Kyllos took his time as he strolled down the corridors of the Imperial Palace and reflected on how empty the place seemed. While no fewer people serviced the Palace, many were Cohorts who traveled only when necessary. The favorite haunts of the former staff were deserted, as Cohorts tended not to gather until late evening for devotions at the Inonni Temple which had been erected in the center of the gardens.

Inonni centers of government were never built so huge. They were designed more for practicality than ostentation, and thus felt far more cozy than the expansive and drafty passages of the palace. Yet Kyllos could not deny the attraction to such displays of wealth and prestige; he wondered if perhaps such thoughts had been the catalyst of his brethren's disgraceful quest for power.

Despite his troubled thoughts, he was smiling when he entered the Portal chamber. The portly form of an Inonni Mage turned and bowed his head, and they exchanged the traditional greeting.

"Your Cohorts are a somewhat stubborn bunch, I must say!" the Mage said in a jovial voice. "They insisted on waiting until you were here to send me off."

Behind the Mage, Yonlas and another Cohort stood shoulder-to-shoulder before the Portal chamber. "But is it indeed my duty to ensure you arrive safely, Honored Mage Rellenu," said Kyllos.

Rellenu chuckled. "It is quite all right. I am told your agents are still in the process of settling in anyway."

"This was something of a last candlemark affair, yes," said Kyllos, folding his hands before him. "I was somewhat surprised to find as many agents as I did who could get to the site in only a day without using a Portal." Kyllos, too, realized how distastefully easy the lies could roll from his tongue. He knew Iridus had likely moved the agents into position before he had confronted Kyllos. "You will be transported to a location about a league distant from the Oceanus Portal. The land drops off somewhat, so it will act as additional concealment. It would be best to remain quiet when you first appear and take direction from the agents who have been alerted of your imminent arrival."

Rellenu started nodding his head in the middle of Kyllos' statement, and the movement had become quite vigorous by the end. Kyllos did not let his mild annoyance show on his face. "I understand what I need to do already," Rellenu boomed. "I have been most thoroughly briefed. I need only the Portal opened."

"Very well." Kyllos leaned to one side and nodded once to the Cohorts.

Before Rellenu turned around, the Cohorts spun in place and faced the chamber, still shoulder-to-shoulder. They gestured, and with only a slight hum and a faint crackle, the Portal energized and opened. They stepped aside once the long, silvery tunnel had opened into the distance.

Rellenu glanced back at Kyllos. "I will send a report as soon as I have had a chance to take some readings."

"I will be looking forward to it, Honored Mage."

Rellenu stepped into the Portal. His dark silhouette hovered for a moment within the coruscating energies, then raced off into the distance and was gone.

The surface of the energy sphere shuddered, its humming rhythm interrupted for a moment, then settled. The Cohorts paused another breath before they gestured again. The Portal collapsed into a point of light which winked out a moment later.

"It is done," said Kyllos in a tired voice. "May the gods bless the Wanderer's journey."

Rellenu stepped into a small clearing in a forest, his footfalls padded by the soft, springy earth and the lingering blanket of fallen flower petals from the spring blossoms. The air was cool and crisp, and dew dripped from the leaves. Wispy clouds glowed sunrise gold.

He frowned when he saw no one come to greet him. From behind, he heard a scrabbling against rock, and then a rustling noise. He spun around, but saw only the energy of the still-open Portal. Before he could ponder why it had yet to close, it did so.

He looked towards the thicker forest. The ground dropped off sharply just ahead, like a small ridge lined with rocks and old, dead roots. He sighed and shook his head, then headed in the other direction. After only a few steps, he spotted a lithe and dark-clad Inonni race towards him. "There you are, Honored Mage," the agent said. "We thought the Portal was to form closer to our camp."

"As did I," Rellenu snapped. "Just between you and me, I find Kyllos to be a bit sloppy in his whole approach. It is little wonder his Portal drifted."

The agent could only bow his head and say nothing. It was not his place to pass judgment on his superiors.

"Nevertheless, I am here. Have you anything to report thus far?"

"We have only just set up our observation post. Spying on Mages of any caliber is always tricky work. They have set up many wards to guard against close approach."

"I will help you neutralize them without being discovered."

"If I may say so, I suspect your arrival may have already alerted them to your presence. Perhaps that is why Master Kyllos opened the Portal further away, as a means of--"

"The Portal would be detected regardless of whether it was opened here or leagues away! No, this was simply a lack of competence. I can assure you such things will not happen while I am here." Rellenu reached into his robe and extracted a blue pearl. "Nor do I intend to have my reports become lost or delayed going through Kyllos. This Farviewing pearl is tied to Holy Elder Iridus. Neither of us intend to waste our time waiting for Kyllos to act."

"With all due respect, Honored Mage," the agent began in a slow, polite voice, "Master Kyllos insisted we make our reports directly to him."

"Oh, we will! We will indeed! Kyllos will be given the first chance to react. But we will not suffer for his unwillingness to take the appropriate action."

"Is that not for Master Kyllos to--"

"Enough!" Rellenu thundered, thrusting the pearl back into his pocket. "I am most senior here, and thus I am in charge. Is that understood?"

The agent bowed his head. "Understood, Honored Mage."

"Now show me to your camp. We must begin at once."

"Of course. This way, please."

From where he lay huddled, the edge of the rocky ledge a little over a man's height above him, Jollis remained stone-still until he no longer heard the footfalls of the Mage. He let out a slow sigh and looked around. Nothing but thick forest further on, and one flank of the brief ridge was concealed by the thick trunk of a tree. Fallen branches covered the other approach. Only its distance from the camp, further than he would have preferred, prevented it from being the perfect base of operations. Yet it would have to do.

He detached a satchel from his waist and tucked it into the space between two large roots of the tree. It carried his rations of food and water, but only three days worth. He did not believe he would need all of it once the Oceanus Mages knew they were being watched.

He frowned. Holy Elder Iridus was foolish; he knew nothing about conducting such operations. Kyllos would have sent only one agent with the proper magic sensitive powers to take his own readings of the Portal, not this small army which could be too easily discovered.

Jollis looked up at the sky. He had a whole day to wait as he could not emerge until he had the cover of darkness. Then he would find where the Mage was located in the camp and discover the best and quickest way to kill him.

Jollis took a deep, quavering breath. He was grateful for the feeling of remorse his thoughts had engendered. He would never want to be so callous about human life that killing came easy. He did not want to throw away men's lives as willingly as the Holy Order.

Gold-crimson light bathed Katla's face, masking its paleness. Despite the coolness of the morning, perspiration tricked down her forehead. She forced herself to breathe at a normal rhythm despite her pounding heart.

She slowly manipulated a large crystal gripped in her raised hand very close to the side of the Portal device. Energy pulsed and throbbed in a manner no normal Portal should ever see. Her body buzzed with the thrum of the unbalanced energies flowing unimpeded through her bare feet.

She felt the vibrations become more erratic. She twisted the crystal in her hand to no apparent effect. She caught movement out of the corner of her eye, but whipped out her free hand and barked, "No!"

The Journeyman froze, reluctantly.

"This is a practice run," Katla said as she slowly turned the crystal the other way. The energies returned to the rhythm she wanted. "I have to do this myself. We're not in danger."

"Yet," the Journeyman muttered, just barely audible above the thrumming.

"I heard that." Katla turned her head slightly the other way. "I need a reading."

Another young Mage stepped forward, his eyes cast upon a small device like a miniature abacus, but with glowing gems instead of beads. "Energy is more steady now."

"But is it growing, Ganno? Is it exuding from the Portal into the continuum?"

Ganno consulted his device for another moment and shook his head. "Not yet."

Katla let out a slow sigh and steeled herself. She manipulated the crystal in her hands and brought it even closer to the device.

The Journeyman's eyes widened in alarm. "Be careful you do not breach--!"

"Shhh!"

A tense silence followed. Her breathing became labored despite her efforts, though her arm and hand remained rock-steady. Her feet ached from the intensity of the vibrations.

The gems on Ganno's device slowly slid along their strings and glowed brighter. "There! I can see it now."

"It's not stable," the Journeyman said.

"It need not be," Ganno fired back. "It needs only to maintain a margin of safety."

"Stop debating and pay attention to your duties!" Katla snapped. "Tell me when the energies are just short of breaching the continuum."

Ganno's gaze dropped to his device. "Almost there. Just a little further."

Katla continued to turn the crystal. The light from the Portal device flared, and flashes of blue-white appeared inside the gold and red.

"Energy blowback!" cried the Journeyman.

"I know what it is, thank you," Katla hissed through clenched teeth.

"Almost ..." Ganno murmured. "Just a little more ..."

Katla swallowed. Now her arm and fingers started to ache. She altered the angle of the crystal, but the blue-white flashes grew worse. The thrumming rose to an ominous pitch.

The Journeyman took a trembling step backwards. "Master Q'yoona, you must stop and--"

"There!" shouted Ganno, some of the gems of his device glowing brilliant red. "Right there! You're just short of a true breach! You--!"

"Blowback!"

Just as Katla wrenched the crystal away, an explosion of light burst from the Portal device. The ground came out from under Katla's feet, and she wheezed as if a giant hand had suddenly crushed the air from her lungs. She was still gasping for breath when she struck the ground, her fall partially cushioned by two more alert young Mages.

"Are you all right, Master Q'yoona?!" she heard an older voice cry, sounding as if spoken through gauze. Everything around her appeared surrounded by a thick haze. She blinked a few times and only then realized she was sitting on the ground. Her heart clenched, then relaxed when her vision had cleared and revealed that the Portal device was intact, three Mages taming its wild energies.

Katla looked towards the source of the voice and motioned to the others to help her up. "I'm fine, Master Q'kollan."

"No, you are not," said Q'kollan in a stern voice. "But I suppose I cannot say anything to convince you otherwise."

"It was a successful test."

"If you consider being blown backwards several man-heights a success."

"A success in that we achieved the proper energy levels to perform a breach of the continuum. With that we can channel the transdimensional energies to the other Overlord Portals."

"It's true, Master Q'kollan," said Ganno as he ran to them, holding up his device.

"How many times did the energy fork?" Katla demanded.

"Eight. That's the best we've ever achieved."

"We'll need ten. That's how many Portals we need to destroy. But we're almost there. We just need to boost the energy a little more. And I've proven one person can keep the Portal stable."

"A blowback like that is not what I would call stable," Q'kollan said.

Katla handed the control crystal to Ganno and rubbed her aching arms. "Nevertheless, we will figure out how to stabilize it further." She winced and rubbed her temples. "All we need is more time."

Q'kollan's face became somber. "That is something you unfortunately no longer have in abundance."

Katla tried to ignore her growing headache. "What are you talking about?"

"That is why I am here, since none of you are responding to Farview summons."

"Of course we're not responding! Not while we're trying to concentrate on ... wait ..." Katla's eyes widened. "You opened a Portal here while we were trying to work? You realize how badly that could interact with--!"

"Easy, Mage Q'yoona! It was opened some distance from here. We are not stupid back at the Mage Guild, you know."

Katla sighed and closed her eyes, covering her head with her hands as the pain spread. "Sorry."

"Do you want something for that headache, Master Q'yoona?" asked one of the other Mages.

Katla shook her head. The headache was caused by the Portal energy which had surged through her body. Nothing would ease it except time and limited exposure to more Portal energy. She looked at Q'kollan. "So what was so important that you had to come here?"

"To warn you. You are being watched."

Katla stared. The other Mages stopped what they were doing and wandered over as well.

"I would suggest not congregating in one place, as it may hint that we know," Q'kollan said in an even voice, leveling his gaze at the others.

Reluctantly, the others drifted away. Katla remained and stepped closer. "What are you talking about?"

"The Guild Hall detected an Inonni Portal opening nearby."

Katla looked around, as if expecting to see hordes of Inonni warriors pouring into the camp.

"I doubt they intend to move against us right now," said Q'kollan. "Or they would have done so already."

"Then why haven't they?"

"Likely because they still don't know quite what we're doing. Surely you realized you could not keep this work secret forever?"

"Yes, I know. Why should they suspect anything? They only care about whether we learn their technology. What little of their knowledge we are applying here is not something they can easily detect."

"Unless they have a Mage with them."

Katla's eyes again darted towards the forest. "We can't stop now. Not when we're this close."

"I am not asking you to stop, nor is the Guildmaster."

Katla narrowed her eyes. "He better not."

Q'kollan smiled slightly. "He apparently is wise enough not to try."

Katla sighed. "All right. We're just going to have to work faster and harder."

"And if I may suggest, I would recommend keeping side chatter about the project to a minimum. Inonni agents have proven to be very resourceful in the past. They may try to get close enough to eavesdrop. We cannot afford even the smallest hint of what we are doing to--"

"Yes, I know, I know. Thank you for letting me know, and I'm sorry I was so short with you."

Q'kollan nodded. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I would not mind a few Mages skilled in concealment and stealth spells. And combat magic. Just in case."

"I will see what I can do," said Q'kollan in a grim voice.

Tarras lifted his hood and tugged the edges to conceal his face from the sides. Frenon loaded a fresh bolt into his crossbow and held the loaded weapon at waist height, his eyes surveying the edge of the forest along the side of the road. He lowered it when a merchant cart ambled by and gave the driver a wave and a respectful nod of his head. Tarras did the latter, but did not show his face. The merchant scrutinized them for a moment, then waved back.

"Lord Rennis should make haste," said Frenon when his voice could be heard over the wheels grinding against the dry earth.

Tarras peered through the cloud of dust stirred by the cart and allowed himself a small smile. He was looking forward to having the former Overlord by his side. While Frenon was a loyal companion, he felt a closer kinship to Rennis. Noble Lords and Overlords were so dependent on one another, and even without the slave trade, he felt that relationship still remained.

As the dust settled, a man in a robe and hood similar to Tarras' garb appeared, walking towards them on the other side of the road.

"Are the others away safely?" Tarras asked.

Rennis crossed the road and raised his hands to his hood, then thought better of it and turned his head so Tarras could see his haggard face. "Yes, they will meet us in a half moon at Helrenburg. I found an abandoned farmhouse still in good condition. We can hold our next rally there."

"Very good. I hope to have made connections with another Guild by then. I was considering the Leathercrafter Guild. I have heard rumors they are secretly using substandard materials in what they craft for the Inonni."

Rennis snorted. "Lots of luck getting them to admit it."

"Nevertheless, they can be of much assistance." Tarras paused. "Have you heard anything more from Uridon?"

"Some big political scandal just happened in the Urisi Nation involving their Ambassadors. But that's all. No word on Gedric, Tarras, I'm sorry."

Tarras shook his head. "To be brutally honest, I am not holding out any hope. It is better to accept his fate now rather than suffer disappointment later. Do you have any more news?"

"I wish I did," Rennis grumbled. "I wish I knew what the Mage Guild was up to. You know, Roquan never did trust them very far."

"That is all behind us, Rennis. It must be if we are to create the Oceanus nation anew."

"No need to convince me any further, but you have to admit the Mages tend to be a secretive lot even in the best of times."

Tarras considered. "In this case, I wonder if it is best that we do not know."

Rennis tilted his head and frowned.

"In either case, we are ready to go."

"Fine." Rennis looked up and down the road. "Which way?"

Tarras smiled and stepped to one side, then pointed to the gap in the trees.

Rennis narrowed his eyes and stared until he finally saw the faint path winding through the thick of the forest. "Please tell me you're kidding."

"This is how I have been traveling, Rennis. It is how I have remained unobserved by the Cohorts."

"I would be more worried about animals than Cohorts!"

"No need, my Lord," said Frenon, cradling his crossbow.

"This trail connects with back roads which lead through hamlets where we can trade for supplies," said Tarras.

"And let you commune with the peasants again, of course," Rennis said in a sour voice.

Tarras said nothing, but his lips curled into a serene smile.

Rennis rolled his eyes, but his expression softened. "All right, all right. Let's go. I suppose I will have to conceal the fact I was once an Overlord."

"That would be most prudent, yes. If someone asks, I will claim you are my wayward cousin."

"Fine, that's ... wait, wayward?"

Tarras smiled and Frenon laughed as they entered the forest. Rennis just shook his head and sighed, but his lips twitched into a ghost of a smile as well.

The twilight brought a blanket of gray which first lingered at the dusk horizon, then swept in with the encroaching night. The air grew damp and cold, and upon full darkness a soft rain began to fall.

Jollis considered it a mixed blessing. The patter of rain would help muffle the sounds of movement, but a cloud-laden sky was slightly lighter than an absolute dark and clear sky. It was too easy to be silhouetted against such a backdrop.

As Jollis crept away from his hidden base, he realized he had to assume the agents at the camp were at least as good as he. While he liked to think himself one of the best, he assumed these had been called in by the Holy Order. They would employ no one but the best for such a task. Thus he had to ask himself the hardest question of all: what kind of mistakes might he make were he in their position?

As he began his trek, it became less of an important point. The heavens opened further until the ground squelched under his feet. He would never be heard above the pounding rain. If he were one of the agents, he would stop using sound to detect intruders and rely on sight or even smell. Thus Jollis altered his course until the wind was blowing against his front rather than his back. Now he had eliminated all but sight.

The trees rose like stark and somber monoliths as he crept through underbrush and around fallen tree trunks. Just as he vaulted over one of the latter, the forest suddenly burst into light brighter than daylight. Jollis fell to the ground as the flash died, and the ground shook as thunder rolled over him.

Jollis curled up beside the log and waited, but no one approached his position. He had been lucky, but now he could use it to his advantage.

Jollis advanced until he had to cross another small clearing. He crouched beside a boulder and waited. The moment he saw the next flash, he bolted to the next hiding place behind another collection of fallen tree limbs. Another flash, another advance. And again.

He stopped and fell flat on his back in a small ditch when he heard a voice just barely carry through the driving rain: "Did you see something move over there?"

A second voice joined the first, arriving from off to the side. "No, I was watching the other approach."

"Do you see anything now?"

"No, nothing. What did you see?"

"I do not know. Unfortunately the lightning flashed directly in my eyes. It was right at that moment I thought something had moved."

"You likely saw only the afterimage of the bright light."

"I would not want to assume such a thing."

Jollis could not help but smile. He would not want to make that assumption, either.

The second spoke again after a pause. "I will stand watch with you for a short time in case you are right."

So they did make a mistake after all. The second one should never have agreed to leave his own post uncovered. Jollis assessed his situation. The second voice sounded as if it had arrived from the left. A thick tree rose at the end of the ditch that way, then some thin underbrush. Now the lightning would work against him; he had to time it between the strikes.

He crawled forward, the rain pelting him and pouring from the leaves of the tree. The cold and wet soaked into him, and he suppressed the urge to shiver only with some effort.

He slipped behind the tree and drew himself up. In short order lightning flashed brilliant blue-white, and the air was rent with a crack of thunder which left his ears ringing. He dived to the ground and ran as fast as his half-crouch stance would allow. The thunder rolled, shaking the ground, and he used the additional noise to move faster than he had first planned. The ground suddenly descended, and he entered a controlled tumble. He had just reached the safety of another felled tree when the lightning flashed once more, though weaker.

Jollis paused to catch his breath. His whole body was soaked and smeared with mud.

"I saw nothing move against the light," he heard the first voice again, much fainter this time.

"Good. And remember to use that technique from now on so you do not get dazzled again by the lightning."

Jollis grinned. Yes, there were ways to shield one's eyes from the effects of lightning, but not many agents are versed in that skill.

"I will indeed. Will you be returning to your post?"

Jollis did not wait for the answer. He emerged from his hiding place and started around them.

"After I see you perform the technique correctly one more time."

"I thank you again."

Jollis remained honest with himself and thought he might make the same mistake. He would have believed teaching another to be more effective was an acceptable risk. The wise man pauses to fix the link he knows is weak in the chain, Jollis intoned in his thoughts, it is the fool who simply hopes it will not give way while he deploys the rest.

He found a trail which had been recently forged through the underbrush. He had breached the outer defense of the camp.

He crept along the trail, ready to leap into the trees the moment he sensed anyone moving along the path. He spotted the flickering light of a campfire ahead. Had Jollis not arrived with the Mage, he would have known then one was in attendance, for only one of his spells could hold back the rain enough to maintain a fire. Jollis realized the Mage had cast his weather ward upon the entire clearing, for he saw agents walk about in dry clothes on dry ground.

Jollis was just to the end of the trail when a shadow passed between him and the clearing. He bolted into the trees, and the shadow suddenly stopped. Jollis held his breath. The shadow lingered, then twirled a staff and slipped out of view.

Jollis let out his breath very slowly, not daring to move until he was sure the warrior was gone. He had not planned on the presence of warriors, yet they were likely few in number or they would be standing guard with the agents. No more than two, Jollis believed, little more than an honor guard for the Mage.

Jollis lowered himself into the underbrush and played his hands over the throwing knives tucked into his belt. While a trained warrior could knock his knife right out of the air, he would have to see it coming. That would be his chance.

He settled down out of sight and began to meditate.

Katla did not think she was in any condition for intimacy. She was tired, she was worried, and she had too many thing she needed to say. But like many nights of late, Uroddus would not be dissuaded.

She bounced lightly on the bed, her breath short and strained as Uroddus' hips pumped against her. She did not bother trying to match his frenetic pace; she simply opened her legs as far as they would go and wrapped her arms around him. She had no energy to be any more than a receptacle for his attentions.

And yet he had managed to make her folds wet and slick, his manhood thrusting into her easily and quite pleasantly. As her pleasure rose, her head tilted back, and her arms tightened until she pulled herself up to him, her breasts squeezed against his heaving chest.

This had been new as well. Until recently, he had been content to let her remain on top and direct their lovemaking. But now he insisted on being the aggressor. She suspected it was his way of trying to exert some token control over the situation. He so wanted her to abandon the idea of triggering the Portal cascade, but he was not willing to violate his promise to her. Katla allowed him this compensation.

Moreover, she sensed a desperation to his movements, to his moans, to the way he looked at her when they both approached climax. Her only regret was that she had not had more time to teach him the finer points of lovemaking.

Katla gasped as she grew close, and a burst of renewed vigor shot through her petite frame. She wrapped her legs around him and rocked her hips to his rhythm. She threw her head back and cried out, her pussy throbbing and constricting about his manhood. His own noises were more sedate, as they always were, but even now she could sense a new urgency.

She jammed her hips to his as he spent himself inside her. She closed her eyes and let out a ragged sigh as she felt his manhood throbbing inside her. Her fingers curled until the nails dug into his skin, leaving tiny red marks in their wake when their orgasms finally abated.

For a moment, tears welled up in her eyes. She did not want this to be their last. Yet she wondered if she feared it would be, or else she would have refused him because of her exhaustion.

Her second wind left her as she became limp on the bed. Still panting hard, Uroddus fell heavily next to her and tried to prompt her into rolling atop him so he might hold her the way he liked, with her as a comforting blanket draped over him. But she was at the limit of her endurance, both physically and emotionally, and shook her head without looking at him.

Uroddus accepted it and drew himself close, draping a single arm over her. Katla kept her head turned away and her eyes closed. She could not bear to look at him just yet. She had to say it before the courage or the energy left her once more. "It has to be tomorrow, Uroddus."

Uroddus lifted his head and stared at her, then watched the rise and fall of her sides with her slightly labored breath. He slid a hand from her side down to her hip and then her thigh, which he squeezed lightly. "I understand," he said in a barely audible voice.

His response incensed Katla enough that she abruptly rolled over and faced him, propping herself up on one arm. "You understand? Do you really?" she said in a mocking tone of voice. "Do you really understand there's a good chance I won't survive this because I don't have the time I need to stabilize the Portal device?!"

Katla had often criticized Uroddus for his lack of understanding of a woman's feelings, but sometimes he made startling breakthroughs, as he was about to do that night. Rather than continue to reason with her and utter calculated reassurances, he simply drew her into his arms and hugged her tightly.

She burst into tears and cried hard into his shoulder. Uroddus said nothing; he knew no words would soothe her. He simply held her through the tears, through the anger, through the despair, until she fell into an uneasy and exhausted slumber.

Sometime in the middle of the night, when all was still in the camp, Jollis opened his eyes.

Something had disturbed his meditation. He had intended it to last the night, to be his substitute for sleep. He had settled deep into a self-induced trance and had remained for several candlemarks until now, rising to full and tense wakefulness.

He relaxed when it became apparent that the source of the disturbance had come from within. He paused to let his thoughts coalesce properly before he understood. He had not a revelation from the gods, nor a divine inspiration, but a product of intuition and simple logic: the Oceanus Mages would strike before the next sunset.

It made sense. By now, they knew they were being watched. They had gleaned enough of Inonni technology to detect its Portals. They had to strike fast, for once their intentions were discovered, their enemy would use whatever means possible to stop them.

Jollis allowed himself a small, disappointed sigh as he realized how he had relegated his own people to the role of the adversary to be overcome and defeated.

He set this thought aside. His personal feelings could not be allowed to interfere. He had to do what was right. He had to search his mind a long time before settling into deep meditation earlier that night, but he had found the quote he had been looking for:

When one's ethics or morality makes the path unclear, the wise man does not let them stand in the way of doing what is right; it is the fool who slavishly adheres to the same rules when they no longer suit the occasion.

He withdrew a Farviewing pearl from his pocket. He passed his hand over it in a way which deactivated the audio component of the spell. A few moments pause, and Rolas appeared to him, a look of poorly-subdued shock on his face.

Jollis issued a series of hand gestures: tomorrow will be the time; see that Verano is away.

Rolas paused for what seemed an eternity, the flickering pale light of the Farview like a beacon in the dark forest. Finally, the Cohort nodded, his eyes reflecting a fear he did not bother to hide. He raised a shaking hand and signed back: it will be done, Wanderer. May the gods bless and keep you.

Jollis slowly smiled as he dispelled the Farview. Perhaps they will. Perhaps they will see fit to let him survive. Or perhaps they would seek atonement, for doing the right thing did not absolve one of the consequence of his actions.

He put the pearl away and slipped back into his deep meditative state.

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