Everyone looked at Lilly. Her eyes rolled this way and that, and a wicked look spread over her face. Ethlerod partly unsheathed his sword.

  Lilly clenched her fists, held her breath, and squeaked out a fart.

  Eeeeeeee!

  She snorted with laughter and stumbled into Brune’s lap. In spite of himself, Brune found Lilly’s embarrassing behavior extremely funny. He roared with laughter.

  Endellion watched with a grim frown. Ethlerod chuckled sadistically.

  Brune put his hand over his eyes. His arm felt like lead. “It’s... not funny,” he said, gasping for breath. But suddenly Lilly wasn’t laughing anymore; she was asleep, drooling on his leg.

  Brune slumped onto his side, overcome with a need to close his eyes. He saw Endellion’s boots walking towards him.

  “Fucking... bitch,” he mumbled.

  “I tried to talk sense into you, Hargish.” Her voice was clear and cold, like a glacier stream. “You wouldn’t listen.”

  Brune’s eyes were heavy, his vision blurry. He saw Endellion crouching beside him, and felt her hand caress his face.

  “I guess it just means more money for me.”

  * * *

  Something jabbed Brune’s cheek, disturbing his uneasy sleep. He swatted at it, grabbing hold of a little hand.

  “Cut it out,” he grunted, shifting his body. He felt the floor. Cold, damp stone.

  What is this place, an orc hotel?

  A little voice called him. “Lord Brune. Lord Brune. Oh, gods dammit, wake up!”

  He ignored it and drifted back to sleep. But then he was aware of hands on his shoulders, trying to shake him.

  Did someone let their kid in here?

  SMACK!

  One of those pesky little hands slapped his cheek! Brune snapped awake to find Lilly in his lap, looking at him like a little girl caught doing something naughty.

  “What the fuck, Lilly? I’m sleeping! Why—”

  He looked around. Dank walls. Steel bars. Cold air. Everything came back to him.

  Endellion.

  Anger burned inside him. He beat the hard floor with his knuckles.

  “L-Lord Brune?” Lilly shifted uneasily.

  Brune sighed. “It’s okay. I just… can’t believe...”

  “I know. Endellion. We thought she was our friend.”

  “The Assistant Guildmaster recommended her. His judgment is usually extremely sound. And then... Working with her over the last month. We completed three quests before this one. Worked well together. She seemed alright. And…”

  He wasn’t going to say it out loud, but... That pussy. Which made it all the more infuriating; she’d probably manipulated him with her femininity more than he wanted to admit. Maybe she’d been playing him from the start.

  Lilly studied Brune’s face. “And? You were falling in love with her.”

  Brune scoffed. “No, I wasn’t. Not even close. Come on, we gotta move.”

  Lilly slid off of Brune as he slowly got to his feet, rubbing the back of his neck. Chains jangled on the stone floor; they were both shackled to the wall by their ankles. Brune’s weapons, and the lock-picking tools he always carried, had been taken away.

  “I’ll tell you one thing, Lilly. That’s the last time I trust a dark elf. Or a woman.”

  Lilly pouted and looked at the ground. “But... What about me, Lord Brune?”

  He smirked. “You’re fine, Lilly. You can’t betray me, remember? Fae law. You’re my slave.”

  Lilly’s face brightened up. “Yes, Lord Brune! Thank you!” She bobbed her head forward but winced. “Ohhh, my temples.”

  “Yeah, I’ve got a headache, too. I don’t know what they sprayed us with, but I guess this is the hangover.”

  Lilly’s face went red. “I think it may have had Purplebottom Pixie Dust in it. Um, by the way… I don’t remember much of what happened after the man sprayed me. I didn’t do anything stupid, did I?”

  She stared at the ground, unable to look Brune in the eye.

  “Nah, you were fine. A perfect lady.” He chuckled and looked down at his chain.

  “Why are you laughing?”

  Using a small fraction of his force, Brune swung his leg to the end of the chain. The metal piece in the wall shook and bits of brick crumbled onto the floor.

  “Wait!” Lilly put her hands on Brune’s stomach and looked up at him.

  “Lord Brune... What’s your plan?” she said in a hushed voice.

  “Plan? I don’t have one. I’m just gonna blast us out of here.”

  “And then?”

  “And then we’ll have to smash our way to the fourth floor of the tower.”

  “Oh. But… where are we? How do we get to the tower from here?”

  Brune rolled his eyes. “I don’t know. We’re likely in the tower already. But it doesn’t matter; we’ll find out. Now get out of the way.”

  “Wait. May I... make a suggestion?”

  “Sure, Lilly. Go ahead.”

  “Let me use my magic. I’ll draw the guards here and hypnotize them.”

  “Smart girl. Do it.”

  “Thank you, Lord Brune. Um...” She looked around the room anxiously. She’d been fidgeting for several minutes. Now she was dancing on her toes.

  “What’s the matter?” Brune said.

  “I have to pee,” she said, squeezing her legs together.

  “Chamber pot’s right there,” Brune said, as if she could have missed it. There was one on either side of the room.

  Lilly’s brows squished together, and she let out a whimper.

  “You mean you’re shy?” Brune said. “You’ve got no problem with walking around naked and farting.”

  Lilly’s mouth dropped open. “F-farting? Hehehe. W-what do you mean?”

  Brune walked over to the chamber pot on his side. “I’ll go first if it makes you feel better.”

  Lilly’s eyes just about popped out of her head as Brune pulled it out. She stared for a second and then whipped herself around to face the wall.

  She stole a few salacious glances as Brune emptied his bladder into the pot.

  “There, all done,” he said, doing up his pants. “Your turn.”

  “Okay, okay,” she said, dancing. “Turn around, please.”

  Brune faced the other way and looked at the dingy wall. He heard Lilly pulling down her panties.

  “Don’t look.”

  “I will if you don’t hurry up!”

  Lilly tinkled into the pot.

  Once she was finished, she walked to the end of her chain and peered through the bars down the shadowy hallway. She flashed a smile at Brune. “Ready?”

  “Yeah. Get on with it.”

  “Okay, Grumpy Face.”

  She raised her wand and swept it in front of the bars, sending pink sparkles into the hallway. Then she called out in a forlorn voice: “Help! Help me, please.”

  The sound echoed over the wet stones. Brune heard a footstep and a murmur.

  “Help me. Oh, please, help me.”

  A young guard came around the corner, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He walked right into the pink sparkles.

  Lilly waved her hands. “Help me, Sir. Please help!”

  The guard’s mouth dropped open as he walked up to the bars. He scratched his ruddy cheek. “Is this a dream?”

  “It is no dream, Sir.”

  “Gods, you’re... beautiful.”

  A second guard, heavier and older than the first, lumbered around the corner. “What’s this all about then?”

  Lilly shook more sparkles out of her wand.

  “Don’t like the accommodations of the Tower, eh? Ha. Well, you can… You can…” The man’s eyes bulged. He looked Phia up and down. “Good gods! Are you a water nymph?”

  “I am, Sir. As you can see, I’m locked in this well with my sister.”

  The guards’ heads turned to Brune. The younger one blushed and looked down when Brune met his eye. The older one leered at Brune’s chest.

  Brune snorted and looked at Lilly. “What the fu–Ow!”

  She jabbed him with her elbow, accidentally hitting him right in his tender place.

  “We’ve been locked away here many a year. By… by an old witch.”

  “Don’t you worry,” the young guard said, fumbling for the keys. He unlocked the iron door and stepped in.

  “Wait!” The older guard barked at him and walked into the cell. “Give me those keys.” Snatching the keys, the love-struck guard rapturously knelt at Brune’s feet and unshackled him, copping a feel of his calf muscle.

  “There you are, Madam,” he cooed.

  Brune was tempted to knock him on the head. It would have been so easy. Once Lilly was unlocked, she raised her wand again.

  “We will not forget this good deed. Now, please tell us where we are.”

  “We’re in the tower,” the old guard said. “First floor.”

  “What time is it?”

  “Oh, after midnight, Miss.”

  “Thank you. Now, kindly tell us the way to the second floor.”

  Brune nudged Lilly. “Weapons,” he whispered.

  “Pardon me, sister?”

  “Our weapons.”

  “Oh, yes.” She pouted at the guards. “The witch took my sister’s weapons. Can you help us find them?”

  The old guard’s mouth fell open. “Water nymphs carry weapons?”

  “Of course we do, Sir. My sister has a club and a sword, and some other things.”

  “I know where they are, my lady!” the young man said.

  The older guard shoved him into the wall. “No, I know where they are! Follow me, Madam.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  ENDELLION FINISHED HER glass of wine and set it on the table. She let her hand fall onto a large bag of gold coins.

  Now there was a hefty sum. She picked it up, just to feel the weight, and let it drop with a thud onto the table.

  “More where that came from, too,” she said to the empty room. The only sound was the rain pattering outside. She reached for the bottle but saw that she’d already drunk three-quarters of it.

  “Guess I should slow down.”

  The silence of the room answered her like an icy wind. It was one of the fanciest guest rooms in the palace. Fine furniture. A bed fit for a queen.

  Everything I could want.

  She picked up the bottle, put it down, and drummed her fingers on the table. The palace had made her nervous ever since they’d arrived.

  I’ll get out of here as soon as Cardinal Waldemarr pays me the rest.

  At first, Endellion had been worried that he might try to weasel out of paying the full amount—or anything at all—since Phia’s legal guardian was out of the picture now. But the palace liked to have at least an appearance of propriety. Their records would probably say Phia’s guardian had consented to the marriage and received payment.

  But that wasn’t her concern, anyway. She’d gotten what she wanted.

  Endellion picked up the bottle and poured another glass. She stared at it. The Cardinal said he wouldn’t hurt Brune and Lilly. He’d assured her of it. He’d just lock them up for a while—at least until after the marriage ceremony.

  She put a hand over her forehead. So many thoughts about Brune and Phia—and even Lilly—kept flitting through her mind. After being with them constantly, it was strange to sit in a silent room.

  She could still hear their voices.

  Brune’s words repeated in her mind: You don’t have a heart. It was true, of course. Her heart had turned to ice long ago.

  But not Brune’s. She saw it in his eyes. Her betrayal had actually hurt him. That’s what surprised her so much. She’d expected him to be angry. To hate her. Maybe even want to kill her. But she never expected him to be hurt.

  “If my betrayal hurt him… that means…” The words caught in her throat. The room went blurry. Endellion blinked and wiped her eyes.

  She stood up and paced the room. If Brune was stung by her betrayal, that meant he’d had real feelings for her.

  And he really cared about Phia, too.

  Brune wasn’t bad at all. He was actually a decent guy.

  Endellion stopped and looked into a mirror that hung over the mantelpiece. Her reflection gazed back, puffy-eyed but beautiful. She’d always used that beauty as a weapon. A way to manipulate men and get what she wanted.

  Had she ever loved anyone? She searched her memories… No, never.

  Except...

  She choked on the words, barely getting them out: “I loved my parents.” The tears flowed. It was as if she’d kept them dammed up ever since she was a little girl—ever since the day her life was destroyed. But now the dam broke.

  “I hate myself… I hate myself.” She slumped to the floor, sobbing desperately.

  They were the only friends she’d ever had: Brune, Phia, and Lilly. But she’d pushed them away. Now she’d never see them again, and they’d hate her for the rest of their lives.

  Doubled over with unbearable agony, Endellion cried until her throat hurt. And then she cried even more.

  After a long time lying on the floor and vaguely listening to the rain, she slowly got up and wiped her face. Taking up her bow and arrows, she grabbed the bag of coins and left the room.

  * * *

  “I’m not worried about the tower itself,” Brune said, walking down the dark hallway as Lilly flew beside him. “It can’t be very difficult if it’s only four floors. It’s just that we have to find Phia before noon.”

  “Do you think Sol will really appear?”

  Brune chewed his cheek. “I don’t know. Let’s hope not.”

  “I think he might appear if all the conditions are in place at the right time. But…”

  “If we get there ahead of time and fuck up those conditions, he won’t appear.”

  “Yeah... Maybe?”

  “All the more reason to hurry.” Brune started jogging.

  Passing other corridors, they noticed more holding cells, like the one they’d escaped from.

  Rats as big as cats poured down from holes in the walls. Brune massacred them with his Chaos Wave almost as fast as they could come. Copper coins piled up on the ground where the rats had been, but Brune didn’t stop to pick them up.

  Lilly gripped her wand, her eyes darting over the walls, floor, and ceiling. “This place gives me the creeps,” she said as they came upon a winding metal staircase. It ascended so far that it disappeared into the darkness.

  Brune stopped and stared at it. “Shit. The guard said to go up a staircase. I don’t think it was this—”

  Lilly shrieked in terror. A blubbery monstrosity covered in clumps of eyes and teeth had appeared without a sound.

  Almost in the same instant, a little vortex of colorful sparkles swirled out from Lilly’s wand and enveloped the monster. For a second, it almost looked pretty.

  And then it exploded.

  Guts and eyes and blubber splattered everywhere. Phia screamed. Brune cursed.

  “I’m sorry, Lord Brune!”

  “You couldn’t have warned me?” He wiped an eyeball off his arm. “Disgusting! I need a bath.”

  “I’m so sorry.” Mortified, Lilly raised her wand at Brune. “Wind Dry!” A strong breeze blew out of it.

  “I use this to dry my hair sometimes.” She directed the wind up and down, blowing away bits of monster matter. “I’ll be more careful next time, Lord Brune. I actually didn’t cast that spell myself... Cindy did it for me.”

  “Cindy? Oh yeah; your wand.”

  “Yes. She can do that if I get taken by surprise. I wasn’t sure which spell it was, to tell you the truth. There are so many.”

  As they continued down the hallway, Brune looked at Lilly. She flew alongside him, a determined look in her eye.

  This little fairy is a lot more dangerous than I’ve been giving her credit for.

  They soon came to a cavernous room. An autumnal smell filled the air, and scraggly roots clung to the walls.

  “I think that’s our staircase,” Brune said, pointing to the other side of the room. He ran across the floor, green and slippery with lichen.

  “I’m surprised so many enormous spaces can fit inside this tower,” Phia said.

  “Not much experience with towers and dungeons, eh?”

  “I know. It’s magic. But it’s still amazing.”

  The steep stone staircase led to a narrow ledge that ascended the wall in a switchback pattern. “This so-called short-cut is a pain in the ass,” Brune said. “Might have been faster just to fight the boss. It’s probably just an oversized rat or something.”

  When they got to the top of the wall, they climbed through a hole in the ceiling and emerged into a cave. Stalactites dripped in the darkness.

  “This was the last thing I expected!” Lilly said, her voice echoing.

  “Shhh!”

  “Sorry.”

  Brune crept towards the mouth of the cave and looked out at a grove of elm trees. The ground was earthen and covered in yellow leaves. The grove was dusky, but lantern light shone through the branches.

  “Stay behind me. Watch our back.”

  “Yes, Lord Brune.”

  Walking among the elms, they came upon a path that made a kind of tunnel through the trees. The boughs on either side were hung with lanterns.

  Brune stopped and listened. “Hear that?”

  Lilly nodded. “Sounds like a liturgy.”

  The path ahead took a turn, so they couldn’t see where it led. But they could hear a voice chanting. Occasionally, a chorus would respond.

  Rounding the bend, they came upon a small field where a white-robed priest stood on a platform in front of lavishly carved columns. A congregation of about 300 sat on the ground around the stage.

  The priest intoned, “Bringer of light, Sol the Beautiful, we lift our eyes to you. Sol, we revere you.”

  The congregation chanted, “Sol, we revere you.”

  The air was tense. Brune glanced over the audience—a motley bunch of men and demi-humans. They were all formally dressed, and their attention was riveted to the priest. Except for one of them. A male bunnykin—one of the few individuals who was standing, looked at Brune and Lilly with a solicitous air.