“I have no idea where he went!” Xia Bei yells as she stomps around the empty house.

  Anluan sits cross-legged at the table, having pulled three fish out of the ocean. He nods, holding the fish in the air as they swim around him. “I can sense the King Piece is still active and in a stable condition, so he’s still alive and does not appear to be in duress.”

  “Well, that’s good news, I guess. But where did he go and how did he disappear from right next to me?”

  “Because he had help.”

  “Help?”

  “I had some help from the shadows,” Glyn says entering the house with a smirk on his face. “I’m back everyone.”

  “You idiot of a King! I was worried about you!”

  “Sorry. It was a sudden invitation, and I didn’t have a choice but to accept it.”

  “Invitation?”

  “Oh, Anluan, I brought a guest.”

  “If I’d known that, I would’ve caught a fourth fish.”

  “It’s fine. I don’t need to eat.” A voice comes from above.

  Everyone looks up to see the masked figure standing on the ceiling, looking down at the three. Xia Bei stares at the Shadow as they land on the ground appearing behind Glyn.

  “I tracked down the Shadows.”

  “Hello.” They say.

  “A Shadow.” Xia Bei says.

  Glyn nods. “The Shadows are supposed to be the mediators of our little War Game. So, they should have at least one agent of theirs watching us at all times.”

  “Yes, but if they’ve been watching, then why haven’t they acted now? Aren’t they supposed to be some kind of militant Demon Slayers or something?”

  “The order was founded to maintain stability over the kingdom under the late king. Our tenants do have mention of Demon Slaying. But as Demons have become a nearly extinct species, we have had lesser need of this role.” They explain.

  Glyn nods. “Right, but a Demon’s shown up on this island. A whole nest of them, in fact.”

  “You are correct. As such, we will postpone the War until this situation gets handled. That is what I would say if I could contact my allies off the island.”

  “I figured as such. Morgan has some way of trapping you here and you can’t contact anyone for a way out.”

  They nod. “Yes. At least three of my fellows went missing on this island, so I was assigned to investigate. Sadly, I fell into the same trap as the others, but I escaped with my life and hid away while looking for a way to escape.”

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  “I see. My bet was right. She has something keeping people from escaping. I imagine it must be some magic or a weapon of sorts. Or it could be a function of that airship of hers.”

  “Yes, the Old War Airship is troublesome. But it needs a fast supply of Mana to function. A supply that’s currently being fed into that thing they all call the Great One. Which is a Demon. Or more likely a Greater Demon.”

  “I figured. That thing wakes up. We’re all in trouble.”

  “Yes, a full military response may be necessary. But for now, if I can get the word out, we can make do with the King Candidates.”

  “All things considered, that’s possibly the best move we can do. If we can stop it before it awakens, then we have a chance of containing the damage.”

  “Yes.”

  “But we’re still stuck. To do anything, we need to get inside that castle. But we have no way inside the castle.” Xia Bei says.

  Glyn nods. “That’s right. We still need an entrance.”

  “What is your plan once you are inside?”

  “First off, I have to save my Queen. They plan to use her for something and she has an intense power that I can’t let them get their hands on. Besides that, I…. I hate that she’s been in their clutches for this long.” Glyn says, glaring at the floor.

  “With this group, a head-on assault is worthless. Even calling your remaining forces would leave you at a severe disadvantage. If you want to infiltrate their palace, you’ll need subterfuge.”

  “That I know.”

  “Once inside Xia Bei and I have experience inside to somewhat navigate the building.” Anluan states.

  Glyn nods. “We just have to save Mila and while we’re inside, we can disable whatever is keeping you from sending your message.”

  They nod. “Fine. But if I agree to your plan, do you have a way of proving you won’t get yourself killed in there?”

  “None. And I didn’t know you cared.”

  “I don’t. I just like knowing my odds. You’re a Half-Elf who can barely use magic working with two compromised individuals. One was Morgan’s puppet and could get reinfected while the other is the Piece of a King under Morgan’s sway. You're putting yourself in a dangerous position here.”

  Glyn nods. “Yeah. It’s dangerous. But it’s all I can do. I have to save Mila. I got her in this mess. I have to save her!”

  They pause for a moment. “There’s an entrance that leads into an underground network for the castle. It was likely some form of escape route created by the original builders. It’s on the southern side of the island, near a beach hidden by a series of odd-looking plants.”

  “Okay. That’s good. The entrance is open?”

  “Yes. Morgan’s forces appear to be unaware of it as when I used it. There were no guards. If you plan appropriately, you can slip inside and do what you wish.”

  Glyn nods. “Thank you.”

  “I’m only helping you for my ends. Whether you survive will be up to you, understood?”

  “Either way, thank you.”

  The Shadow bows and then disappears in front of everyone’s view.

  “So do we trust that thing?” Xia Bei asks.

  “The Shadows only want to keep the peace and order. Their especially hostile to anything Demonic in nature. They went around and destroyed various cultists over the years.” Glyn smirks. “They’ll work to wipe out Morgan’s forces once they figure out she’s related to Demons.”

  “So that’s the plan right now?” Xia Bei asks.

  Anluan nods. “A solid plan. We’ll need more forces to take out all of Morgan’s people and exterminate the infestation in my hive.”

  “Fine. But I don’t trust them.”

  “To be fair, do you trust anyone?” Glyn asks.

  “I did. But I led him into danger when I should’ve made him flee.” Xia Bei says.

  Glyn nods. “Alright. As long as you're willing to work with me on this, then I’m fine if you don’t trust me. Just remember, for right now, at least we’re on the same team.”

  Glyn reaches his hand out to Xia Bei. She looks at him and takes his hand. “Same team.” She says.

  “Good. Now let’s get to bed. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, I can already feel the headache it's about to cause.” She says.