Yueryurn’s soldiers noticed us at some point while we were arguing and were already approaching in force by the time we finished. Fortunately, unlike the ogres, they proved far more amenable to reason and we quickly secured an audience for Elmidath, Miusin and myself.

We were brought to a long stone hall and seated at the bare table within. Two of the soldiers remained with us, one on either side, as we awaited Lord Yueryurn’s arrival. Hopefully he wouldn’t require much convincing of the threat, though dealing with the demons was rarely simple or predictable.

Before long another pair of guards arrived, flanking a wrinkled demon with dark grey skin and a dour expression on his face. He approached the table without the slightest acknowledgement of our presence, only looking over once he’d sat down at the head of the table.

When he still remained silent, Elmidath tapped her nails against the tabletop. “My lord, we’ve come to discuss matters of grave importance. Would it be possible for us to have a private audience?”

“Anything you can say to me, you can say to them.”

Elmidath glanced at the soldiers as if she disagreed, but pressed on regardless. “Very well. We have come seeking your aid against a force that threatens all of us.”

“You’re referring to the one responsible for the attack on my home, I assume?”

Ah. Now that he mentioned it, his soldiers did look vaguely familiar. This must have been where we tunnelled into when I was being controlled.by the darkness. I dearly hoped they wouldn’t recognize me, but I assumed we would’ve already been in trouble if they had.

Elmidath nodded. “That’s correct. They were responsible for several attacks on my home as well, that’s why I’ve come here to ask that you join forces with us against this threat.”

“What exactly is this force you speak of? I am unfamiliar with anything of this nature.”

“While we don’t know exactly what it is, we do know that it’s quite powerful, resides primarily underground and wishes to destroy us all. It is also capable of taking over the minds of others.”

Lord Yueryurn regarded us without emotion. “Given all those factors, how do you intend for us to combat it? Am I supposed to send my men beneath the ground to their deaths? Or worse yet, for them to return to us as foes? Neither strikes me as an appealing option.”

“I’m not sure what our best course is, that’s part of why I wish to join forces; we need more information on what we face. Particularly on how we can stop it.”

“What exactly do you have to offer in this partnership, beyond the information you’ve already volunteered?”

It took Elmidath a moment to respond, she was clearly a little thrown by the dismissive nature of his question. “My companions and I will assist you in any way that we can. I’m also in the process of securing Lord Biustarn’s assistance.”

Yueryurn steepled his fingers, holding them beneath his chin. “But you have yet to do so. From what you’ve told me, it appears I’d be better going it alone for the time being. It is far too early for me to commit to anything at this stage.”

Well, he was definitely more cautious than the other demons I’d met. I’d hoped that might work in our favour in convincing him of this threat, which it had. But it is also made him hesitant to work with us. I suppose it was to be expected, we hardly seemed very credible.

Still, there had to be a way to turn this in our favour. Seeing that Elmidath was out of ideas, I spoke up. “Lord Yueryurn, if I might interject. While I appreciate your reluctance; the longer we delay, the worse this will get. Better that we confront it as soon as possible, before it has a chance to harm us further. The darkness has already overtaken Elmidath’s domain, it’s only a matter of time before it does the same here.”

“What makes you think the same thing will happen here? That seems like rather baseless conjecture.”

“I can’t be certain, you’re right about that, but the risk is certainly there. Do you really want to endanger yourself and everyone who depends on you through inaction?”

“Of course not, and there is a certain degree of risk involved in that course. However, if I were to throw in with you, then I would most certainly be putting my people at risk.”

His nose twitched in distaste. “I’m sure you can understand why I would have no wish to pursue such an option, especially when we have so little to gain.”

I looked to Elmidath for help, but I could see she was just as lost as I was. “If that’s how you see it, then I apologise for wasting your time.”

I was getting up when Miusin stopped me. “Wait, there is one more matter we have to discuss.”

Lord Yueryurn sighed. “Very well. I thought I had made my position clear, but it appears I must continue to entertain the notions of my guests. It’s not as if I had anything more important to do.”

Unperturbed, Miusin continued like nothing had happened. “Before you make your decision, there is one more thing you must know. If you do decide to wait, then know you will have to face this without the support of Lady Sarinknell or Lord Biustarn. Unlike you, Lord Biustarn wishes to defeat this foul being before it can do any further harm.”

Lord Yueryurn narrowed his eyes at her. “This is what our negotiations have come to is it? Bald-faced ultimatums? I will not be browbeaten into this nonsense in my own home, you can inform your father of that. Now, if we’re quite finished here, kindly remove yourselves from my presence.”

Seeing that everything was quickly slipping through our fingers, I said the first thing that came to mind. “I know you don’t appreciate having strangers come along and threaten or try to manipulate you, I wouldn’t either, but this is the reality we live in. We either act now, or we’ll lose everything. This darkness was already responsible for the bandits in your lands, as well as taking control of your people; do you really want to see how much worse things can get before you decide to do something about it?”

Lord Yueryurn didn’t look the slightest bit pleased by my words, but judging by his silence he was at least considering them. The longer he went without having us thrown out, the more my confidence grew until he finally opened his mouth. “Perhaps I was too hasty in my judgement, I believe this situation bears further consideration. However, I simply cannot commit myself or my men against an enemy I know so little about. Can you take me to them? I need to see them with my own eyes before I can proceed.”

“Was seeing your own subjects turn against you not proof enough? Going down there before we’re ready seems like a senseless risk.”

“Be that as it may, I need tangible evidence of this entity you speak of. While the actions of my people were strange, they may very well have been acting of their own accord. Or, perhaps, under the control of something unrelated to what you’ve described. Will you do as I’ve requested or not? There can be no negotiation in this matter.”

It wasn’t quite the answer I was looking for, but it was still a lot better than him refusing outright. Neither Elmidath or Miusin seemed to disagree, so I decided to accept. “Very well, we can arrange that. Though I must warn you that it will be dangerous. Are you sure you want to go through with this?”

“I can’t ask my soldiers to do something if I’m not prepared to take the risk myself. Consider this the first test of whether or not we’ll survive the days ahead. If we fail at this early juncture, I can’t imagine we’d be able to accomplish much in the future.”