Johnathan meets up with the woman wielding the rapier as she makes her way back to where he was located. “Where is Morgan?”

  “Dead, the boy led us into a trap and used some needleleafs as a distraction to attack us from a distance again.” She shakes her head, touching one of the many stings, remembering the fight.

  “We will have to work together to catch him. By now, he should have figured out I am no longer giving him chase and is setting up something else nasty for when I return.”

  “Should we just wait for Creed and Rufus?” Johnathan holds the wound on his side and looks at the wounds all over Cassandra.

  “No, they would be here already if they wanted to be. Creed is probably playing with the squires, while who knows what Rufus is up to. He probably already returned to camp, not bothering to come and follow us.”

  “Why would either of them think that we needed help with a single child?” She shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose.

  “Who would have thought that Echthrós would be this dangerous while he is so young?” She doesn’t answer Johnathan’s question; there is no point in it.

  They walk side by side and head in the direction she had last seen Max heading. The Echthrós was always to be considered dangerous; they shouldn’t have been distracted by his age.

  He had already fouled up two of their plans, but they couldn’t help but see him as a child. They won’t be making that mistake again.

  It takes them quite some time to finally find Max’s trail again. Like before, it seems to have been left almost purposely so that they could follow him.

  Cassandra slows their pace, and they take extra care in looking for any sort of ambush or trap. They move far more slowly than when they had chased Max at the beginning.

  He has taught them to be afraid of him and that these woods are full of dangers. They stop once they come to a clearing.

  Across the wide open space, Max sits on the ground with a bow and arrow in his lap. He looks bored as he waits there.

  “There he is!” Johnathan is about to charge forward when Cassandra grabs his arm.

  She shakes her head. “It is another trap. I have no idea what is waiting for us in that field, but whatever it is, we don’t want to find out.”

  “He is in the open? What kind of trap could it possibly be? He is getting in your head.” Looking at her concerned expression, Jonathan shakes his head.

  “Even if he is Echthrós, he hasn’t shown any sort of magic yet, so what could he possibly have set up out here?” Pulling his arm free, he openly enters the clearing and walks toward Max.

  She purses her lips and decides to just stand back and wait. There was a trap here, she knew that much; whatever it was, she wasn’t going to walk into it like an idiot.

  “So, have you finally decided to stand and fight?” When he is halfway across the clearing, Jonathan can’t help but shout.

  Judging that it was about time, Max stands and notches the arrow. He ignores the idiot's shout and aims the arrow at him.

  The man raises his hammer and gets ready to try to block it. Max rolls his eyes, turns, and fires the arrow through some trees and a bush.

  A loud roar is heard, and he smirks before saluting and running into the woods behind him. No sooner is he gone than a large bear comes crashing through the bush with an arrow stuck in its flank.

  Cassandra cannot help but laugh dryly as she watches the bear charge at the only person it sees, Johnathan. He raises his hammer and tries to meet the bear’s charge, proving just how much of an idiot he truly is.

  She circles around the clearing to follow after Max. The sounds of her last companion being mauled to death fill the air. I guess Johnathan was right, there was no trap in the clearing after all.

  Neither of us could have guessed he found a bear nearby and was planning on having it fight in his stead. She sighs and continues this game of cat and mouse, no longer sure which she is.

  Not having to travel far, she finds Max standing with the bow at the ready, not too far ahead in another clearing. Having no other option, she walks out and faces him.

  “So what have you prepared this time? Another bear? More bees? Maybe another needleleaf nest?”

  Max laughs at her attitude and shakes his head. “I don’t have anything else prepared. This has gone on long enough. Now that it is just you and me, there is no need for anymore games.”

  Games. Anger fills her eyes at his choice of words, but truthfully, she cannot dispute him. She readies her rapier, but before she can approach, he speaks again.

  “You are Eschaton, correct? It is the only thing that makes sense.”

  “At this point, does it matter?” She hesitates. Why talk now? What does it matter who I am with?

  “True, either way we have to finish this.” Max nods and then shrugs. “Still, I am curious. You are, aren’t you?”

  “Fine, yes, I am a member of Eschaton. Does that make this easier for you or something?” She crosses her arms and glares at him.

  Is this another game? Maybe some sort of trap that he is buying time for? Glancing around the clearing, she doesn’t notice anything out of sorts.

  “I don’t really see how it could.” Tilting his head, Max lowers the bow slightly and looks over her wounded form.

  His response catches her off guard. “What is that supposed to mean? You are Echthrós, you should be anxious to take our lives.”

  “Well, I am not. I never claimed to be this Echthrós, that is something you and your friend claimed me to be.” Max pauses to sigh.

  “Honestly, I have never had anything against you people. What happened in Summit Oak was self-defense, and we only went after them because they ran away. We didn’t know what they were planning and chose to finish them off before they did anything worse to the kingdom.”

  Cassandra hesitates before shaking her head, denying his words. “You really expect me to believe that? After what you did to Connor? Why are you trying to act as though you aren’t Echthrós? Do you think you can trick me?”

  Shrugging helplessly, Max pauses, unsure of what to say to that. “I killed Connor in self-defense after he used some weird spell on me. What is that supposed to prove?”

  “Killed him? You turned him into a monster! We cannot even begin to figure out what you have done to him.” Exasperated, she opens her arms wide and shouts at him.

  This takes Max aback. “He’s alive? I drove my tomahawk into his skull, and then he turned to dust. How could he be alive?”

  Cassandra’s eyes widen. He has no idea. Did he cause what happened to Connor? We always assumed he did, but now what if he didn’t?

  If he just killed him and this is the result of something else, maybe he isn’t the Echthrós. Connor claimed him to be and used the banishing spell on him. It failed horribly and cost him his life.

  If he were Echthrós, it should have worked. If he is not Echthrós, then what the hell is he? There is no way a normal child could have done all this. He also keeps appearing around the Imítheos. Maybe he is one of them?

  “Boy, are you an Imítheos?”

  Max tilts his head, looking at her in disbelief. A demigod? She actually thinks I might be one? Wait, does that mean she believes me? That I’m not Echthrós?

  “That means demigod, right? One of the ones from the ancient kingdom? I doubt it, but how should I know?”

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  They look at each other in silence for some time. Neither knows exactly what they should do next. Cassandra keeps her guard up even if the bow isn’t directly aimed at her.

  I was sent to deal with Echthrós; if he isn’t, then I have no reason to continue this nonsense. The others won’t just take my word for it and will want him dead either way.

  It would be great if he would just come with me, and then we could sort it out at base. If he turns out to be Imítheos, it would be a waste to kill him here.

  He seems to know what it means and that it relates to the ancient kingdom; how he has figured that out is beyond me. No matter what he is, he is very dangerous.

  “Is William Sinclair a member?” Max’s sudden question breaks her concentration, and she hesitates to answer.

  He knows Sinclair? Yes, that is right, he does. Sinclair mentioned that someone who could vanish into thin air rescued the two Imítheos he had captured. He must have been the same boy.

  He interfered and didn’t even know it was Eschaton? How can that be? Is he Echthrós or isn’t he? How does he keep getting mixed up with us if he isn’t?

  Confused and suddenly unsure of herself, Cassandra can’t help but ask, “Why do you ask?”

  “Me and him have some unfinished business. I think he is a member of your group, but I cannot be sure. I figure you would know,” Mac watches her closely, not trusting her. “So, how about it. Is he a member or not?”

  “Yes,” Cassandra finds no reason to hide this from the boy. “He is a bishop inside our organization. It would be best for you to give up any thoughts you have toward him. Unlike that idiot Connor that you killed outside Summit Oak, Sinclair will not go easy on you.”

  “So he is a member.” Max’s stance firms, and his eyes narrow, almost a completely different child now. “Then I guess that means we are still enemies. Your organization should make plans for his coming death.”

  His fingers pull the bow string ever so slightly before releasing it. He looks her over again and switches just as quickly back to a softer stance. “Since you answered my questions, and I think you’ve suffered plenty already, why don’t you leave?”

  “Leave? Are you saying you will let me go? You think you have the right to dismiss me like that?” A scowl comes over her face, and she takes a defensive posture.

  “All I mean is we don’t have to fight. Your attack failed, you’re injured, your men are dead. Take the loss and live to fight another day.” Seeing her stance, he readies the bow just in case, but keeps it lowered.

  “Can’t do it, kid, only one of us will be leaving this clearing.” With the talking finished, she rushes forward at him.

  He releases an arrow almost immediately, and she spins around it. The next arrow she slashes with her sword, but he finally gets the third to strike her shoulder that has already been hit twice.

  She grimaces and continues forward, closing the distance and striking his last arrow down. Max tosses the useless bow to the side and drops the quiver. Shrugging the spear off, he catches it and gets ready to engage her.

  When she gets close, he thrusts the spear forward at her chest, but to his surprise, she drops into a slide and stabs him in the side.

  He slashes with the spear as he turns and backs away, touching his wound. She ducks the slash and starts to circle him.

  Max uses the spear the best he can and starts with a series of jabs, but she either dodges them or parries with the rapier. Damn, that was quick. I didn't expect her to slide.

  Following the same pattern he used on the bandit who attacked Ganis, Max jabs forward three times in quick succession. Each of the jabs moves the spear further from him until his right hand is at the end of it, and then he jabs a fourth time, turning sideways and extending it out as fully as he can.

  Cassandra parries the long jab and moves along the spear toward his back, smiling. That was a foolish move. You are much better with the bow.

  She pulls her rapier back for a jab when Max turns. He grabs the spear with his left hand in a reverse grip and sweeps the spear back and across her waist. She manages to jump back just enough that the blow only glances against her leather armor.

  Before she can recover, Max raises the spear over his shoulder and thrusts it down into her shin just as he had against the bandit. Screaming she jabs the rapier at Max’s face.

  Max leans back and moves his left arm underneath the spear and pulls it across his shoulder before whipping it around and ducking her rapier as she pulls it back. The whipped spear comes across in front of him in a horizontal slice.

  She doesn’t react in time, and the spear cleaves through her cheek and out of her mouth as her head turns. Leaving her with a lopsided smile that goes all the way to her left ear.

  She tries to put distance between them, but screams out and falls when she puts weight on her leg that had been stabbed. Holding her face, she looks up at Max, who holds the spear threateningly at her.

  “This fight is over. I told you, you should have simply left when you had the chance.” Cassandra laughs dryly over Max’s words.

  “If only life was that simple. Well, get on with it.” She closes her eyes and waits for the spear to end her life.

  After a moment, she opens them to find Max had returned to where he discarded his bow and quiver. “What are you doing? Why didn’t you kill me?”

  “As I mentioned before, I have nothing against you. Hell, I don’t really have anything against Eschaton. I owe Sinclair a debt that I plan to repay.”

  “If you stand beside him, then you might very well find yourself bleeding on the ground again, only that time I won’t leave you breathing. As for Eschaton…” Max pauses.

  “Your God will fail. He doesn’t have the power to take this world. You may scoff and think I am an ignorant fool, but think about it. He trusts his power to your group to carry out his bidding. Why?”

  “Is he unwilling to do it himself, or is he unable to?” Max lets the question hang in the air for a second, but when she goes to reply, he cuts her off, continuing.

  “He has you out hunting for demigods. Why not just tell you who they are? Is he not powerful enough? And why care about demigods to begin with? I will tell you why. He is afraid of them. Them and this Echthrós fellow.”

  Max hangs the spear over his shoulder, then holds his arms out wide. “And what of me?”

  “I have crossed him three times now. How did your god help Sinclair with the demigods he caught for him? What good did worshiping this god do for the men who died at my hands and the hands of the Briargate guards?”

  “Where was your god when we set fire to your camp outside of Summit Oak? When this Connor fellow prayed to him and took energy directly from him and cast it at me, where was he then?”

  Picking up the quiver, he belts it back over his jacket. “Your men, following orders from above, came after me. Where is he now?”

  “Why does he not give you the strength to capture or kill me? Why doesn’t he smite me himself if he has so much power?”

  “Your god is a fake. You worship an imposter.”

  “He preaches to you about a new world reborn with his power, but fails to deliver it, and even if he somehow manages it, then what? You think you will be free? Some sort of divine figure who helped forge this new world?”

  Max laughs dryly. “Wrong. You will be a slave, just as you are now.”

  “You turn away from the kingdoms and how corrupt they are. You turn away from the churches and everything the people of this world value, claiming they are what? Shackles?”

  “That is always the way with groups like yours. You want freedom, you want power, you want to be in control. By taking his energy, how are you any more free? How is that not the biggest set of shackles? Do as I say, when I say it, how I say it, or I won’t grant you my power.”

  “Truly free. Eschaton is no different than any other group. Corrupt, power-hungry maniacs bent on enslaving others for their own profit.”

  Max picks up his bow and walks back over to her. “As long as there are people I care about in this world, I will defend them. If Eschaton stands against them, then they stand against me.”

  “I will not suffer from your arrogance. If you leave me no other choice, I will march across the Dread Wastes, and I will lay ruin upon your fragile god. It isn’t Echthrós that you should fear, it is me.”

  “I have no ties to any kingdom. I don’t care about the demigods. You have no spell that can rid you of me like the Echthrós. I already killed a bishop of yours and plan to kill another.” Max looks at her a final time as her mouth hangs wide open.

  Turning, he starts to walk across the field. “If you live long enough to see Sinclair, tell him I am coming for him just as I promised.”

  “Wait,” Cassandra finds her voice as he is about to leave. “You are connected to the Braye and Grey girls, are you not?”

  Max turns to her with anger in his eyes, but she waves her hands. “It is not a threat, just you saved them from Sinclair, and that is the only reason I can think you will be going after him. You even wear the crest of the Braye family.”

  Max’s hand moves to his necklace as she speaks. “I was sent after the Grey child, after they had moved her to Zenith Stronghold. She cast some sort of magic. It reacted to a blessed crystal that I wore in case I needed to be blessed by our lord’s power.”

  Her face twists thinking about all that Max said, and thinking she might have been a fool. “She summoned a beast.”

  I guess you might call it a pet of my lords. From what I could tell, she can’t really control it. I barely escaped with my life. The paladins who had been with me, along with all of the soldiers in the hold, were killed and transformed into the beast’s pets.”

  “If you plan to go after her, don’t. You have strength and skill beyond your years, and you might one day be a mighty foe, but as you are right now, that thing will rip you apart and turn you into one of its pets.”

  “Is Lady Elizabeth safe?” Max looks at the ground, thinking.

  “She should be. Even if she cannot fully control it, the creature should be attuned to her. It will protect her and take care of her the best that it can. Unless she learns to control it or banish it back to where she called it from, I do not believe anyone will be able to reach her.”

  “Why are you telling me all this?” Max looks over at her, trying to figure out her motive.

  She shakes her head with a sad smile. “I lost. After failing to kill you and failing to bring the Grey child back, I will have lost my place as a bishop. You have given me a lot to think about and have spared my life. This information is the least I can do.”

  Max nods and turns to leave. He walks out of the clearing and starts to make his way back through the woods to the road he came from.

  I hope that Lady Rosalee is okay. I led three of them away from the fight, but I know that the one with the scythe and the other one who attacked Gregory were still there. I don’t know how strong they were, but I hope the three of them were able to band together and defeat them.

  He keeps an eye out for trouble, especially since he has no more arrows. Running into nothing, he is able to make good time heading to the road.

  One of the only reasons it took so long getting as far as he did before was the path that he had taken to try to deal with his pursuers. He is almost out of the woods when he hears someone heading his way.

  Dropping his bow and quiver once more, he readies his spear. I don’t know who this is. I doubt Gregory or Joshua would let Lady Rosalee come after me, or even leave her long enough to come themselves.