Heavy rain flooded the field between the forest’s edge and the distant fortress. It had been a long time since Kar smelled the scent of fresh rainfall; since he’d felt heavy drops splatter on his skin. It was glorious. Not many of the others seemed to share that sentiment though.

  “Flaming rain.” Kiya muttered for perhaps the twentieth time since the downpour had begun. “I can’t Focus worth a damn in this.” To emphasize her point she lit a small flame on her fingertip that immediately sizzled out.

  Tharn joined Kar at the edge of the tall grass, “The first challenge will be making the approach. The walls are heavily defended.”

  Kar nodded, scanning those distant barriers. They looked thick, constructed of massive dark blocks, the only break in their span a large gate. Behind the first outer wall towered a second, taller one.

  “For you Focusers,” Tharn continued, “it shouldn’t be difficult to scale the outer wall, but you’ll want to be careful. The regular guard will be supported by lesser Valorcryst within.”

  Kar gnawed on his lower lip. Tharn and Erio had defeated their party so quickly in the second hall, he was worried what others like them could do if they weren’t pulling their punches.

  “We will be there to assist you.” Erio said from Kar’s other side.

  “Should we try and stay all together, or split up?” Aldwin asked.

  “That’s best left up to Kar.” Tharn answered.

  Kar contemplated their conundrum, not used to being asked to make decisions for a larger group. What did he know about strategy or planning? But this seemed something he was expected to learn, so he might as well start here.

  “Do we need to defeat all of the enemies or just make it to the exit door?”

  “Only Melisdra must be defeated. You will not be able to access this Trial’s basin chamber until she has been beaten.” Tharn said.

  “And she’s within the fortress interior?”

  “In the central Hall, beyond the courtyard.” Erio said.

  “I think speed is probably our best bet then, like you said, right?” Kar paused, “If we can bypass most of the defenders and get into that hall, maybe some of us can hold the entrance to that while the rest take on this- what was her name?”

  “Melisdra.” Tharn supplied.

  “Melisdra, right. Any reason that won’t work?”

  Erio grunted, “If it goes the way you plan, it’s a sound strategy. But you run the danger of becoming surrounded if you can’t break into the Hall and take the entrance.”

  “I have a question,” Kiya interjected.

  “Yes?” Tharn answered.

  “Will this Hall be out of the rain?”

  “It will be.”

  “Well then, the faster we get there the better.”

  “May I make a suggestion?” Aldwin asked Kar.

  Kar nodded emphatically, “Please.”

  “I imagine the front gate is heavily defended, if we were to target somewhere else—another section of the wall—those of us who can Focus could go up and clear a portion of the battlements. Then we just have to hold it while the others scale up and join us. We could move as a group along the top of the wall. Probably best to avoid fighting in the open with how few our numbers are.”

  That sounded good to Kar, “I don’t have a better idea, anyone else?”

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  No one was forthcoming, so Kar shrugged and started walking along the tree line. After a while he said, “There.” Pointing to an unassuming section of the wall several hundred spans away from the gate. He didn’t really know what he was looking for other than somewhere away from the main gate.

  “Aldwin? You want to step in here? I’m not exactly sure how to go about storming a castle.”

  Aldwin clapped Kar on the back, “You’re doing fine”, then stepped forward and turned to face the rest of their assorted party, “Let’s keep things simple, yeah? We’ll sprint hard in a straight line for where Kar pointed out. Stick together as much as you can. Kiya, Derek, myself, and Kar will go up to the top of the wall first and clear it, then we’ll drop a rope for those of you who need it to climb up. Once up we’ll reassess from there. Don’t get separated. Don't fall behind. We may not be able to come back for anyone who does.”

  That was a sobering thought. They were tired, Kar realized, looking from face to face. This had been a traumatizing experience for them all, in one way or another. And the worst was surely ahead of them. But they had to push through, or else… he looked toward Erio and Tharn without intending to. Would they end up like them? Trapped in here for eternity?

  They all stretched then, some choosing to relieve themselves in amongst the trees. Morrow closed his eyes and whispered under his breath, his hands clasped tightly. Was he praying? Kar wondered. He’d always been told most people had lost belief in a higher power following the Cataclysm. Who had they believed in before? Had it been the Source? Or something else?

  Lore interrupted his musing by walking up to him, Derek with her, “Derek here says he’s never lost a race to you before, that true?”

  Kar snorted unintentionally with laughter, then nodded at Derek, “You sure I’ve never beaten you?”

  “Never.” Derek said with a grin.

  “He’s probably right,” Kar said, “but I’ll be ending that streak today.”

  “You two are welcome to fight over second and third place,” Lore said, “you should know though, I always come in first.”

  “We’ll see about that.” Kar responded while Derek chuckled.

  Tharn and Erio stepped away from the trees and into the grass.

  “If everyone is ready we should go.” Tharn told them.

  They all lined up as if this was nothing more than a friendly race.

  “Morrow,” Kiya said, “you better run your ass off if you want to see that little girl of yours again.”

  The man cracked his neck, looking far more determined than Kar had expected, “You think I don’t know that?”

  Kiya smirked, then clapped the Imbuer on the back, “Caroline still needs her daddy, just keep up and we’ll get you back to her.”

  Kar looked at Kiya then, really looked at her. And saw something different than the gruff, hardass she portrayed so naturally. It was a strange concept to him, but he was beginning to realize that the persona people showed you might not always be their whole story. Perhaps she wasn’t so bad.

  Then he remembered that she was the reason they were in this mess to begin with.

  “Ready when you are, Kar.” Aldwin said.

  “Let’s clear this thing!” Kar shouted, then took off running. It had been a poor attempt to inspire courage, he knew. But it was the best he could muster under the circumstances.

  His strides carried him swiftly across the fields and Kar drew on a Shard to keep himself energized as they went. To his shock he initially pulled ahead of the others. The rain still fell steadily, droplets stinging on Kar’s skin as he ran. He suspected Erio and Tharn could have outpaced them all if they wished, but they hung back somewhat. At one point Kar glanced over his shoulder to see them on either side of Morrow, each holding one of his arms, helping him keep up.

  Lore gained on him bit by bit until she had pulled alongside. Kar strained, his feet schloking through mud with every step.

  They had made it a little over halfway to the wall when the first drums sounded. All up and down the outer wall, answering calls came, and then cryst-soldiers by the hundreds appeared on the battlements. The smile on Kar’s lips died and a seed of fear sprouted in his gut.

  Still they pressed on. Aldwin blasted himself forward. Derek leapt in the air and followed. While Kiya cursed and jetted after them.

  Kar looked over at Lore. She grabbed his Shadowcryst hand and yelled, “If you beat me by Focusing that’s cheating!”

  Kar shrugged, then yelled back, “Let’s call it a draw then!” He pulled away from her and leapt into the air, his left, ringed hand pointed down toward the ground, palm first. Then he Focused a blast through the ring while bracing that left wrist with his Shadowcryst hand. Again—as when descending from platform to platform earlier—he felt the Focusing was weaker than it should be, but he redoubled his efforts and managed to shoot off into the air after the others. He traced an awkward, bobbing path the rest of the way.

  The Cryst on the walls were ready for them. Javelins flew from the battlements in droves, launched with frightening power. Aldwin came to a stop just above the wall, hovering in place while scores of cryst-soldiers targeted him. He deflected everything that came his way, providing cover for the rest of them to complete their approach.

  Almost there. Kar was coming in too low though, he could tell. A javelin whistled by, just inches from his face. He flinched and wobbled, then veered off course to his left. Not good. The side of the wall rushed towards him and with a last monumental strain Kar expended the last of his personal Energia reserves to drive himself higher. He clipped the top of the battlement and tumbled right over the wall… and overshot it, plummeting toward the ground on the other side.

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