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ONCE AGAIN I FOUND myself alone. This time, my only company was the darkness that surrounded me. My only three friends were gone, each one slain in their prime trying to protect me.
Don’t let their sacrifice be in vain.
Those words echoed in my mind, a reminder of the last promise I’d made, yet that didn’t stop my tears from falling, or the ache I felt in my chest. But I couldn’t sit here and dwell in my sorrow forever, it was time to move forward.
I hauled my sorry self off the ground, wiping away my tears, and began walking forward, knowing nothing of what awaited me at the end. When I walked for what felt like hours, I found myself in a dimly lit chamber, similar to those that had decorated the walls of the labyrinth.
The chamber erupted in a fountain of light, with an eerie familiar figure standing at the centre.
‘Ser Raexius.’
The firbolg smiled his wicked grin, ‘Yes child, it is I,’ he said, bowing like he’d concluded his performance. ‘I must say I didn’t expect to see you here at the end. My coin was on another, but still I supposed congratulations are in order. After all you were the only one to complete the challenge.’ His last words struck me as strange.
‘Only one,’ I repeated back to him, a distaste for his words lingered on my tongue. ‘My comrades died, as per your rules. End this sick game, please.’
Raexius' grin only widened as he asked, ‘An end to this game? I suppose, if I must. Then you shall grant me one favour, child. Exit through this doorway and you will enter my realm. Once then, find me in my study and I shall grant you your prize.’ In the next moment he was gone, in the same fashion in which he’d appeared, in a flashy spectacle, plunging the chamber into darkness once more.
I’d nothing to lose by entertaining his last request, and walked through the doorway. Much like those gateways we’d been given on the beach, this was similar, acting as a portal to another realm, though I wasn’t too sure where I’d ended up.
Pristine white stones beneath my hooves, with bushels of lavender foliage peeking between the gaps. A stone railing prevented me from falling, and when I peered over the edge I was thankful for its service. The ground was suspended high in the clouds, and all I could see was perfect clear skies with little wisps of cloud formations.
A towering willow sat in one corner, a silent sentinel watching my every move. It beckoned for me to continue on down the path and I obliged. Winding steps of white stone guided me towards an observatory in the distance. I’d no doubt this was where the Sorcerer meant for me to meet him.
I climbed the last set of stairs, my legs spent from the amount I’d been walking. I still hadn’t recovered from my time in the labyrinth, nor was there any time to have this request granted to me. I felt ready to collapse, but this wasn’t the time. When I finally reached the looming doorway of the observatory, it welcomed me like an old friend, granting me access inside without hesitation. I’d hope my time climbing stairs was over, but when I ventured inside, a curling staircase awaited me.
Great.
I groaned at the thought of climbing those stairs until I remembered what I could do. I could harness elements and bend them to my will, why couldn’t I try using them for purely selfish reasons?
One can only try.
I felt the gentle breeze around me, and gathered up the energy around my hooves with the tip of my crook. My skirts bellowed around me, the chill of the air made my skin prickle. A gust of wind picked me up, hovering me a few inches off the ground, and as the energy grew, I was lifted higher and higher. I’d the freedom to move about my surroundings, and as I soared by the curling staircase, I kept one hand on the rail to ensure my safety.
Looking down at the levels I’d flown above made me sick to my stomach, yet I felt a swell of pride accomplishing such a feat. I landed at the top of the staircase with grace and when my two hooves touched the ground I almost tumbled taking my first step.
Another set of doors greeted my arrival, and the high I was riding quickly diminished.
‘I require an audience with the Sorcerer of this realm,’ I said, choosing my words carefully. What did the Sorcerer even go by in his own realm? Master, Grand Sorcerer, Lord, they all seemed likely candidates. Judging by the way he always presented himself, with a flair for dramatics, I would hazard a guess his ego was just as big.
No one took my call and I grumbled to myself.
I summoned the wind once more and shot a blast at the door. I’d hoped for a bigger entrance but the impact caused the door to creak open slowly. Groaning, I reluctantly entered, pushing the rest of the door open myself.
‘Hello,’ I called into the room sheepishly. But still no one answered, so I entered without permission. I had to speak with the Sorcerer, it was the only way I could return home.
I glanced around the room, a meticulous collection of all sorts of treasures littered every wall and surface. Gold and silver sparkled in the candlelight, jewels in tall painted glasses like a collection of coinage. Paintings and tapestries covered the walls, I could barely tell what colour they might have been. Stone columns separated the room with an intricately embroidered curtain between them. Although that’d to be the hiding place of the Sorcerer, I was curious about his collection.
How could one firbolg culminate such a collection?
I was slow to remind myself of the original deal that the Sorcerer had made with The Ashen Order, to find sacred relics without knowing what he tended to use them for. Just how many adventurers had he tricked into doing his bidding? I didn’t have the stomach to learn the truth.
Carefully, I moved through the collection, trying my best not to knock anything over. I didn’t need to culminate another debt to the firbolg. I walked up to the steps leading to what I imagined to be his study. As I approached the curtain opened without me hearing or speaking a command.
There before me, sat in an opulent chair with a glass of wine in hand, was the Sorcerer himself. A desk positioned to one side of him and his glasses resting at the tip of his nose.
‘So nice of you to join me,’ Ser Raexius said, pulling out a brass pocket watch from his breast. ‘You certainly took your time, did you perchance get lost along the way.’
I bit my tongue, too many thoughts circled in my mind of things I could say, but none of them were polite, not that he deserved my kindness. ‘Something like that,’ I replied. ‘Where am I?’
The Sorcerer looked perplexed and sat down his glass, ‘Where are you, child?’ He repeated my question back to me in a mocking tone. ‘Why, you’re in my realm of course. You should consider yourself lucky, very few have the pleasure of joining me here.’
‘And what, pray tell, makes me so deserving?’ I queried. Once again he was talking in riddles, in a way I was struggling to comprehend. I still maintained the notion that I held little importance in the world after I was banished from my tribe. The Ashen Order had made me one of them, but I still didn’t feel truly welcome. Perhaps it’d been my own doing, my reluctance to allow people to get close to me after my brother’s accident.
Ser Raexius stood, brushing down his embroidered tailcoat and adjusting his glasses. ‘I’m afraid I may not have been entirely truthful,’ his tone was much softer this time, which seemed out of character even for him. His golden eyes looked me up and down. ‘You were my intended target all along, the others unfortunately were merely pawns in my game.’
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. ‘You set up four trials just in hope we would fail? Why not come for me yourself?’ I asked. Without meaning to, I'd summoned a strong gust of wind, toppling over his glass decanter, deep-plum liquid trickled from the bottom but the Sorcerer didn’t even glance at the mess. ‘You mean to tell me my friends risked their lives to secure those sacred relics, to protect me, and it was all for your own selfish game?’
Ser Raexius didn’t answer, he only stared at me, those golden eyes refusing to indulge me.
‘And now you have me, what is it you want?’ My anger simmered as best as I could manage, but I’d never be about to forgive the firbolg, and if destiny would have our paths meet again in the future, I was happy to make it his last.
‘Come now, child,’ the Sorcerer cooed gently, his words sliding off his tongue, smoother than silk. ‘Let us sit and discuss the hardships you’ve faced. I’ve prepared a meal in case you were hungry after what must’ve felt like an eternity in that labyrinth.’
Raexius gestured to an armchair beside an open fireplace, a small table with a tea tray on top beside it. As nice as the gesture was, I still didn’t trust him.
‘I came to end this, not to partake in some frivolous tea party,’ I said bluntly.
The Sorcerer sucked in a breath and slumped into one of the armchairs before pouring himself some tea. ‘Feel free to join me at your leisure, for what I’m about to tell you, it might be best if you were sitting down,’ he replied, his tone sickly sweet.
With his last admission, I felt the need to oblige his request but for my own sake. I took the remaining armchair but refused when he offered me a bite to eat.
‘You are familiar with the archfey, Titania, correct?’ Ser Raexius asked, adding a sugar cube to his cup and stirring it slowly as his golden orbs waited for my reaction.
I considered my words carefully before answering, ‘She’s known by the tribe’s Elders. I’ve only heard stories that have been passed down from each generation.’
‘I see,’ the firbolg said, taking a sip of his tea. ‘I am what you might consider a servant of Lady Titania of the Summer Court, however it has been quite sometime since I’ve ventured into the feywild. I grew tired of the frivolous parties, would you believe?’ He laughed.
‘That seems impossible, if I were to judge solely on how you present yourself.’
‘Indeed, however it is true. The Court was known for it, but once my Lady set her eyes on the mortal realm, I saw her toy with mortals in a way I never could and I wanted a piece of that for myself. Selfishly, I left the Court without so much as a word. Until one day she found me.’
‘But how? I didn’t think anyone could come here unless invited?’ I asked.
Ser Raexius gave a nod and replied, ‘While that is true, it wasn’t the case back then. I suppose you could say she inspired the notion.’
‘What happened? Did she punish you for leaving the Summer Court?’
‘You do ask a lot of questions, child,’ he said, rubbing his temple. ‘But no, she did not punish me, in fact she complimented my work here in Essenths. So much so, she wanted a slice of the action herself.’ Before I could open my mouth to ask another question, he continued, ‘My Lady wished to control the games herself, seeing it as an opportunity to enslave mortals. I was inclined to agree, but I was revelling in my freedom. I didn’t want her to spoil that, no no.’
There were puzzle pieces in my hand refusing to fit together, ‘Do you dislike the archfey?’ I asked, which was the only logical conclusion I could come to terms with.
Ser Raexius shook his head, ‘No, I do not hate my Queen. But Essenths is a realm of my own making, from ancient magic I procured. This is my sanctuary. I refused but there was a price she asked for in return, and a price I was more than happy to pay.’
The Sorcerer drained his teacup and set it back on the tray before standing and walking over to the nearest window. A gentle tap on the frosted glass sounded and when he opened it, in hopped Cogsworth, the automaton he’d entrusted to Barcius when we first began our journey.
‘How is it possible for him to be here?’ I asked. Something in my gut told me I needed to run, but my hooves refused to move.
Ser Raexius grinned, ‘He is my creation after all, why shouldn’t he be able to find his way home?’ He countered, scooping up the brass creature and brought him towards the fireplace. ‘My friend here was just delivering some items left in the Labyrinth.’
Cogsworth dumped three jewels onto the tea tray with a clang. My heart sank to the pit of my stomach when I looked them over, something about them seemed familiar. The first, a small triangular amethyst, the second a deep square sapphire and the final one an oval amber. Each one was rough around the edges, not yet tumbled into smooth stone. The longer I stared at the jewels, the more the pang in my chest ached. Somehow I knew the origin of these stones but I just couldn’t place my finger on it. But why did I feel this way?
‘Those are how I collect the souls of adventurers who cannot complete my trials. You should recognise those three, were you not close?’ Ser Raexius’ grin only widened and there was the sinister Sorcerer I’d learnt to hate.
I trained my eyes to the jewels, no wonder they all seemed so similar. What sat before me was not just found stones, but stolen souls of my fallen comrades. I thought bad about the glass vase I’d seen earlier, full of jewels just like the three in front of me. Were they too forgotten souls he’d collected? How could someone be so cruel?
‘What will happen to them?’ I asked, my mouth dry like cotton.
The Sorcerer replied, his flamboyance returning to his tone, ‘Why, they become part of my luscious collection. And now that I’ve retrieved those wayward souls, you, child, are free to depart from this realm. I have no use for you.’
I glanced at the stones and then back to the firbolg, ‘Wait, I can leave?’ I queried, ‘What of the contract you drafted?’
Ser Raexius snapped his fingers and said, ‘This little document, do not worry yourself over it. Those souls who failed have now been collected and you, child, cannot stay in my realm forever.’ He gave the automaton the scroll, the creature toddled over to the fireplace and dumped the parchment into the roaring flame. As I watched the contract burn, I realised my ties to the Sorcerer were now severed. I should feel a swell of happiness in my chest, but all I could think about was taking those jewels with me. My comrades deserved better than to spend eternity in a vase.
I opened my satchel, holding up the calling stone I’d collected from my trial. ‘I thought this is what you wanted, wasn’t that part of the contract? To collect these relics you desired?’ I asked.
Ser Raexius shook his head and replied, ‘That stone is worthless to me, it would suit you well to keep it on your person.’ He moved to the other side of his study, standing beside another intricately embroidered curtain. ‘For now, child, your stay in Essenths has come to an end and while it was a pleasure, I kindly ask you to leave.’ He rubbed his temples once more. ‘Too much socialising does take it out of me I’m afraid.’
While his back was turned and Cogsworth was nowhere in sight, I swiped the soul jewels from the tray, pocketing them inside my satchel with the calling stone. I stood, brushed down my skirts and collected my crook. I joined the Sorcerer’s side, watching as he pulled back the embroidered curtain. A swirling portal revealed itself, and beyond the rift I heard the distinct sound of familiar cries, but I couldn’t make out their words.
‘Best you run along home now, child,’ Ser Raexius said with a smirk, gesturing to the open doorway. ‘It appears your tribe is calling for you.’
I looked at the firbolg horrified. Those cries were from my tribe? Something, someone had entered our sacred woodlands. There was only one candidate I could consider responsible. I braced myself for the horrors that awaited me on the other side of the portal. I only hoped my tribe could hold on a little longer for me to return home, so that I might aid them. Just as I stepped through the portal, I heard the Sorcerer’s voice call out to me.
‘May the archfey show you no mercy.’
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