With Silvertide at the lead, they continued deeper into the heart of Wizen’s sanctum. There were surprisingly few people in it, and the caves were… well, just caves. Noah wasn’t fully sure what he’d been expecting.

The tiled path led them past several rooms, but almost all of them were empty. The ones that did have anything in them only possessed furniture that Noah would have expected to find in a normal house.

Something about it almost felt wrong, but it was hard to place what. With everything Noah knew about Wizen, he’d fully expected to find something that would have fit into a supervillain’s lair. Some dungeons. Chains, screaming prisoners. Anything.

Instead, it just felt like he was invading someone’s underground house. That wasn’t to say that Noah felt bad about it, but it struck him that he would probably find half of the things he was expecting to find under Father’s house rather than here.

They ran into another one of Wizen’s men on their path deeper into the lair, but he met the exact same end as the first under Silvertide’s impossibly fast magic. The man didn’t even get a chance to notice that they were there.

“What’s up with this place?” Moxie muttered as stepped over the dead man and continued down the hall. “There’s no way nobody has noticed we’re attacking yet.”

“It is a bit odd,” Silvertide allowed. They turned down a sloping corner and stepped into a slightly wider hall. It was equally as deserted as the ones before it, but several branching paths stretched off from a dozen doors on each side of it. Silvertide let out a grunt. “That is a lot of paths.”

“This feels more like a maze than someone’s hideout,” Noah said. “And what’s the point of having so much space if you don’t use the majority of it? Every room just has random furniture in it but he doesn’t seem to have anywhere near enough people to fill the rooms.”

“Perhaps its purpose is to confuse,” Silvertide said. His features darkened. “Or perhaps Wizen has far more men than we were led to believe. I did not think he had an entire army down here.”

“Nobody we’ve run into so far has been all that strong,” Moxie said. “If it’s an army, it isn’t a powerful one. And an army doesn’t do you any good if you’re not actually using them when you’re under attack.”

Silvertide pursed his lips, then shook his head. “There is nothing to be gained from speculation. Do any of you have an inclination toward any of the rooms before us? They are all the same to me.”

“I thought you knew where we were going,” Noah said. “You chose all the other paths so confidently before.”

“That would be because I was searching for people. There isn’t anyone left alive anywhere near us.”

Seriously? How does Wizen have so few people? Silvertide’s senses are nearly as long ranged as Lee’s are, and she can pick people out from so far. Is this place really that big?

“Lee, any thoughts?” Noah asked. “You’re the one with the best senses here.”

It was a few moments before Lee replied. “I’m not sure. Silvertide is right. I can’t really smell anyone close by. It’s weird, though. There definitely were people here. A lot of them. But everyone is gone.”

“They left the sanctum entirely?” Moxie asked. “Or are they just not here?”

Lee shook her head. “The sanctum is big enough that I can’t tell without sniffing around more. But…”

She trailed off and they all looked to her expectantly.

“All information is important right now,” Silvertide said gently, putting a hand on Lee’s shoulder with the patience of a man that had dealt with a lot more than most ever had the misfortune to see in life. “Even if you think it isn’t or don’t want to bother us with idle thoughts. You’d be surprised what the subconscious mind can pick up on.”

“I think I know where Wizen is,” Lee said. “He’s probably with the key, right?”

“Almost certainly,” Silvertide said. “You located the key? How?”

“I smell it,” Lee replied. She hesitated for a second longer, and a flicker of fear passed through her eyes before she quashed it. “And it’s getting stronger. I think Wizen is using it.”

“Where is he?” Silvertide asked. “We cannot allow that artifact to be used. It doesn’t matter if it’s for the portal to the Damned Plains or another purpose. It’s too dangerous in his hands.”

Lee pointed down one of the corridors to their right. They all exchanged a look, then set off down the corridor at a brisk pace that quickly went from a fast walk to a jog. Noah occasionally heard footsteps behind them that marked Brayden’s presence, but the large mage continued to keep his distance and hold up their flank.

The hall wound deeper into Wizen’s sanctum, but it was just as empty as the rest of the ground they’d covered.

“Wasn’t the other team meant to find Wizen first?” Moxie asked as they accelerated into a run. “Can we really handle him on our own?”

“We will analyze the situation once we are in position to act. If the other Enforcers have met equally low levels of resistance, then there will be others that locate him soon enough. Many of them have very apt sensing capabilities,” Silvertide replied. They skidded down a corridor and came up to a branching path. Lee thrust her finger down the right path and they shot away again.

The slap of their shoes against the ground was the only sound in the caves as they raced through the empty stone halls. Noah scanned the surroundings with his tremorsense, but there really was nothing. It was like the entirety of the caves were just abandoned.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Minutes passed. There was one thing that was for certain. Wizen’s sanctum was enormous. He practically had an entire underground village, and given how little they’d seen of it, it was probably more of a city.

Lee led them through the twisting tunnels, pausing occasionally to sniff at the air before taking back off. She was doing a good job of hiding it, but Noah didn’t miss the growing concern on her face.

They were heading right toward the thing in life that she probably feared the most. After everything she’d done to escape the Damned Plains and how desperately she wanted to avoid returning, Noah couldn’t even begin to imagine how little she actually wanted to be here.

Lee’s hand shot up and Noah nearly tripped over her at the abrupt halt. They stood before a normal seeming tunnel, but her expression was deadly serious as she raised a finger to her mouth and nodded down it.

“He’s really close,” Lee whispered. “And so is the key. I think they’re both just down this hall.”

Silvertide concentrated for a few moments. His brow furrowed and he tightened his grip on the walking cane that he held at his side, unused. “I cannot sense anything. He must have a way to cloak himself very effectively.”

“He’s there,” Lee said firmly.

“We believe you,” Noah said.

Brayden drew up in the tunnel behind them, picking up on their abrupt silence and muting his steps as he walked to join their group. He sent a look into the hall, then tilted his head to the side.

“Wizen?” Brayden asked in a low tone. “Or a group of enemies?”

“Wizen, probably,” Noah replied before looking to the old soldier. “What’s the plan, Silvertide? I’m not keen on trying to fight Wizen on our own. I don’t think he’s going to go down very easily. Not to a group of Rank 4s and a Rank 5.”

“He may already be fighting,” Silvertide said. “If his cloaking is this good, it could include physical sound. We press onward to determine the situation and then make a decision once we have more information.”

It was hard to argue with that. Nobody said anything else and they fell silent, creeping into the corridor. A faint pressure built in Noah’s ears as they headed in. He swallowed to clear it — and a faint pop echoed through his mind.

The corridor changed. Firelight washed over what had been a dark path and he found himself beside the others standing at the edge of an entrance to a large cavern. Braziers ringed its edge. A brilliant crack of magic caused Noah to flinch, instinctively pushing the others back — but it wasn’t directed at him.

There was a thud as an Enforcer fell to the ground on the far side of the room, his body ripped apart by hissing gray energy. A cloaked man lowered his hands, the gray energy fading from his hands as he looked off to his left, toward something Noah couldn’t make out.

The man stood on a dais covered with blood and bodies. There must have been dozens of them. Wizen’s men and Enforcers alike were intertwined in the embrace of death. It looked like Wizen had lost a whole lot more than the Enforcers had, but Noah recognized at least four Enforcers that had been in the transport cannon with him, though he didn’t know their names.

Magic still smoldered from huge scorch marks along the walls. Massive cracks split the ground and the temperature in the room was just a step below scorching. There was no sign of the key anywhere, but the look on Lee’s face told Noah that it was definitely close.

“Wizen.” Neir stepped out into the room, his face cold.

“You didn’t bring enough men,” the cloaked man said, and Noah recognized his voice instantly. It was Wizen. “I’m disappointed you thought so little of me.”

Neir didn’t respond. He made to lunge forward, but a hand shot from behind him and slammed down on his shoulder, halting the Enforcer before he could move. Godrick stepped out, blood trickling from a wound on the side of his head. His shirt was ripped apart and he sported several nasty cuts.

“Godrick!” Neir exclaimed. “I thought—”

“Wizen didn’t send enough men,” Godrick said, the corner of his lip curling into a grim smile.

“Can you really be so bold when the majority of the ones you brought with you already lie dead?” Wizen asked. “One survivor is nothing to be proud of.”

“You’ve been spending magical energy this whole time at an enormous rate,” Godrick said, ignoring Wizen. “There’s only so much power any one man can have, and no Enforcer went down without a fight. You’re on your last legs.”

“Are you going to ask me to surrender? To give the key over?” Wizen asked, tilting his concealed head to the side. “Are you that certain that I cannot handle two more rats?”

He doesn’t notice us yet. This is a really good opportunity for a sneak attack, then. If we time it together with Godrick and Neir…

Noah glanced to the others behind him. Silvertide inclined his head slightly. They’d both come to the same idea. Amongst all of them, Silvertide was the fastest. He had to be the one to move first if they wanted the highest chance of landing anything. The old soldier gestured for Noah and Moxie to stand back, then readied his walking stick.

Godrick nodded to Neir, and the other Enforcer moved to the side, starting to flank Wizen. “Throw me the key. You can’t win this.”

Wizen arched an eyebrow in response. “What makes you so sure?”

“This is a path to mutual destruction. The key isn’t worth all this. You’re a powerful mage, Wizen. You could progress without standing in the path of the entire kingdom. This isn’t the right path. Even if you somehow manage to defeat us, the reward isn’t worth the cost.”

Wizen reached into his robes and pulled free a large dagger. Noah caught a glimpse of a key embedded into the blade’s handle as Wizen turned it over in his hands. “You cannot believe that I would go through all this trouble simply to hand the key back over, do you?”

“It’s that or death,” Godrick said grimly. “I’m not dumb enough to think that we can take you out without taking even more damage, but we’ve got more Enforcers on the way and you’re one bad move away from death. Using that key is impossible — it requires too much power. You are doing all this work for nothing. Is it really worth it?”

A quiet laugh echoed from Wizen’s lips. “Yes, noble dog. It is. Heel.”

And that was it for their discussions.

Neir and Godrick shot forward as one. Silvertide’s magic flared and he sent a blurred line of gray metal hurtling through the air toward Wizen with such speed that Noah could barely even track it.

A wall of flame roared up from the ground in front of Godrick, forcing him to fling himself out of the way to avoid getting melted on the spot. Wizen twisted, somehow managing to spot Silvertide’s magic coming. He carved down with the dagger in his left hand and a red disk split the air, swallowing the attack before it could touch him.

At the same time, Wizen thrust his other hand toward Neir. A wave of gray magic leapt from it and slammed into the Enforcer with blinding speed. The magic picked him up and slammed him into the wall with such force that he was embedded straight into the stone. Dark energy hissed and popped around his body and his head slumped forward.

Lee drew in a sharp breath. Her eyes were locked on the burning red portal that floated beside Wizen.

“Neir!” Godrick yelled.

“You were incorrect on every count. I still have more than enough energy left to fight. There is nothing that any of you could offer me that would give me even a second of pause.” Wizen’s eyes burned like two icy flames in the sea of darkness beneath his hood as he turned to look straight at Noah’s group. “And the key’s powers are already within my grasp.”