“Where’s your creepy friend?” I asked The Doctor.

  “Leech is currently watching over your friend and your pet in the lab.”

  “Well, that’s reassuring.” I lied.

  I glanced at Gertha, but she just looked ahead. I decided not to push it. We followed the Doctor to a small compartment at the end of the corridor. It was notable because it was perfectly Square. There was a large gemstone set in the wall. The doctor placed her hand upon it and murmured under her breath. I couldn't catch what she said, but suddenly the entrance to this compartment closed. I felt a brief shuddering, and my stomach lurched as I lost my balance for a second. Sayo and I looked around, blades half-drawn. What was happening? Were we captured, or were we being taken somewhere? However, Gertha just stood still; she appeared calm, as did the Doctor, so I took control of my racing heart and stood patiently as the rumbling continued, letting my blade rest back in its scabbard.

  “No need to look so afraid, Tullen Fal Barraz, you're going to meet some of the Council. As soon as we realised Leech brought new visitors, they were assembled and have been waiting for you.”

  “Fair enough, I've just never been in a metal box that suddenly started moving before. Normally, a metal box has a dead King or Queen in it.”

  She chuckled to herself, “You’re quite dramatic, aren't you?”

  “You would be too if you've been through what we have,” I said

  “Perhaps I just have better coping strategies.”

  “What are they?” I asked, but she just laughed at me again.

  “I'm sure this Council can give us answers, Tullen, we’ll face them together,” Sayo said, her hands still resting on her blades.

  “We will, I have your back, you have mine.” I smiled.

  “Don't worry, young ones, if they meant us harm, they would have done it by now, and they certainly wouldn’t have helped Sila,” Gertha said, the coin clicking against her teeth.

  The rumbling came to a stop, and the opening we'd walked through slid open again, revealing a large circular stone room. In the centre was a large circular stone table with at least forty wooden seats around it. The table itself was carved from stone, with intricate symbols and runes inscribed upon it, which looked oddly familiar. When I looked down at my plate-clad arms, I realised that they were the same symbols that covered my armour.

  Of the forty seats, only three were filled. I was surprised to see that only one of the three people sitting in them was living; the other two were long, desiccated corpses with cobwebs hanging out of eye sockets and jaws locked wide open in what looked like death's final howl, and rotting robes clung to their bodies, thin golden threads fraying at the edges, the only sign of their former intricate beauty.

  The living man wore simple white robes. He looked to be about eighty years old with a single strip of hair running down the middle of his otherwise bald head. He held his staff even while sitting, and it looked to be carved from the foreleg of a Drake or Dragon. I couldn't tell which, but it must have been young because it was only eight feet long. He looked up at us as we entered the room, and he beckoned us over with a single finger with a sickeningly long nail.

  I was still processing all of this when I realised, toward the rear of the room, coiled in on itself was a large scaled creature. It was a deep gold colour, with an angular head and tendrils of flesh that curled from its nose, that reminded me of facial hair. It had shining white horns all across its brow, and I could make out four legs. This was clearly some form of Drake, but its body was at least three times the length of a normal Drake and seemed almost wyrm-like in its appearance. It watched me with deep blue eyes and panted softly. I looked to Gertha and Aayo, who looked as equally disturbed as I did. The Doctor merely stepped forward and bowed deeply.

  “Master Zash, I present to you some of the visitors that Leech brought. They brought with them are most curious creature, ‘Death on Two Legs’, it's a Wyvern, a black one.”

  I had a dry chuckle come from the old man, and he struck his staff on the floor. White light burst from it. To my horror, the two corpses next to him suddenly sat up, white light streaming out of their eyes and their mouths as they both turned to look at us at the same time.

  “Come take a seat, all of you. There is much to discuss, and you must have travelled a long way to reach our Hold.”

  I drew my sword, putting my arm across Sayo and Gertha whilst holding it in front of me. This fucker controlled the dead just like that abomination we had fought in the tower.

  “FUGUE!” I took a step back into the compartment.

  The Doctor whirled around before I could react, which, let me tell you, is bloody fast. She grabbed my wrist with one hand and the pommel of my blade with the other. She pulled backwards, levering the handle of my blade against my thumb, breaking the grip easily and held my blade in her hand. Sayo’s first blade clashed against my sword before she could do anything with it, while the second was already held against the Doctor’s throat.

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  “I understand your fear, I do, I really do, but I promise you this is not the Fugue. We are the Arcuzane, and all will be revealed, but you must be calm, and you must sit down.”

  “Tull, Sayo, listen to her sit down, you’re making us look stupid,” Gertha hissed.

  “Come stop this nonsense. I would not want to set Dawn loose on you all”

  At the mention of the word Dawn, I watched the creature in the corner lift its head slightly before moaning and settling back down on its body.

  “If you aren't Fugue, then why do you have two corpses setting up and looking right at us?”

  “I understand the apprehension. We Honour our dead and the Dead honour us in turn, young man. The Fugue you speak of is one of the greatest shames of this world, and one we are trying to fix. Perhaps we are more aligned than you think…” The old man pulled himself up with his staff and stood shakily. He rested a hand on one of the corpses, and it slowly creaked and cracked as it moved its head to rest on him.

  Well, that kind of made sense, but I would need more information before I’d relax properly. It seemed like they were willing to talk and offer that information. I raised my hands and nodded, and the Doctor ushered us to our seats, although I noticed she kept my sword. Sayo gave me a pointed look and handed me one of her blades, which I tucked into my belt.

  “Had enough of being jumpy now?” Gertha asked us both, but we didn’t answer.

  I took my seat at the stone table, making sure to be at least ten places away from the corpses and keeping them on my left side to give me enough time to react should they suddenly decide to attack. Gertha sat immediately on my right, and Sayo next to her.

  I could get a closer look at the old man now. He looked tired, but as we each took our seats, he slowly lowered himself into the chair, exhaling deeply, taking a few moments before composing himself.

  “Welcome, each of you. I am Master Zash. The two on either side of me are former Masters Pel and Hoksul, who left our service many, many decades ago. They are bound to this chamber now and serve as my Guides and advisors. You need not fear them; theirs is an old but pure magic.”

  “Thank you, Master Zash. I am Gertha, a humble Magi, and this is my Hold Daughter Sayo and our companion Tullen Fal Barraz, who has journeyed with us for some time.” I wasn't sure I'd ever heard Gertha be so polite before. It put me on edge.

  “Down in our lab lies another companion of yours, as well as a Black Wyvern.” The old man chuckled, “I wasn't sure I'd see it in my lifetime. I'm not sure whether I should be glad or fearful. Before we begin, I must read each of you.”

  He suddenly held my gaze, looking me deep in the eyes for what felt like a lifetime, but was probably several seconds. Then he flitted down to the mark of my shame, the ink twin of Eggs, the sign that I had taken a life with a sword, even if it was the life of the bastard I'd loved more than most and who'd deserved it more than any.

  “You bear the Mark, Tullen Fal Barraz, the mark of a Black Wyvern, ‘Death on Two Legs’. You have also brought us an actual black Wyvern. Is this fate or a cosmic joke? That is yet to be decided, although I think I see the touch of fate on you.”

  My heart pounded as I sought meaning in the words. Touched by fate? Me? I’m just a man stolen as a boy to be a Steelweaver—a curious story, but not one that would change fate.

  He fixed his gaze on Gertha next, and they were silent for several seconds, their lips moving and murmuring back and forth. She started to weep; he sighed and slowly, deliberately stroked his chin.

  “A Sundered? My dear, you have been through much, but to be sundered and still whole? You shouldn’t exist.”

  Sayo placed a hand on Gertha’s shoulder, but was shrugged off. Master Zash barely even looked at Sayo.

  “And you, girl, a child of two worlds, far from home and yet a nomad. You exist within shadow. You will either drown in the dark or strike out from within them to greatness.”

  Sayo nodded slowly, then glanced at me. I’d seen similar glances from people in taverns, when the overly drunk trapped them in conversation.

  My mind began filtering for all the questions I wanted to ask: what the fuck was a Sundered? Why was Gertha supposed not to exist? Why was she crying? What was with the Drake in the room? And if these things weren't Fugue, then what were they? Why were we here? Why the hell did my armour match the runes on the stone table?

  Master Zash looked at me as he thunked his staff on the floor once more, sending out ripples of blue light to several points on the walls, all around the room.

  “You all did well. Keep your questions for now, Tullen Fal Barraz. All shall be revealed.”

  Each of the points lit up in a blue outline, roughly the size of a tavern’s entrance.

  They slid open noiselessly, as a mixture of living and dead-robed figures entered the room. Great, there were more of these dead bastards just walking around. Imagine being so committed to the job that you came back from the dead. I was just expected to treat this as usual when hordes of other dead people had tried to kill us? I could tell the Mummer was having a right old laugh with me, but they seemed to have the good sense to keep silent for now.

  “COUNCIL IS NOW IN SESSION.” Master Zash announced.

  A musty, earthy smell caused me to nearly gag as I heard a wheeze on my left.

  I looked up to see a partially skeletal male form, with patches of grey skin and flesh hanging off like a tattered tapestry on a wall. Grey robes clung to them, and I could make out bones through some portions of the flesh. This man was dead, but also, very much not so.

  “Is. This. Seat. Taken?” It asked.

  I rolled my eyes. Resigned to this ridiculous situation.

  “Knock yourself out,” I said.