In his unconsciousness – laying helplessly in the snow with burns on his back – Arlandra Knight had a vision. Merida appeared before him in a field of blood poppies and told him to visit the temple of Vivica to the south. “It is time to… how do you say it? Compare notes? Yes.” Arlandra awoke in a cave. He could hear the wind battering against the mountain outside.
Ashley had lain him on his stomach and was treating a wound on his back – the explosion at the temple had injured even him. “This is remarkable!” she exclaimed. “I knew that anomalies such as yourself possessed healing properties however I never expected anything as phenomenal as this. It’s like you’re made out of some immortal jelly!”
Sam recounted how he saw Louis Cole climbing away from the smouldering temple as well, but pointed out that he was alone and they now had the Air Stone. “Now all we need to do is protect it, and find Avenberch.”
“Maybe pursuing Cole isn’t such a bad idea,” Juliet suggested. “He would know where to find Avenberch.”
Arlandra sat up. “No, leave him. Vivica has a temple on the northern fringe of the valley, we have to go there. Merida told me. Also, I think Christel is in trouble.”
Juliet’s eyes flickered with worry. “Christel? He and Hazel should be back in Eden…”
Arlandra shook his head. “I don’t know, but for now I think that’s where we should go.”
After his incident with Petra Underbridge on the beach, Christel Saan stumbled into Okraan in search of a doctor. He used a fake name out of habit and asked the man to treat the burns on his chest. “Struck by lightning, you say!” said the doctor. “What are the odds!”
There was an inn on the edge of town called The Dirty Root where Christel stayed that night. He spent some time drinking at the bar and devising a strategy to get Hazel back. If only I knew where they were going… It was here that Merida appeared on the stool beside him. “There is a temple east of Ridge Town on the northern fringe of the Taegan; go there and you will find your friends. Be careful who you trust.” Like a shimmering mirage her beautiful figure dissipated into nothing and Christel realised that there was an ugly man drooping over a drink where Merida had been sitting. The man glared under a heavy brow and sneered at Christel, making him feel awfully uncomfortable. What did I do? The thief wondered. He faced forward and suddenly realised what had excited his new friend; behind the bar was a notice board, and Christel’s face was plastered to a wanted poster. “WANTED FOR WAR-CRIMES AGAINST THE STATE.”
Christel returned his gaze to the man. “Now wait a minute…” Striking like a cobra the thief drew his knife and slammed the blade into the back of his opponent’s hand, pinning it to the bar-top. Then he took a bottle and broke it over the man’s head. “I’ll pay for that,” he promised the bartender. “And I’ll give you twenty gold pieces for the wanted poster…”
It snowed lightly over Ridge Town by the time Sam and his party arrived. The town was no larger than Riftsire, though given that the latter had been destroyed in the war, it was difficult to make such a comparison. After exploring a little, Arlandra stood on a hill overlooking the valley and commented on its beauty. “So green. You’d think there wasn’t even a war at all.”
“Give it time,” Sam said, pessimistically. “The war will find its way here soon enough.” He turned to Juliet, who was still the leading officer among his freedom fighters. “I wish we could help these people…”
“Don’t get mushy,” said Devin. “We have our own war to win and I have some questions for Lady Merida when I see her. Arlandra, you said this temple was east of here. Let’s go.”
Vivica’s Temple was a dark and ominous setting, but then again, what more would one expect from a temple dedicated to the Goddess of Darkness. Even Arlandra was put on edge by the grotesque faces and putrid bodies of the stone statues meant to depict Vivica’s servants. Devin observed them with more of an analytical eye. “And so the wretched devoted themselves to darkness, and the darkness defiled them and made them holy…”
Juliet’s eyes flicked from statue to statue, and she wasn’t aware that she was clutching Arlandra’s wrist. “Anyone else feel like we’re being watched,” she murmured.
In the centre of the small temple was a square pool filled with black water; the light of a hundred candles danced and shimmered on the reflection. Even the air inside tasted foul. Everyone stopped when they noticed a hooded figure praying before the statue of Vivica; he was silent and unmoving, though he raised his head when he heard their footsteps. “Who goes there?” demanded a familiar voice. He turned and removed his hood. It was Christel.
Sam and the others let out a sigh of relief. “Christel, is it really you? We’re so glad to see you safe… But Hazel?”
The young thief closed his eyes and shook his head. “She has been taken by Grey Skull. I couldn’t protect her.”
Juliet stepped forward with a solemn expression and embraced him. “It’s not your fault, but don’t worry, we’ll get her back. We’ll make Grey Skull regret the day they ever messed with us.”
Devin nodded. “She’s right, old pal. Now that we’re all here and re-grouped we might just get some answers out of Merida and find out what’s going on. We can come up with a plan to stop Grey Skull once and for all, and maybe even end the war while we’re at it!”
Christel turned away. “You guys, I can’t help you.”
“What?”
“You heard me. I spoke to Merida; she expects me to be her champion in some fated battle, but to be honest I don’t give a damn about any of that. I don’t care about Grey Skull. I’m going to get Hazel back no matter what and I swear if they’ve hurt her I’ll kill them.”
Everyone was shocked by their friend’s sudden resolve. Juliet was almost trembling. “Christel…”
“I know this isn’t what you were expecting and I know Grey Skull is up to something terrible but I’m sorry… If you put the fate of world in my hands I can’t guarantee you that I won’t throw it away.”
A black cloud engulfed the pool in the centre of the temple and devoured the lights between Christel and the others. “So dramatic…” whispered a lascivious voice. There in the black void appeared Vivica, the Goddess of Darkness. Her skin was pale and icy, her eyes grey and set within a sinister shadow, and her hair was a messy and dirty shade of black. “I told Merida you weren’t the right man. Look at you! I can smell the rage fuming from your insides. All this despair over a girl…”
Another apparition entered the temple behind Sam and his party; a figure less menacing or disturbing. “We all know who the thief truly belongs to, sister, but alas this is the way things are,” said Merida. “If you’re concerned about fate Vivica you can take it up with Ariana, we have more pressing matters to attend to.” She turned to face the humans in the room, who now all stood in a group by the altar. “I assume you know why we summoned you here?”
Devin answered. “Grey Skull, an unfortunately human organisation intends to use the summoning stones to release Ludovic…” He noticed Vivica shudder at the mention of the name. Devin continued. “Though we’re not entirely sure why he wants this, we do know that Ludovic’s power is dangerous, and because you are not permitted to prevent mankind from destroying itself you need us to do it for you.”
Vivica smiled at Devin. “A little on the ugly side, perhaps, but I like this human; he’s not as stupid as the others.”
“Was that an insult or a compliment?” Devin asked.
Merida shook her head. “You are correct on most accounts, Devin Shephard, however you have forgotten one crucial element…”
“The Key,” Christel finished. “Ludovic’s Cage not only transcends space but also time; I know this now. When you sealed Ludovic away, it was a place not of this world, wasn’t it? Some place even you couldn’t get to easily.”
“Does such a place even exist?” Juliet asked, though to no one in particular.
Merida shot a look at Christel. “And here I was thinking you didn’t want to play our little game.”
“Well, uh…” Christel sighed. “Look, Grey Skull has Hazel but they also have one of the stones, the Codex and the Key. I’m getting Hazel back, but I don’t see why I can’t take these things too.”
“That’s the spirit!” Devin cried. “We have him back!”
“Yeah, don’t get too excited,” Christel moaned.
Ashley raised her hand like a child. “Can I ask a question? This has been bothering me for a while; why leave the Key here in the first place? You must have known that someone would have tried to use it.”
Vivica cut in. “Hoped would be a better word.”
“Vivica don’t,” Merida snapped. In her gentler voice she said, “This may be difficult for you to understand, but there are powers that roam the depths of space and time that are beyond your comprehension. My sisters and I have kept these in check for eons but every now and then problems arise that need to be fixed. We decided to keep the key in the event that one of these powers became more than we could handle, in which case protecting your meagre existence would be the least of our worries. Ludovic is a double edged sword, no doubt about it, but she is remarkably powerful, and in essence she is one of our own. If not for our oath to you humans she would be free to reign alongside us, but I suppose you are not entirely to blame.”
“What my sister and I are curious about,” Vivica went on, “is what you humans are going to do about this.”
“Well that’s simple,” Devin explained. “If we find the remaining Stones we will find Grey Skull. We deduced from the old writings the location of the Air Stone, however it was a miracle that we made it there first. We won’t be so lucky with the others.”
Merida sensed where this was going. “The Earth Stone is buried beneath the temple of Mount Khallem and is under the protection of the Guardian Korasuun. The Water Stone can be found south of the Orc City of Rrak Mel; though I warn you that a dark magic surrounds that place and is under the control of the Guardian Waiiga.”
“Another Dragon?” they wondered.
“Yes, though technically she’s a water spirit – and remarkably short tempered. If you try to bargain for the Stones or to take them by force you will be eaten. It just so happens that both Korasuun and Waiiga enjoy riddles and will play you for the Stone. Win, and the Stone will be yours. Lose, and you’ll die.”
Devin posed a question. “Why weren’t the other three stones guarded?”
“The Guardian of the Spirit Stone – which now lies in the hand of Taelliwey’s king – was named Thruuel, but he was killed long ago. The other two Guardian’s discarded their oaths and fled this land to join their brethren in the great citadel far to the east, but that’s another story.”
A feint silence followed. Everyone other than Merida and Vivica were mesmerised by this information, and also relieved by it. Then Sam announced, “Well then, it seems we know what we need to know. We need a plan.”
“You don’t know everything…” There came a sly voice from the entrance of the temple. In an eerie haze arrived a figure in motley.
Arlandra only needed to see the violin to know who it was. “Zester,” he called.
“Hallo!” The mad jester scratched out a short melody on his violin. “I’m late to the meeting, aren’t I?”
Merida smiled. “No, actually, you’re right on time.”
Zester lowered his violin. “Ah, you must be Merida!” He bowed before the goddess of darkness and said, “M’lady Vivica. Everyone else…”
“Why is he here?” Devin demanded.
Vivica inclined her head. “Don’t be shrewd, Mr. Shephard, I invited him.”
Zester leaned close to Devin. “Can’t we all get along? How about a joke.”
“No,” they replied.
“Alright, killjoy, I’m here because I may or may not have forgotten to mention my initial relationship with Grey Skull to your gloomy friend over there.” He gestured towards Arlandra. “Fact is I know that after stocking up in Eden Josiah and his minions travelled east along the Devil’s Pass and stopped for some time at the Robarii Oasis.” He pointed a bony white finger at Christel. “If you sir want to recover your dearly beloved and all those other bits and bobs from Josiah’s boy Germaine Underbridge, then I suggest you go there. If you want Josiah’s Lieutenant Petra Underbridge, she has been sent in pursuit of the Water Stone near the orc city. Josiah himself has gone after the Earth Stone.”
“Can we really trust this?” Devin insisted.
“I agree with Devin,” said Ashley. “He knows Grey Skull too well; I don’t like it.”
“It makes sense,” said Christel. “The Robarii Oasis is the closest human settlement to Al’Obeiid, which is central to the two remaining stones, not to mention deserted. Hazel might be there.”
Sam sighed and announced, “Then it’s agreed that we split up. Arlandra, I hate to do this to you but if anyone has a chance of killing Grey Skull’s leader it’s you, after all you are an assassin. With you at Mount Khallem I’ll assemble some of my freedom fighters and travel to Rrak Mel to confront this Petra Underbridge…”
“Be careful, Sam,” Christel warned. “I’ve fought her before and ended up with this—” He pointed to the strange burn on his chest. “She’s tough.”
Juliet insisted that if the freedom fighters were getting involved then she should accompany Sam in his mission, but he refused. “No. Grey Skull still needs the Air Stone to complete their ritual. We need to find somewhere to keep it safe until this is over.”
“The safe house,” said Christel, “south-west of Eden, we can take it there.”
“If it’s the safe house you’re going to,” Devin continued, “then you’ll need me.”
Then Ashley stepped forward. “In which case I will accompany Sam to Rrak Mel. It just so happens that Devin and I have made some modifications to our anti-anomaly toys, something that Sam and his men could use for sure.”
With their plans decided, it was agreed that Christel would travel to the Robarii Oasis. “I’ll pick up their trail and hunt them down until I find her.”
Arlandra – like the others – was still worried about him. “Just be careful Christel. Either way, we face a formidable enemy, but we’ve had worse odds before. We can do this, I know it.”
As everyone departed the temple and prepared for their separate journeys Arlandra Knight was stopped by Vivica. “You worry about your friend doing something unholy and yet you ignore the darkness within you,” said the dark goddess. “You’re special aren’t you. Unlike the other anomalies you were given your powers by Ariana, and yet you are so afraid of them.”
“I’m not afraid,” Arlandra replied. “Ariana taught me how to suppress it. I am in control.”
“For now, perhaps. But you know the evil that lurks within, you have seen its face. The longer you hold it back the stronger it will become. Ariana may have given you a few pointers at best however let me give you another; you are not in control. When a human becomes an anomaly by whatever means a separate entity is awakened within them, and it is from this entity that their powers are born.”
“That entity is evil—”
“That entity is truth. You must embrace it, Arlandra, or be consumed by it.”