. ‘After that long in the darkness, I think I shall enjoy the light. But what of you? Your own darkness waits for you, as yet unconsummated, unless I miss my guess.’

She glanced over at Janaxia, sat in a pool of sunlight, having arranged herself on a couch to best display herself. Strangely, Hakara was perched on a chair in front of her, having her hair pulled into order, dark magical energy pulling it into braids. They were deep in discussion, going suspiciously silent whenever Stathis approached, simply looking at her until she left, then returning to their murmured conversation.

‘That’s, like, a religious thing, isn’t it? “Consummating” a temple or something, right?’ Semari took the cards herself, shuffling through them and putting them down. Stathis flipped them over, then shuffled them again herself when she saw the ordering.

Stathis chose not to define the word. ‘Gods, I don’t know. Her tattoo tried to bite me or something!’

Aimodia grinned, showing her teeth. ‘A little nibble can be pleasing, you should try it.’

‘It wasn’t like that! It was like an icestorm of hatred and evil, not just teeth! Bloody hurt, and not physically. And the way she dresses makes it bloody hard to avoid touching her skin, I’m worried that the bloody tattoo is going to pop out and bite me again!’

Semari made biting sounds. ‘Hey, maybe she’s got, like, a vampire tattoo. A vampire got turned into ink and then injected into her or something. She’s pretty vampy, that makes sense, right?’

‘I don’t think that’s how it works. Although I’d have to ask Hakara to be sure.’ Stathis looked at Aimodia, in case she had anything to say on the matter, but she was seemingly absorbed in her book. ‘I tried spiking her tea with holy water and that didn’t do anything, which is probably a good sign. Her family is definitely up to something though, and she wants to settle some scores with her siblings.’

‘Ooo, wizard slap-fights!’ Semari’s hands pawed the air in a parody of combat. ‘Wonder if she’s any good. She’s better than you’d think for a wizard, but still a bit weedy. Dumping that darkness-and-ice-and-tentacles on someone is going to distract them from spellcasting. Probably loose against a real wizard though. And if they dispel magic, then she’s going to be naked, and that always pisses her off.’

‘Yeah, I’ve suggested she get some actual clothing, but I don’t know if she bothered to. I suppose she’s still got everything she took from Cormantara, but I guess most of the time she’s just wearing something woven from magic? She seems to be fine with it though.’

Semari shuffled then dealt, Stathis looking at her hand – five queens looked back at her. She flipped them over and showed them to Semari.

‘Oops, musta miscounted.’ Semari plucked one of the cards out and tossed it aside, dealing another.

‘Suddenly I can see why you’ve been winning so much.’

‘Hey, I can’t help being lucky!’

‘Not really “luck” if you’re literally stacking the deck, is it? Where are you even hiding the cards?’

‘That’d be telling now, wouldn’t it? Just because I’ve not got any fancy magic doesn’t mean I’ve not got a few tricks. And I won big!’ She pointed at the pile of coins in front of her.

‘We’re playing for coppers here! Although better to find out now than when we’re playing for more. Are you feeling OK now?’

‘Pretty good, actually. Less, like, sick and stuff. And not had any funky voices in my head or whatever, so I guess Ronteah’s buggered off to the heavens or something.’ She raised her arm, the bracer sparking slightly. ‘Gonna have to experiment with this a bit, see what it can do. Hakara wants to test some theories as well. Probably gonna have to get zapped a lot though.’

‘Just take it easy, OK? And don’t do anything stupid, you’re not actually a god.’

‘Yeah, but it’s pretty good for bragging rights. I’m, like, a step-god or something. Had a god inside me, and not in a creepy way. Well, relatively.’ She dealt again, the cards seeming relatively fair this time. ‘So, you and Janaxia do it yet?’

‘Semari! That’s none of your business.’

‘The hell it isn’t! I’ve got gold riding on this. We need to know!’

Stathis sighed and tossed some coins into the centre. ‘No comment.’ She snuck a glance over at Janaxia, now in the middle of braiding Hakara’s hair. She smiled back, Semari following the exchange.

‘You totally did.’ She took two of the cards and started rubbing them together, making groaning noises. ‘So are you, like, part evil now?’

‘That’s not how evil works! And I’m still not telling you anything.’

‘Come on, Stathis! There’s money riding on this thing. Even Hakara threw into the pot.’

‘What!? What did she bet on?’

‘If you won’t tell me what you did, I won’t tell you what she bet on. Seems fair to me. Although we should settle it before leaving, in case Yeros wins.’

‘He bet as well? Goddamit, what is wrong with you people, don’t you have anything better to do?’

‘Not really, to be honest. Need some bandits or monsters to punch.’

Stathis felt mildly betrayed, wondering who had bet on what. And even Yeros taking part? Shouldn’t he have other things on his mind? It wasn’t like he needed the money. Gods only knew what Janaxia’s reaction would be if she found out – probably not a positive one.

The door slammed open, one of the novices running in, looking around and heading straight for Stathis when he saw her. He fumbled between a salute and a bow, slapping himself in the head as his head dropped. ‘Knight Stathis, Master Yeros wishes to see you, immediately.’

Stathis followed him, heading towards Yeros’ office, before getting diverted to a different chamber. This was a smooth stone chamber, walls covered with regular coloured patterns, easy to recognise and remember.

Yeros was holding a scroll, several new bites on his neck. ‘No rest for the holy, it looks like. I’ve been requested to send aid as fast as possible. Some necromancer has managed to raise up a horde of undead, up in the peaks.’ The air shimmered, a bright blue circle appearing in the air, flashing up and down before a robed figure began to appear, a gleaming wand in hand. The spell took longer than usual to finish, the figure fading in and out of sight, before finally solidifying, utilitarian robe flapping in an unfelt breeze. He looked drained and exhausted, face grey, eyes bleary.

Stathis stepped forward, healing him.

‘My thanks, Lady Stathis, but there are others in more need.’ They drew their hood back, to reveal themselves to be relatively young, a scraggly attempt at a beard on their face, looking like it owed more to lack of time to shave than fashion.

‘Stathis is fine. Uh, not to sound like a dick, but are we getting paid for this?’

Yeros nodded. ‘I’ll sort something out. I wouldn’t normally ask, but this sounds like a genuine emergency. I can probably designate some of the chapter funds for you, when you get back.’

The mage stood – his face was drawn and tired. ‘We need to hurry. They have some device inhibiting magic, it will block us unless we leave soon. Do you have allies?’

Yeros sent a novice running to get the others before turning back to Stathis. ‘I don’t know why they messaged here, but they must be desperate. I’ll assemble some gear as well. Aimodia did offer to cook, but I think she’s a little out of practice, so I had some food bought from the markets, in case the teleportation goes awry. And Janaxia had ordered some clothing, which arrived this morning.’ He pointed at several neatly wrapped and ribboned packages. Stathis poked one, feeling something soft inside, wondering what clothing she’d bought this time.

As everyone was being rounded up, Stathis spoke to the mage. ‘What’s the situation?’

‘We’re isolated. This was everyone pooling their power to get through whatever the barrier is. We’re not under siege yet, but there’s enough undead and monsters out there I doubt our messengers have made it through. We don’t have the food for a long siege. There’s monsters out there as well, I’ve seen shadows flying over the peaks. And wailing echoing down, in the dark of night.’ He shivered, Stathis trying to comfort him.

‘Don’t worry, we’ll do what we can.’ The others drifted in, Semari arguing with one of the novices about gambling debts, before forking over some coins with a grumble.

Stathis briefly explained the situation, being sure to mention that they should get paid for it. Hakara took the still-glowing wand, running her hands over the shaft, gleaming runes appearing over it, the light stabilising. ‘I can sense resistance, some spell is indeed attempting to block the transportation.’ She gestured, grasping claws of darkness appearing. ‘A very powerful effect, far more than Janaxia or myself could muster. It would take a number of powerful mages working in unison for such a thing. If we are to travel, then we must do so soon.’

‘OK. Semari, Parth, you OK with this?’

Parth hesitated, then nodded. ‘The undying, an abomination upon the land. To be purged and cleansed.’

Semari groaned. ‘I don’t like undead. They’re either mushy and squishy and gross or bony and hard. Beats walking there though, I guess.’

Janaxia reached towards one of the dark tendrils, a strand peeling out towards her, vanishing into her hand. ‘I suppose it will suffice. I’ve never had to endure a proper siege before – I do hope it won’t be too arduous. Ah, and I see my delivery has arrived.’ She moved over to the packages, picking them up and putting them into Hakara’s backpack.

‘There’s not going to be much chance to dress up. And you might want some actual clothes for once, in case an enemy mage dispels magic around you.’

‘Suitable precautions will be taken, I assure you. I would very much prefer to avoid nakedness on the battlefield, that is scarcely elegant or practical.’

‘Just get some damn armour. Right, unless there’s anything else, let’s go.’

The mage reached out for the wand, but Hakara kept hold of it, incanting a spell. The darkness intensified, forming into a barrier, trying to block their passage. Hakara’s spellcasting got louder, runic circles getting brighter, a tunnel forming through the darkness, followed by the sensation of movement without motion, bodies jolting forward while staying in place.

A stone wall rushed towards Stathis, and she raised her arms to protect herself. There was no impact as she was lightly dropped to the floor. There were in a stone room in what was probably a castle, light coming from a single narrow slit in the wall. She looked outside to see mountains, some ancient ruin looming up from shining snow. The walls here were covered with spell-marks, their blue glow fading as black light snatched away at the glow, magic fading. The light from the wand sputtered, before it burst into flames, crystal shattering, smoke filling the room before she threw it out of the window.

‘Well, we made it at least. Where actually are we?’

The door opened, letting in an armoured figure. They looked at Stathis and froze, Stathis looking back. They both spoke at once, voices running over the top of each other. ‘Shit, it’s you.’