It had been decided.

Using Makaela's jumpkey, the four of them were going to sneak into Castle Braexus. With the shadows as their cover and Sebastian's knowledge of the fortress' layout, they would rescue Olivier and retrieve House Brynjir's stolen Eldenarian Artifact.

Makaela had been seconds away from going alone.

Had Sebastian shown up a few seconds later, she would've done it.

She was glad he did. After what she said to him the previous night, she wasn't sure he wanted anything to do with her anymore.

She hated herself for what she said to him. The words came out automatically, seemingly spoken by someone else entirely. Her head had been all out of sorts during her short trip through the woods. What was meant to be a moment of clarity only brought her more confusion. The funeral hadn't made things any better. All she could think about was how all those lives disappearing down the river were lost because of her.

Their blood was on her hands.

The voice in the back of her head fed off those thoughts. It started as a whisper. A tiny, annoying sound originating from the darkest parts of her psyche. Now she couldn't tell the difference between her voice and it. Perhaps there was no difference at all.

It had ceased for now, but it'd be back.

Coming up with a plan to sneak into Castle Braexus and rescue Uncle Ollie was enough to distract her mind for a bit.

Sebastian led her, Remy, and Imogen through Hodvekt toward the village's armory. Almost everyone had convened around the arena, which hosted most of the day's celebrations.

Makaela couldn't see how any of them were in any mood to party after what happened. Their leader was dead. Their artifact was gone. Their home was nearly reduced to ash and rubble. Yet, they were still able to find joy.

She envied them.

The armory was one of the only buildings in Hodvekt crafted out of stone brick. Shaped like a circle and only one-story tall, the armory was situated near the barracks and the western wall. The entire area was empty, left unguarded by the battlemages joining in on the festivities.

It was easy enough to sneak inside. The door wasn't even locked.

"This place is in desperate need of a makeover," Remy complained as he skirted past a row of spears. "You could accidentally kill yourself in here if you're not careful."

"Be careful then," Sebastian said.

"What a brilliant idea, Sebby."

"How many times-"

"Yeah, yeah. 'Don't call me that'."

"I hate you, kid."

Makaela ignored them and delved deeper into the cluttered building. It reminded her of a library. Except instead of shelves full of books and ancient scrolls, the shelves harbored axes and halberds. Barrels overflowing with javelins and lances were placed about with no rhyme or reason. Just looking at them inspired a thousand tiny, invisible cuts all over her body.

Tearing her eyes away from a rack of ornate swords, she turned to Sebastian.

"What're we doing in here?" she asked.

"If we're going to hit Castle Braexus," he began, "we're going to need some supplies."

He grabbed a brown bag from a pile of sacks and satchels stuffed in the corner. His hand disappeared inside as if it were deeper than the ocean. "Score."

An infinibox-containers bewitched to hold much more than physically possible. Some were capable of housing an entire family's belongings. Finding everything once inside the container was a pain, though.

"Think we might need this?" Imogen asked with a grappling hook attached to a black rope in her hands.

"You never know." Sebastian took it from her and stuffed it into the bag.

"I was thinking..." The ordinaire waltzed off down an aisle of hatchets. "I'm not gifted with the zippy-zappy powers you guys have. I need a weapon."

Remy laughed at her. "Do you even know how to fight?"

She pursed her lips at him. A display of throwing knives stood off to her side. A grin spread across her lips. In one swift motion, she freed one of the knives and chucked it across the room. The blade sunk in between a crack in the bricks, the handle vibrating as it came to a standstill.

Remy gawked at her.

"Does that answer your question?"

Makaela narrowed her eyes. "Where'd you learn that?"

"My dad," she replied. "He's a big survivalist nut."

Survivalist.

"Huh."

They continued foraging for supplies, grabbing anything they thought could be useful ranging from smoke bombs, charmed pieces of armor, and even a magic telescope. That last one had been Remy's idea. Makaela had a feeling they wouldn't end up using it.

As Makaela examined another shelf of swords, someone at the front of the room cleared their throat. Everyone inside froze, their stares frozen on the towering man beneath the doorframe.

"Why are you raiding our armory?" Ajax asked. He held a half-eaten turkey leg in one other and a glass of beer in the other. "We're meant to be celebrating."

"Not really in a partying mood," Makaela replied.

He squinted at her, and then at Sebastian. "What's going on here?"

"Top secret mission," Remy told him.

"Top secret, huh?"

Sebastian rolled his eyes. "We're going to the Order's hideout. Makaela's uncle is being held captive there. We're going to free him."

Ajax's eyes lit up. "Is the Krigersverd there?"

"Possibly."

"I'll alert my mother-"

Sebastian shook his head. "She'll want to send your whole house there for a fight. Trust me, that's not a good idea. You might have more numbers than the Order, but they'll be expecting retaliation. We can't risk any more lives."

"But if the artifact is there-"

"Ajax, no. I'm letting any more of your people get killed by my father."

"Fine." He took a long, ponderous sip from his beer. "I'll come with you."

Makaela frowned at him. "No. Not happening. We can't risk you either."

"My mind has been made," Ajax told her. "Besides, what better way to bring glory back to my house than to return with the Krigersverd?" He raised his bottle to the sky before taking another swig. "I'm coming. End of discussion. Or do you want me to tell my mother about your little plan instead?"

Makaela and Sebastian shared a glance which ended with them both sighing in unison.

If they knew anything about their friend, it was that he was as hardheaded as anyone. Makaela once recalled Ajax wrestling with a young gryphon outside the walls of the Eldenarian Palace when they were children. It took three Eldai to get him off the poor creature.

I guess one person more wouldn't hurt.

Considering half of their team was her sixteen-year-old cousin and an ordinaire, they could've used another magician with combat prowess and expertise in battle magic.

"Hey, who threw this knife?" Ajax pulled the weapon free from the wall.

Imogen raised her hand with a grin on her face.

"Nice aim." He looked her up and down. "Maybe you ordinaires aren't so useless after all."

"I'm going to pretend that was a compliment."

"It was."

The girl continued to wander the room in search of a weapon. She paused once arriving at a glass case. It was the only item in the room secured by a display. Inside was a blade whiter than ivory with a jade handle. Serrated, teeth-like ridges were carved into the sword. A scarlet ribbon flowed from the pommel like a river of blood.

Makaela stared in awe at the weapon.

"I want that one," Imogen said.

Ajax scratched the top of his head. "Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"That blade can't be wielded by just anybody," he added. "That's dracoi*-steel made from the marrow of dragons. It can cut through the strongest of metals and is virtually unbreakable itself. Some of the greatest warriors of this house wielded that sword-

"Yeah, yeah," Imogen replied. "I want it."

"Did you not hear me? Not even the best warriors are fit for that blade, let alone an ordinaire."

"Good thing I'm no regular ordinaire."

It was the second time Imogen had said something like that. Makaela was starting to believe her. Most ordinaires wouldn't have been able to survive what she had over the past few days. There truly was something different about her.

Ajax wagged a finger at her. "I like this one." He glanced at Sebastian. "You sure she's an ordinaire."

He shrugged.

Makaela rolled her eyes at them.

Once the group was done acquiring gear for their covert operation, they slipped out of the armory and back into the forest, away from the gaze of anyone who might've spotted them. Once deep enough into the trees, they formed a circle in an empty clearing.

"Do we have a plan?" Ajax asked. He carried the infinibox around his shoulder. The stuffed bag looked tiny on him. "We'll need a plan."

Everyone turned to Sebastian. He was the only one with any knowledge of the Order's headquarters.

With a nod, he revealed the strategy he had been working on during their walk into the trees. It was simple enough: stick to the shadows, stay together, and watch out for the gargoyles. Olivier would be held in the dungeons beneath the fortress. As for the Krigersverd, Thorian would likely have it locked away in the castle's meeting room. The artifact was secondary on their priority list, much to Ajax's chagrin. Had it been up to him, they would've gone in guns blazing for the sword.

Makaela was glad he wasn't in charge.

As horrible as it sounded, she couldn't care less about getting the sword. She just wanted her uncle safe from harm.

"Everyone got that?" Sebastian asked.

They all nodded.

"Good." Turning to Makaela, he grabbed her hand. "Ready?"

She smiled. "Ready as I'll ever be."

Everyone else joined hands in their circle as well.

Closing her eyes, she focused on the jumpkey in her hands. The groves in the delicately designed medallion dug into her skin. She ignored the pain.

Images of a black castle with iron-wrought fences nestled in the crook of a black forest filed her head. Her knees buckled as it consumed her vision.

"Woah, this feels weirder than last time," Imogen said.

"No kidding," Remy added.

Makaela shut them out. She needed to focus.

The world around her stretched and warped as the colors of the lively woodlands of Hodvekt darkened. Nausea seized her body. A familiar weightlessness sensation returned to her. Gritting her teeth, she felt something pulling behind her navel.

Then, just like that, she was gone.