It took nearly three more hours to make it to the end of the tunnel. Reginald promised them they wouldn’t run into any other creatures. “Nothing is going to live near that thing.” He said as he limped along. He’d fared much better than a human would have, his hard scales keeping the chtonarach’s leg from piercing his thick skin. He’d have a heck of a bruise, but nothing else.

  “What exactly is a chronorack?” She asked as they walked.

  “Chtonarach. It’s a spider like creature that lives underground. It usually lives in only one small area, digging a short tunnel to live in and jumping out to grab anything that walks above the entrance. But in this case it must have found the tunnels and used it as an extended nest.” He replied as they walked. About ten minutes after the battle they found a spot where the tunnel branched, and one was obviously dug by the creature - the walls covered in deep scratch marks. “Here. If you followed that it would probably come out in the woods near the castle. Likely it’s been feeding on sheep and cattle and other farm animals nearby. Must have a good food supply to grow that big.”

  “That was a big one?” Triss asked. “Like, I know it was big. But that’s as big as they get?”

  “Oh yes. That one must have been decades old. It’s certainly the biggest I’ve ever seen, at least twice as big as normal.” That made Triss feel slightly better. At least if she ever ran into another one it would likely be much smaller.

  “What was the spell you used to kill it?” She asked.

  “Just a force lance. Their skin is extremely hard, and most other spells would just glance off. Naiela’s lightning attack was slightly more effective, but it wouldn’t have been enough to stop it. Because I was behind it I was able to get the lance in between some of it’s scales, in a softer spot.”

  “What would you have done if you couldn’t get behind it?” Triss asked.

  “Keep retreating until we got out of the tunnel, and then seal the door behind us.” He replied. “I don’t know any spells that would overcome it’s armour.”

  At the end of the tunnel they found an old wooden ladder, its rungs half rotten from age and the damp underground air. “I don’t know if that’ll hold us.” Triss said.

  “I think it’ll be fine.” Reginald replied, pulling out his wand and pointing it at the ladder. An orange rune formed in the air and then flowed out over the ladder, wrapping around it and suffusing it with a soft glow.

  “What was that?” Triss asked.

  “A reinforcing spell.” Naiela said, pushing past Triss and beginning up the ladder. “It’ll keep it from falling apart while we climb.” Reginald smiled and nodded, then beckoned for Triss to climb. At the top they found a small, round chamber with a wooden trapdoor at the top. Naiela pushed on the door and it slowly began to rise, then suddenly flopped over. Cool fresh air blew down into the chamber, and they all climbed out into soft, damp grass. Triss looked around, and found they were in a small clearing in the forest. The sun was beginning to set, faint orange lines streaking across the sky. Through the trees to the east she could just see the wide brown western road.

  “So what’s the plan? We keep going or camp here?” Triss asked.

  “Keep going.” Naiela said, starting towards the road. “We need to get away from here in case they find the tunnel.”

  “How are they going to find the tunnel?” Triss asked, following her. “It’s in Aleen’s house.”

  “And what if he turns us in?” Naiela replied. “You can’t trust people.”

  “Maybe you can’t. I trust Aleen.” Triss replied, a bit of heat in her tone.

  “Leave it.” Reginald said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “I’ve known Aleen long enough to know he won’t turn us in. That doesn’t mean they won’t track him down. It’s unlikely, but its wise to put some more distance between us and them, just in case.”

  “Fine.” Triss replied. “But I don’t like it.” Reginald smiled and patted her shoulder. Then he headed after Naeila, and Triss followed unhappily behind. She really hoped that Aleen would be ok. She couldn’t bear the thought of him suffering because he’d been kind enough to help them.

  “Stupid council wizards.” Triss muttered under her breath as she walked. “Someone needs to take care of them.”

  “What was that?” Reginald asked.

  Triss sighed. “Nothing.” She quickened her pace and caught up with them as they reached the road. There were no other travellers on the road, and when she looked to the east she could just barely make out the distant grey of the city walls over the trees. Naeila set a brisk pace away from the town, her boots clicking against the hard packed soil of the road.

  They walked until the sun had completely set and the moon was shining brightly in the sky. The trees cast long shadows across the road, and the call of nocturnal animals drifted among their thick branches. “Shouldn’t we stop?” Triss asked, her nerves beginning to fray at each screech and howl. “There’s animals out there. Are we safe to keep walking?”

  “As long as we can hear the animals, we’re safe.” Reginald said. “It’s when they go quiet we have an issue.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The animals you’re hearing - wolves, owls, bears - they won’t bother us. We’re not prey for them. They’ll go quiet if something that preys on them shows up, and that’s when we need to be worried.”

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  “Thanks. That makes feel so much better.” Triss replied sarcastically. “What the hell eats a bear or a wolf?”

  “Chtonarachs, for one.” Reginald replied with a sharp toothed grin. “Don’t worry. We’ll be fine. I think that cart driver was exaggerating.”

  “Then why did Jorsh say he had a black scar on the cart?” Triss asked.

  Reginald shrugged. “Maybe he parked too close to the fire.”

  They walked in silence for a while, the only sound the clicking of boots and the occasional howl of a wolf. Triss’s mind whirled, thinking through what Jorsh had told them. “Are demons real?” She finally asked. “Like, is it possible that cart guy actually saw one?”

  “Technically, yes. Demons are real. They’re probably not what you’re thinking though. They’re beings from a different dimensional plane, one very inhospitable to life.”

  “How would they get here then?” Triss asked.

  “Someone would have to summon them. It’s a complicated bit of magic, and the summoning rarely lasts more than a few minutes. It’s extremely dangerous too. Demons are more likely to eat the summoner than do anything else.”

  “Eat them? So demons eat people?” Triss asked, her anxiety rising.

  “They’re dangerous and violent beings. I don’t know for sure that they would actually eat someone, but they certainly will kill their summoner if given a chance. Their world is hot and full of fire and lava. Bringing them here to a world that is far colder, well, isn’t exactly fun for them. Usually killing their summoner will release them to return to their home, so that’s the first thing they do.”

  “Then why would anyone summon one?”

  “Who knows what machinations lurk in the mind of a dark wizard.” Naiela said, joining the conversation. “They are usually quite foolish. I’ve heard that they think a demon can grant wishes, but that is a story spread by demons to get more fools to summon them so they can eat them. No one has ever successfully summoned a demon and lived more than a few minutes.”

  Triss raised an eyebrow. “Then how do the demons spread the story?” Naiela glared at her, then began walking faster, boots slapping against the hard road.

  “A demon can be bound, forced to serve its summoner.” Reginald said. “I haven’t heard of it being done in a long time, but there are stories of powerful summoners in the distant past raising armies of demons to conquer countries and continents. I’m quite sure the stories have been exaggerated. More likely, someone extremely knowledgeable and powerful managed to summon a few demons to add to their army, and the stories grew over time.”

  "How did they defeat them? Obviously those demons aren't around anymore." Triss asked.

  "Even a powerful summoner can only hold them here for so long. Eventually they go back to their usual plane of existence. If the summoner is very lucky, they go without tearing him or her apart first."

  "That would be disturbing to see, I think."

  "No more disturbing than a demon itself. Most of them are quite gruesome looking to us."

  "To us?"

  "Well, they obviously breed and create new demons, so they must not be repulsed by their appearance." It was too dark to tell, but Triss thought she saw Reginald wink.

  "Gross. Let's not talk about demon reproduction ever again."

  Reginald shrugged, then started walking faster to catch up with Naiela.

  They walked for what felt like ten hours to Triss, but Grounth told her it had only been an hour. Why didn't you answer me at Aleen's earlier? She asked the ancient wizard.

  I don't like him.

  Why not? He seems like a nice guy.

  Oh, yes. He seems like a nice guy. He's a villain of the highest order though. An absolutely vile human being. I despise him.

  Why?

  I have my reasons.

  What did he do, hurt your feelings?

  No! Far far worse. He borrowed a book from me and it came back with coffee stains. Coffee! Who does that! To a book!

  Grounth spent several minutes complaining about Aleen and books before finally settling down to a dull grumble. Triss shoved him to a corner of her mind so she didn't have to listen to him mutter. Her eyelids began to grow heavy, and she had to try hard to focus on putting one foot in front of the other. When she started to stumble occasionally, Reginald finally called a halt. "I think that's far enough for tonight." He said.

  "Finally." Triss groaned, collapsing onto the soft dirt at the side of the road. "I don't think I could walk another step."

  "You'll have to walk a few more. We're not sleeping on the road and I'm not carrying you."

  "Why not?" Triss whined. "You're strong. I believe in you."

  "I think there's some ants around here." He said, pulling out his wand.

  "Ants? What about ants?" Naiela asked.

  "I'm up, I'm up." Triss replied.

  "You say that, but I notice a distinct lack of movement. It looks like you're still lying in the grass."

  Triss lifted an arm and let it flop back on the grass. "See? Moved."

  Naiela grinned wickedly. "I can move her."

  “I’m up!” Triss jumped to her feet and glared at Naeila. Naiela gave her a self satisfied look and strode off the road an into the trees. Reginald headed off after her, and Triss brought up the rear, muttering increasingly foul invectives at the council wizard.

  They located a small clearing a hundred paces off the road where the grass was nice and soft, if a little damp. “You two get some sleep. I’ll keep watch.” Reginald said.

  “I don’t need to sleep.” Naiela protested.

  “You need sleep too.” Triss said at the same time.

  “Once. Just once, I’d like to tell you two something and not have you argue with me.” Reginald said with a sigh. “I don’t need as much sleep as a human. I’ll be fine until tomorrow night when hopefully we’ll have our tents back. You both will be useless if you don’t get at least some sleep. No more arguing.”

  “I don’t have to listen to you.” Naiela snapped.

  Triss couldn’t help herself. She laughed. “What’s so funny?” Naiela demanded.

  “Hmm? Oh, you sound like a kid arguing with their stepdad. The whole ‘I don’t have to listen, you’re not my real dad.’ Sort of thing.”

  Naiela fixed her with a glare that could freeze magma. “I think I’ll sleep on the other side of the clearing.” She stormed off without another word, boots sinking into the soft grass with each pounding step.

  “Geez, what’s her problem.” Triss asked once she was sure the other wizard was out of earshot.

  “She doesn’t have parents. At least, she’s never known them.” Reginald replied.

  “What? She’s an orphan? How do you know?”

  “Because she’s a council wizard. The council takes their wizards at birth, usually from poor parents who can’t afford to feed another child. Every council wizard is basically an orphan.”

  “That’s horrible.”

  “That’s the council. We can talk about it another time. Lay down and get some sleep. I’ll wake you around sunrise.”

  Triss wanted to ask more, but she could see from his face he wasn’t going to answer any more questions. With a sigh she lay down in the grass and closed her eyes, thinking about what Reginald had said. All council wizards were orphans? Judging by the way Naiela had reacted, it was definitely a sore spot for her. She’d have to talk to her about it. It wasn’t fair that she didn’t have parents.

  “Wake up. Quietly.” Reginald’s voice whispered in her ear as he shook her.

  “What? Why?” Triss replied groggily. “You said to go to sleep.” She opened her eyes, and found it was still pitch black outside.

  “You did sleep. For about two hours.”

  “Why..wake up? It’s not sunrise yet?” Her mind was filled with cobwebs, and she was having trouble forming sentences.

  “Not sunrise yet, no.”

  “Then why?” She whined.

  “Shhh. Keep it down. I woke you up because it’s gone quiet. The animals have all stopped making noise.”