His tongue ached. Every breath, blink, and bite proved exhausting, pulling him deeper into the night. A fluttering motion ran over Altair''s eyelids as they gestured open. Confusion by the sting of flesh-blood massaging the ache. It was sweet. He blinked, cradling the stranger in his arms tighter.


    Her scent seemed familiar, but her blood was anything but. She had dark skin withrge golden eyes that shone in the night, and her neck a red ruin of his design. He blinked, too weak to think who was carrying him.


    ''Who is this…'' he wondered; she was certainly warm enough. Slowly, his palms reached up, grabbing onto something soft. A moan sounded from lips, startling the night. Voices echoed around faster than he could see, reaching back and forth too quickly for him to understand. He squeezed even harder, his lips and fangs sinking into the red within the ck.


    "Master." The lilting moans were familiar. "We~Are~Not~Alone~"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    ''Is that my name?'' he thought, shrouded by a deepening night. ''Master…what a strange name.'' he closed his eyes, returning to the dream…


    "You little whore!" Tasha was the first to say, her amusing tone rippling through the depths.


    "I didn''t do anything!" Alyssa said, utterly flushed. "He just started biting and groping me! I did—"


    "Like it?"


    "I didn''t say that!" Alyssa stuttered. "It was just unexpected…" She nced at her Master, who had never bitten her before like he had the others. She had heard that her Master had run a test to see if his shadows could lessen the effects of his hunger. It was proven unsessful, so she never imagined he''d ever devour the blood of one of his shadows again.


    Still… she liked it.


    "Can we focus?!" Elena demanded.


    The tunnels ahead were getting smaller topensate for the sizes of each Kobold as they dug. It wasn''t long before they were on their hands and knees, crawling forward. No one used Mana to mold the earth around them, believing their energy signature would be tracked.


    ''Can''t you kill these Transcendence?'' Alyssa asked a mile down the line in a Soul Whisper so that Elena could not hear. The only ones who heard her were Tasha and Therion, near the rear.


    ''I could, but that would lead toplications," Tasha exined. "Master''s true identity could be revealed to the Gods looking for him. Then there is the Church of Sepith. There are those in that church who would throw everything away to have a Royal Devil like myself killed."


    "But isn''t the saintess on our side?" Therion inquired.


    "Our Side?" Tasha nced back, shaking her head, before continuing down the path. "In politics, there are no sides. Those who follow the Seven Pirs of Sepith would rather have a Mck travel with Altair than a devil like myself. The Saintess is not an ally. She is merely ying her role.


    But if Master Soul''s Exhaustion gets worse, and it begins affecting his memories, that would be a prime opportunity to capture Altair and kill me. He''d be extremely susceptible to mental attacks like mind control; even if he were to recover, the damage would be done."


    The thought frightened the two shadows more than they''d like to admit.


    "But he''s unconscious!" Alyssa shouted, no longer in a Soul Whisper.


    Tasha scowled, shooting her a warning stare. "His subconscious is using a skill it shouldn''t. It''s killing him. How can his Soul Exhaustion be getting worse?"


    "Wait!"Alyssa replied. "Master Father is within the Pce of Stigian! He could help!"


    Ears perking, Tasha rounded on the Amazonian Shadow. "What''s this about his Father?"


    Alyssa did not shy away from her mistake. "It''s not for you to know if Master hasn''t told you about it. Then it''s not for me to say."


    The two stared at each other for a while before Tasha resumed her crawl. She could feel the winds up ahead. Three miles, she determined, sensing the seismic vibrations through the earth.


    "It wouldn''t matter. Master''s Father is definitely a god. A True God." She continued. "Inform one of your sisters, just in case, but there isn''t much hope. Soul Exhaustion is an affliction not even the Infernal Monarchs can hold against.''


    At the sound of rushing water, they pushed forward to see a glimmer of moonlight peering through the nearly one-hundred-meter-tall waterfall. The water hit the earth below, shrouding the area in a thick mist.


    Abruptly, the earth shook, writhing like a living thing. Cracks mounted the cave entrance as Tasha spun to her rear. Even from several miles away, her gaze bore through the earth to the sh against five Transcendence. She frowned, noticing several men tailing them several miles behind.


    "Twenty Men. It''ll take them A while to figure out which tunnel, but they''ll find us soon."


    "I''ll lead them up another path," Therion said. " You three go ahead. Take care of Master."


    "You know what to do right?" Tasha asked coldly.


    Therion nodded grimly. "I know what to do, and I won''t break."


    ****


    They bounded northwest through the darkness, through open prairies along the edge of Dragonsbreath. First light peaked over the horizon to warm the earth, and still, the distant sound of battle roared, reshaping the skies and earth. Mountains fell while ravines were forged faster than some could blink.


    Countless times, Tasha was forced to act, deflecting arcs of sword and spear light that came their way without any particr direction other than to cause destruction. There was a random element to the destruction around them that suggested the worst.


    "They are trying to kill me!" Elena realized. By midday, they finally spotted a vige hedge between a ravine and a river that could be seen if one rode in their direction.


    Theughter of children sang across the wind.


    Along the path, they spotted several small cabin farms sprawled about without any particr direction. The men tended to the cattle while the women and children gathered what little they could from either the forest or their plot.


    A few men spotted Tasha, Alyssa, and Elena grunting loudly, spouting ''outsider'' with distaste, while a few others weed them all the same. Inside the vige, those that had made it to their tenth term and older were training in the way of the Arcane Arts in the open to sense Mana.


    Older groups of young men trained with wooden swords and spears by the vige chief, nodding away at the new generation that was learning from the older.


    Rare though outsiders might be, no one ced much attention on Tasha and her group as they looked for an inn, finding but the harsh stares of those around.


    "What a strange vige," Alyssa said.


    Elena looked at them strangely. "If bandits roamed your area, how''d you feel? The fact they didn''t openly deny us entry is proof they are confident in defending themselves."


    "Either way, we need to find an inn," Tasha remarked, her eyes trailing the countless houses around them. She could smell the blood. Those who lived directly inside the vige were perhaps the hunters, while those outside cultivated thend.


    "You''re not going to find an Inn in Ravine Fort," A young man no older than twenty shouted, a hint of fever in his eyes. Mark, they called him. Behind him, several other men followed, hooting at the three women. They gathered around, appraising the four.


    "We shouldn''t stay here," Elena said to Tasha softly. "Its better we continue or—"


    " You can stay with me," Mark shouted.


    "Really?" Tasha asked, her alluring smile reminding even the older men that they were still men even if time tamed their desire. Mark and his friends stood no chance. They flushed, their hearts ringing against their chests like a bell toll. Hips pointed awkwardly to mask the rise of desire.


    "men…" Elena muttered disdainfully. She nced at Altair, snorting: with so many women around him, was he any different than others?


    Mark proudly pushed his friends away, cracking a few jokes, unable to take his eyes off the three. A few older menughed, though their eyes lingered on Altair''s unconscious body wet with sweat. Some asked about him, but Alyssa only exined he was a ssmate who had eaten something he shouldn''t have.


    It was amon affliction many young men go through, sometimes believing the stories of men finding ancient herbs that aided them in breaking through to the next circle. Ravine Fort had lost countless young men that way, so many believed her words,ughing it off.


    "Let me show you to my house! I''ve got a lot of room!" Mark was happy to say. "I''m the best hunter in the vige."


    "Then you must surely have a wife," Tasha whispered beside his ear in a starved voice. "What~a~shame. I~would~have…" she stopped, letting his imagination run wild, unaware the glow in her eyes deepened with each breath.


    Mark had never turned so red. He had never seen a more beautiful group of women dressed beautifully. From their clothes, it was obvious they came from the city. "I…" he muttered, gathering his courage. "I live alone!" he shouted.


    The girls all giggled, and Mark''s skin seemed to invent a new spectrum of red.


    "Good," Tasha said, passing her hands through her long, silky hair. A peculiar gleam shimmered behind her eyes. "I was afraid we''d… disturb them.''


    "We?" Mark muttered.


    The Lilm grinned deviously. "All~three~of~us, of~course. Or~would~you~prefer~just one? For~rent~of~course. We~girls~would~love~to~see~who~can~sate~you~best."