I rolled to my stomach and Grek had to shuffled away from me. He gave me an exasperated look. I ignored him. There was no way I was letting the specters consume the demonic essence in the room. Even if I had to crawl on my hands and knees, I was going to plunge my dagger into the specters before they could mutate into something unrecognizable. So, I did exactly that. I put one hand under me, then the other, and finally my knees.

  Grek sighed and shook his head. “My lord, with all due respect, you are one crazy manaborn.”

  I wanted to curse back. That was strange. What was the point of cursing at one of your own people? Not that I could. My mouth was full with two mana crystals. So I opted to keep quiet and give Grek a withering look.

  “Fine.” Grek sighed and asked while pointing at the specter that had chased us, “Would you at least let me bring that one to you?”

  I looked at Grek and blinked. Grek wanted to carry the specter to me? Was he crazy? How was he going to carry the specter when it could shoot soul fire?

  Grek read my mind and folded his arms. “I used to be an Inquisitor, you know. We have tools to handle the ethereal.”

  Grek reached in his bottomless belt pouch and took out a long rope. He began to walk to the specter. I didn’t stop him. I was stunned at the sight of the rope. It wasn’t a normal rope. It was made out of threads of essence. And not just normal essence.

  The essence was powerful, deep, and full of restrained ferocity. I knew that power. It was Father.

  How powerful was the Emperor? If he could separate essence from himself to make tools for his people, I really needed to gain more strength and use similar tools in battle.

  Grek spun the rope over his head and flung it. The specter was injured and hovering next to the wall. It was slowly trying to close the gap between it and the specter trapped under the mass of the bear. It tried to put up resistance. But all it could manage was to bring its hands up.

  The rope twisted as if it was alive. With a snap, it wrapped around the specter. Grek tugged and the rope tightened around the specter, locking the specter’s arms on the creature’s chest.

  Blue flames sputtered out its hands and died. The specter hissed and glared at Grek.

  Grek nodded empathetically. “Yes. Yes. I know I am the worst. But you lost and now, you are food.”

  Technically, it wasn’t food. Its essence was. Once I had taken its essence it would be just another soul drifting in the Dark Waters. But explaining that to Grek seemed unnecessary and the specter, well, it wasn’t going to like the distinction either way.

  Grek tugged on the specter and dragged it towards me. With all the strength I had, I lifted myself to my knees. By the time I looked up the specter was hovering before me.

  Its bony skull and the sputtering flames in its eyes glared at me.

  I bowed my head slightly and muttered, “Thank you for your service.”

  And with a grunt of effort, I plunged my dagger in the specter’s chest. I ripped my blade down. The fires in the specter’s eyes dimmed and it fell down next to my knees.

  I scooted closer and dropped myself upon the dissipating essence. I let my soul do the rest of the work while my body broke down the mana in the mana crystals in my mouth.

  Meanwhile, Grek walked around the room, collecting weapons and pouches from our fallen foes. He brought them to me and began placing them in a line.

  “Why thank it for its service, Your Highness?” Grek asked in the silence.

  I took a long breath of essence and answered, “Because they served the Voss clan in the time of its need.”

  “But they tried to kill us.” Grek frowned while unlacing a large pouch from the one-eared thorg’s belt.

  “That was its duty. It was a specter of Voss. Its soul was angered when it saw invaders. Being a maddened creature as it was, it didn’t see the difference between us and the others,” I explained.

  “Are you telling me all these spirits and specters are fallen Vosses?”

  “Yes.”

  Grek paused in his work and asked, “Do you believe there are Grisslows here too?”

  Stolen novel; please report.

  I sighed. “Grek, specters are malicious because they have lost all sense. They are angry. So angry that they don’t even recognize their own reflection. I have seen a specter attack its own shadow. If you think you can save a soul because you believe it is a Grisslow, you can’t.”

  “Not what I was planning. I was just wondering if we could reason with the next ones.” Grek smiled and added, “But I wasn’t really hanging my hope on that peg. After all, we could run into a Voss. And you Vosses are as stubborn as the mountains you rule.”

  I blinked and turned my head to look at Grek.

  Grek chuckled. “Why do you think you needed us Grisslows?”

  A loud screeching sound stopped anything I was going to say. The sound originated from the open door to the ballroom. It was the same place we had entered from and now it didn’t have a door to stop intruders.

  Grek rushed to me and picked up a crossbow on the floor. He loaded a bolt and aimed it at the door.

  “Your Highness, stay behind me,” Grek ordered and in a softer voice added, “Leave me if you have to. It’s been an honor...”

  A loud gust of wind ruffled my hair and blinded my eyes. I blinked and looked at our new enemies. Two humans shot into the room with naked blades and looked around. Behind them a tornado raged. Its tail screeching as if dug into the floor.

  “Oh, thank the stars.” Grek exhaled.

  The tornado slowed and lost its momentum. From it a very large, angry woman glared down at me. She looked at me, the wisps flowing into my chest, and all the dead bodies around.

  “Brother, why is it that every time I leave you, I find you injured?” Ilya asked me.

  “In my defense, I am not injured,” I tried to object.

  “Yeah, then what about the blood you are dripping to the floor?” Ilya pointed at the wound on my side.

  “Ah, that. It’s nothing. Barely a scratch.” I tried to justify my state.

  Ilya raised her finger at me. “I will deal with you later. First.” She turned to the punishers. “Stone, Whily, police the area. Grisslow, report.”

  Grek lowered his crossbow. “Your Grace, there were twelve enemies.”

  “Nine,” I corrected.

  “I am counting the specters too, Your Highness,” Grek stated and continued, “His Highness engineered a fight in between the enemies and then decided to battle the leftovers by himself. Two of them were Ascari Breakers. One got him on his side. The other one almost bit his face off. And your brother insists on eating the specters.”

  I looked at Grek and grumbled, “Mouth, you speak too much.”

  Grek smiled. “That is my job, Your Highness.”

  Ilya looked up praying for patience and looked back down at me. “Where is your sword, Voss?”

  “It broke.”

  Ilya closed her eyes and began walking away. “No. I won’t scream at you. I just…” She spun back to me. “Twelve enemies!? You took on twelve enemies by yourself? Specters and breakers. You don’t even have a mana core!”

  I recoiled. “What does that mean?”

  Ilya threw her hands up. “Will you stop running into battles by yourself?”

  “Umm… Sister, how are you doing? Do you need more essence?”

  Ilya glared at me and with a flick of her finger released her torc. She grew to match my size and loomed over me. “Don’t try to bribe me, whelp.”

  I gulped. “Understood.”

  Grek cleared his throat to get our attention. “Your Grace. I also found some messages in the possession of the thorgs.” He gave Ilya a hesitant look. “I know who sent them here.”

  Ilya looked at Grek questioningly. The punisher picked up a disc from the floor and held it out to her.

  Ilya looked at the metal plate in her hand and asked, “What are these symbols? It looks like some kind of communication artifact but I haven’t seen its kind before.”

  “It’s Ascari, Your Grace,” Grek explained. “That script is Nagiri. A demonic tongue.”

  Ilya flinched and held it away from her.

  “It is safe. It is just a communication disc.” Grek held his hand out and Ilya handed the artifact back to the punisher. “Here, it has a stored communication.”

  Grek touched a symbol and the artifact whirred into action. The disc began to float in the air and a face with marble skin and green mana veins looked at us.

  Tyran Truechild’s cold green eyes turned to look at whoever he saw on the other side. He smiled a sneering smile and greeted the man on the other end, “Breaker.”

  “Imperial,” One Ear’s voice responded.

  “Not for long and not if you do your part.”

  Tyran looked away for a second and then turned back to look out of the disc. “I don’t have much time. Starbright is coming for me. I will have to leave soon.”

  “What do you want?”

  Tyran smiled viciously. “To keep up my end of the bargain. Voss is undefended. If you do as I say you will be able to annex the province without an issue.”

  “Speak.”

  Tyran frowned. “My damned have weakened the fortress’s shield in the Duchy of Voss. They launch an attack there soon. Then they will proceed to capture Ilya Truechild. Senator Streton wants her mana core.”

  “What has that got to do with us?” One Ear asked.

  “Let me speak and you will know, demon blood,” Tyran growled and took a breath.

  One Ear’s hand waved for Tyran to continue.

  “Once Ilya is out of the way, you can attack the Voss Keep and take the control crystal. My people will help you infiltrate the Cradle City and the keep. Once you do, the locals will have no choice but to bow to your wishes.”

  “They will kneel? Just like that?” There was surprise in One Ear’s voice.

  Tyran chuckled. “Most of the nobility is damned. They will submit to your rule. Until I come for my share. The rest? They will have no choice. I have released Hell Goats to harass them. They need all the help they can get. You can be that help.”

  “I see.” One Ear considered Tyran’s words for a few seconds. “What about the other Truechildren?”

  “Sage is a weakling healer. He will stay out of the fight. Most probably lock himself in the fortress. The other one, he is touched in the head and not all the way there. If you act quickly, you will get what you want.”

  “And what do you want, damned?”

  Tyran snarled. “I want Larden Starbright’s leash off my soul.”

  One Ear sighed. “I will pray to Zarathan. But I believe they will agree.”

  “You should take ten thorgs. That will give you the best chance.” Tyran nodded.

  One Ear laughed. “We are not weak like your empire, Imperial. We only need five to take care of this province.”

  Tyran gritted his teeth. “If you fail...”

  “Quiet, Imperial. Don’t tell me how to do my job. And if your information is accurate then you have nothing to worry about. Zarathan will cut your leash and free you.”

  The message abruptly ended leaving us looking at Tyran’s angry face and narrowed eyes.