Grendel put on her deerskin cloak and slipped out the door.

  The hut was somewhat removed from the main part of the village, ensconced in a small wood. Grendel followed a trail through trees, watching the dappled moonlight on the ground.

  When she emerged from the trees and walked into the full light of the moon, she felt strangely exposed. She hugged herself and turned towards the path that led to the beach.

  But something caught her eye.

  There was a movement in the opposite direction — towards Lorelei’s pine forest, which bordered the fields beyond the village.

  Instinctively, Grendel ducked back into the shadows of the trees. She glimpsed a woman walking into the pine wood. It was only for a second, but she recognized the shining black hair and colorful skirt.

  Nikrilda.

  How odd! What could she be doing? She isn’t sneaking away, surely?

  Grendel shook her head, trying to dismiss the thought.

  You silly girl. She’s probably just out for a walk, same as you.

  But somehow, she couldn’t put it aside. She just had to see what Nikrilda was up to. So she stayed under the shadows and hurried towards the pine forest, keeping as quiet as a mouse.

  Approaching the place where Nikrilda had gone into the forest, Grendel had to cross an open area. She looked at it for a moment, her heart pounding.

  Then she ran out into the moonlight and darted into the trees.

  Gods! Why am I so spooked?

  If Nikrilda is just out for a walk, as am I, then there’s nothing to—

  Grendel nearly stumbled right into a man standing in the shadows of the pines. She threw her hand over mouth.

  It was a guard.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered frantically. “I didn’t see you.”

  The guard said nothing. He didn’t even move. He just stared ahead like a statue.

  “Hello?” Grendel whispered, reaching up and waving her hand in front of his face.

  No response.

  Nikrilda must have done this! So she really is up to something!

  Presumably, she’ll lift the spell when she comes back, and the guard will have no memory of her passing through here.

  Grendel wanted to run back to her hut and hide under the blanket. But there was no way she could turn back now. She had to see what Nikrilda was doing.

  She crept through the dark trees, peering around for the Gypso woman.

  Where is she? She can’t have gone far…

  Grendel’s progress was slow. The woods were dark, despite the moonlight. Trees creaked. Owls hooted. It was a freaky place at night, and Grendel cursed herself for venturing in.

  But she kept going, taking tiny steps and hardly even daring to breathe. Finally, the trees opened, revealing the moonlit field ahead.

  Grendel sighed, almost with relief.

  Well, I tried my best. I guess I’ll go home now.

  Turning to go, she caught sight of a figure. It stood on the other side of a thicket of trees and bushes. Grendel crept towards the trees.

  Peering through the branches, she saw the outline of Nikrilda. her lustrous hair shining in the moonlight. She was speaking with someone, but Grendel couldn’t see who it was.

  Shifting her position, she saw the second figure; it was a broad-shouldered man who towered over Nikrilda. Grendel couldn’t see his features because they were blotted out by shadows.

  She heard their voices murmuring, but couldn’t make out the words.

  Taking a breath, she moved closer.

  But a branch snapped under her foot, spooking a little animal that was nearby. It thrashed around in the bushes.

  Nikrilda’s voice carried through the air. “What was that?”

  “An animal, probably” the tall man answered in a frigid, gravelly voice.

  Grendel froze, covering her mouth. Nikrilda gazed into the trees for a moment, and then the pair resumed their conversation.

  But they were whispering now, too quiet for Grendel to hear.

  She didn’t want to stick around, anyway. So she crept away and then hurried back through the forest, returning to her hut, where Bmimi still purred contentedly.

  ***

  As Grendel hurried back to her hut, the woman known as “Nikrilda” spoke softly to the tall, shadowy figure under the darkness of the trees.

  Despite the gloom that hung over him, it was clear he had a powerful stature. It was also evident that he should have been handsome, but his face was disfigured.

  “You are wrong, Ndunu,” the fiendish man said. “This is the perfect time to attack— while he is away. But I don’t have to listen to you, anyway. You have no authority.”

  Ndunu laughed, but it sounded rather forced. “Don’t get too full of yourself. The only reason you were elevated to your present position is because it was convenient to put you there.”

  “Maybe,” he sneered. “It doesn’t change the fact that you’re nothing but a minor demon.”

  Ndunu forced another laugh. “A minor demon. That’s good. I was only one of the most resplendent angels of the heavens.”

  “Not anymore. Besides, you’ve already told me you can’t wage war against him, so you’re just wasting time.”

  Ndunu took a deep breath. “I’ve already explained this. I’m going to weaken the very foundations of what Lord Tex has built.

  “And then, when you attack, everything will topple. Just be patient; give me a bit of time. What’s your hurry, anyway?”

  The dark figure clenched a fist. “He humiliated me one too many times. I want revenge. And … I want …”

  Ndunu raised her eyebrows. “What do you want? Tell me. Don’t be shy.”

  “I am not shy! The elf — Neesha. I want her as my bride. I’ve already been told I can have her. She will live by my side in the Underworld, forever.”

  Ndunu grinned. “And a fine bride she will be. You shall have her; don’t worry. I just ask you to wait, just a little bit. Let me turn all his followers against him — and against each other.”

  “Very well,” the fiend grumbled.

  Without another word, he turned into the field and trudged through the grass until he came to a large hole in the ground.

  Glancing once over his shoulder, he crawled into the hole and disappeared into the deep darkness.

  The ground closed up behind him, leaving no trace of the hole to the Underworld.

  Chapter forty-two

  TEX AND SHAYLA sat alone on a cushioned bench. The room was lit by the gentle light of gemstones, green, orange, and blue.

  Fixed to the wall in front of them was a massive mirror, maybe 75 inches across. But Tex did not see his reflection inside it. Instead, it showed a landscape.

  The image was as crisp as a high-definition television, but the landscape itself was so dark and colorless that it almost seemed like a black-and-white movie.

  Sickly trees grew out of the cracked, dry ground, and the sky was ashy gray.

  Black smoke billowed in the distance. As the view moved closer, the outlines of a city appeared.

  Tex watched with fascination. “Is this Darkoveld?”

  Shayla tucked her legs underneath her, getting cozy. “Yup.”

  It’s like footage from a drone camera, Tex thought.

  The “camera” swooped towards the city’s entrance, passing between colossal statues of what appeared to be Elven kings. Then it flew past massive pillars, before swooping upwards and soaring over labyrinthine streets.

  Tex stared, his mouth agape. He knew the elves had been advanced. But this … this was a city. One to rival the capitals of ancient Egypt.

  The view came to what looked like an important public area: an empty square, large enough to fit thousands of people.

  On the far end of it, there were three massive pillars with statues of fanciful animals perched on top of them. Running along the length of one side, gargantuan buildings with ornate pillars overlooked the square.

  Shayla pointed. “The elves of Darkoveld used to gather in that square in their thousands to hear Kdar Tol speak.”

  Tex gazed at the scene with a sense of horror. The place was so dead and empty now; it seemed like one of those ancient Mayan cities that had been abandoned.

  “But that was a long time ago, I take it,” he said.

  “Yes, 250 winters ago, when he first came to the throne.”

  “It’s almost hard to imagine now,” Tex said. “Everything’s so … dead.”

  Shayla nodded. “It’s sad, really. You should have seen Darkoveld City during the Golden Age of the Sundvarr. It was filled with color and life.”

  Tex scratched his chin. “How does it all just disappear? I mean, they must have had pretty advanced technologies … smelting, engineering, agriculture …”

  Shayla nodded. “The elves were advanced in the arts and sciences — more so than any other culture in this world. But nothing lasts forever.

  “Civilizations are like seasons; they blossom into spring and summer. But winter inevitably comes. This is true even among the gods.”

  Tex frowned in thought. “So Kdar Tol is an elf, then. That’s what I thought, but no one ever wanted to talk about it.”

  “Yes, but not just any elf. He was a celebrated statesman and philosopher, a product of the Golden Age. They called him Tol the Torchbearer because of the discoveries he made.”

  “What kind of discoveries? Tex said.

  “All sorts of things … relating to geometry, physics, medicine, engineering … the list goes on.”

  “So he was a genius,” Tex said.

  The “camera” had passed over the gargantuan public buildings. Now it was heading towards a hill that rose in the center of the city.

  This hill was covered with strange spikes and spires that jutted up at irregular heights. Black smoke choked up from somewhere beneath those structures.

  Tex sat up, squinting at the scrying glass. “Is there some kind of industry going on there?”

  “Yes… of a sort. Kdar Tol has built machines that rumble and turn, day and night, belching up smoke. But they don’t manufacture anything tangible.”

  “So what do they do, then?”

  “They are the engines of Kdar Tol’s immortality, and the means by which he creates his armies.” She shook her head sadly. “This is the fruit of his high-minded quest for knowledge. This is what it all came to.”

  Tex frowned. “But he was seen as a benefactor originally?”

  “Absolutely. He could do no wrong in the eyes of most Sundvarr. And, indeed, he did make useful discoveries. But he always had a dark side. Even in his youth, he dabbled in forbidden magic.”

  “What they call Night Magic?”

  “Yes. And he eventually discovered that he could strengthen himself by draining the life-force from others.

  “More discoveries followed. First, he learned that, with enough souls, he could distill them into a spiritual substance that prolonged his life.

  “Second, he began experimenting on the bodies after robbing them of their souls. He discovered a way to use Night Magic to reanimate those bodies. But they were no longer men—”

  “They were Skrillings!”

  Shayla nodded. “Mindless brutes incapable of independent thought, driven only by the basest impulses, and enslaved to the will of Kdar Tol.”

  “Ugh, that’s where all those bachelors ended up.”

  “Yes. He lures them with the promise of harlots, but instead he delivers them to succubae who drain their will, leaving them helpless against Kdar Tol’s enthrallment.”

  Tex shivered with disgust. His thoughts returned to Fimm. “Shayla, I—”

  “I know,” she said, touching his shoulder. “You’re worried about your friends. They’re safe for now, I assure you. The Necromancer is still some distance away. Here … let me show you where he is.”

  She looked at the scrying glass. The “camera” rapidly turned and flew out of the city, across the barren landscape, and towards the ocean waves.

  It speedily flew over the ocean, passing islands, large and small. One island, in particular, seemed to go on forever. It was heavily forested and mountainous, but Tex noticed a few villages along the coast.

  “He must have already traveled a long way,” Tex said, his throat tightening.

  “Yes,” Shayla said, putting her hand on his forearm. “But the journey is far, and his progress has been obstructed. You’ll see in a moment.”

  Flying beyond the end of the massive island, the view flew over rough seas, plunging into rain and clouds. It was so vivid that Tex almost shivered, but it made him feel rather cozy sitting there beside Shayla.

  Suddenly, a dark form loomed in the mist — an island.

  A fleet of vessels, somewhat comparable to Viking ships, were anchored offshore, rocking on the waves.

  Tex couldn’t see how many ships there were, because of the mist, but it seemed like a lot. He said so to Shayla.

  “He had many more,” she said. “But he lost them in the storm. Probably two-dozen were destroyed, I would say.”

  Tex took Shayla’s estimate with a pinch of salt, because he didn’t trust her motivations; maybe she was just trying to manipulate him into staying on her island.

  Still, it was good news.

  The scrying glass showed a gray, rocky beach where tents stood against the beating rain.

  A few Skrillings moved around in the fading light. Unlike the Skrillings Tex had encountered, these wore leather chest armor with animal skin wraps around their waists.

  Tex’s eyes searched the scene intensely, but he saw no other figures.

  Then, the folds of a tent parted, and a towering figure stepped out.

  There was no mistaking who it was.

  He wore black armor from head to toe. A black cloak, darker than night, flowed behind him.

  On his head was a horned helmet, black and spiky. It made him look more like a mechanical monster than a living elf.

  The Skrillings who had been milling around outside immediately looked sharp and showed more purpose in their movements. A couple discreetly escaped into their tents.

  Kdar Tol stood there, apparently surveying the stormy ocean.

  It must have been frigid there, Tex realized, because the Skrillings’ breath was visible in the air.

  Or maybe the coldness came from the Necromancer himself. Even through the scrying glass, a cold feeling of dread ran through Tex. It was like looking at the personification of an Arctic blizzard.

  How am I gonna beat this guy?

  Shayla had already made a powerful argument. Now she backed it up with compelling evidence. After sizing up Kdar Tol, Tex began to doubt whether his rifle could even do the job.

  Tex pointed at the glass. “These images … Is this happening right now?”

  “Yes. He was traveling fast until the storm struck yesterday morning. It was all his own fault; he decided to take his ships through Nerilock’s Deep.”

  She leaned closer, as if she was about to share a juicy tidbit. “I think it was probably Nerilock who caused the storm. It’s always been the custom for mortals to avoid sailing across that stretch of ocean.”

  “I take it Nerilock is a god who lives there under the water?”

  Shayla moved back in surprise.

  “Don’t you know Nerilock? He’s the god of the sea! Nerilock’s Deep is the place where Nerilock likes to sit on his throne. That’s what the stories say.”

  “But Kdar Tol doesn’t believe in him, or what?”

  Shayla narrowed her eyes. “Kdar Tol thinks of himself as a god. Imagine the arrogance! He thought he’d save himself half a day by traveling across Nerilock’s Deep. Instead, it’s set him back at least a few days.”

  “So Nerilock smashed some of Kdar Tol’s ships to punish him for his presumption.”

  Shayla nodded. “It’s more than that, though.” She leaned forward again, even closer this time. Tex could feel her warm breath on his cheek.

  “Some gods are of the opinion that Kdar Tol is cheating — tipping the scales in his own favor.”

  Tex recalled Lorelei’s comment to the same effect. “You mean because he enlists help from the Underworld?”

  “Yes. He really serves the Underworld, whether he sees it that way or not. Some gods would like to help you, but they aren’t supposed to intervene.

  “However, Kdar Tol just gave Nerilock a perfect justification to do so.”

  Tex scratched his chin. “So some gods are on my side… Amazing. That’s why that river god gave me a power infusion.”

  Shayla put her fingers on Tex’s lips. “Shhhh.”

  Tex pushed her hand away, giving her a quizzical look. “Don’t shush me.”

  Shayla giggled with delight and slapped her fleshy thigh. “Sorry. It’s just, you shouldn’t even talk about that. The Fates have turned a blind eye to it so far.

  ”As they should; it was a minor help compared to the advantages Kdar Tol has given himself.”

  “But how does he get away with it? It sounds like The Fates police the gods’ actions pretty strictly.”

  “They have rules that prevent the gods from intervening too much in mortal affairs, which makes sense. Otherwise, we’d constantly be interfering and mortals would become our playthings.”

  “But if he’s trying to be a god himself, why don’t they smack him down for that?”

  Shayla shook her head. “That’s too vague. He can only be ‘smacked down’ for some specific infraction.”

  “Like crossing over Nerilock’s sacred water.” He sighed.

  Shalya shifted, rubbing her hand on her thigh. “You know, I’ve probably told you too much already; it might be considered meddling. I … could be scolded for it.”

  “Well, thank you,” Tex said, putting his hand on her shoulder. “I really appreciate it.”

  “You’re welcome.” She got lost in his eyes for a moment. Then she suddenly looked at the scrying glass. The image had gone white, as if covered with mist.

  “I expect you’d also like to look at what the Skrillings are doing on your island?”

  “Absolutely,” Tex said.

  Another island appeared on the screen.

  Tex recognized the geography: the small mountain he’d climbed, the canyon where he first met Utu’s tribe, and the mountain range on the opposite coast — a part of the island he’d seen from a distance but never explored.