Grand Game 486: Reunited (Patreon)

On closer inspection, it was obvious why the oblong building differed from the rest of the structures in the den. It had been constructed for human habitation and, no doubt, had been internally subdivided as well.

There was even a chimney, I noted as I drew closer, watching the cheerful plumes of smoke puffing out the thick steel pipe poking out the top of the structure. The building itself was mostly constructed from hard packed blocks of snow, but bone and animal fat had also been used, increasing the structure’s overall sturdiness and density.

A proper ice bunker, I thought, drawing to a stop in front of the door. And it was a real door—made from animal skins, sinew, and reinforced with bone—no less.

I raised my hand to knock, then stopped. Much better to surprise them, I decided. 

Pushing open the door, I advanced into the room.

The chamber beyond was small, cozy, and crowded. Fur rugs lined the floors and the gently curving walls too. Magelights hung near the roof, lighting the windowless room. A fire blazed in the central stonepit, its fumes funneled away by the steel pipe I’d spotted from outside.

Five figures were locked motionless around the fire. Four were gathered on the right side while the lone fifth stood on the left. I sighed. The tension in the room was palpable and it was not hard to guess what was going on.

“Took you long enough,” Adriel said, not looking over her shoulder as she spoke. “I was beginning to think I might have to kill someone.”

While the words were clearly spoken in jest—to my ears, anyway—none of the four facing her took it that way.

Anriq’s hands curled into fists while Teresa and Terence tightened their grips on their swords. Only Cara—Safyre—reacted with any semblance of calm, and instead of raising her wand, she only ran her fingers lazily along its length.

It was Safyre Adriel who watched most closely, I noted. Which was not surprising, given that she was the only other elite in the room. What was surprising was that my entry drew not a single eye in the room. Clearly, they deemed the lich too much of a threat.

Or maybe they haven’t missed you at all?

Sighing again, I shut the door behind me and strode deeper into the room. Of Snow and his pups there was no sign. The arctic wolf alpha was a wily one, though, and must have deemed the area too unsafe for his pups.

“I came as quickly as I could,” I said lightly.

Safyre’s brown eyes slid in my direction as she looked at me for the first time since I’d entered the room. My heart thudded loudly. The aetherist was exactly as I remembered her. 

Her hair—meticulously pinned and with no strand out of place—shone blue-black under the harsh glare of the magelights, while her sliver-white garb was as spotless as the last time I’d seen her, every piece of gear glittering with magic. Safyre had clearly managed well enough, despite the hardship of life on the tundra.

It was the aetherist’s face that held my attention, though. Her face was smooth and unruffled, but her cheeks were flushed and her eyes fierce. 

She was angry.

“Adriel is with me,” I said. “She’s harmless.”

Both women snorted, showing what they thought of that. Worse yet, Safyre’s expression did not change.

I winced. It’s not Adriel that she’s angry with then.

“Where were you?” Safyre asked dispassionately. 

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the twins release their hold on their swords and fold their arms across their chests. Anriq, too, relaxed, rocking back on his heels. My words had sufficed to allay their fears at least, bringing the standoff with Adriel to an end.

However, the tension in the room had not dissipated.

Now, it was to me all four looked. And while Safyre was doing a good job of controlling her expression, there was nothing happy about the looks the others threw me.

Right, I thought. It’s not just her then. They’re all mad. 

With me.

 I glanced at Adriel. She, too, was looking at me, and while her face gave nothing away, her eyes were swimming with laughter. She’s enjoying this, I thought morosely.

I turned back to Safyre. “I ran into some trouble—” 

“I bet,” Terence muttered.

I glanced at him, but he said nothing more, his face carved from ice.

Alright, so maybe ‘mad’ is an understatement. Furious might be a more apt descriptor.

Deciding to ignore the warrior’s interjection, I turned back to Safyre, who appeared to be the four’s nominated spokeswoman. “I’m sorry. I know I’ve gone longer than any of you expected. Hells, longer than I expected, but—”

“Thirty-nine days,” Teresa said.

My brows drew down. “What?”

“Thirty-nine days, that’s how long you’ve been missing,” she replied.

It had felt much longer. Only thirty-nine days? I wondered. It didn’t seem all that long. 

But I knew better than to articulate that thought. “I was not missing. I was stuck in a dungeon.” 

Safyre’s eyes narrowed. “You were missing. And what dungeon?”

“Draven’s Reach,” I replied. 

Of course, the name meant nothing to Safyre, yet her reaction was not the blank stare I expected. Instead, she asked, “How did you get to the dungeon?”

“Umm.” I hesitated, not wanting to reveal the location of the Reach’s entrance.

“It was through a portal in the nether-infested sector, wasn’t it?” 

I looked at her in surprise. Though Safyre had phrased her words as a question, they were more statement. “How did you know?” I asked quietly. 

She ignored my own question. “Why did you enter Draven’s Reach instead of coming here?”

I sighed. “You remember the stygian overlord? The one I told you about over the farspeaker bracelet?”

She nodded.

 “I barely escaped the creature’s clutches, and I only managed that much by diving into a river. At that point, there was no turning back. I was too far away from the Guardian Tower’s portal to reach it.” I shrugged. “It was either enter Draven’s Reach or perish.”

“So, you knew of the portal’s existence beforehand?” Safyre asked. “It wasn’t happenstance that you found it?”

I nodded, knowing what she was driving at.

“And didn’t think to tell anyone about it?” she asked thinly.

I swallowed, then nodded again, conceding the point. “No. I didn’t.”

Then, to my surprise, instead of berating me further, Safyre took the conversation on another tangent. “This portal, it’s on the eastern bank of the river?” she asked.

“Uhm, yes,” I replied, puzzled by the specificity of the question.

Safyre glanced at the Anriq who nodded imperceptibly in response.

I frowned. Now what is that all about?

“What did you do then?” Safyre asked, still no give in her voice.

“Uhm, I had to find a way out of the dungeon—” my gaze flickered to the lich—“which is how I met Adriel. She is as much my ally as any of you are.”

Teresa harrumphed. “So, you leave her in the dark as much as you do us?”

“That was a mistake on my part,” I muttered, beginning to understand the source of their anger.

“Why didn’t you leave the dungeon by the same portal through which you entered?” Safyre asked, resuming the interrogation, at least that’s what it felt like.

I wasn’t about to rebuff her questions, though. In hindsight, I realized, she and the others had every right to be angry. I had been too secretive. “The portal was one way,” I said simply.

Safyre’s face creased. “So, you were in the dungeon the entire time?

“Mostly,” I conceded.

Her frown deepened. “When did you get out?”

“Three days ago.”

Safyre inhaled sharply. “So why did not return here immediately?”

“I couldn’t—” 

“Stuck again?” Terence quipped.

“Yes, I replied evenly. “The sector I arrived in was under the control of a hostile faction. I couldn’t teleport out immediately. It took me nearly three days to find a merchant, buy a scroll, and deal with the other complications I ran across.” I met Safyre’s gaze. “I came as soon as I could.”

She nodded slowly, but whether that was in agreement or simple acknowledgment of my words, I didn’t know.

“We feared you were dead,” she said flatly.

“I’m sorry—” 

“Despite this, we launched daily forays into the nether sector.”

“Daily?” I asked, startled.

“That’s why we moved the camp,” she continued, ignoring my interjection. “Day in, day out, we ventured through the gate, each time killing the stygians guarding the area. Eventually, they gave up and moved away.” She paused. “But we didn’t. Even though most of us believed you dead by then, no one suggested doing that. We entered the sector time and again.” Safyre fell silent for a moment, and when she resumed, her tone grew harsh. “But we didn’t know where to search.” 

She met my eyes, and unable to hold her gaze, I looked away. 

“You didn’t tell me where you were going or even think to mention the dungeon’s existence.”

I winced. This time there was no mistaking the accusation in Safyre’s voice. 

“Even the dire wolves had trouble tracking you,” Safyre went on remorselessly. “The nether’s stink confused their sense of smell. And besides, we were limited by how far we could venture from the portal—I could only shield them for so long. Nevertheless, we tracked you to the river, but there we lost your trail.” Another pause. “We almost gave up that time.”

Safyre exhaled heavily, under the grip of strong emotions. “Then, three weeks ago, Anriq arrived, giving us new hope. He entered the nether-sector, and on his own, searched the river shores.”

I glanced at Anriq. “How?”

The werewolf didn’t need me to elaborate further. “My regeneration skill kept me alive,” he replied stonily.

The werewolves famed regeneration again. The skill was powerful enough to keep Anriq alive despite the nether’s corrupting touch. Still, it would not have done anything to stave off the mist’s energy drain. 

While the werewolf’s health might have stayed intact, his stores of stamina, mana, and psi would have plummeted, leaving him all but defenseless against any stygians he encountered.

I shook my head, awestruck by the risk Anriq had taken—that they had all taken. And for what? 

To find me. 

I licked suddenly-dry lips. “I’m guessing from what Safyre asked earlier that you found the portal?” 

Anriq nodded. “I did. Only five short days ago. But I couldn’t enter.”

I tilted my head to the side. “Why?”

“The gate is besieged,” Safyre answered in his stead. “The overlord has not moved off. Not only that, a small army of stygians have joined him. There will be no using the portal until they’ve been cleared out.”

“Damn,” I said softly. Closing my eyes, I worked through the implications. What does it mean for my plans for Draven’s Reach? How am I going to get everyone into the dungeon now? But more importantly, what am I—

“Is that all you’re going to say?” Teresa demanded suddenly.

I opened my eyes to find four angry faces glaring at me.

“I’m sorry,” I said solemnly. “Truly, I am. I should’ve been less… secretive. In my defense, my secrets were as much to protect you as they were for anything else. Knowing what I am, knowing about the wolves, my bloodline, the nether sector, all of it, would only have endangered you.” I inhaled deeply. “But I realize that in trying to protect you, I’ve only left you less equipped to deal with the challenges ahead.” I held each of their gazes unflinchingly in turn. “No more secrets. I promise.”

“Not good enough,” Safyre said bluntly.

I looked at her in surprise. “What more do you want me to—” 

“None of this solo nonsense anymore,” she said. “You may be the best equipped to tackle some of the things we face, but that’s no reason to go at it alone. We will do things together from now on.”

“No,” I said flatly. “I cannot agree to that.” 

Safyre smiled thinly. “Then I guess our alliance is at end.”

I stared at her. Was she being serious? Or was she bluffing? She has to be bluffing. 

“I plan on heading to Nexus next,” I said tightly. “You cannot accompany me there.”

Safyre arched one eyebrow. “Why not?”

“You know why,” I growled. “You’re forsworn.”

“I am,” she agreed. “But that only means I shouldn’t enter the safe zone, or any of the districts under the direct control of the factions. But there is no reason for me to do that, is there? With the Guardian Tower we have a means of entering and exiting Nexus via the plague quarter. The Triumvirate will be none the wiser.”

“No,” I refuted, jutting out my jaw stubbornly.

Safyre, though, remained adamant. “What do you plan on doing in Nexus?”

“Things,” I said evasively.

She smiled, looking truly amused for the first time. “Come, Michael, did you not just promise: no more secrets?”

My mouth turned down sourly, but I didn’t refuse to answer. She had a point—damn her! “I plan on finding the swamp dungeon. There’s also an inn I must visit. And the werewolves to attend to as well,” I replied, laying out only the bare facts. The details could come later. 

Anriq stirred. “Then you will need my help, too.”

“Definitely not,” I snapped.

“You will not find the swamp dungeon without me.” He held out a key. “And you will need this if you intend on dealing with Dathe.” 

Bowing my head, I rubbed at my temples. Hells, if allies aren’t more trouble than they’re worth. Still, even if I wanted to, I couldn’t take Anriq and Safyre to Nexus. 

The pair would be killed on sight. And there were other things I intended on doing in the city. My plans for them were still nebulous, though, which was the only reason I hadn’t mentioned them yet. And I couldn’t attend to any of those things if I was dragging Safyre and Anriq along behind me.

I opened my mouth, intending on saying just that when the twins stepped forward. “We want to come too,” they sang in unison.

I groaned. “God damnit, no!” 

“Your companions have a point,” Adriel said unexpectedly.

My head whipped in her direction. “Now, you decide to speak up?”

She shrugged, unfazed by my anger. “You will need someone to back you up in Nexus.” Her eyes turned sad. “And as much as I’d like that to be me, you know why that cannot be.”

My mouth worked soundlessly. Adriel’s fate was something else I needed to address, but now was most certainly not the time to open that can of worms.

“We’ll discuss the matter later,” I said to the others, bending a little, “after I’ve spelled out—in detail—what you’ll be getting into, and after I’ve laid out all my plans for the future of House Wolf. Then each of you can decide if you still wish to accompany me to Nexus. I wager you won’t, though. Does that sound fair?”

Safyre smiled. “It does.”

“Good, then now that we’ve got all that out of the way, let’s—”

I didn’t get to finish, because just then Safyre stepped forward and wrapped me in a hug. 

“Welcome back, Michael,” she whispered in my ear. “I missed you.”