Ratface couldn’t move. The pressure of the thing around her was too much. All she could do was watch as Abigail took on the dead man.

  It started off pretty satisfying. It was clear he was an excellent fighter, but Abigail was just better. She’d done worse against Amaranth when they’d fought than against Halvin. She wondered if people lost a part of themselves when they merged with the Emptiness. He seemed to have a lot of tricks but no real creativity to use them.

  That didn’t mean Abigail was winning. Every clash the two had she came out a little bit slower. Ratface clenched her jaw in frustration, there wasn’t anything she could do.

  It was tempting to compare herself to her namesake being caught by a cat. She knew she was being toyed with but that was where the comparison ended. A cat at least was on the same level as a rat.

  No, it was more like if the sun had taken a personal interest in her. She couldn’t even begin to think about how she would fight it. Maybe she could have hidden from it somehow but that wasn’t the same as winning. You didn’t say you defeat the sun by hiding in the shade.

  Abigail and Halvin clashed again. She caught his sword on her gauntlet. Not a move you’d usually do Ratface imagined, but if you had the sheer amount of armour Abigail had, it became more viable. The metal on the gauntlet was duller than the rest of the armour. Abigail must have sacrificed it so she could keep the rest of the armour moving. The least bad decision available to her.

  She shoved the sword out of the way and slammed her own into Halvin’s neck. He collapsed and she danced back as the snakes swarmed him to fix him up. She felt rage shudder through the thing surrounding her and its control slipped. Her temptation was to move immediately but she held back. She’d only get one chance; she needed a plan before she did so.

  She used the only part of her she could without giving anything away. She focused deeply with her eyes, deeper than she had before.

  Nothing but darkness. She couldn’t see past whatever the Goddess was to find a weakness.

  “Let me ask you a question,” whispered a voice to her. It was the same quiet one that had argued not to hurt her. “Where do you think you are?” It slipped away before she could ask it what it meant as the rest of the voices focused on her.

  “Who is she?” they asked her.

  “Abigail,” Ratface whispered. She was glad there were no eyes to meet because she wouldn’t be able to do it.

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  They whispered Abigail’s name, like they were trying to remember it. A thousand images flickered past.

  “The grandma?” they asked.

  A single image lingered. A battlefield with a middle-aged woman crumpled on the floor. A dead elf lay at her feet. A girl watched it all with a betrayed look.

  “The rune-knight,” they whispered in understanding. Ratface let a small smile slip onto her face.

  “When he kills her, she will be a fine addition.”

  The smile left her face, and her hands clenched around the altar. Wait. The altar? So that’s what the voice had meant. She’d never actually left the graveyard.

  Ugh, why hadn’t that stupid elf told her how to break this connection. Had she not actually known? Was Ratface just the test? Or was it just so obvious that anyone could do it?

  She had a plan. It wasn’t an amazing one, but it was all she had. Now she just had to trust Abigail to win once more.

  She looked back up to the image. Abigail was flagging. She’d beaten Halvin so many times but every victory had come at a cost. The other adventurers were all still fighting so they couldn’t help her. Ratface clutched at the altar, doing her best not to move. Come on Abigail, just one more win.

  The two knights clashed once more. Halvin was finally pushing her back. His snakes kept striking at her. She went to block, and a snake pulled her arm down as he slammed his sword into her armour. The armour held but now the snakes had her caught and Halvin was wailing on her, sapping away at her mana. Ratface watched in horror as the magic sapped further and further away. Her armour losing its usual sheen. All except for the one holding her sword.

  Halvin let go of his sword and grabbed onto Abigail’s face. Darkness covered him and was beginning to spread to Abigail. He leaned in ever closer as he tried to take her for his goddess.

  Ratface watched in horror. Right up until Abigail smiled.

  “Got you,” she said. She tapped her sword twice.

  Blue light flashed across the screen and Halvin fell back burning. The Goddess screamed; whatever Abigail had done had really hurt Halvin. Ratface felt the hold on her slip as the Goddess poured more of her energy into her champion. Abigail had given her the best chance she could.

  Ratface grabbed onto the altar and heaved. It didn’t move at first. Was she seriously too weak? No. She refused to screw this up after Abigail fought so hard. Ratface grit her teeth and shoved. The thing slid off and toppled onto the floor. There was an almighty crack. Like the world broke.

  Ratface blinked. She was back in the graveyard. A broken altar sitting in front of her. All of the face had crumbled away except for one. A peaceful thing.

  Ratface looked at the sky. It was lighter now. The sun peeking through. All that was left now was to meet up with the adventurers.

  “You did it,” said Vin. Ratface turned to face her.

  She looked younger than she had at the start. More at peace.

  “He was-”

  “Your father, right?” said Ratface.

  “How’d you know?”

  “He’s an elf, you’re an elf. You worked with goblins which meant it wasn’t something other elves could help with. I know that desperation.”

  “You’re not mad?”

  “I’m furious,” said Ratface, “but you’re going to make it up to me. Come with me to the adventurers. You’re going to clear these goblins' names.”

  Vin looked at her with an amused smile.

  “They did warn me you were a rat,” she said.

  Ratface smiled. Quite the compliment, even if she didn’t mean it to be.