Enganaq’s eyes widened as three assassins pounced on him. He tried to fight back, but his knife was made for ritual sacrifice and proved unwieldy for defending against swords. It wasn’t long before the abominable snake lay dead on his own table. The mission was complete.

  Calvin wrested the awful knife from the snake’s grip. One edge was serrated, and the other was razor-sharp. A large sapphire of deep blue rested in its pommel. Calvin shook his head and stuck it in his belt. Then he breathed a sigh of relief and sank to the floor to rest. Danti had taken a nasty gash on his right arm, but Calvin and Pelias were largely unharmed.

  The captive woman extracted herself from the dead snake’s coils, her breathing quick and shallow. “You — I…” She struggled to calm down enough to speak. “Thank you.”

  Calvin waved a dismissive hand. “No problem.”

  She frowned, rushing to Danti. “But you’re hurt!” He tried to pull away, but she was faster. She put a hand on his injured arm and spoke what sounded like an arcane prayer. A glowing white mist gathered at her hand and passed into Danti’s wound. Danti clutched his stomach with his other hand, his face screwed up in pain. Calvin and Pelias moved to help him, but the mist was already gone, and the woman backed away. The gash had closed, replaced by an impressive scar.

  “That’s weird,” she said. “There isn’t usually scarring.”

  Calvin helped Danti back to his feet. “You a cleric?” he asked the woman. She nodded. “That’s why. He’s got… He’s got a bit of an allergy to that kind of magic.”

  She cocked her head. “I’ve never heard of anything like that.”

  “That’s because it’s extremely rare. Don’t worry about it.”

  “We gotta get out of here,” Danti said through gritted teeth.

  Pelias nodded. “We need to be long gone when they discover him, or else we’ll be caught in the ensuing wave of bloodshed.”

  “Yes,” Calvin said. “Are you ready, Danti? We may need to fight on the way out.”

  Danti nodded. “I can try. If it gets bad, I’ll switch to my left. See if that off-hand training pays off.”

  “Good,” Calvin said, then pointed at the cleric. “No more healing. None at all.”

  “Um… Okay?” she answered.

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  Calvin opened the door and smiled. “Fantastic work, Edwin.”

  Edwin yanked his dagger out of Cobra-head’s back. “You were right, Pelias. They really are gullible. I didn’t even have to argue to get him to let me out.” He tossed the dagger to the floor near Long-tail’s cell. “That might be enough to frame him for it, honestly.”

  Calvin shrugged. “He’s not long for this world, anyway. As soon as the other Masters find out Enganaq is dead, they’ll make quick work of him.” He grinned. “And each other.”

  Long-tail shook his head, eyes clearing. “Enganaq dead?” He rattled the cell door, but it held. “Argh! Murzurud curse you all!”

  “You wish,” Danti grunted. “Let’s get out of here.”

  They ran for the exit, following Edwin’s lead to avoid falling into traps. Their flight caught the attention of several cultists. Some only watched in confusion, but most gave chase.

  As they drew near the exit, they had over two dozen cultists tailing them. Edwin led them around a pit trap, but Danti stopped to scoop up a loose rock.

  “Come on, Danti!” Calvin urged. Their pursuers were catching up, but Danti had turned around. He threw the rock, then clutched his injured arm. The rock landed with a “click” on a pressure plate, triggering the pit trap. The floor opened up, and several of the chasing cultists fell onto the spikes below. The rest of them managed to pull up short before falling in, and one of them spat venom at Danti from across the pit. The glob of spittle hit squarely on his scar, and Danti groaned in pain.

  Calvin darted back. His stomach writhed in protest, but he ignored it. Danti needed him. He grabbed Danti by the collar and dragged the agonized dwarf along, trying to catch up to his crew. The writhing subsided, and he picked up his pace.

  When he reached the exit, he heard triumphant laughter behind him. The cultists had found a way around the pit, and they’d catch up shortly. Thankfully, Edwin and Pelias were standing over the dead bodies of the guards. The cleric was still with them, looking both relieved and confused.

  Calvin wiped the venom from Danti’s arm with a rag. “They’re coming. Edwin, help me carry Danti. Pelias, you run down the road a ways. Lay a false trail for them. We’ll meet you at the cave.” He gestured to the cleric. “Stick with Pelias if you want to survive.”

  As the elf and cleric took off down the road, Calvin and Edwin pulled Danti into the trees, careful to avoid leaving a trail. They froze when they heard several sets of hurried footsteps leave the ziggurat. The footsteps paused only briefly before continuing down the beaten path, following Pelias’s trail. Danti squirmed, making as if to join the cultists, but Calvin and Edwin gripped him more tightly, covering his mouth and only relaxing when the footsteps faded into the distance and silence fell.

  “Fight their venom, Danti,” Calvin said softly. “They can’t control you.”

  Danti screwed up his face, clutching both his injured arm and his stomach. It was nearly a minute before his breathing relaxed. “I think I’ve beat it,” he grunted, “but that cleric really did a number on me arm.”

  “Cambiador might have a solution for that when we get back.”

  Danti nodded. “Just don’t let her do it again. Should we try converting her?”

  Calvin shook his head. “No good. Better to let her go tell people about Unichi’s impending collapse. If we’re lucky, the other cults will take notice and try to help the process along.” He smiled. “But first, some rest. Let’s get back to camp.”