Hours later, in the afternoon, Galen nearly screamed when he walked back into his room and head a faint, “Psst,” next to him.

  He jumped back out of fright, hand to his chest.

  He heard snickering, eliciting a frown of irritation as he marched back inside and saw Arvad standing by the door frame.

  He’d been about to speak, but the bard cut him off with a shushing gesture.

  Galen leaned back into the hallway, looked down both ways, noted none of the four Shadows were within sight, and closed the door.

  The bard handed him a note, which read, “Any updates on your end?”

  Galen nodded, then looked about for a pen to write a response. Arvad smoothly reached into his coat and took one out, handing it to him. He wrote out everything he had learned earlier that day. He wrote of how it seemed only the four Shadows with him, Morpheus, Callista, Agnar, and Eshu, were in town. Though he made sure to note that it was possible Morpheus had caught on to the fact that he was trying to fish for intel and had purposely mislead him. He also wrote of how the Shadows planned to commandeer the airship the moment its repairs were done.

  He handed the note to Arvad, who quickly read it and nodded. The bard wrote one final note and showed it to him. “We will finalize a plan before the day is done. I will try to meet up with you again to notify you of the plan if possible. Be prepared, however, for the possibility that I won’t be able to see you again before we enact the operation.”

  Galen nodded, and the bard went to leave. He made sure to watch Arvad like a hawk. The man had an uncanny ability to appear and disappear as he wished. Almost like he could teleport. There was no chance of that, however, as he’d asked Aleksi in the past if such an ability could be learned with Ether. After all, who wouldn’t want to be able to teleport? His mentor, however, had merely laughed and said, “I wish, lad!”

  He watched as the bard simply walked to one of the windows, opened it, poked his head out and looked around. He then turned, bowed to Galen, and then crawled out the window.

  Well that was freaking boring… he thought. Not sure what I expected…

  He moved over to the window to close it, thinking he would be able to catch one final glimpse of Arvad. Only for the man to be completely gone, with no trace of him having been there to be seen.

  I can’t figure that guy out, Galen thought with annoyance as he shut the window.

  He sighed, then moved to his bed to lie down. One way or another, he would either be rescued, or be taken back to the Dominion. The thought of the latter churned his stomach. He sincerely hoped Aleksi, Tufani, and the others had a good plan to prevent that.

  All he could do now was wait and mentally prepare.

  He was reminded of how little time remained when a polite knock was heard on his door. It was nothing but a courtesy knock, however, as the door immediately opened to reveal Eshu, the Shadow that had nearly killed him, standing in the doorway.

  “Champion,” the Shadow greeted with a single nod. “I simply came to inform you that the airship has arrived. In another day or so, we will be using it to travel to the closest city.”

  That was all that was said before Eshu closed the door.

  Galen stared at the ceiling as a feeling of dread sank his stomach. One way or another, his rescue and Tufani’s mission, would come to a close very soon.

  ***

  Aria felt as though she was instinct incarnate.

  She was currently being pushed to her limits as she sparred against both Zareb and Lusha at the same time.

  Why?

  Because she’d found that pushing herself to this extreme helped to accelerate her growing connection with Redian the fastest.

  There wasn’t a single conscious thought going through her mind as she blocked, parried, countered, ducked, weaved, and attacked. With muscle memory and instinctual prowess granted to her through the Sentient Weapon, she moved with the skill and finesse of a master swordsman with decades upon decades of experience.

  They’d all found that, without Ether, Aria could hold her own against the two of them when she was this immersed in battle.

  Without the power, however, this could only go on for so long. The exhaustion she’d accumulated would eventually bring an end to this bout.

  Zareb locked blades with her while Lusha simultaneously came from behind and swept her spear to take her legs out from under her. Redian warned her of this maneuver, but her body was simply too tired to respond quickly enough.

  Completely immersed in instinct, her body reacted on its own and burned Ether for enhancement.

  Sensing this, Lusha also burned Ether in a quick flash, only her enhancement was far greater and far faster than Aria’s. So much so that, even with her instincts sharpened to a nigh unparalleled degree by Redian, she only saw the half-blood’s movements as a blur before she was promptly knocked out by a blow too quick for her to react to.

  ***

  Aria came to moments after, her body being healed with an Art. Thankfully, it had been Lusha using a Wind Affinity Healing Art rather than Zareb using a Fire one. Void, she hated how being healed by flames felt.

  In spite of the mending, the lingering phantom pains made her groan as she sat up.

  “Well, that was a particularly intense sparring match,” Lusha commented.

  Zareb nodded approvingly. “Your movements and connection with Redian reached a new level with that one, lass. Your bond with the sword still isn’t as strong as it was with Galen, but compared to when you started? It’s like night and day.”

  Aria grunted, popping her neck as she stood.

  “Again,” she stated.

  Zareb shook his head. “No, I think it’s best if we leave off there, lass.”

  “But I can keep going-”

  The general shut her down with a look. “Lass, you know full well that, though healing with Ether mends the physical wounds, it does nothing for the mental strain that one accumulates. I think we’ve reached the point where going further would bring more harm than good.”

  She’d been about to argue, however, Redian chimed in her mind. “He’s right, you know. Your stress levels are starting to get alarmingly high. It’s time to call it a day.”

  She was nothing if not stubborn. “I can push through it! Come on! I need to be as ready as possible for when we move to save Galen.”

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  “We’ve done all that we can by this point, lass. Besides, if we do keep going, then you won’t have time to rest. Also…” Zareb gestured towards the stairs, where Malachi was sitting and watching them with an amused expression. “The fact that he’s back means he has news to share, and it might be vital for our mission.”

  Aria sighed. She couldn’t argue against that, and, winds, she WAS mentally exhausted. It felt as though there were a heavy fog in her head.

  She nodded in resignation, and followed Zareb and Lusha as they walked towards Malachi.

  “Well now, that was an a fun sparring match to watch,” the bard smiled with amusement. “The power of a Sentient Weapon is truly something to behold.”

  Malachi regarded Aria with a hint of wariness. “You were already pretty intense on your own, but with that sword? You’re downright terrifying.”

  “Good,” was all she said in response.

  “What news do you have, Arvad?” Zareb asked, getting right to the point.

  The bard smiled. “I managed to meet with Galen a second time. From what he knows, there are only four Shadows present in town. Eshu, Agnar, Venus, and Morpheus. There could be more we don’t know about, but we know for sure at least four are present.”

  Lusha grunted, “Four, eh? That’s going to be tough. Particularly if more show up.”

  “There’s a good chance there may not be more,” Malachi adjusted his hat. “Galen told me that the Shadows of Athanasius might not be quite so cohesive of an order as we once thought. Apparently, there exist factions among them. Not official ones, I’m sure, but you know how politics usually goes. I have no doubt that Morpheus is trying to make sure none of the others get to claim the credit of retrieving the Champion. There’s a good chance he’s kept his capture of Galen quiet so that his seniors among the Shadows don’t swoop in and claim the glory.”

  Zareb scratched at his beard. “How confident are you about this, Arvad?”

  The bard thought about it for a moment before answering. “On a scale of one to ten? A solid seven. There’s a possibility that Morpheus fed false information to Galen on the off chance that he had a way to communicate with us. Even then, I think the bit about there being unofficial factions among the Shadows is a solid piece of intel. Even if Morpheus might have embellished it a bit. No, I’m sure he’s going to want to take the credit for regaining the Champion. Shadows tend to be rather ambitious and greedy like that.”

  He paused, seemingly for dramatic effect, before continuing. “BUT! If we make our move, I have no doubt that he and the other three Shadows will send an alert for reinforcements. I’m sure they’d rather the other factions get involved before letting us rescue Galen.”

  “The original point still stands then,” Zareb nodded. “The moment we make our move, it becomes a race against time.”

  “Especially since the airship we plan to steal has just arrived,” Ironheart, who appeared stepping down the stairs behind Malachi, announced.

  “Void, so we’re already running out of time,” Aria hissed. “What’s the plan?”

  “Already set in motion,” the dwarf grinned. “I ain’t exactly been doin’ nothin’ while y’all were havin’ fun! Why, it’s none other my crew who’s gonna be doin’ the maintenance on that airship. The lot of ya have no clue just how much of a pain in my ass it was to get that job.”

  Aria’s jaw fell open in surprise. “Really?!”

  “Did ya expect anythin’ less?” Ironheart asked.

  The dwarf quickly raised his hand to cut off what she’d been about to say. “No! That was a rhetorical question. I know ya probably did. Ya voidin’ elf…”

  “What of the sailor pilot?” Lusha asked.

  “The one who brought the airship into town is now on vacation. He’s bein’ replaced by OUR sailor pilot. One of our very own from the Rebellion.”

  “Good, that might help with this next bit of news I have to share,” Malachi sighed. “According to Galen, the Shadows plan to commandeer that very same airship the second its maintenance is finished. They’re hoping to use it to get to the nearest city.”

  “That poor mud-walker,” Ironheart shook his head in sympathy.

  Aria couldn’t tell if the dwarf was being serious or not.

  “That could be a problem,” Lusha muttered before she got a glint in her eyes. “Or it could work in our favor…”

  “How so?” Aria asked skeptically.

  Zareb smiled, apparently having realized what his wife was planning. “Divide and conquer, lass. Those four Shadows will likely take Galen to where the airship is being worked on. That way they could board as quickly as possible once its ready. If we can cause a distraction, we may be able to split up the four that are present…”

  The general began to pace, a thoughtful look coming across his features, “Yes, this could work… but timing will be everything. When would be the best time to enact a distraction…? Before they leave for the airship? No, all four will be present, then… When they get there? No, same issue. They may just go for the airship, and fighting at or near it could lead to damaging the vessel, increasing the already high risks of entering the Void Sea…”

  He stopped, grinning as he turned to regard them all. “In that case, we make our move AS they shift locations. While they escort the lad to the airship’s location, we cause a distraction elsewhere. Make them think we’re attacking from one direction. Make them panic. Best case scenario, three of them go to deal with our distraction. If they send only one, we can gang up and defeat that one quickly enough, leaving three opponents rather than four. If they’re smart, they’ll split up evenly. Two to guard and escort Galen, two to deal with our distraction.”

  The general then sighed. “Problem is, that our distraction won’t last for very long if we don’t send people who can hold their own against Shadows…”

  “That means…” Aria began.

  “Some of us rebel leaders need to spearhead that distraction,” Lusha confirmed. “I figured that would be the case. I can lead the distracting team. Zareb, you lead the ones that will be rescuing Galen and getting Tufani on that airship.”

  “Are you sure you two shouldn’t be together?” Aria asked.

  Surprisingly, they both shook their head. It was Zareb who explained. “No, lass. As much as I would like to fight alongside my wife, if we do that, we’ll constantly fret over the other. With so many objectives we’re trying to achieve, and within a short window of time, we can’t afford the distraction…”

  “Besides,” Lusha added. “That would split up our fighting power unevenly. Zareb and I are the best of the best among the Rebellion. It’s better that we do it this way.”

  There was a hint of sadness in the half-blood’s eyes, but it was quickly smothered by resolve.

  Zareb continued. “You’ll be coming with me, lass. You did say you want to save Galen, and given we’re heading straight for that airship once we rescue the lad…”

  Aria nodded in understanding.

  Ironheart raised his hand. “I’ll be on Lusha’s team for the distraction. I’m rather good at garnerin’ attention, ya know.”

  Zareb chuckled. “That you are my friend.”

  Aria frowned. “Won’t that blow your cover?”

  “Meh,” Ironheart shrugged. “Wouldn’t be the first time, and assumin’ I live through this, it likely won’t be the last.”

  “You’d go that far for Galen and me?”

  “No,” the dwarf chuckled flatly. “No, not for the two of ya. No offense, but I don’t really like ya. Though I admit that Galen kid ain’t half bad for a mud-walker, I ain’t willin’ to put my life on the line for him either.”

  Aria scowled. “Then why-”

  “I’m doing this for the Rebellion,” Ironheart cut her off. “For my people in this Realm. For the hopes we get the elves to lend us their aid should ya, on the remarkably low chance ya survive the Void Sea, get to Vindanna. I’m fightin’ for hope.”

  She didn’t know how to respond to that.

  “Komdar is committed, lass,” Zareb smiled. “Of that, don’t you worry.”

  “I suppose that means I’ll be with you and Tufani, Zareb,” Malachi smiled.

  Aria gave the bard the stink eye.

  Which went promptly ignored.

  “Glad to have you, Arvad. I can’t remember the last time you got so directly involved like this,” the general commented.

  “That’s how you know I’m serious about this, Zareb. It’s imperative that we accomplish all our goals here. I can feel it.”

  The general nodded, though he seemed a bit more tense after hearing that from the mysterious man.

  “Aria, take tonight to rest, and I do mean rest. Don’t make me or Lusha knock you out, now,” Zareb commanded.

  She pouted, but nodded.

  “The rest of you, we need to get everything in order before we too take a rest. Either tomorrow, or the day after, we finish this,” the general finished.

  Everyone else nodded, and went their separate ways.

  Aria went to one of the rooms in the underground floor and lied down on a cot, which had been her bed for the last few days. Her time in this Realm, one way or another, was drawing to a close.

  She was surprised at the mixed emotions she felt at that realization.

  Next chapter will be released Monday, March 2nd, 2026 at 3:00 PM PST.

  A huge thank you and special shoutout to my Page Turner tier Patron, LOOKOUT, and my Lore Master tier Patrons, Mountain Knight, Conman2731, ThoMiCroN, MCE 2 Munchen 2, Voltrus, biburussus, and Daniel Krol. Your support is sincerely and greatly appreciated.