Reksha Perrien wasn't all bad. It's just that his staff and his frown still sent shivers down Xanthy's spine.

"What's with that staff and why does it give me the jitters?" Xanthy asked as they traversed the grand stairs that were carved straight out of the side of the mountain. The strong wind forced Xanthy to grip her hair with her hand as they descended. Ravalee was doing the same behind Xanthy.

Reksha Perrien scowled. "It's one of the divine priestal artifacts," he answered. If possible, the Reksha's footsteps quickened. "It's right for you to be afraid."

"Priestal artifacts?" Xanthy tapped her chin and surveyed the sky above them. Crozal's looking plump and angry today, as usual. She jogged down the stairs to match the Reksha's pace. "What do they do?"

The Reksha gaver Xanthy a withering look. "When activated to their full power, they could summon spirits from the Land of Wonders as easy as snapping your fingers."

Xanthy pursed her lips and hummed. "That could help us in the siege then. Perhaps, you could arm the Temple people with those?"

Reksha Perrien's grip on his staff tightened judging from the tendons that threatened to leap out of his skin. "The Goddess's artifacts aren't for everyone," he swept the staff in a small arc in front of him. "Wielding them at the peak of their power costs too much a price."

Xanthy nodded slowly, pressed her lips together, and licked them. Okay, then. They reached the base of the grand stairs where rock met the moist soil. "You'll be out of the Temple's protection once you're out of this town," Reksha Perrien turned away and led them straight into a stable tucked under the stairs and the Temple's lower wall. Huh, nifty.

Xanthy almost choked on her own saliva when the Reksha passed Xanthy the reins that was tied to a beast she didn't know existed much less had seen up close. The creature neighed almost like a dagrine except that this one had longer snouts, a striped black and white coat, and way more legs.

"Am I seeing this right or does this dagrine have six legs?" Xanthy passed Ravalee the reins to one to crane her head to gaze at the creature's legs.

Reksha Perrien shoved another rein in Xanthy's hands. "These are called paulsare," he rasped. "Take care of these beasts as it's hard to tame them."

Xanthy nodded without much words in her mouth or mind. What would you even say about a creature with godsdamned six legs? How did this thing even run?

The Reksha turned to Cyrdel and passed the prince a cylindrical thing made of metal. Xanthy sniffed with disdain as it reminded her of the flare they used in Palace in Cardina. "Use this when you encounter danger," the Reksha's hand immediately went behind his back as soon as Cyrdel took the flare. "We cannot promise help will arrive but at least, we would know you're alive. Use this wisely."

Cyrdel nodded. Reksha let his staff hang parallel to the ground beside him. He turned to them with a blank expression and started to walk away. The tip of his staff glowed a weird shade of blue gray against the moonslight. "May Pidmena's blessings be upon you."

With that, the Reksha trudged away and tackled the steep stairs back to the Temple. A sigh tore off Xanthy's lips. Invoking the Goddess of Death in this situation seemed to drive Xanthy over a different edge. She shook her head. Let them just get this over this.

She nodded to Ravalee and Cyrdel and like how she learned back in Percester, she swung her legs over her paulsare's flank. The added height not only encouraged the wind to drive her hair into her face but it also enabled her to sweep her eyes at the myriad of towns scattered around the Temple.

Joperos Lin. That's the town where Kymalin and the rest of the Necrom had performed the mass summoning. Perhaps, that's where the enemy camp and the maximizer's thief would be too.

Xanthy forced out a smile at Ravalee and Cyrdel as they took the other paulsare. If all went well tonight, they'd be back at the Temple by midday tomorrow, just in time to help in the battle. She couldn't even begin to understand how the brownies were feeling knowing that they could die on this mission.

Xanthy gritted her teeth and shook her head. She wouldn't let that happen. Not on her watch. She kicked her paulsare's flank. "It'll be a piece of beeo," she said. Her stomach churned at the mention of Alkara's trademark sweet pudding. Ugh. She had just eaten earlier!

The next hours proved to be a piece of beeo, except that the beeo was ten times bigger and about twenty times heavier.

Xanthy ducked and swatted at the protruding branches that attempted to slap her between the eyes as her paulsare sped through the forests of Drodham. Thank the gods that this wasn't as complicated as the ones in Lifver but it was still messy and curved up and down that it threatened to drive Xanthy's dinner out of her throat.

They sped through a road carved at the side of the mountain. Xanthy recalled the map Ezril made her pore over. Joperos Lin. West. Xanthy yanked the paulsare's reins and directed it towards the town closer to the base of the mountain. Why the enemy would camp there, Xanthy had no idea. Closer to the afterlife, perhaps?

She snorted. The Afterlife was above if the fairy myths were right along with the stars and perhaps, even Calaris, too.

A few hours of riding and Xanthy spied the line where the trees turned sparse and more concrete houses made of bricks, wood, and patched leaves peeked from between the spaces of the trees' trunks. She yanked the reins, stopping the paulsare. Ravalee and Cyrdel followed her example.

Xanthy's feet slapped the ground as she disembarked. She winced when she felt the inside of her thighs turned sore. Oh. Riding pains. These sucked. She dusted her trousers as she led her paulsare to a random tree at the opening of the town along with the other one.

"Use your synnavaim," Xanthy ordered the brownies. Ravalee nodded, took Cyrdel's hands, and within seconds, it was almost like Xanthy was alone in the middle of the thinning forest. Xanthy blew a breath. Here goes nothing.

Xanthy burst out of the forest, Ravalee and Cyrdel's footsteps scratching beside her. When she craned her neck up to stare up at the sky. The sparse trees weaving between lines of huts and two-story taverns blocked most of it. Xanthy knitted her eyebrows as she glanced here and there. Wasn't it...too quiet?

Something brushed her leg and Xanthy jumped and dropped into a fighting stance. Ravalee appeared from the air with a mute giggle. Xanthy relaxed. It's just them. Xanthy shook her head and continued walking through the town.

Even if it's already evening, the houses haven't lit up any lanterns or anything to light up their way during the dark night. There were no banshees milling around. Merchant carts, which should be abundant in a Capital City like Drodham, were nowhere to be found. Xanthy knitted her eyebrows.

The wind blew colder, if possible. Xanthy gripped the bow by her torso and stalked forward. Find the camp. Find the thief. The fog almost ate at everything Xanthy could see, curling around houses, trees, and even the silhouettes of mountains that painted Joperos Lin's horizon.

Something dashed in Xanthy's periphery. She whirled to her left. What was that? She narrowed her eyes as she unslung the bow off her body. Where was it?

Before she could even nock an arrow, her neck flared in pain. As her vision faded against her will and her legs collapsed against each other, she searched the vicinity for a trace of Ravalee and Cyrdel. Let her hope that those two were able to get away.

Her voice died in a soft lull in her throat as her face hit the moist dirt. The next thing she remembered was the darkness.