Osmen, as Utar predicted, was waiting for them at the summit. He instructed Sam to get inside the cave for his training. Utar, on the other hand, had to wait or go home. The Priest wasn't willing to let his apprentice go. He was his only way to redeem his actions.

He feared meeting the Pontiffs after what happened in Sayang. He didn't know that Sullivan had survived the attack that day. He didn't even know if Stalwart came out alive after that deadly encounter. He had a way to fight the Covenant though, and that was a win for the Church in his opinion.

The Priest p.r.i.c.ked his ears as he heard footsteps in the distance. He sprung up on his feet and got ready to fight. The beasts in the mountain had a habit of hiding their presence. They knew full well the humans' ability to sense them, so they adapted. Utar had found that fighting them was good practice. He even felt stronger after he killed a gigantic creature that looked like a bear with wings.

His heart sank when he saw who was approaching him though. He didn't expect to see anyone from his order coming this far, especially not them.

"Good morning Utar," the Bishop said.

Utar dropped to one knee, put both arms on it and bowed his head. "Your Eminence," he said.

"Rise," the Bishop ordered. "Is our champion still inside?"

"Yes, Your Eminence," Utar said. That didn't surprise him. If the Bishop was here, that only meant he knew what was happening. He wondered why the head of the Church came all the way to Mt. Condurr though.

"We have a lot to discuss," the Bishop said. "Our champion won't be out today. Let's make ourselves comfortable here," he went on, looking at Pontiff Sullivan.

The Pontiff nodded. He raised his hands and mumbled a prayer. Soon after, a light sphere surrounded the men. No sound from the forest could reach Utar's ears, not even the wind.

Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

"We'll be safe from the monsters now," Sullivan said. "They won't see us or pick up our scent. We can talk in peace now."

Utar gulped. He suspected his mishaps were bound to be discovered. He just hoped that by providing a champion for the Church, he could be forgiven.

"Will you tell us how, and why, you found and delivered Agatha to Jory?" The Bishop asked.

"I-I…" Utar started but couldn't finish.

"You're not in big trouble," the Bishop rea.s.sured him. "If it weren't for the Listener you provided, we wouldn't be able to have all this information. I'm trying to get to the bottom of things. So speak freely. Give us as many details as you can. Our lives, the entire planet as well, depend on what you have to say."

***

In the port city of Rolar, a s.h.i.+p had just landed. A cloaked woman left hurriedly, looking left and right nervously. She had just spent a fortune to get to Biarkh, but she didn't even know where to start her search.

"Miss," a man called out to her from the s.h.i.+p's deck. "Miss!"

She did her best to ignore him. Their trip was calm and uneventful. She felt as though she was ripped off. She heard the man's footsteps behind her and sighed. He'd been pestering her about omens ever since they left Aslanor.

"Do you even know where you're going?" he asked when he reached her side.

"Your mission ended when you landed your s.h.i.+p here, why are you following me?" she asked, exasperated.

"I've been to Rolar many times before," he said. "I know my way around the city. If you want something found, I can get it for you."

"I know how to search for things my own way, thank you very much," Raiya snapped.

"Have you ever been to Biarkh, my lady?" the man asked.

He was the s.h.i.+p's captain. He had surprisingly sobered up during their journey across the sea. Their journey was easy, the easiest he's ever had according to him. He was a tall man with a bushy brown mustache, bushy eyebrows, and dry brown hair that stood against the air no matter how strong the winds blew. He joked that his hair predicted the weather, if they ruffled, then a storm was brewing. They never moved ever since they left the cove they snuck out from.

"This is my first time," Raiya said. "Why do you ask?"

"Women in this country aren't treated with the same equality as in our land," he said. "Do you see any women strolling about the docks?"

Raiya looked around. There was indeed no sign of the feminine gender.

"No one will speak to you here, no matter your good manners and good looks," the man went on. "And if you stir trouble here, the royal army will be on your trail."

Raiya glared at the man beside her. He could feel her threatening eyes studying him from head to toe.

"You ran away from Aslanor," the captain whispered. Raiya put her hand on the man's mouth to keep him from speaking.

"There are spies around here," she hissed at him. "Are you trying to get us killed?"

The man mumbled something under the woman's hand. She released her grip and the captain sighed.

"I know a place," he said, looking around nervously. He licked his lips then went on. "We can speak there in private. I can be of use to you my lady."

"You don't want to go back home, do you?" she asked.

"I know who you are," the captain said. "I'd like to keep my head, if that's alright with you."

Raiya's lips curled into a nervous half smile. "Don't you have men to order around in there?" she jerked her head toward the schooner.

"They've been paid," the captain said. "The quartermaster will handle things with the authorities. The others will go get drunk, or wh.o.r.e around, I don't care."

"Lead the way then," Raiya said. The captain smiled, revealing crooked, jaundiced teeth.

"Think of betraying me and you won't even reach your destination," she whispered to his back as the captain advanced through the port.

***

Back in Aslanor, things had gotten very animated. The king held a meeting with his councilors, to decide on the fate of the witch, Raiya O'Cheran. Four men, including the king, sat around a long table in his study while two dozen guards stood at outside.

"The wizard made his move," one of the councilors said. He was a chubby man, wearing a golden cloak that folded on itself as it sank on the marble floor. "My contacts say he's heading northwest."

"How many men did he take with him?" the king asked.

"He went alone," the chubby man answered.

"I hear he left his grandson in charge of his mansion in Sayang," another man said.

This one was wearing an elegant black velvet suit. He hung a red flower in the breast pocket of his jacket, his house's sigil. He grew a goatee, and made sure to trim it to form a pointy end, covering his round chin. His square gla.s.ses helped sharpen his features even more.

"Should we make our move then?" the chubby man asked.

"No," the king ordered. "We can't underestimate that mad wizard. He left alone because he thought he could handle things by himself."

"He hadn't heard about the Church's presence in our continent then," the man with the goatee said.

"I guess not," the kind replied. "What difference does it make anyway? He has proven that he could handle them. He will do it again if need be. Our priority is to keep that spy alive, and the girl. We cannot allow the wizard to reach them."

"She should have come to us," the chubby man said.

"Then the wizard would have known," goatee cut in. "Vanessa's weak, but who would blame her? That man is terrifying."

"Are you sure of his intentions, Barnes?" the king asked the man with the goatee.

"Certain," Barnes answered. "I wouldn't have told the wizard about Vanessa if I wasn't."

"You did what?!" the chubby man yelled.

"He only followed orders, Lord Edwardes," the king said. "We had to get the wizard's attention away from you know who. What would you have done?"

"Anything but throw him a bone," Edwardes protested. "What if he finds her before the Eternal Moon is summoned?"

"He would have found you know who if I hadn't," Barnes interjected. "He would have killed her or used her to find the witch. Then our plans would be exposed," Barnes went on in a patronizing tone. "Your family would be wiped out, your wealth gone, your name, and all ours for that matter, removed from history books. We did what we had to do Lord Edwardes."

"Biarkh is a big country," the king said. "We even found her a captain to take her there. He'll be able to hide her from him, at least until she can accomplish her mission."

"And what is that mission, exactly?" the fourth member of the council spoke. "You've been keeping it away from us, your grace. Aren't we your most trusted advisors?"

"The wizard has many spies," the king said with a bitter smile, "even inside our walls. They might be listening in to us as we speak."

"So you will not tell us?" the man asked.

The king looked at Barnes and nodded. Barnes took a small sphere from a pocket inside his jacket. He squeezed it tight until it popped. Small particles that looked like s.h.i.+ny dust flew all around the room. The men coughed, but soon realized the particles didn't actually affect them. The king smiled then looked at his advisors.

"I spent a fortune on developing this object here," he said. "Prying ears won't be able to hear us now. They'd only hear what they want to. I can tell you our plan to counter the mad wizard now."

The three advisors looked at their liege intently.

"Stalwart wants to end this world, create another that only he can control. We cannot allow that for many reasons I can't even begin to list. Our only hope is to use his own blood against him.

"We have the girl to threaten the witch with. We'll use her to deliver the bones to the discarded grandson Stalwart always hated. Stalwart will not be able to summon the moon. He'll also find a formidable foe in his own grandson, if he ever survives the war."

"Don't you think this plan relies on someone else's good will?" the fourth member of the council cut in. "How do we know the grandson wouldn't side with his family?"

"We'll convince him," the king said. "Barnes has already arranged for that."