Everything happened very quickly after that, not the least because of the haste potions they had all downed. Raith had assumed that with the rogue’s injured leg, they might be safe from his [Divine Skill] speed with the help their potions.
He was very mistaken.
As Raith darted through the massive chamber toward the doorway in pursuit of his friends, he caught the [Rogue] in his peripheral vision rapidly closing the distance in spite of his wound. The giant-kin leader surged after them as well. Although the four armed [Warrior] didn't possess his teammate’s speed, he was nearly as fast as the Myth Seekers even with their potions.
The [Mage] threw up a shimmering wall, blocking the exit and cutting Raith off from Thea and Nyhm, who had already narrowly escaped. Raith cursed as he spotted the cyclops [Archer] carefully taking aim directly at him.
What the threaded fuck? I thought this guy was on our side!
The arrow loosed and flew straight for him with terrifying accuracy…only to explode into the lower back of the rogue as he was about to catch Raith. The formorian leader swore in fury while the cyclops [Archer] bellowed, “You darted right into the path of my arrow, you stupid son of a harpy!”
Raith resisted the urge to nod his thanks before sprinting back towards the entrance on the opposite side of the building. He zigged and zagged, leaping into the air to narrowly avoid the wind blades hurled by their [Mage]. He reversed course, trying to keep the pedestal that had held the aethercore between himself and his enemies.
For a moment he considered a desperate climb, but another narrowly dodged magical attack convinced him that would be a bad idea. He couldn’t avoid attacks and climb at the same time, and the collapsed [Rogue] wouldn’t provide the [Archer] with any more excuses to miss.
Just as Raith reached the other doorway, another wall of force appeared. He slammed into it hard, vision flashing white before darkness washed over him. He barely managed to maintain consciousness to fumble out a potion and choke it down. His sight cleared just in time to see the armored [Warrior] bearing down on his fallen body, blades poised to strike.
Out of nowhere, Nyhm pounced on the giant-kin from somewhere far above like a wild beast, only to be hurled into a wall with a bone-shaking thud. Raith prayed the dakathi had been weakened enough from breaking the oath to spare his brother. Either way, he knew with certainty his life was about to end as the blade descended, but a shimmer of light coalesced into a body between him and death and a hand caught the weapon in midair.
Sabik.
The dijinn glanced back at Raith, then cast his other hand toward the [Mage]’s barrier. The wall of force dissipated into curling wisps of smoke. A plain wooden quarterstaff appeared in Sabik’s grip, which he expertly swung to deflect the giant-kin’s renewed assault.
“You have my eternal gratitude, human,” Sabik said without looking, focused solely on parrying the giant-kin’s ferocious assault. “Now flee!”
Raith didn’t need to be told twice. He gathered his brother and together they bolted from the pyramid, the sounds of battle fading quickly behind them.
The Myth Seekers didn’t stop running until they reached the surface, where Zinny and Tolliver waited. The noble had fled earlier to warn her of their plan and she was prepared. Raith could already feel the power of the gossamer path awakening as Zinny prepared their way out.
“Was anyone injured?” Raith asked, scanning his companions. Each shook their head.
“Then let’s get out of here. I don’t know how long Sabik can hold those giant-kin off.”
Together, the Myth Seekers stepped into the Dreaming. The moment they entered, Raith activated [Life in Staccato]. All motion halted beyond the reach of his power. Zinny turned on him with sudden alarm.
“What did you do?” she asked.
“My [Skill] seems to let me freeze time outside this sphere while in the dream realm. Oh, and also the fae realm...I'm not entirely sure how it all works yet.”
The little fae regarded him gravely.
“This is a powerful gift the Weavers have given you, Captain.”
Raith was distracted from his exchange with the pixie to see Thea was glaring at Nyhm, a red rash of anger climbing up her neck. She smacked his brother on the shoulder.
“Why did you not tell me you went back for Raith? You both could have been killed.”
Nyhm lifted his hands in surrender.
“I thought it more important that you get the key away from the giant-kin, and I could not abandon my brother.”
Raith nodded in agreement.
“Nyhm made the right call, Thea. There was far more than just my life at stake here.”
The look that washed over her face was one Raith recognized well. She knew he was right, but wasn’t done being mad about it. She stomped down the path for several steps and then stopped abruptly without looking back.
“Zinny, you’re going to have to lead. I don’t actually know where I’m going.”
"Hold on a second. I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready to braid up."
One corner of Thea's mouth turned up slightly.
"So am I. It's hard to believe we got here so fast."
"No kidding. I want to take care of this before we return and claim the Earl's [Quest]. I suspect it's going to be a lot of weft and I don't want to waste it."
Tolliver’s eyes widened.
“I didn’t realize this was a [Quest]. I thought the fae couldn’t…”
“The Earl forced one of his servants to it,” Thea interrupted. “The man paid dearly.”
Tolliver nodded solemnly, then glanced nervously at the mushroom circle as though the formor might burst through at any moment.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
“I suspect we don't have time to sit around and weave patterns right now."
Raith held up a hand.
"For one, the giant-kin almost certainly don't have the knowledge to open the gleaming. If they could, they would have just used it in the first place instead of this ruse of setting up an entire colony in the Three Kingdoms. Second, they should have forgotten us the moment we left their sight. And third, my [Skill] should give as all the time we need."
Everyone considered his word for a moment. Eventually, Tolliver shrugged.
"I am unable to find a flaw in the logic."
They all settled in to focus on their patterns, and Raith activated [Mnemonic Library] to peruse the guide Abbot Rinner had made for him. He could now upgrade to [Greater Skills] at the third braid, and that would be the first step with his [Rogue] and [Warrior] classes.
The patterns the [Sage] had provided were complicated, and while this would have gone much faster with his help, the previous guidance help him get through the process with confidence. Much sooner than anticipated, Raith once again reached into the fabric of his soul and that deep chord vibrated his his very being as the last thread fell into place.
When it was done his newest braid now read:
Class One: [Scholar: Tomekeeper Adept]
Level One Skill: [Mnemonic Manor]
Class Two: [Warrior: Oneiric Knight]
Level One Skill: [Greater Endurance]
Class Three: [Rogue: Dreamwalker Scout]
Level One Skill: [Greater Agility]
Raith looked around at his companions, who were already done and beginning to look impatient. The patterns he'd been provided to take advantage of the [Divine Skill] were more complicated and it had taken much longer. As much as he was anxious to explore his newly expanded mental construct, it wasn't fair to make his friends wait on him any more than they already had.
"Sorry about that guys. I'm ready."
With that, the Myth Seekers followed the gossamer path back toward the Earl’s castle. After the strange but uneventful trek, they finally reached the door to the throne room where Zinny halted.
“If I enter the Earl's domain uninvited, I'll get very, very murdered.”
Tolliver hesitated too.
“And I was never part of your arrangement with this Unseelie noble. After what you’ve told me of his court, it may not be wise for me to appear uninvited, either.”
Raith frowned.
“Good point. Zinny, can you guide Tolliver back to Beckhaven? We’ll meet you there.”
She grinned and gave a mock salute.
“Aye aye, captain.”
Raith clasped Tolliver’s hand and pulled him into an embrace.
“I hate splitting us up again, but I’m not clear on the rules of these fae games and I won’t risk you.”
“Nor do I care to be at risk,” Tolliver replied with a wry smile. “But thank you for the sentiment. We’ll meet again soon, my friend. I'll prepare things for your appearance before the King."
Raith scowled at this, but Tolliver just looked perplexed.
"For your formal acceptance of nobility. Surely you knew this was coming.”
Ah, shit.
"I didn't really think about it. Thank you, we won't be far behind."
As Zinny led Tolliver away, Raith turned to Nyhm and Thea.
“Any thoughts before we face the Earl?”
He expected none, but Thea surprised him.
“Do you recall the wording of the [Quest]?”
Raith tried to remember the exact words, but hadn’t written it down.
“Go to Tarn and retrieve the key, then get away and bring it back to the Hollow Earl's castle. Or something like that.”
“That’s how I remember it, too. Notice that it never said we must give the key to the Earl.”
Raith smiled. While the precise wording eluded him, he was pretty sure it hadn’t mentioned what they were required to do with the artifact.
“You’re right. One more powerful artifact we get to keep!"
“But there’s a chance he is going to be furious,” she added.
That was a sobering thought.
“Will we be protected by the Rights of the Patrician again?” Raith asked.
“Yes, but it’s still unwise to upset an Unseelie noble. They have long memories and a lot of experience in plotting vengeance.”
It also occurred to him Remi could also be punished again since he's the one who wove the [Quest], and Raith didn’t relish the idea of being partially responsible.
“Would he really hold us as enemies for obeying the exact words of his bargain?” Nyhm asked.
Raith and Thea looked at the elfling, then at each other. Thea's brows furrowed as she considered.
“Probably not, that would be very un-faelike. In fact, the more I think about it I’d be surprised if the words were ill-chosen at all. Maybe the Earl doesn’t want the key. Which raises the obvious question: why?”
Wonderful. Another mystery to solve.
“Perhaps we can speak with Selene privately.”
Together, they stepped through the portal and emerged into the familiar throne room accompanied to an enormous rush of weft as the [Quest] was completed. Raith would have taken more time to appreciate the levels he just received, but the Hollow Earl’s chamber was surprisingly full.
The sluagh noble lounged on his throne, flanked by his two nuckelavee. Selene stood nearby with her knights, and even Remi was in attendance. Clearly the Earl had eyes in more than just the mortal kingdoms to have expected their arrival.
As the trio approached, the Earl gave a dismissive flick of his hand.
“I am pleased you have managed to succeed. An impressive task for such unremarkable mortals.”
Raith ignored the insult and braced himself for a demand for the key. It never came. The Earl simply studied them with piercing eyes, then murmured, “Remi, the rings.”
Remi stepped forward and offered three wooden rings.
“These are tokens of my service, to which you have bound yourself until such time as another bargain is struck. They will let you contact me in the same manner as before, and allow me to contact you when I require your services.”
Raith frowned at that last, and the Earl anticipated his objection.
“You are of no use to me if I cannot issue instructions. Rest assured, I have no interest in your dreary comings and goings. Unlike the ring you already bear, these will grant you full memories of my Forgotten Ones. You may also find it important to note that these will not function for any besides yourselves, and those who try will suffer my displeasure.”
The Earl’s thin smile suggested he found that last thought amusing. He shook himself as if brushing off the rare moment of cheer, then turned back to Raith.
“Now, do you intend to demand my hospitality and again pollute my halls, or will you deign to leave me in peace?”
Raith felt a stab of panic at the dismissal, worried that they may be ushered out abruptly without getting the chance to speak with Selene.
The Earl’s motivations unsettled him, and he needed to find out if the Countess knew more. For the first time, it occurred to Raith that the artifact they recovered might be cursed. Even more, his discovery of how [Life in Staccato] worked on the gossamer paths left him burning with both excitement and questions…questions Selene was his best hope of answering.
He looked toward her, forcing his expression into calm control. He was a lord now, after all. She met his gaze evenly and gave the barest of nods before stepping forward.
“If it pleases you, Lord Raith, I would be honored if you and your companions would accompany me to my estate for a brief stop on your journey back to your home city.”
Raith released a slow breath, glancing at Thea who looked uncertain at the offer. He knew his friend was worried about her family and anxious to return. After a moment's consideration she gave him a slight nod.
Nyhm only shrugged, indifferent, so Raith gave a bow to the sidhe.
“It would be an honor, Countess.”
Her smile seemed to brighten the room, and perhaps it wasn’t only metaphorical, for the Earl himself winced at her radiance.
“How delightful,” she said. “We shall depart within the hour.”
The group proceeded to her room, finding it already in a bustle of preparation as sprites darted about, packing for the entourage’s departure. Raith found himself standing uncomfortably beside Imiren, the sidhe knight identifiable only by the still-empty sword sheath at his side. The moonsilver helm concealed all expression, but Raith could not shake the feeling of being watched. He shifted awkwardly.
“This weapon works especially well on incorporeal creatures,” he said at last. “We would not have survived without it. I know you wouldn’t have chosen to give it up, but our mission would have failed without the gift. And I want you to know I’m grateful.”
The knight gave the barest of nods, imperceptible if Raith hadn't been watching with such anxious focus.
Raith sensed the prickling sense of irritation radiating from the sidhe lessen, and hoped he wasn't just imagining it. Mercifully, the awkward silence soon ended as the packing was finished. The party filed out of the throne room and back down the long corridors toward the waiting mirror.
Upon their arrival they found the throne room empty. The Hollow Earl clearly had no interest in farewells. With the knights leading them through, the group exited the court of the Forgotten Ones, Raith casting one glance back in what he prayed was the last time he would ever have to lay eyes on that throne room.
