Firelight danced across bronze in Joshua’s eyes. Richard sat composed across from Joshua at their one table, his eyes closed in concentration. A small brush rested in his hand, and a jar of ink sat at the ready.

  He had brought back the bronze tube after dinner. It was roughly wide enough to slide over Joshua’s arm, and about the length of his forearm. It was supposed to be the seal of the dark magic that infected him.

  “Very few of us know the runes for this,” Richard said as he reached for the brush. “Perhaps I can teach you fully about it someday. For now, just pay attention as best you can.”

  “Yes, master.” Joshua leaned forward, watching intently as Richard started his work.

  He brushed with a precise touch, writing the runes with care. There was the basic rune for fire. Richard also mixed in a modified rune for stone. There were some that Joshua could not decipher; runes like a bird’s wing and a snake’s eye.

  The candle nearly burned to its end by the time Richard finished; the bronze was marked entirely around in runes. The inside remained blank. Joshua looked on in awe as Richard inspected it. It held so many runes he had yet to learn. There was still much to discover.

  “Remove your bandages,” Richard said softly, holding the bronze up to the candle light. “Slide your arm through and I will seal it.”

  Joshua did so, pulling away the marked bandages. Still, the infection burned, but its pain lessened from the first bite. Joshua wasn’t sure if that was what he should call it, but it was the most accurate word he could use for it.

  “It will bind around your wrist,” Richard whispered as Joshua thrust his arm through the tube. “It might sting a little as well.”

  Joshua tensed as Richard let a strand of his magic flow into the bronze. It weaved through the runes, lighting them up in a vibrant display of orange light. The light coiled around the tube like a snake, until it was completely covered.

  The metal wound tight against his skin, shrinking until it was snug. A sharp sting struck him as the spell finished and the light faded away. Joshua did his best not to pull away; any movement during a complex spell could ruin it.

  “There we are.” Richard patted the metal. “It will chafe horribly for a few days, but the darkness will eventually replace it all.”

  “It will keep going?” Joshua asked. “I thought this would stop it.”

  “It will,” Richard said, rubbing his eyes. “But only within the confines of the tube. It will also contain most of the magic from further infecting your blood.”

  “So it will continue on,” Joshua said. “This isn’t much of a cure.”

  “Curing really isn’t the Tower’s specialty.” Richard laughed. “There is something else you need to know, something important.”

  “What is it?” Joshua asked.

  “There’s a temptation that comes with this type of infection, something that many of us know all too well,” Richard said. “The chaos isn’t completely contained; it will still flow through your heart. It will whisper to you.”

  “Whisper what?” Joshua asked.

  “Dark things. Terrible things.” Richard stood. “Your nights will be troubled, and your ears will ring. You will see visions of past and future, laced with impossible words. Be wary and do not heed them.”

  “I won’t,” Joshua whispered, running his fingers across the now cool bronze. “I promise.”

  “You might soon forget it once the dreams start,” Richard said. “There are many that go mad.”

  “I’m ready for it.” Joshua stood up from the table, his palms flat against the table.

  “Then you’re a fool.” Richard’s normally quiet voice suddenly roared. “You cannot know the depths of madness.”

  Richard was always like this. He was overly dramatic when he really didn’t need to be. Joshua could argue with him, but he knew already that arguing wouldn’t get him anywhere. It was best to go along with it so he could prove his master wrong.

  “I know that stubborn look,” Richard said as he walked to the door. “You’ll need that stubbornness to survive this in one piece.”

  “Where are you going?” Joshua asked.

  “I’m going to contact Olson,” Richard said. “He needs to know we’re getting close to Nethas.”

  “Alright, master.” Joshua turned away as Richard left, the closing door rattling the window.

  Outside, night set in fully, its dark tendrils stretching through the sparse trees. Joshua watched as the people of Tarsap scattered through the streets, rushing home against the coming night. Torches sprung up soon after darkness completely fell, the orange flickering flames dancing in the wind.

  Already, the bronze band felt tight on his arm. Joshua scratched around it absently. The weight of it came crashing down upon him. He could never again remove the band. It was forever bound to him. It was a dead weight.

  He slammed his hand down on the table. He should have been more careful when handling the vial. He cursed his luck as he pressed his hand harder against the wood. The grain scratched against his open palm.

  It was just a whisper, ringing in his ears. Joshua searched the room with wild eyes. The four corners flashed through his mind. There was no one else there. There was nothing else there. He was alone.

  “So this is what you meant,” Joshua whispered. “It’s not that bad.”

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  This was louder, an assault on Joshua’s mind. His hands slipped and he fell to the table. He hit the floor hard. Again, he searched the room futilely for the voice. He knew it was the magic, but he couldn’t hold back.

  He pushed himself up from the floor unsteadily. Now, only the soft creak of the inn’s wood remained. There were no more voices to haunt him for the moment. Joshua pulled himself to his feet, using the table to stand.

  “Okay, I might have been wrong,” Joshua mumbled, throwing himself back into his seat.

  Richard burst back into the room, just as Joshua had steadied himself in his chair. There was a panic in his eyes that Joshua had never seen before, not even when they had faced down an ogre together. Richard closed the door with a harsh slam.

  “Something has gone terribly wrong in Nethas,” Richard said as he crossed the room. “Olson fears Leopold has lost his mind.”

  “What happened?” Joshua asked.

  “He is imprisoning mages, and any who even look like they practice magic.” Richard sat down across from him. “He thinks that our ambassador was planning to kill him.”

  “Vernon?” Joshua raised an eyebrow. “If he wanted to kill the king, it would take but a thought.”

  “Rulers are very worried about those sorts of things,” Richard said, tapping his finger against the table. “Even if reason would say different.”

  “So we need to go and free our brothers then,” Joshua said. “We can sneak in and release them all before anyone knows.”

  “A brave, but foolish plan,” Richard said. “The Order of Astor acts as guards for the Kingdom of Tyra these days. They are not easily snuck past or overpowered with magic.”

  “A cult of fools can’t stop us,” Joshua said.

  “Be careful with what you say,” Richard said, waving away Joshua’s harsh words. “The Order might not think the same as we do, but they are still a force to be reckoned with. Some of the Tower’s servants even adhere to their creed.”

  “So what do you propose we do?” Joshua asked. “Go up to their gates and ask nicely?”

  “First, apprentice,” Richard said. “We will sneak in and gather information. After that, we will report to Olson and let him decide on how to handle this delicate situation. If we do more, we might do more harm than good.”

  “I understand, master.” Joshua bowed his head.

  Truly, he wanted nothing better than to prove his master wrong. It wasn’t right for Tower mages to let any power walk over them. Together they were more powerful than the armies of the Five Kingdoms were together.

  “Now get some rest,” Richard said, leaning back in his chair and turning to look out the window. “We have a long road ahead of us.”

  Joshua went to bed after that, sleep claiming him in its tight grip. Time lost all meaning as the darkness wrapped around his mind. Fire roared through him as the dreams engulfed his mind.

  A hazy vision of a dark world filled his sight. Two suns burned in its sky, but their light could not penetrate the twilight veil that covered the land. Only a glimmer of light shone through, barely lighting the dark land.

  Joshua descended from above the world, going through the veil and down into the black forests that dominated the land. They weren’t like those that Joshua knew, spindly branches reached up into the sky, forming an interconnected canopy of spears that meant to pierce him as he came down.

  He fell through them unhindered. He wasn’t a part of this world; he was just an outside observer. He flew through the forest, crossing distances that would take weeks on horseback in only moments.

  He didn’t know what he was looking for.

  Lights like a million twinkling stars drew his attention, taking him out of the forest and into a deep valley. The lights dotted the walls of the valley, marking the eyes of creatures Joshua had never seen before. They were beings cut out of the night sky, shining with small lights on their skin and two bright ones for eyes.

  They came in a thousand shapes, some the size of bears and others as small as children. Some looked roughly human, but others were impossible monstrosities. There were more than what Joshua thought possible.

  They gathered around a great bright crystal, one that emanated a pure white light. It rested at the center of the valley, shining its brilliance on the rocky walls. Glowing white mouths opened up in a wailing roar, their voices echoed through Joshua’s mind with yearning passion.

  They wanted to be closer to the light; they needed to be closer to it.

  Joshua moved closer to it, descending into the valley and closer to the stone. It drew him in with its warmth. It was steady, reaching to his eyes and grasping his mind with a soft grip. Joshua understood; the light was all.

  A green blaze interrupted his thoughts, its light coming down from on high and down toward the valley. Joshua looked up with the creatures and saw their doom. Fear grabbed his heart tight.

  Even in the safety of his vision, he recoiled away from the green light. It ate at the entire sky, pushing back the dark with its power. Columns of flame descended down, reaching down like long arms into the valley.

  The dark creatures fled from the flame in a panic, spilling out of the valley. Walls of flame cut some off, incinerating their forms in moments. The few remaining stood as guardians around the stone. Their cries shook Joshua’s soul.

  At the center of the fiery storm something that was almost a man landed. His skin was rock tempered in a mighty flame with black plates that barely contained the fire within. A mask of rock covered his face and only two orbs marked his eyes.

  Joshua heard the word clearly. It didn’t bring the pain of the whispers in his mind, but it was the same grating voice. The burning man advanced upon the remaining creatures, the fires above dying down to smoke.

  ‘Stand down, and I might spare your lives,’ the man said, his voice almost seductive. ‘I am not here for you, but for that piece of her that you guard.’

  Again, the hushed whispers rang out. The creatures weren’t going to give up their stone without a fight. The man advanced unceasingly, the stones beneath his feet melting with each step.

  ‘I see you choose to defend her,’ the man said. ‘A sad choice.’

  He reached out a hand toward the creatures, letting a torrent of green flame engulf them. It washed over the creatures without any resistance. With only a shriek, the man reduced them to ash. The man was now unimpeded.

  ‘I can feel her inside you.’ he started to talk to the stone, reaching out and touching it with his glowing hands.

  Before he could do more, more of the dark creatures entered the valley, swarming over the man by the thousands. A wave of darkness swallowed him. Some of the creatures broke away from the attack, taking hold of the stone and carrying it away.

  ‘Enough!’ the man unleashed a vortex of flame, consuming most of his attackers in a single stroke.

  The rest fled the valley, only a few remained. The man stood there, not chasing after them. Joshua realized that the man hadn’t seen where the creatures spirited the stone away to. He wouldn’t find it easily.

  ‘For that.’ Anger seethed in the man’s voice, ‘you will know the wrath of Sarrack.’

  Those words stayed with Joshua, even as the light of morning drew him out of his dreams.

  Nathaniel drummed his fingers on his desk as he looked out his windows and onto the grounds. His knights marched across the grounds in formation. They had to march in between the camps now, but he really didn’t mind that.

  In fact, it was perfect.

  He stood up from his cushioned chair and stepped up to the window. He tapped his cane against the ground and leaned forward. He touched his fingers to the glass and smiled. How many of those captives could even appreciate such a simple luxury as glass?

  He saw them out on the grounds then, his captain led by Elise and ten of her knights. So it was starting, his doubts were correct. He sighed and turned away from the window. He had hoped that this day would never come.

  Elaine was such a promising prospect, so long ago. The mages turned her against him, as they had done with so many others. Even though he hated that the Order had to use women to fill its ranks, Elaine was one of the few exceptions.

  She had served him well.

  It would be a pity to destroy her, but he might finally learn the means that the mages used. He could not figure out how they so easily worked doubt into his ranks, but the Order could not afford it.

  The war between order and chaos was upon him, and he had to lead Nethas through it.

  He scratched at his chest as Astor whispered quietly in his ears. They were only faint mumbles, but the meaning was clear. It called him to action again, called him to do more than he already had done.

  “Soon,” he whispered the promise and sat back down at his desk. “Soon we will be able to face down the darkness together, Astor.”