It wasn't a river.

It was the second of her targets, but there was no river moving nearby.

The ring of stones, one that was a larger, yet more scattered collection of upright stones than the gate to Baile, was within view of a massive body of water that appeared to be an interconnected lake system that led to the ocean. The rolling hills around them were coloured in greens and browns, and the rocks stood tall around her, their shadows stretching in the early morning light.

The lake stretched out of view, much like one could see the ocean from Baile's gate, which Torix could feel tugging at her awareness almost directly south of where she was standing now.

But that ocean and a whole other island stood between the two locations.

After taking their bearings, Riari and Connaugh moved off silently in opposite directions as Torix allowed her power to shift out over the stones and ground, searching magically for any sign of something more than the physical presence on Earth. The large stones hummed in greeting and as Torix approached them, she could make out barely legible characters scrawled magically in the rock, glowing ever-so-slightly. But they were grounded in the stone and Earth here, and though they acknowledged her presence, Torix could not find a proper spell amongst them, as opposed to the long-lost scribblings of a dead human language.

These stones were connected to the magical side of the world, but their use had not outlived the humans that had cared for them.

Slowly, she moved from stone to stone, fighting the urge to give up on this location immediately. Torix inspected everything she could, with her magic and senses, even running her claws along the stone and cleaning off centuries of dirt in search of any sign that they were in the right place.

Torix hoped that without the spell and key to open the gate, that they'd still be able to know it when they saw it, that power would cause it to reveal itself like a locked door at the very least. It was not lost on her that if they found the gate, and it was closed, they still did not have a way into it, if that was where their friends were.

Coming full circle, Torix nodded to herself and let out a slow breath. Nothing about this location contained anything more than an understanding of the magic that made up the universe.

Maybe it had been an attempt to open up another gate, or perhaps even reach through time and space to find whatever power the ancient humans could sense. But it was not the place that they were going to find Murchadh and Eviaus, or Roisin.

Even if there had been a river, Torix couldn't sense any of them around, and Riari and Connaugh were making their way back up the rocky terrain from different directions. They were a fair distance off, and as neither one of them had signalled that they had found anything, Torix knew she shouldn't wait to discuss before preparing to move on to the next location.

Despite the logic of it, she glanced around once more, trying to settle herself on the fact that there was only one more spot for her to check, and if Ferya was moving at the same speed they were, they were running out of options.

If they were wrong about this...

"High Commissioner, with the seriousness of the investigation in Praetoria, I am quite surprised to find you here, wandering around in the middle of nowhere." The voice of the dryad was unexpected and echoed oddly from behind Torix.

Forcing herself to remain relaxed, Cingetorix turned around to face Diodia, who was wearing a cloak, though the day wasn't cold enough to explain one.

At least the hood was down. She was alone, though the air smelled faintly of power that tugged at the edge of Torix's awareness, though she couldn't recall what it meant. The dryad glanced up at the standing stones curiously, then back down to Torix, waiting.

"As the investigation involved some of my friends, I recused myself from any involvement in it, in order to maintain transparency." Torix murmured, tilting her head to the side. "How'd you get out here?"

"Odd time to take a vacation. Though this isn't one of the gates to another realm, and you aren't in need of using a gate, are you?" Diodia turned to glance south, frowning softly. "These stones used to be a place of worship, before the pantheons and dogma, before humans worshipped anything other than the mother goddess of the universe. There were many who formed themselves in that greater image to wean humans away and use that faith for their own gains. Though this version of Earth... like a few others, was barred to the presence of the ancient ones."

"The beings who styled themselves as gods are no more than egotistical narcissists without enough limiting of their power, as far as I have been able to tell." Torix snorted, even as she rested her hands on the hilts of her swords.

She didn't yet reach for her power, though she prepared herself to. Something was not as it seemed with the dryad in front of her, and Torix didn't like her odds right at that moment.

Diodia narrowed her eyes before grinning darkly. "Spoken like a true creature of Lucifer. Though your understanding of them is incomplete. There are various races of beings that make up the array of what you call ancient ones. We have different rules to follow, different weaknesses and strengths, though we are all far more powerful than the petty little demons and angels that style themselves to run these worlds here."

"So, do you work for Roisin? Or do you both work for one of these self-aggrandizing egomaniacs?" Torix let out a slow breath, silently cursing herself, knowing that she really shouldn't be baiting the woman in front of her.

There was a small twinge of annoyance in the woman's expression then, before she shook her head. "What are you doing here? What do you think you've figured out?"

Torix slid one hand down to her pant pocket, resting there absently, before glancing to the stones. "Someone is trying really hard to get somewhere that they shouldn't be. And I'm trying to figure out why."

"She gave you the key?" That echoing sound was back in Diodia's voice, and when Torix lifted her gaze to look at the other woman, she noticed Diodia's eyes were now glowing white.

The air tasted like a power she had only been around a few times, though she recognized it.

Torix arched a brow and braced herself, offering only a shrug. "Ah. So Roisin works for you."

"Roisin is insignificant. But I will make a deal with you, the key for anything you want." The being within Diodia was still grinning arrogantly.

"From my understanding, what you want would cause the destabilisation and destruction of everything I love. What could be worth that?"

There was a thrum of power, though it was without force, it was merely a pressure, a presence of the being that inhabited the dryad. It crackled through the air and made Torix's hair stand on end, but didn't do much else.

A warning then.

"Lucifer has a penchant for the dramatics, and if you want to talk about a self-aggrandizing egomaniac, you can look no further than him. He claims all these gates and keys protect that which cannot be changed. But life is change. The entire universe is change. I don't seek to destroy it, I just seek to... tweak some of the rules regarding me. And implicit with our deal is the promise that you will have a safe haven to live, at the end of it all. That's just a bonus, just tell me what..."

The being paused, then grinned slowly. "I can release your mate. Where is he? Sworn to be Lucifer's pet? Forced to betray you because of a selfish deal Lucifer has made. Give me the key and Lucifer will have no power over Baltha or you any longer."

Torix's heart ached for a moment, understanding the truth of the woman's words as they echoed her own frustrations from the last few days. The fact that she had to sit by as Baltha was commanded and restrained by the fallen one, effectively tying her to the former angel and his whims.

It seemed to her that Lucifer did like the power, and he enjoyed acting as if his way was the only way, or that his concerns were the only ones that truly mattered in the grand scheme of things.

And she had seen the aftermath of whatever deal he had made with Roisin.

Demons who could not lift a hand to defend themselves or their friends and died because of it. Baltha could just as easily be killed because of Lucifer's decision. Baltha could be forced to fight her, or one of the other people they cared about, because of a deal his dark lord made.

With a sigh, she slipped her hand into her pocket and nodded. "Where is Roisin now? Even with Ferya's key, you can't get to Zylinnium without Murchadh's. And I have a few things to sort out with that damned elf."

"Roisin has gone to find Ferya." Diodia shrugged, unconcerned. "Give me the key, and I can end all of this. She has the key. I'll even bring Roisin here for you after we've opened Zylinnium. Save your other friend while you're at it."

Torix offered a single nod and settled herself as she levelled her gaze on Diodia. Not that she even had a choice when it came down to it. Her friends were depending on her, and there was only one thing to do.

She watched Diodia grin wider at her nod. The woman held out a hand toward her expectantly, and Torix hoped Baltha would forgive her.