Corin and Nanaua sat in the cramped den the Onsiel had carved out from the base of the tree. The place was barren save for the remains of a fire and discarded animal remains, to which Kaha currently helped himself to. The four of them were barely able to fit in the enclosed space.

  The Onsiel had been tied down as fast as possible, with his hands behind his back and his mouth stuffed with rags that they had found.

  Corin saw the Onsiel’s leg stir first. Soon he raised his head and began jerking around in horror, unsure of what was happening and trying everything he could to get out of his current predicament.

  “Neles!” Nanaua shouted forcefully.

  Everyone in the cramped hut stared at Nanaua and she had their attention.

  “We are not here to hurt you!” She continued. “We are not with Jokasta.”

  The Onsiel visibly reacted to the name. He began to look around from Nanaua to Corin. He tried to speak but his mouth was stuffed.

  “I will remove the gag from your mouth, but please do not attack us.” She implored him. “All we want to do is talk to you. After that we promise we will leave. Do you give me your word?”

  The furtive still stared at her.

  “Your word Neles!” Nanaua shouted once more.

  The Onsiel nodded. Corin cut the cloth that gagged his mouth and the Onsiel began coughing at once.

  “I'm sorry.” Corin said. “But we just wanted to be sure that you wouldn't try to attack us again.”

  “No.” Neles replied, as he looked away. “I should be the one apologizing. I let my fear get the better of me and attacked anyone who came.”

  “So you believe us?” Corin replied.

  Neles eyed Corin.

  “I'll listen to you.” He said.

  “I will take that.” Corin replied.

  “Neles if you must know we were contacted by the forest elves to come help you. They were concerned about you and asked for us to speak with you. I promise we do not come from Jokasta's camp.” Nanaua added.

  “I know you do not come from Jokasta's camp already.” Neles replied.

  “How so?” Nanaua asked.

  “If you had truly come from Jokasta’s camp you would know that Neles is not my real name.” The furtive replied. “I wanted to be sure that if Jokasta sent groups out to search for me that they could not find me. My real name is Casim.”

  “Oh that makes sense. Casim.” Corin repeated. “I am Corin.”

  “Nanaua.” She added.

  Casim looked at the two of them. He tried to move and groaned.

  “Sorry about that.” Corin said and moved to cut the binding that held him in place.

  Casim massaged his wrists.

  “So why did the forest elves reach out to you two?” Casim asked.

  “Because they know we have first hand knowledge of how Onsiel’s powers work.” Corin replied.

  “Yet you do not come from Jokasta's camp?” Casim asked. “What is it you are not telling me? Why are you here?”

  “We were looking for you because we are searching for people who know how to find Jokasta’s camp.” Corin said. “There are two furtives that defected to her camp that we are looking for. And we thought you could help us.”

  “I see.” Casim replied. “So you want me to help you find two furtives out of a camp of tens of thousands? I doubt I'll know who you wish to find.”

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  “We are looking for two human women, Zhi and Livia.” Nanaua said.

  “The High Priestess and the Quartermaster?” Casim replied confused.

  Corin and Nanaua exchanged confused looks.

  “Who?” Corin replied.

  “Quartermaster Livia and High Priestess Zhi.” Casim replied. “There might be others with that name in the fortress, but everyone knows those two, and they're humans as well.”

  “This Quartermaster. Is she short, shorter than me, dark skin like mine, with shoulder length curly hair?” Corin asked.

  “Well the last time I saw the Quartermaster her hair was longer, but the description fits otherwise.” Casim replied.

  “Is the high priestess a pale woman with long jet black hair?” Nanaua asked.

  “Yes.” Casim replied.

  “Are they safe? Did Jokasta hurt them?” Corin asked.

  “Well not to my knowledge. I'd be surprised if they were hurt, both of them are some of Jokasta's most trusted aides” Casim replied.

  Corin felt a mix of relief and anger at the revelation. He was glad to hear of Livia's safety, but felt a deep sense of betrayal at her continued support of Jokasta.

  “There's much we would like to learn from you, would you be willing to share what you have seen with us?” Corin asked him.

  Casim stared at him and Nanaua. He looked at his hands.

  “There is a great deal I can share with you from what I have seen in the fortress. Our preparations for war, the raids we have undertaken.” He began speaking as he looked at Corin and Nanaua.

  “But something tells me you two know a great deal already.” He added. “The Quartermaster, the High Priestess. These two are of the first three disciples of Jokasta. You claim to know them, to know of Jokasta, but claim to not be one of her legionnaires. You seem to know a great deal about Jokasta but have never stepped foot in the fortress, how is that possible? The only other furtive who was approached by the Goddess outside of the fortress was the third disciple, Scoutmaster Kadus.”

  Corin and Nanaua exchanged looks.

  “Hmph, I don't know what the goddess has told you but there were six of us when we freed Jokasta from her prison.” Nanaua added with a hint of anger.

  Corin felt the knot in his stomach tighten.

  “Prison? What are you speaking of?” Casim replied with shock.

  “The three you speak of assisted myself, Corin and another brave warrior in freeing Jokasta from a prison she had been locked away in.” Nanaua replied. “At the time we only sought a weapon to fight against the Titans. Little did we know the weapon would turn to be another crazed God with their own power hungry ambitions.”

  Casim listened to Nanaua in silence and once she finished he did not react for several moments. He then turned to both Corin and Nanaua and began laughing.

  “What? You find this comical?” Nanaua replied as she was taken aback.

  “You are telling me that Jokasta had been imprisoned and that you freed her?” Casim replied. “You expect me to believe that? I thought I was the only one who had lost their mind, but I may have been wrong."

  “It is no lie.” Corin muttered. It was hard for him to even utter those words. “We did assist in freeing Jokasta from a prison built by the Titans’ Gods. You think Jokasta just appeared out of thin air now because she decided it was the right time? No, it was our doing!”

  Casim stared at the two, looking from side to side, expecting either of them to break their farce and admit they were lying to him.

  “But that's impossible.” Casim replied. “The Goddess told us she returned after a long slumber. She seeked out the three disciples, three furtives who she trusted with her vision and they in turn helped bring others into her legion.”

  “Your Goddess lies.” Nanaua replied. “She did not seek those three out. They just happened to be the three that agreed to join her upon her release.”

  “But the Scoutmaster, the High Priestess, the Quartermaster. They all speak of the visit by the Goddess, how she reached out to them, chose them herself. The first of many in her legion.”

  Neither Corin nor Nanaua interjected, their silence only deepened the doubt that grew within him.

  “So you're saying you helped set that free on this world?” Casim accused Nanaua and Corin. “Do you know has happened since she's been freed? What I've seen since I joined her legion?! Furtives crushed, begging for their lives, dying as they fight Titans?! We aren't meant to do that! That's what you helped set free!?”

  “We did what we thought was right!” Nanaua shouted “Did you ever lose anything to the Titans? Did you not live in fear of being destroyed by them?”

  Casim was silent.

  “So who are the Quartermaster and the High Priestess to you?” Casim replied.

  “Zhi. She is the love of my life.” Nanaua said. “I promised her I would never leave her side. I will do what I must to get her back.”

  Casim turned to Corin.

  “Livia. She's my wife.”

  Casim looked at both of them.

  “Interesting.” Casim said. “I don't think I ever heard either of them mention any lovers.”

  The words stung Corin. To be relegated to a lover, especially one who does not even merit mention.

  “Whether or not we are mentioned by them does not change what our goal is.” Nanaua interjected. “All we need to know is where they are.”

  Casim looked at her intently and then at Corin.

  “Before I joined Jokasta's legion I had a partner.” He began. “He was everything I could have wanted, and despite our meager existence we were happy. It was the kind of happiness one can attain when one knows their place in the world. But when her messengers arrived that all changed. The thought that I could join a group that aimed to change the world, to elevate furtives awakened something within me that I knew I could not ignore. I was the first in my village to stand by the side of the High Onsiel. She smiled at me as I took a place by her side.”

  Casim paused. He shivered. He looked at the half burnt logs near him and with a wave of his hand they came to life. Kaha was curious and sniffed at the sudden flames.

  “Other villagers came to our side, but not Felix.” Casim said. “I had spent years with him and I could not believe what I had just seen. I felt a deep sense of betrayal. I thought we would always be together and I could not imagine for a single moment that he would not follow me. I realized then that despite how many years I had spent with this man there were still parts of him that I had never seen, parts I would never know.”

  Casim stopped.

  “I miss him a lot.” He added.

  “So you understand us!” Nanaua said. “You'll be able to help! You'll guide us to Jokasta’s stronghold.”

  “No.” Casim replied quickly. “I say all that so you know that while I understand what you feel, that I cannot give you what you want.”

  “What do you mean? You won't help us?” Corin spoke up.

  “I can't.” Casim replied. “No legionnaire is allowed to divulge the location of the fortress, even if we wanted to. We are bound by magic.”

  Corin thought back to the encounter with Kadus shortly after his ascension. He had said a similar thing.

  “Damn it!” Nanaua shouted. “How are we supposed to find them? Can't you take us there? Just show us the general area where the fortress is and we can make the rest of the way there?”

  “If you want to meet with the High Priestess or the Quartermasters you won't have to go to the fortress.” Casim added.

  “What do you mean?” Corin asked.

  “The reason I escaped the fortress was because Jokasta's legion was soon to depart the fortress in force in mobilization.” Casim replied.

  “Mobilization? What does that mean?” Corin replied.

  “Mobilization for the war of course. The war between furtives and Titan is about to begin.”