Hamond knew he shouldn't be surprised, but he was anyway.

  The half-collapsed remains of a house sat before them, a gaping hole where there had likely been a cellar. The gigant had broken through from the underground here, making an obvious sign that they should have easily been able to locate given enough time. For all they knew, one of Takhat's men could have already seen this while on patrol.

  Finding this place without the aid of the sphinxes might have taken a day or two longer, given this place was tucked away on a back street. If it weren't for their agreement with Ugotlas, they could have easily done this on their own. Hamond did not know how much to regret their decision. He probably shouldn't - it was behind them now.

  "This is the way?" Edeline asked, even though it was obvious.

  "Indeed," Taeseger told them. The smaller sphinx was on edge, tail waving and hair standing on end. "Whoever lived here dug their own way into the underground water supply. We were unable to determine why."

  It could be to privately draw on water for their own ends, or they might have been part of the group that worshiped the Sluice as a goddess. For all they knew, it could even be someone involved with the whole ashabti matter. There was, and would be, no way to know which. The truth was dead and gone...along with so much of Lasfont.

  "Perhaps it is a small mercy that whoever lived here was spared having to see this," Edeline said quietly, noticing the look on Hamond's face.

  Not if they fell victim to the Sluice's spell, it wasn't, Hamond thought to himself.

  "They should be waiting a short distance inside," Taeseger raised one paw, gesturing at the opening.

  Hamond wasn't about to let himself be caught off-guard. "Teleios horama." It was a good thing this was nowhere near the center of town, or especially close to the Sluice. His eyes would have been burning if it was.

  Looking below, peering through the earth, he could just make out the hazy outlines of what had to be sphinxes, each cloaked in some spell. Likely their invisibility spells, which indicated either an ambush or an intent to follow them unseen. Whatever their plan was, he and Edeline would be ready to disrupt it.

  "How many?" Edeline asked.

  "Five, I believe." Being outnumbered only put Hamond more on edge. Knowing of their numbers had to be the reason the Witch of Wrath had fled.

  "You can perceive them even through the earth?" Taeseger said, staring at him.

  "To a degree." Hamond still wasn't certain what side she would take, so he didn't want to share too many details about his spells with Taeseger.

  The small group made their way down into the tunnel, led by Taeseger. "Phosphaira," Edeline spoke, calling forth the little orb of light to travel ahead of them.

  It did raise a question about how the other sphinxes were able to see in the dark. He hadn't seen any sign of additional spells. It was possible they could naturally see in dimly lit areas. While that meant Taeseger and Ugotlas did not need the aid, him and Edeline still would.

  The tunnel curved down before opening into a rough-cut cavern with water pooled on the floor. With his spell still active, Hamond could clearly see the sphinxes lurking on a pair of ledges in the chamber's corners. Except...there were only four, two on each ledge. Had one left while they were descending, or had he miscounted? It was impossible to know.

  Either way, it was time to begin.

  "Do you want to, or shall I?" Hamond asked Edeline.

  Edeline nodded, then moved to the lead, in front of Taeseger. "You called for us, and here we are. Reveal yourselves so that we may speak."

  Two of the concealed sphinxes exchanged glances, but otherwise they did not move. Whether they didn't know they had been seen or simply refused to believe that was possible, it didn't matter. The question now was how were they going to get these sphinxes to try to talk matters out.

  Edeline looked back at them, then took a deep breath. "Since you cannot be bothered to talk with us, we will proceed to the Sluice." She took one step forward.

  "Dijed inek heka tijez khener khener wenen!"

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  Within an instant Edeline was bound in place by glowing rope, as the sphinxes let the invisibility drop.

  Hamond immediately froze.

  She was going to die.

  No. Stay calm.

  She was going to die.

  He was still free. He could still save her.

  She was going to...enough!

  It took every bit of will and strength Hamond had to pull himself together. Focus, he reminded himself, a hollow word that barely held up to the sound of his heart beating heavily. The sphinxes were not attacking just yet. They could still get through this, if he timed his next spell correctly.

  He had to.

  "It is as you expected," one of the sphinxes said, moving to the edge above Edeline. "Taeseger failed to convince them."

  "I have done all that you asked of me." Taeseger was trying to sound defiant, but Hamond was pretty sure he heard a slight hesitation in her words.

  "We asked for success," another sphinx spoke, glaring at Taeseger. "It is fortunate that we were prepared for this outcome, and can still ensure our goals are accomplished."

  "What goals?" Edeline blurted out, still struggling.

  The sphinx snorted, "You expect us to throw away our time explaining ourselves to someone who shall soon die? Or did you believe in some grace from the heavens that would allow you to live and make use of the knowledge? Even at the end, you reach beyond the truth and prove your own inferiority."

  "Those of your kingdom only remain because we have not seen fit to end your existence," the sphinx on the far left added, "For you, who have slain one of our own, there is no such mercy. The judgment of the eyes of the heavens comes now."

  "It does," Hamond said, calling forth his magic. "Tetra lithoistos."

  Three of his conjured stone missiles sped forward and caught their targets in the head or neck, instantly slaying them. The fourth sphinx managed to leap sideways, instead catching the spell's projectile in his side. With a heavy grunt, the last one half crouched, face twisted in pain.

  "Another...weretheka?" he growled, looking to Ugotlas.

  "I did make the effort to warn you of their heka," Ugotlas said, "However, as Baufden just informed us, you asked for success. Seeing as I failed to get you to heed my warning, I am certain this is entirely my fault."

  Edeline, shrugging off the fading ropes, laughed at that one.

  "If this is how it is meant to be," the wounded sphinx answered, "Then let it be known. The heavens shall turn their gaze from you. Dijed-"

  "Lithoistos!" One final dart of stone, straight and true, ended the sphinx's spell along with its life.

  "I was hoping we could question him," Edeline stated, walking over to stand beside Hamond.

  "He wouldn't have told us anything." Hamond looked over at where the sphinx had fallen, only to realize he was shaking. Aether, why...no, he knew why it always would be the dangerous road when it came to her. It was as much a part of her as his worry was a part of him.

  Edeline noticed, putting an arm over his shoulder and pulling him close. "I'm sorry. I did not think they would-."

  "It's fine." Even if he didn't fully feel that reassurance himself.

  "It is good to know that my faith in you was not misplaced," Ugotlas spoke up, joining them. "Though now the difficult part begins for us two. That last message was received."

  "What last message?" Edeline looked as lost as Hamond felt. Wait...there had been another sphinx.

  "As he had observed, there were five sphinxes present in this chamber." Ugotlas looked over to the passage leading further down. "Even if one departed, I can still faintly smell their presence."

  "Menakht," Taeseger said.

  "He will carry word back north. I am even more certain now that it will not be an honest account of matters in Lasfont. Either of us attempting to follow him to refute it will only lead to our deaths."

  "I came here hoping to prove myself worthy to join one of the abuati." Taeseger leapt up the ledge, then circled around to look down on them. "Those unblooded have to prove themselves worthy, and this was my opportunity. And now, I see my effort was wasted."

  "My apologies," Edeline said.

  "Do not offer such," Ugotlas answered, "At least some aspects of their plans were set well before our meeting. The path forward may twist in an unexpected direction, but with this outcome we survive to walk it. Better still, there are skills we may yet learn from this."

  "That is hardly worth what we have given up." Taeseger's expression was cold.

  "Is it truly? Realizing the possibilities of wielding my heka with far greater speed and precision than I had thought possible seems a valuable lesson to me. It is what enabled their victories, and quite possible this defeat of the Sekhmati."

  Taeseger remained silent, an almost Edeline-like stubbornness visible in her eyes.

  "Lesson or not, you are not the only one here who's faced this." Hamond didn't want the bitterness hanging over Taeseger while they faced the Sluice. "None of us can return to the places we once called home. That doesn't prevent us from creating a new one. While we cannot do much to help, what little we can offer, we will try."

  Taeseger hesitated. "I suppose...that will have to do. But...what did you do to bring such upon yourselves?"

  "I exist," Edeline hissed, "That is enough to convince many men of Hyarch to see me as the enemy. No words I say can prove them wrong. All we can do is fight to survive."

  "It is no wonder they have honed their heka such then," Taeseger admitted, shifting her gaze to Ugotlas again. "Let us hope the other Sekhmati do not subject us to such a trial."

  "If they do, it will be a trial that we shall face together," Ugotlas said, "I see no point in isolating ourselves from each other in the days and months to come. But we must put that problem aside until after we have completed our task below."

  Hamond nodded, feeling on edge yet again. The passage ahead seemed more foreboding, the darkness within even heavier. Even so, he knew Edeline's light would guide them, and their combined spells should see it through.

  There was one thing that Hamond would bet on now: that both Nela and Myronel would be grateful they didn't have to deal with any of this. Those had it easy by comparison. It would be quite the story they would be able to tell them if...no.

  They would tell them this story when they returned.

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