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Part III

The Fallacy of Gods

Chapter 21

A Painful Reality

Tek felt as if he'd been falling for a lifetime. He remembered hitting the cold floor and the warmth of his blood pooling around him, but the sensation of falling never left. How long had he been falling? A month? A year? A lifetime? Perhaps even longer. Time was something he'd forgotten about. Passing through the darkness, Tek swore he could see windows of light. Memories and fractures of the past. He saw his sisters, The Court of Cards, Gimmick, Tahnee, and even Iary. When suddenly the wound on his chest felt as if it was tearing open again. There was a blinding light as the soul rune burned itself into the darkness before him. It was impossible to get a proper sense of scale in this strange place, but he felt like an insect in comparison to the glowing rune. An unseen force tugged against Tek's body and he could feel himself being pulled into the rune.

Darkness turned to light.

Comfort turned to pain.

Then something new happened. All that falling that seemed to have lasted an eternity ceased. Someone caught him. He felt his heart beat heavily in his chest and every nerve in his body was set ablaze with pain. His vision began to return, although his sight was nothing but a blur of random colors. Something sweet filled his mouth. Whatever the strange flavor was, it was choking him. He gagged, gasping for air, and eventually vomiting up the strange substance.

Tek could make out a familiar silhouette holding him. As air filled his lungs once more, his sight slowly became clear. "L-Lita?" Tek asked weakly. He reached up and gently placed his palm against the face of the figure, feeling soft, well groomed fur against his hand. It took an incredible effort just to accomplish such a simple thing.

"Not quite." An equally familiar voice said in response. The figure leaned in closer and Tek could see who it was that pulled him from his seemingly endless fall. It was Lolli, the princess of spades.

"How?" Tek asked, his voice barely a whisper.

Lolli hushed him and Tek allowed himself to return to the darkness one more time. Not to die, but to sleep. He was alive. He didn't know how, but he would continue to endure life, and all the pain that came with it.

Tek awoke sometime later to a loud buzzing sound. He opened his eyes and felt his heart jump inside his chest when he realized there was a bee, about a head shorter than him, flying about his room. It continued cleaning and rearranging the various shelves on the wall, all the while completely ignoring him.

Several minutes passed until the door opened and Lolli strode into the room. "I told you this place was off limits. Begone with you, or I will tell Mellifera of this intrusion!" Lolli ordered in a voice well used to commanding respect. The bee fled almost immediately, leaving the two of them alone in the room.

"Lolli, what's going on? What happened to-" Tek's questions were cut off, as Lolli placed a finger against his lips, stopping him from asking any further questions.

"You died. Again. It's funny, Tek. I've met thousands of individuals in my time ruling in The Skunk Kingdoms. Yet I've never seen, nor have I heard, of anyone as bad at living than you. How many times have you died now?" Lolli asked. Tek stared back at her blankly, only half listening, still trying to figure out if any of what he was experiencing was real.

Lolli sighed, realizing her attempts at humor were falling on deaf ears. "Prieda brought you here in a panic. Your injuries were too severe for natural medicine. I hadn't seen that much blood since Silence slaughtered all those guards. If you'd arrived even a moment later, we wouldn't be having this conversation, and I would have to deliver some rather unfortunate news to a very sad sister." Lolli walked over to a bedside table and took something out of a drawer then returned to Tek's side. "It's a shame about these. Whoever made them was on to something quite clever I think."

Tek felt himself shrink in disappointment as she saw what Lolli was holding. The pistols Vivian had crafted for him were in pieces from the blast. He had grown so used to using his runic cards, he had completely forgotten he had them with him at the time.

"How am I alive?" Tek asked, getting tired of Lolli dancing around the question she knew he wanted answered.

"See for yourself." Lolli said, looking down at the blanket that covered his chest.

Nervously, Tek pulled back the bed sheet, unsure of what kind of grievous scar such a wound would have left behind. He gasped at what he saw. What remained of the wound was a faint line, only visible if he pulled his fur aside to see it. It was stitched shut with a material that appeared to be glowing.

"Spindle's web. Rumor has it you now owe two guardians favors." Lolli said.

"I... I don't understand how I'm alive." Tek said. He hadn't noticed his hands were trembling. Lolli frowned, then took him by the hand.

"Come with me. I think a walk will help clear things up." Lolli said, guiding Tek towards the door.

The hallway was filled with dozens of bees, flying about through numerous doors that stretched up several stories. Every surface was the same honeycomb yellow, making it hard to see exactly where the ceiling was. Whoever constructed this building clearly only had their worker bees in mind.

"We're in a hive?" Tek asked.

"Yes, in a way," Lolli said, tugging on Tek's hand to keep him moving. He found watching the bees work to be fascinating. They entered a room and Tek saw what looked like a cocoon that appeared to have hatched recently. A strange golden goo was slowly leaking out of the cocoon onto the floor. "This is what helped keep you alive."

Tek remembered the strange sweet taste he'd been choking on just before waking up in Lolli's arms. "A cocoon of honey?"

"I see you never finished that book I lent you. Spindle isn't the only guardian insectoid. Her sister was elevated to divinity as well. I suppose that makes three guardians you owe favors to."

Tek examined the stitching of his wound again. The pain he suffered upon waking up from the cocoon now only a thing of memory. "Where's Prieda and Gimmick?"

"Prieda should be around here somewhere. I'm sure Spindle will be able to bring you to her." Lolli said, exiting the room. Tek hurried to follow after her.

"And where exactly is 'here?'" Down the hall Tek could see one of the doorways dwarfed the rest. A strong wind blew from the other side and it sent a chill through Tek's body. Wherever they were, it was cold. They approached the doorway as dozens more bees buzzed above them. The fact that their numbers were so much greater in this area led Tek to believe this must have been the entrance.

What lay on the other side of the doorway took Tek by surprise. It appeared to be a massive balcony, but their vision was obscured by a dense fog. "It's freezing out here." Tek shouted over the wind.

"That tends to happen when you're this high up." Lolli shouted back to him.

The fog cleared up, and Tek realized that it wasn't fog that had obscured their vision at all. It was a cloud, now blown away by the wind. There was a loud roar and a massive chain, thicker than most buildings Tek had seen, dragged slowly in front of them. Tek looked up to see numerous buildings, each the size comparable to that of a castle, bobbing and floating in the wind. Each structure attached to what seemed to Tek as an impossibly large chain, anchoring them to the earth. His jaw dropped at what he was witnessing.

"Welcome to Acria, Tek." Lolli said, taking in the view with him, "It took you long enough to get here."

*****

"We should find Spindle," Lolli said, "She will want to know you're awake."

Tek couldn't help but be distracted by his surroundings. He hadn't been aware there would be so many bees in Acria. "Is everyone up here an insect?" He asked, starting to wonder if Acria was just one big hive.

"Of course not," Lolli said, chuckling at the idea, "Acria needs workers to help keep it operating. We're in the underhive. The school itself is above us. The workers maintain the school under Mellifera's orders."

Lolli led Tek to a pair of massive doors. Had he not grown up guarding The Iron Doors, he would have found them more intimidating. Each door was ajar and worker bees poured out of the room in such great numbers that the ceiling obscured by their mass. Whatever was inside that room was obscured by darkness.

Lolli entered the dark room, and Tek quickly followed after her. Inside he saw the being that had to be Mellifera, as like most guardians, her enormous size gave away her divinity. All guardians carried a level of regality few mortals could ever hope to match, but Mellifera's presence was so impactful that it stopped Tek in his tracks.

The room was bathed in dim golden light that seemed to be coming from Mellifera herself. So encompassing was her presence, that Tek hadn't noticed it was the fire pillars that lined the room that gave off such a glow.

Mellifera shared common physical traits with her sister. Most notably the majestic fluff that covered her upper body. Her exoskeleton was rich with gold and onyx coloration, and her eyes were like two perfect black jewels.

Lolli knelt before the guardian, and Tek immediately thought to do the same, only to find he had been kneeling all along.

"What have I told you about kneeling before other guardians?" A familiar voice lectured from somewhere above them. Tek managed to pull his eyes away from Mellifera to find Spindle swinging above them on thickly wound strands of her web in a child-like manner. Tek was surrounded by bugs, yet in the presence of two guardians it was he who felt like an insect.

Lolli rose to her feet, but Tek remained kneeling. He didn't dare stand before being given permission in the face of two guardians that he may very well owe his life to.

"Look who's finally awake. I was starting to think our efforts were going to be for nothing." Spindle said, sliding down a web. Tek had to arch his neck back to meet her eyes, so great was their difference in size.

"I uh... Thank you for saving me." Tek said, unsure of how else to better thank a divine being.

"Oh Tek, you're so cute I could just eat you. Just kidding, but sort of not really." Spindle chuckled, gesturing for Tek to stand. He did so, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on edge from her comment.

"Where's Gimmick?" Tek asked. The little kobold would be worried about him.

"Who?" Spindle asked.

"Tek travels with a kobold. She's important to him." Lolli said.

"Well if she's here then she would be with Prieda." Spindle said.

Tek felt his heart sink. He'd been hoping to avoid the Sphinx. Sure she'd saved him, but she also had once tried to kill him as well as hypnotize him to her will. Now that he was in Acria, he didn't see why he'd have to tolerate such a dangerous guardian. "And where is Prieda?" Tek asked. His tone must have given away his frustration and he received disapproving looks from both Spindle and Mellifera.

"You'd be wise to show more respect to your patron, rat." Mellifera finally spoke, "When she brought you to me bloodied and on the verge of death, I had turned down her request to save you. It matters little to me, the life of a rat. But I had never seen a guardian grovel the way she did. It was pathetic for one of our kind to be so attached to a patron. Especially a rat. If it wasn't for my sister speaking out in your favor, you would have died in Prieda's arms."

"I had to bug her. Get it? Bug? Because we're insects?" Spindle explained, laughing at her own pun. Tek hadn't noticed that she was swinging once more on another strand of web, applauding her own humor with her many hands. The sound gave off a noise mimicking that of an audience clapping for her.

"I suppose I should consider myself lucky for you having such a generous younger sister." Tek said, still distracted by Spindle's childishness.

"What are you talking about? I'm the older sibling." Spindle said, looking genuinely confused as to how Tek could have confused this. "Lolli can take you to find Prieda. I would take you myself, but she's been so dramatic lately, I can't stand being in her presence. Maybe having her rat back will cheer her up." Spindle said.

Tek bowed before the guardians, getting one last chuckle of amusement and flattery out of Spindle, while Mellifera just stared coldly at him. Lolli took him by the hand, and led him back out into the hallway.

"I don't think Mellifera likes you." Lolli said.

"What gave it away?" Tek asked, ducking as a worker bee nearly crashed into him as it sped past him.

"Most guardians aren't going to like you, Tek. You're a rat, and you have a bad habit of taking up their time. Even a few moments of unwanted attention from a guardian can earn you a lifetime of their disapproval." Lolli said.

"Spindle seems to like me." Tek said.

Lolli sighed at this. "Spindle," She started, "Is amused by you because you do everything wrong. And while she does find you cunning, I do believe she would eat you if the mood struck her."

"Good to know." Tek said, glancing back at the dark entryway of Mellifera's throne room.

"I don't think you realize how serious being a student at Acria is, Tek." Lolli said. Tek nearly crashed into her as she stopped walking suddenly, "Your life is in more danger now than it was while you were fighting Silence."

"I'm not sure I believe that." Tek said, remembering the cold point of Silence's blade pressing down on him.

"Well you better, because honestly there were several points back there where I was shocked Mellifera didn't kill you on the spot, and there are guardians far more ill tempered than her in Acria. Tek, guardians aren't like us. They follow their own rules and if something bothers them they don't hesitate to kill it. There's no repercussions for their actions, because no one can hold them accountable for them. If you can't learn to play the game, then you're never going back to The Burrow and it will be up to me to fix The Iron Doors."

*****

Lolli led Tek to a platform at the hive's center. The sleek white stone of the massive lift looked out of place compared to the golden yellow walls of the hive.

Tek looked around confused. He'd read about lifts, but in his books there had always been operators and machinery to activate them. Here there seemed to be nothing except for a strange orb made of matching material of the lift. "So how do we-"

Before Tek could finish, Lolli placed her hand on the stone and the lift began to rise. "You're going to have to pick up on things fast around here, Tek. This lift is ancient technology. It's made from the same magic that brought life to that sentinel that nearly ended your life. The sphere reacts to the touch of anyone who has magical properties" Lolli explained.

Leaning forwards, Tek examined the strange sphere. It didn't have any runes or markings on it. From his perspective it looked like nothing more than a well sculpted rock.

As the lift brought them higher into the hive, Tek found he had lost track of the number of floors of Mellifera's hive. Yet each floor looked the same to him and was filled with hundreds of worker bees buzzing every which way.

"So Mellifera lives in Acrai?" Tek asked.

"I don't believe so," Lolli said, "Her worker bees do a majority of the work to keep the school functioning, but she's not always present at the school. At any given time either her or Spindle has to be present to give them orders. According to Spindle, this hive is actually quite small to her home west of The Endless Web."

Tek found trying to comprehend a hive that size to be dizzying. He could imagine The Burrow, only above ground, and how high up such a structure must go. "So The Endless Web isn't endless after all?" Tek said

"And The Skunk Kingdoms are inhabited by more than skunks, and The Iron Doors are said to be impervious to dragon fire. Which means they aren't really made of iron. I suppose we all tend to exaggerate a bit when naming things." Lolli said. She stepped forwards as the lift brought them into a building that The Underhive seemed to be attached to the bottom of, hence its namesake.

The building was a marvel. Massive statues of guardians and what must have been powerful magic users from Acria's history. Massive widows that looked out over the horizon as far as the eye could see. The view only being blocked for brief moments by other floating buildings held down by impossibly large chains that drifted into view. Operational sentinels roamed the hallways, and admittedly Tek felt himself jump at one or two that passed close by. He'd be a fool to trust the automata.

So distracted was Tek by his surroundings, that he couldn't help but notice something. There were no students. Sure The Underhive was filled with countless worker bees, many of which could be seen tidying up the school, and sentinels were ever present in their patrol, but Tek and Lolli seemed to be the only ones here to learn.

"Lolli, where is everyone?" Tek asked.

"Tek, how difficult was it for you to get here?" Lolli asked.

Tek frowned. "I died several times to get here. If it wasn't for my rune tapping, I wouldn't have made it as far as The Skunk Kingdoms." He admitted.

"Rune Tappers are exceptionally rare. You had the luxury of being able to cheat death to get here. Others do not. Acria is empty because a majority of those who wish to study here are dead."

A wave of nausea washed over Tek as the realization dawned on him. "So it's just us?"

This got a chuckle out of Lolli. "Of course not. You'll find plenty of other students in classes and at the grand archives. Although our numbers are few and it's rare to run into many other students in the hallways. Besides, we're entering Prieda's part of the academy. You're her first student she's ever sponsored, so there's little reason for anyone else to be here. That being said..." Lolli trailed off at the sight of two other students, one of which was banging on yet another massive door. Tek was beginning to assume that if he wanted to avoid other guardians in Acria, all he had to do was avoid doors that seemed unreasonably large.

"Please lemme in! Aah have waited so long for ya ta finally come ta Acria!" An ophiotaurus that looked to be around Tek's age cried, banging both fists against the massive door.

Beside the crying ophiotaurus was a female panda, trying to pull her friend away from the doors. "It's alright, Daisy. We can go the the archive to-"

"Consarn it!" The ophiotaurus interrupted, throwing one of her books on the ground, "I ain't goin anywhere until Prieda comes out!"

"Tek this is Daisy and Jade. Daisy's been trying to get Prieda help her with her manipulation magic," Lolli said, before lowering her voice so only Tek could hear her, "Not that she needs it."

"I thought skunks hated ophiotaurus." Tek pointed out.

"And most of the world hates rats, yet we're friends." Lolli said. "Daisy and I have been studying together in Acria for quite some time now."

"Daisy, come on." Jade pleaded again, tugging on Daisy's arm.

Daisy spun around, locking eyes with Jade. "Stop pullin' on me!" Daisy said, her eyes suddenly a blaze with a blue glow. Jade's eyes turned the same glowing shade of blue, as Daisy's hypnotic magic took effect.

"Okay." Jade said, immediately letting go of Daisy's arm and taking a step back. Tek had only caught a glance of Daisy's peripherals and still he felt his mind growing fuzzy from her magic. He remembered reading somewhere that Ophiotaurus were magic in nature, and therefore all had powerful manipulation magic to draw in their prey. Tek could only imagine what an ophiotaurus who's magic was potent enough to get into Acria would be like.

"Hey, you hypnotized me again didn't you!" Jade shouted, her face flushing as she stomped her foot.

Daisy didn't say anything, but her tail rattled, giving away her frustration.

"How long has she been in there?" Tek asked.

"Fer over two months now!" Daisy said, slamming her fist against the door.

Tek stumbled backwards, and would have fallen hadn't Lolli been there to steady him. "Lolli," Tek asked, trying to steady his breathing, "How long was I unconscious in the underhive?"

Lolli sighed before starting, "Tek I didn't want to-"

"How long?" Tek insisted.

Lolli took a deep breath before continuing. "Prieda brought you to the underhive three months ago. During that time period there have been eight crimson moons. They're becoming more frequent and The Skunk Kingdom has received reports that over ninety percent of the runes on The Iron Doors have gone out. That's why I'm here. I was to take up your job if you didn't wake up. But we're running out of time and I haven't been able to find a single book that might help us. I'm starting to worry that the answers you've been seeking aren't in Acria at all."

Chapter 22

The First End

"The answer has to be here. It has to!" Tek said, pushing Daisy aside and banging on Prieda's door. "You're my sponsor, come out and help me!" Only silence was given as a response.

"Tek, even if we could get Prieda to come out, there's no guarantee she would even be able to help. Every guardian I've spoken to doesn't know how to fix The Iron Doors, and they've been in Acria for lifetimes." Lolli said, placing her hand on Tek's shoulder and gently pulling him away. "You've spent all this time trying to get to Acria. Now you're here. We may as well start looking for answers. Come with me, I know a place where we can learn more about demons. Perhaps there we can find a link between the frequent crimson moons and The Iron Door's runes."

No one talked on their way to the classroom, with the exception of Daisy muttering curses about Prieda under her breath. Tek was too frustrated to know where to even start researching The Iron Doors, so the best thing he could hope for was to trust Lolli. She led him to a dark room with another one of the stone spheres at the head of the room. In the back of the room were several curved benches that stretched the length of the wall.

Lolli approached the floating stone sphere and placed her hand on it. "Welcome, Princess Lolli." A feminine automata voice said, her voice seemingly coming from the room itself. Tek jumped as a spider-like sentinel dropped down from the ceiling. He hadn't even noticed it was there when he walked in.

A wave of light washed over the group as the sentinel scanned them. Tek leapt behind one of the benches for cover. "Welcome Prince Tek, Acolyte Daisy, and Princess Jade." The automata said. "How can I be of service?"

"We're here for a lesson. What can you tell us about the origins of the crimson moons and the first demons?" Lolli asked. She moved to sit on the bench, but Tek hesitated to move any closer to the sentinel. "Relax, the sentinels here have been in working order for centuries. They won't hurt you."

Tek sat beside Lolli, his heart still racing and his hands slightly trembling. He would likely never trust another sentinel again, but he'd tolerate them if it meant fixing The Iron Doors.

"I'm sorry, but the knowledge you have requested has been classified and access has been blocked by a guardian." The sentinel said.

"What? We have permission from Spindle, Mellifera, and Prieda to have full access to the sentinels' knowledge as well as the archives. Only the prime guardian can reject such a request!" Lolli said, getting to her feet.

"My apologies, Princess Lolli, but it appears it was the prime guardian who has classified the knowledge. If you wish to access this knowledge, you will need to get it from him directly. Is there anything else I can help you with?" The sentinel asked.

Daisy slithered to the front of the room and locked eyes with the sentinel. "Give us access to the classified archives." She demanded, her eyes glowing bright blue.

"Sentinels are immune to any form of manipulation magic," The sentinel said, unphased by Daisy's gaze, "It is also against school regulation to attempt to access information by force. I am afraid you must be detained."

The door to the room slammed shut, leaving the group in total darkness. Tek could hear Daisy cursing in anger. "Lemme go ya useless pile of rocks!" Daisy shouted.

The sentinels' eye illuminated the room in a red glow. Tek instinctively reached for one of his runic cards, but just like the last time he faced a sentinel, he didn't have them. "Do not resist." The sentinel said. In the dimly lit room, the silhouette of the automata's legs looked more like reaping blades.

Jade stepped past the group quietly and nearly unnoticed. She reached out and touched one of the vines that held the sentinel's body together. The room exploded with emerald light and Tek had to avert his gaze before his eyes adjusted. Flowers bloomed at incredible speeds, constricting around the sentinels body, before it collapsed under the garden that seemed to bloom from its very body. The eye of the sentinel flickered for a moment, before going out. The soft white glow of the flower petals was the only light that remained.

"Well that could've gone better." Jade said, neatly dusting off her skirt. "Daisy, your magic always seems to cause more trouble than good."

"I was just tryin to help!" Daisy said, crossing her arms.

Their argument was cut off by a bellowing roar that shook the very structure of Acria. Tek went cold. He'd heard that kind of roar before. It was the roar of a dragon.

*****

"Everyone kneel and shut up. I'm the only one who talks from here on out." Lolli said. She didn't need to tell Tek twice as he did what she asked immediately.

The building shook violently, and for a moment Tek thought it may have collided with another one of the floating structures. Then he heard another roar, this time the sound of the dragon so loud that he had to cover his ears. The buildings had not collided. The dragon was simply large enough to move the entire structure upon landing.

The door to the room opened, but the light of the hallway was all but gone. Something was covering all of the windows. Tek could hear heavy footsteps enter the room, but it was too dark to make out more than a silhouette of whomever they belonged to.

One by one they were dragged into the hallway. Tek, still kneeling, allowed himself to glance upwards, just for a moment. Something massive was just outside the building. Something seemed to be writhing on the other side of the windows. Tek choked on the air. Something was making his lungs burn. Silky wisps of gray and white danced before his eyes and it was then that he realized the strange writhing substance blocking out the windows was smoke. It had begun to creep into the building.

In an instant the building was alight by a crimson light. Instinctually Tek thought there may have been another crimson moon. That was until he saw an eye staring in at them. Acria was massive. It had to be to allow towering beings such as Spindle and Mellifera to access its interior, but this dragon was on another scale entirely. It's eye was so large that Tek couldn't see all of its details as it was bigger than the windows. How the weight of such a gargantuan being didn't drag all of Acria back to the earth below was a testament to the magic that kept the school aloft.

"Who dares defy my will." A voice so powerful that it may as well have belonged to a god.

Lolli didn't answer right away, and as badly as Tek wanted to speak up, he was smart enough to know all their lives balanced on a knife's edge. He would wait for Lolli's lead.

"You may speak." One of the armored figures standing over them said.

"I take full responsibility." Lolli said, not looking up to meet the dragon's gaze.

"And what knowledge have you deemed so important, that it is worth disrupting my slumber?" The dragon asked. Bits of stone and dust fell from the ceiling around Tek, shaken loose from the force of the dragon's voice.

"We were hoping to find knowledge that may help us fix the runes on The Iron Doors. I wanted to find out what I could about the first demons and the first time the doors were opened." Lolli admitted.

"If you were not precious to Spindle I would burn your entire kingdom for attempting to seek knowledge I've hidden from the world for its own protection," The dragon said. Tek could feel his skin sting under the heat of his gaze as the dragon's focus shifted to him. The tips of his fur began to smoke and the memory of being incinerated raced through his mind. "This must be Prieda's play thing I've heard so much about. Perhaps I should make an example of him."

"Tek had nothing to do with my intrusion. I take full responsibility for what occurred here." Lolli said quickly.

"Acria was created for mortals to hone their magic, not to go looking for history lessons. Some things are better left forgotten, and as punishment you are all banned from the archives." Tek felt his heart drop at hearing this. "But I will humor you with a history lesson, if only to watch the rat squirm. In the time before demons, mortals prayed to the moon, and in return they would be blessed. The sick became healthy. The hungry became full. The weak would became strong. Until one day, the moon demanded blood for its blessing. At first the mortals were hesitant. Their society was perfect. There was no theft nor murder, for there was no need to commit crimes while all were under the moon's blessing. Then it happened. What would be known as the first murder. A rat took up a knife and began to kill. Blood was spilled and the light of the moon bathed the world in a crimson light. The rat was turned into the first demon. This was the beginning of the first end. Consider this knowledge a gift, and do not disturb me again."

The building shook and glass shattered. Tek shielded his eyes as glass rained down around him and the blinding light of the sun returned to the halls once more. Slowly he got back to his feet. Of the dragon and the figures that dragged them into the hall, there was no sign. Without access to the archives, Tek's quest had failed. There would be no fixing the iron doors.

"I'm sorry Tek." Lolli said.

"Nothing can be done about it now," Tek said, staring out at the world through the shattered window, "At least now... I know why the world hates rats."

*****

"What did you do?!" Spindle shouted, aghast at the sight shattered glass littering the hallway.

"It was my fault." Lolli quickly admitted.

"You're lucky Barrus didn't kill you all." Spindle said, her wings fluttering in frustration.

"Actually," Daisy said, "It was my fault. I tried to force information out of a sentinel. Information Lord Barrus had intentionally blocked off."

"I thought you would have all known better." Spindle shook her head at the group.

"Well what's the point of a school if we ain't learnin anything!" Daisy shouted.

"Daisy, quiet." Lolli warned.

"Acria is for honing your magic." Spindle said, taking a step forward. She towered over them, but Tek had to admit that after facing Barrus, Spindle seemed tame in comparison.

"I can't hone anything if Prieda isn't willing to teach me. Anything I have learned was from the archives and now I can't even go there! I hate books." Daisy said.

Spindle took a deep breath, calming herself. "Barrus banned you from the archives?"

"All of us." Lolli said, looking back at Tek.

"That's it, I'm getting Priedea. I'll drag her out of that room if I have to. It's too much work looking after you four." Spindle said, turning and making her way back down the hallway. Tek hurried after her, if only to witness the confrontation that was about to occur. Dozens of worker bees flew in through the shattered windows and before Tek reached the end of the hall, the glass had already been cleaned.

"Spindle I am going to need to return to The Skunk Kingdoms." Lolli said.

"I figured as much. Don't worry your fluffy little tail about it. I will make sure you get back to your home in a timely manner." Spindle said.

"You're leaving?" Tek asked, his ears drooping at the news. She was the one familiar face he didn't have to worry about killing him.

"Without access to the archives I will be of no further use here. I must return to inform the rest of The Court of Cards that we need to heighten our defenses and prepare for the worst. I will be sending an emissary to The Burrow as well to give them the news. If The Iron Doors do open, then our chances of survival can only increase if we work together." Lolli said. "Daisy and Jade can help you in my absence."

Tek nodded, understanding there would be no helping it. His plans had been falling down around him ever since he'd left The Burrow, but Lolli had always gone out of her way to help him.

When they reached Prieda's section of Acria, Spindle ordered everyone but Tek to remain behind. Daisy rattled her tail in frustration, but didn't speak out against the guardian's request. "There's something you should know about Prieda," Spindle said. They were now far enough away from the others where only Tek would be able to hear what the guardian was saying. "I heard about the incident that happened before you were nearly killed by the sentinel. I hope you don't think ill of my Sphinx friend."

"She tried to control me." Tek said. He clenched his fists, but remembered Lolli's warnings not to frustrate any of the guardians.

"It's in her nature. There was a time when every guardian was a mere mortal. We may have ascended to divine beings, but our mortal flaws remain. I wouldn't be admitting this to you if I didn't think it was important. You see, long ago, The Shifting Sands was home to a thriving kingdom. Prieda was charged with guiding this kingdom, similar to how I watch over The Skunk Kingdoms and Rodentia protects The Burrow. Prieda, however, wasn't content sitting back and overseeing the kingdom from afar. She wanted to walk among the kingdom's citizens and help them directly. Her people were precious to her, and she would do anything to protect them."

"So what went wrong?" Tek asked.

"Everything. The path to damnation is paved with good intentions. You would do well to remember that. Every kingdom has its flaws and corruptions. Prieda tried to root them out, but to fix all the problems in a kingdom is to try to fix the flaws of mortals. It cannot be done. In response to Prieda's efforts, her kingdom turned on her. She resorted to mass hypnosis and manipulation in an act of desperation to get the people she was charged with watching over to love her again, but in doing so she lost them forever. They cast her out and the kingdom fell. All that's left of the kingdom now is Prieda's temple. The rest has long been buried beneath The Shifting Sands," Spindle said, staring off as if in a trance, "So you see Tek, what she did to you wasn't an act of malice, but in her own strange way an act of love. When she brought you to me, bloodied and dying, she had a look on her face I hadn't seen since her own people cast her out. Her people never gave her a second chance. What will you do?"

When they reached Prieda's doors, Spindle knocked, but there was no answer. "Should we try again?" Tek asked.

"Oh Tek," Spindle chuckled, "I never knock twice." Spindle shot a thick strand of webbing from each of her hands onto the door, then with a mighty tug, the doors tore open. Tek had to duck to avoid chunks of the locking mechanism, now shattered by Spindle's efforts.

"What is wrong with you!?" Prieda hissed from inside. Upon seeing Tek standing beside Spindle, she looked genuinely scared. At that moment, Tek could see the mortal hiding behind the guise of a guardian.

"I'll leave you two alone." Spindle said, before walking off leaving Tek with his guardian.

*****

"Tek," Prieda said, lounging on a bed large enough to encompass the entirety of most rooms. Mirrors were placed around the room to reflect the sun onto her body, but Tek guessed there was some vanity that played into their presence as well. "It's good to see you're alive. I would hate for my sponsorship to go to waste."

"I suppose I should thank you for saving me, but if you hadn't tried to control me I wouldn't have been put in that position to begin with." Tek said, Prieda recoiled and visibly shrank to nearly his size at the words, and in an instant he realized what Spindle had told him was true.

"I don't do well with mortals. I never have." Prieda admitted, her voice nearly a whisper.

"Spindle told me what happened to the city you were charged with watching over. You can't control everything Prieda. The more you try to, the more you'll push people away."

The sphinx let out a long and heavy sigh. "Why did you come here?"

"Because I need to fix The Iron Doors, but I don't know where to find the knowledge to do so."

Prieda rolled onto her back, shifting into a sunnier spot created by her mirrors. "Just go to the archives. I'm sure one of Mellifera's little pests can help you find the books you need."

"I've been banned from the archives." Tek said. This made Prieda's ears perk up.

"Already? Admittedly that's rather impressive. Still, no one bans you from anywhere so long as I'm your guardian." Prieda said, stretching, but not getting up from her bed.

"There's something else I need from you," Tek said. Prieda raised an eyebrow at him. "Gimmick, the kobold that was traveling with us. Where is she?"

"I'm afraid I don't know. When I found you, I thought you were going to die, so I brought you straight to Acria. By the time I remembered the kobold, several days had passed. When I returned to The Silent City to find her, there was no sign of her anywhere. The order of the first guardians hadn't seen her either." Prieda said.

"The order of the first guardians?"

"You know," Prieda said, waving a dismissive hand at him, "The rude nuns."

"We have to find her." Tek said, "I can soul split and search the city. Come on, get up."

"Now?" Prieda asked, as if Tek had just made the most unreasonable request. Tek nodded and she sighed. "There you go ordering me around again. Fine, let's get this over with."

It was dusk when they reached The Silent City, but Tek had refused to wait until morning to leave. Upon landing, Tek wasted no time soul splitting and beginning his search for Gimmick. When he found the spot in the city where he'd left her, there wasn't even a sign anyone had ever been there. No supplies nor scraps left behind.

One by one, the fragments of his soul returned from his other copies, but none of them had the knowledge of where Gimmick had gone. He'd even gone to the order of the first guardians, but they too had no knowledge of the kobold's whereabouts.

Tek was about to return to Prieda, when something caught his eye. Was that a figure watching him from the darkness of an alleyway? He turned to approach with caution, but whomever had been watching them had retreated. It wasn't Gimmick, she would have ran up to him in a heartbeat.

Reluctantly, Tek followed after the figure. They seemed to be trying to keep out of sight, but not trying to escape him. So Tek played along, trailing them, but not coming so close as to scare them away. Until the figure rounded a corner and seemingly vanished into the shadows. Tek frowned. What had been the point of leading him here if they were just going to vanish?

Then he noticed it. A pit hidden amongst the ruins of the city. Tek approached and a feeling he could only describe as terror washed over him. He couldn't explain why, but whatever was down in that black void horrified him. Not even Silence had given him this feeling of dread. He didn't know why, but he just knew whatever was down there was wrong. It made him feel sick.

"Find anything interesting?" Tek jumped, as Prieda landed behind him. "I wouldn't fall in there if I were you."

"What is it?" Tek asked. The black void of the pit felt as if it were calling to him. Tempting him to look deeper inside, while at the same time promising nothing more than horror and entrapment.

Prieda frowned. "I don't know, but I find its presence disturbing," Prieda held a paw up to her ear and leaned towards the pit, while still keeping a safe distance away. "I don't hear anything alive in there, so there's no need to go searching for your kobold friend in such a horrid place. Come, let us return to Acria. I will speak to Maliffera about sending her worker bees out to search for your companion, but we cannot waste anymore time."

Tek climbed onto Prieda's back and she took off into the sky, leaving behind any hope Tek had of finding Gimmick, but not the memories of that horrible pit and the questions that came with it.

Chapter 23

Prieda's Deal

"Come on! Don't you two need to access the archives as well?" Tek pleaded.

"I ain't doing anything until Prieda agrees to teach me manipulation magic." Daisy said, her eyes beginning to glow blue. "You know, you should ask her to- Hey!"

Jade pushed Daisy's head away, saving Tek from her attempt to hypnotize him. "Don't be childish, Daisy. I'm sorry Tek, but the risk is too great. If we're caught Barrus won't just expel us, he'll make an example out of us. That means taking us to the arena. Give me some time. My father's a guardian, I'm sure he can convince Barrus to change his mind." Jade said, still wrestling with Daisy.

"What colosseum? I didn't see any colosseum floating below us." Tek said. This got a chuckle from both Jade and Daisy.

"Tek, the colosseum is above the school, not below it. It's a part of Barrus' private platform. Its intent was to be an arena for students to practice their magic on each other by nonlethal means, but Barrus thinks that we'll never reach our potential holding back. So now he makes his own students that he sponsors battle to the death against students... Well, students like us. That's why we can't afford to get in any more trouble." Jade explained.

"Practice my ass," Daisy said, the blue glow fading from her eyes, "The guardians just want to see us fight 'cause they find it entertaining." Daisy said. Tek could hear her rattling her tail from under the table.

"Do students really attend these fights?" Tek asked.

"We all do." Jade admitted, she must have noticed the disgust on Tek's face, because she quickly added, "If you are ever forced to fight in the colosseum, then your chances of surviving are drastically increased if you know what you're up against. We don't attend because we're cynics, we attend because if we ever end up in that arena, we will know what our opponents are capable of." Jade must have been anxious talking about the colosseum, because she kept playing with the two emerald beads in her brade.

"I guess Prieda will have to break me in afterall." Tek sighed. He empathized with the sphinx, but was still uncomfortable around her. He wasn't sure if it was because she was a giant feline, because she tried to hypnotize him, or because she tried to kill him on more than one occasion. Likely all three reasons could explain it, but one was more than enough.

"Just be careful. We promised Lolli we'd help you survive here. When she told me you were likely to do the opposite of everything I suggested, I thought she was kidding." Jade said.

"I'm afraid not." Tek said, getting up from the table. Then, reluctantly, he returned to his guardian.

*****

"Look who's back." Prieda said, a wide cat-like smile spread across her face. She stretched her body out in the sun before lounging back down on her bed, beckoning for Tek to step into her room with a long claw.

Tek entered Prieda's room, sitting on a cushion much too large for him at the far side of the room away from the sphinx. "Jade and Daisy aren't willing to risk helping me enter the archives." Tek said, letting out a long sigh.

"You still don't trust me do you, little rat? I told you I could break you in, but you still went to the other students for help. What is it about me that you find so scary? Is it my size? I can change that if it would make you more comfortable." Prieda said, shrinking down a significant amount, but still dwarfing Tek in stature.

"There's a lot about you that I still don't trust." Tek admitted.

Prieda frowned. Letting out a meow, she and rolling onto her stomach. She kicked her feet back and forth playfully as she rested her chin in her paws. Tek could hear her purring quietly to herself. "But I'm still your guardian. So you better get used to me, because you'll be dealing with me for the rest of your life if you want to stay in Acria."

The thought sent a chill down Tek's spine that made him visibly shiver. "You seem to hate mortal company. Why do you find me so amusing?" Tek asked.

"Why do I find you so amusing?" The sphinx's eyes widened as if the question was genuinely baffling to her. "You came excitingly close to killing me. You blew up an entire underground network in Behemoth Bay. You, a rat, won over The Court of Cards despite incinerating a portion of one of their castles. Spindle couldn't kill you, I couldn't kill you, and despite the world's best efforts you just won't die." Prieda said, the last three words each spoken sharply. Her eyes gleamed with excitement. Tek noticed her tongue flick across her lips as she kneaded at her bed, as if trying to restrain herself from attempting to kill him again.

Tek swallowed his nerves before speaking. "So what's the plan to get me into the archives?"

Prieda scoffed. "But then you say things like that. As if you're in such a hurry to escape my presence. I will make a deal with you, little rat. I will break you into the archives, but for every hour you spend looking at your precious books, you have to spend that same amount of time with me, talking about what I want to talk about."

Tek was quickly getting flashbacks to his days with Lita, being dragged around shopping, watching her try on outfits, and rubbing her feet when it was all over. "Fine, but no more trying to kill or control me." Tek said, holding out his hand to the sphinx.

"I can promise to try, but nothing more." Prieda admitted, wrapping her tail around Tek's waste and pulled him across the room onto her bed. "And I take my payment upfront."

"You want to do this now? I need to get into the archives." Tek said, trying to pry Prieda's tail from around his torso.

"Then you need to humor me," Prieda said, growing back to her original massive size. For a moment Tek was convinced she was about to eat him, "I've heard so much about your travels while you were recovering in the underhive, but I want to hear a story from the source itself. Entertain me, little rat, tell me about the journey that led you here in my grasp."

"It's not necessarily a short story." Tek said. He had given up on freeing himself from the coil of Prieda's tail and was not just focusing on keeping the tip of it from brushing against the back of his neck.

"Well then, it's a good thing you plan to spend a lot of time in the archive isn't it?" Prieda smiled, and Tek instinctively averted his gaze from hers, not trusting she wouldn't attempt to hypnotize him again. "So careful and sensitive." Prieda pouted.

Tek sighed, but obliged the sphinx, telling her the story of finding the fire rune in the dragon's hoard back on the Impassible Peaks all the way to his encounter with the sentinel in her absence, leaving out some details, like those involving Tahnee on the night they went to The Salty Strumpet.

Prieda purred in amusement. "So you and the princess of hearts spent a lot of time together in her kingdom then?"

"Yes, she's become a valuable ally." Tek said.

"And what were the sleeping arrangements like?" Prieda asked, raising an eyebrow. Tek hesitated, taken off guard by the question, which was all the time Prieda needed to get that wide cat-like grin to spread across her face once more. "Did you...?" She let her question trail off.

Tek flushed so intensely he started to feel a little light headed. "I don't know what you... I mean... We..."

"You did!" Prieda said, cackling to herself in amusement. "You fucked the princess of hearts! Ahahaha!"

Prieda didn't grow in size, but somehow Tek felt even smaller.

"Well?" Prieda asked.

"Well what?"

"How was it? Was it your first time," Prieda gasped, "Was it her first time?" She began shaking him with her tail and suddenly Tek felt as if he was back on Tahnee's ship being interrogated over a cup of ale, only without the ale.

"I don't need to answer-"

"Our agreement was that you spend time with me doing what I want, and I let you spend that time in the archives. I want you to answer my questions." Prieda said, "Come now, I haven't even tried to hypnotize you."

Tek mumbled, but Prieda must not have heard him as she tucked a claw behind her ear and leaned in towards him. Tek sighed before mumbling again. "Yes."

"Hah! I knew it. How adorable. My little play thing has a little play thing." Prieda mused. "Well, are you going to show me the same hospitality you showed her? I would love to experience what my little rune tapper has to offer."

If Tek wasn't red in the face before, not he was all but collapsing from nerves. "I am not going to just... How can you... N-no!"

"I'll let you spend all the time in the archives you want, and fly you back to The Burrow once you've found the answers you're looking for." Prieda said, smiling at him through lidded eyes. "Do we have a deal?"

Tek's heart raced in his chest. The sphinx had given him an offer he couldn't refuse, and she knew it.

"I... I..." Tek's mind raced as he tried to think of an excuse or alternative to the deal, but Prieda knew exactly what he needed. Defeated Tek let out a small squeak of a response. "Deal."

"Wonderful," Prieda said, throwing Tek into the pile of pillows on her bed with her tail. The impact from the throw was almost enough to knock the wind out of him, "Shall we begin?"

*****

"Hold still! You've fought with demons, surely it's not that bad." Prieda said, wrestling with Tek over a bandage.

"I can't believe you did that. That's the last time I will do that with you!" Tek said.

"Well I know you rats take so much pride in your little ear markings. I thought since I'm your patron I should make my mark somewhere." Prieda finally snatched the bandage away from Tek and began reapplying it to his left ear.

"You bit me! There was so much blood I thought you'd taken my entire ear off!" Tek repeatedly tried to swat the sphinx away from him, but her larger size made the attempts pointless.

"You're exaggerating, there wasn't that much blood. It was just a little nip." Prieda took a step back to admire her handy work once she finished with the bandage. Tek rose to his feet, but it hardly brought him anywhere to Prieda's height.

"A part of my ear is missing!" Tek said, pointing to the bandage.

"This isn't going to affect your trust in me, is it?" Prieda asked, clacking her claws together in rapid succession.

"What do you think?" Tek said, before gesturing to the far side of the room, "And you didn't even lock your doors?"

Daisy, who had been coiled up in the corner of the room, had remained quiet throughout the entire ordeal. "You know Spindle broke my locks." Prieda said, before turning her attention to the ophiotaurus. "What are your thoughts on all this?"

Daisy flushed. "I didn't mean to walk in on y'all. I just wanted to see if Prieda would teach me-"

"You know damn well that Meliffera's worker bees fixed your big ass fancy door!" Tek shouted. Daisy quieted down, once more waiting for the shouting to end.

"I didn't think anyone would have the nerve to walk into my room uninvited. Tell me little ophiotaurus, were you just trying to snatch a peak?"

Poor Daisy's face turned pink, a feeling Tek had experienced not too long ago. "Leave her alone, Prieda. I'm sure it was an accident. All she talks about is wanting you to teach her manipulation magic."

"Well if she wanted to join, all she needed to do was ask." Prieda said, returning to her bed to lounge.

"You're talking about teaching her magic, right?" Tek asked.

"I suppose that too." Prieda said, "If I can find the time in my busy schedule. I require a lot of beauty sleep to keep myself looking gorgeous."

Both Tek and Daisy's faces flushed and Tek quickly spoke up before Prieda got any more ideas. "You promised to take me to the archives if I played your little game." Tek said.

Prieda rolled her eyes. "Right now? We have a guest. Don't you want to-"

"Prieda!" Tek shouted.

The sphinx groaned, but rose to her feet. "Fine. You have no sense of fun."

"The world is ending."

"I hardly see what that has to do with me." Prieda said, flicking Tek with her tail.

"No world, means no little red rat to sponsor. So you can help me, or let the world end and spend the rest of your days alone in your temple." Tek said, pushing Prieda's tail away from him.

"Touche little rat." Prieda conceded, "But you are to return to me when you've found what you're looking for."

Tek followed Prieda out to her balcony where he climbed onto her back. The sphinx flew off into the sky as the distant shouts from Daisy called after them from Prieda's room as they flew ever higher into the sky. He felt bad for Daisy, she only wanted to practice her magic, but he needed to access the archives. Lolli may not have found the book they were looking for, but Tek had a plan.

Chapter 24

The Archives

Prieda held Tek close to her chest as they reached the archives. The diamond shaped structure was anchored by four massive chains. One of which Prieda flew underneath and before clinging onto its underside. They watched carefully as dozens of worker bees flew to and from the many entrances carved out of the building for them. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Prieda asked.

"I have to. There are too many people counting on me to turn back now." Tek said. A platform rose out of the top of the structure and Tek could see one of the armored figures that had dragged him before Barrus. The lift was taking them upwards towards what looked like a massive structure anchored by ten chains, one of which was broken. The shattered links of the chain were still levitating in place unnaturally. "Prieda, what is that?" Tek asked, staring upwards.

"That's Barrus' personal platform. It also serves as the arena where he makes his students fight each other to the death. If you get caught, you can expect to spend the rest of your short life there," Prieda locked eyes with Tek, her brow furrowed, "Don't get caught."

Tek nodded and when the opportunity presented itself, Prieda flew them through one of the openings in the building normally meant for Meliffera's worker bees. "When you're done, signal for me to get you with your runic fire." Prieda said, setting Tek down at the end of a long tunnel that led to the library. "And again, don't get caught. You can only escape death so many times." With that, Prieda left and Tek dropped down into the library.

Never had Tek believed so many books could be in one location. Part of him was surprised this many books existed at all. Shelves of books several stories high and stretching farther than his eyes could see. Mirrors were strategically placed so those inside could direct light to where it was needed, leaving unattended areas in the darkness. Tek felt a mix of luck and misfortune as darkness meant he would be able to hide from Meliffera's bees, but would make finding the right books that much harder.

Crouching under a table, Tek began to scratch the symbol for soul splitting into the wood. Once completed, he pressed his palm against the rune and stealthily sent several copies of himself out to search the library. Finding the knowledge to fix The Iron Doors was a job for multiple rats, or rather multiples of the same rat. Luckily he'd learned a thing or two about how to stay out of sight from Gritta and his short time with Digit.

Hours passed, and Tek's stomach began to growl. His focus was beginning to wane and he felt two of his copies return to his body as his hold on the rune began to falter. To his disdain, neither copy had made any progress in the knowledge he sought. Eventually he was forced to call off his plan altogether, forcing all the copies he'd made to return via small orbs of silver light.

Tek's head spun, as never before had his copies returned to him with such vast amounts of new knowledge. He would have to make a point to sort it all out later when he could focus. As the light from the mirrors began to fade and the library grew dimmer by the moment, Tek realized he had been searching the archive much longer than he'd thought. He remembered the strange orbs that Lolli had used to tap into the knowledge that had gotten them banned from the archives in the first place. He had considered looking for one briefly, but had come to the conclusion that doing so would be pointless. Not only had Barrus clearly made sure the knowledge could not be obtained from such a device, but it could very well give away his position.

Moving from shadow to shadow, Tek kept low to the ground. Luckily for him, most of the bees tending to the library preferred flying at a decent enough height where they would pass over him without notice. He had yet to see one flying less than a story above the ground, let alone walking anywhere.

A loud thump echoed out near one of the mirrors and Tek looked to see a platform lowering down from one of the upper levels of the library. Standing on top of the platform was one of Barrus' students. The only part of the figure not clad in armor were a pair of blue wings. The figure stepped off the platform and began to walk in the direction Tek had been hiding.

Cursing to himself, Tek quickly ducked behind the nearest bookshelf. His attention still on the armored student, he hadn't noticed he wasn't alone. Knocking into another figure in the shadows, Tek fell backwards. A stack of books the figure had been holding fell to the ground. The sound echoed loud enough for the student to easily detect his location.

There was a loud buzzing sound and Tek looked up to see the figure he'd bumped into was one of Meliffera's worker bees. The bee exchanged a surprise look with Tek for a moment, before grabbing him.

*****

The bee flew Tek into the nearest tunnel and for a moment he thought her plan was to simply drop him outside and let him fall to his death. Instead the bee set him down gently, and began flying erratically around him.

"Not good. Not good. Noooo. Not good at all. Mmmmmm." The bee buzzed. Tek felt dizzy just watching her as she flew in seemingly random and pointless directions. "Big trouble. So much trouble!"

"What are-" Tek started, but the bee hushed him.

"Please don't tell. Mellifera will be so mad. So so mad. If she finds out. Oh no. Bad. So very bad." The bee buzzed.

Tek peered carefully out of the tunnel to see Barrus' student looking around where the books had fallen before the strange bee had flown him away. They hadn't noticed where they were hiding. Not yet at least.

"What are you talking about?" Tek whispered.

"Mmmmmm. I am not magic, but I want to learn more about magic. This is not allowed. We are to preserve, not learn. You look like a student. Please do not tell. This is bad. So very bad." The bee buzzed.

Tek let out a sigh of relief as his luck began to dawn on him. "So you're nervous that I'm going to tell Meliffera that you've been reading instead of helping to preserve the school?" Tek asked.

"Mmmmm. Yes. I have been bad." The bee buzzed.

"Well you can relax. I'm not going to tell anyone. In fact, I think I could use your help. What's your name? Do you even have names? There are so many of you." Tek blushed as soon as the question left his mouth, as he realized how rude it must have sounded.

"We are not given names at birth, but we name each other as we grow. I am called Honey." The bee said. Her flight pattern slowed a bit.

"Well Honey, with Jade and Daisy unwilling to come here, you may be exactly what I have been looking for."

Honey buzzed with excitement. "I like daisies."

"No, Daisy is a student." Tek explained.

"Mmmmmm. I don't understand." Honey's flight pattern quickly became erratic once more.

"Don't worry about it. How long have you been sneaking into the library?" Tek asked.

"Mmmmm. Two years now. Yes. Two years. Bad Honey. So very bad. Mmmmm." Honey buzzed.

"Could you tell me if you've found any books on The Iron Doors?" Tek asked.

"Mmmmm. I have not found any books about doors. I do not usually use doors." Honey continued to zip around the tunnel.

"Well how about rune tapping? Have you read anything about rune tapping?"

"Mmmmm," To Tek's surprise, Honey actually stopped and hovered in place for a moment before continuing, "I have seen books. Books with runes. Yes. Rune books. But Barrus' students. They take them. And they do not return them. Bad. They are gone now. Somewhere on Barrus' platform. We do not go there. It is not allowed. Mmmmm."

Tek peered out of the tunnel once more to see Barrus' student returning to his platform. He held a book in his left hand and with his right he touched the sphere at the front of the platform.

Tek cursed to himself quietly, wondering if the book the student held had any of the information he sought to fix The Iron Doors. All he could do was watch as the platform lifted into the air and out of the archive. Why was it that no one seemed to give a damn about the doors opening?

"Mmmmm. Are you alright? You seem nervous?" Honey asked.

"I'll be fine. How about yourself? You haven't calmed down since you brought me up here. Are you still nervous?"

"Mmmmm. Always." Honey admitted. Her antenna drooped.

"Well relax a bit. I won't tell anyone what you've been up to. But you have to do me a few favors." Tek said.

"Mmmmm. Okay."

"You have to fly me back to Prieda's room. And if you ever see me in here again, get my attention. I may not recognize you from your sisters."

"Mmmmm. But it is easy to tell me apart from my sisters. They are black with yellow stripes. I am yellow with black stripes. Different." Honey buzzed proudly.

"Right..." Tek trailed off. "Well, can you get my back to Prieda's room? It will be night soon and it's too dark to read in here."

"Mmmmm. Alright." Honey grabbed hold of Tek and flew him out of the tunnel towards Prieda's section of Acria. She didn't make it far before a figure burst from a nearby cloud and almost crashed into them.

"Unhand the rat buzz brains!" Prieda shouted, bearing her claws.

"Mmmmmm!" Honey buzzed in a panic. Tek could feel her grip on his loosening.

"Prieda it's alright! Honey was only trying to help." Tek shouted.

Prieda looked over the bee, then reached out and pulled Tek out of her arms. "She'll tell Mellifera." Prieda said.

"She won't. Trust me." Tek said. Honey continued to buzz nervously, zipping back and forth in a panic. Prieda didn't back down. "She's been studying in the archives. She isn't a threat."

"Meliffera's little pests aren't allowed to study in the archives." Prieda hissed.

"Which is why we can trust she won't tell anyone. Just let her go. No one needs to get hurt."

"Fly away little bee," Prieda said, "And know that if you speak a word of this to anyone, I drag you as high up as my wings will take me and pluck yours from your body and let gravity decide your fate."

Terrified, Honey flew back to the archives. Not once looking back. Tek felt his heart sink for the poor little bee, but he was relieved she was unharmed.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Prieda asked.

Tek sighed before answering. "What do you think?"

Chapter 25

Strange Reunions

"So Barrus' students have been removing books from the library?" Jade asked. Although she spoke to Tek, her eyes remained closed as she meditated. Her body floating delicately above the ground.

"I'm guessing it's the same knowledge he redacted in the sentinels memories. What I don't understand is what is it he's hiding that's worth risking The Iron Doors opening over?" Tek asked. "Hey Jade, how is it you can levitate like that without using magic?"

"I am using magic. Fae magic comes from having harmony with all things." Jade explained. "Unlike rune tapping, where your power comes from drawing in and holding onto the magic, Fae magic is meant to pass through us freely. To try to bind it is unnatural. It's power is to be only borrowed, and returned once used. By letting the magic pass through me, reality becomes unstable, like when a rune tapper draws in and holds too much power. Surely you've levitated while rune tapping before?" Jade asked.

Tek shook his head.

A loud scratching sound could be heard as Prieda tore through the stone with her claws as she etched Tek's soul rune. "Well we'll certainly have to give it a try." She explained, gesturing to the rune.

Jade exhaled again, gently dropping to her feet and Daisy slithered over to her side watching eagerly to see what would happen. They'd both been allowed to show up to Prieda's room to practice their magic. Prieda said it was so they could help Tek figure out how to fix The Iron Doors, but she'd also begun to train Daisy to enhance her manipulation magic. Deep down Tek was fairly certain she had just enjoyed having more company around.

Sitting down on the rune, Tek took in a deep breath. Closing his eyes, he couldn't see the rune glowing, but knew it had activated. He could feel the runic energies flowing into his body. Breathing deeply Tek felt the magic flow in and out of his body. After enough time, he was able to make sure more runic power entered his body than left. He found the process relaxing, and it wasn't until he heard a gasp from Daisy, that he realized his body had left the ground.

Opening his eyes, Tek realized he must have been floating for some time, as several objects around him, including a number of pots and jewels Prieda had lying around her room had also lifted into the air. Tek allowed the magic to leave his body and he dropped back to the ground with far less grace than Jade had managed.

"Well done, Tek." Jade said, helping him to his feet.

"I don't understand. Every time I've taken in that much runic energy, I felt as if the power could have torn me apart. What changed?" Tek asked, looking back at the rune.

"I believe you did, little rat." Prieda said. Tek gave her a confused look, and she let out a sigh. Apparently frustrated that her statement required further explanation. "Wielding magic is like a muscle. It gets stronger over time. How it gets stronger depends on the magic. With rune tapping I'm guessing the more trauma you've experienced the more powerful you'll get. You have died an awful lot."

Jade and Daisy both gave Tek concerned looks. He wasn't sure how much Lolli had told them of his past, but the concern on their faces suggested that they didn't know everything. "Well, let's hope there's a bit more to it than that." Tek said.

"There may very well be. There's still a lot about rune tapping that even the guardians don't know about. It takes a lot of magic to make a rune tapper float. You have a lot of potential. Perhaps not enough to close The Iron Doors yet, but I've heard stories of rune tappers that could form runes out of thin air from sheer will. Some could draw in enough power to even fly." Prieda said, looking over Tek with increased curiosity.

"Fly? Is that really possible?" Tek asked.

Prieda shrugged. "In theory. Although I've never seen it."

There was a knock at the door and Prieda quickly ran to open it. Ever since Spindle had broken her doors open, she'd become much better at answering them. Sure enough, it was Spindle at the door.

"What," Prieda asked, "Is that?" Tek thought she looked as if Spindle had just brought her some sort of putrid gift. He peered around Prieda to see a feline around his age staring up at Prieda.

"Someone I recently decided to sponsor. She's here to learn biomancy. I was hoping you could find time in your busy napping schedule to teach her a thing or two." Spindle said, giving the feline a gentle push. She stepped into the room, looking around curiously.

Tek quickly moved to talk to Spindle, giving the feline girl a wide berth. One cat was hard enough for him to deal with, now there would be two staying in the room with him.

"Spindle, can I talk to you?" Tek said.

"I always have time for Lolli's friends. Except for when I don't, but you've been so good about not dying since you've showed up so I suppose I can spare a moment." Spindle said, leaving Prieda to stare in confusion at the cat that had just crawled onto her overly large pillows.

"You nearly killed me when I tried to earn your patronage," Tek said through gritted teeth, "But you're willing to sponsor that!" He jabbed a finger in the direction of the cat, who had just slipped off the pillow and fallen onto her head.

"Okay so she's not very bright." Spindle said. Crossing all of her arms. Tek raised an eyebrow at her, earning him a heavy sigh as a response. "Alright, fine. I only sponsored her to annoy Prieda. Just look at her face. Tell me that this won't be hilarious."

"First of all," Tek said, stomping his foot, "Dealing with one feline was hard enough. I'm a rat, we don't do well with cats. Secondly, I don't need any more distractions. And thirdly, how do you know Prieda is not going to just kill her!?"

"Tek, my dear, my darling, my little rat friend." Spindle said, turning Tek towards Prieda's room. "First of all she is talented with biomancy magic. Watch this. Oh Tootie, show Tek the magic trick you showed me on the way over, will you?"

"Nyah?" Tootie said, looking back at Spindle.

"She says that a lot. I think it means okay, but it may just be a noise she likes to make," Spindle said, putting a hand on Tek's shoulder and giving him an excited shake, "Go on dear, show him the thing."

"Nyah." Tootie said again, this time it sounded more like an agreement, because she quickly got to her feet. The feline squeezed her breasts together and in an instant they grew a size large. Tek flushed, which earned him far too much laughter from Spindle.

"I told you she was talented!" Spindle said, applauding her new student.

Prieda stormed out of the room, raising a claw at Spindle. Tek quickly got out of the way, not wanting to be between the two guardians for fear of what may be about to happen. "What kind of sick joke is this? Bringing some sand whore into my presence and telling me to spend my time teaching it. You know of biomancy. I've noticed your size alter before. You teach her."

"Oh come now," Spindle said, placing a hand on Prieda's claw and pushing it away. "Your biomancy abilities far outweigh any other guardians. You can become any size you want in the matter of seconds. She could learn so much from you, kitten."

"I told you never to call me that. Why shouldn't I just eat her and be done with this tasteless joke." Prieda hissed. Tek looked back and forth between the two guardians, hoping this wouldn't end in blood.

"Because for starters, I was planning on hanging on to Tek for the day. There's something I think he needs to see that may be vital to his mission," Spindle said, shooting a string of web out of her palm that wrapped around Tek's torso, before she pulled him back into her grasp, "And besides. She's from The Shifting Sands."

"You mean she's a prostitute from Behemoth Bay?" Prieda said. She reached for Tek, but Spindle held him just out of her grasp.

"Not at all. She's from the desert. Her lineage tracks all that way back to your old kingdom. She's one of your last surviving subjects." Spindle smiled, as Prieda's arm fell back to her side. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped upon hearing the news.

"Prieda?" Tek asked, unsure how she was processing the knowledge.

"I'll leave you two to your bonding!" Spindle said, waving to the sphinx. "I'll be back to pick her up later this evening. Play nice now!" Jade and Daisy quickly chased after them, not wanting to be alone with Prieda and Tootie.

"Is she going to be alright?" Tek asked.

"Trust me, Tek," Spindle said, her tone becoming serious for the first time since her arrival, "They are going to be just fine."

*****

"Are you sure we're allowed to be up here?" Tek asked, as the platform Spindle had brought them to lifted them towards Barrus' personal platform. His heart raced in his chest as he snuck occasional glances over at the archives as they floated past.

"Tek, did you just ask a guardian if she is allowed to be somewhere?" Spindle asked, raising an eyebrow.

Tek flushed, as he quickly tried to apologize. "Oh, uh... I didn't... I mean I just thought-"

Spindle laughed, cutting Tek off. "I go where I please Tek. Just remember, if someone ever tries to keep you from going somewhere, that's probably exactly where you should be." Spindle gave Tek a knowing smile.

"Are you... talking about the archives?" Tek asked.

"Oh look, we're almost there!" Spindle said, clapping her hands together.

Tek looked up as the platform rose towards a massive black rock. Where every structure in Acria had looked like a building, this one looked as if a mountain had been hollowed out and raised into the sky. Everywhere he looked the stone was charred near black and the air was heavy with smoke. Where the air had been bitter at this elevation, Tek now felt as if he'd just stepped into an oven.

"I always hate coming up here." Jade said, stepping off the platform.

"Why? It's to warm up here." Daisy said, stretching her body in the heat.

"It also smells like fire and death." Tek said, hesitating before following the others.

"A smell you're familiar with, I'm sure." Spindle said, giving Tek a smile. He didn't bother giving her a response.

"Why are we here?" Jade asked.

"Because Tek needs to see what happens to students that break the rules in Acria." Spindle said. In the distance Tek could hear a crowd cheering and he felt his heart jump into his throat at the thought of what awaited them. A tunnel led them to a booth that looked to be for Spindle specifically, judging by the cobwebs that seemed to be covering most surfaces. "Take a seat. This may be the most important lesson you learn while in Acria."

Tek did as Spindle requested. Jade and Daisy quietly sat behind him. Looking out at the sand covered arena. Tek's heart beat against the inside of his chest as he awaited what was to come.

The armored student stepped out into the arena. A metal spear held in one hand, his wings spread, challenging his opponent. Across the arena was a bee, zipping around in a panic, trying desperately to escape. Wherever the bee flew, she was struck by stones thrown by the audience until she returned to the arena floor. It was Honey.

"Spindle, stop this at once." Tek demanded.

"I cannot." Spindle said.

"Stop this or I will." Tek went to stand, but found he'd been webbed down.

"I brought you here to watch, not participate. Tek, you need to see what life is like here under Barrus' rule if you're to survive. I can't have you dying. Prieda returning to Acria is an important step for the guardians. It has been too long since we've been united in strength here. Your death risks ruining her. Where your magic is rune tapping, mine is divination. I've seen a future where Prieda plays an important role in what I have planned for this place. Perhaps the most important role."

Honey flew as close to the ground as she could, keeping as far away from Barrus' student as she could. The air around the Honey began to crackle with light and to Tek's horror a bolt of lightning struck just feet away from Honey, sending a burst of sand in the air, leaving the ground charred.

"Do you even care about the lives of mortals? Me? Lolli? Are we just pawns? Toys for your amusement?" Tek asked. Both Jade and Daisy jumped as he raised his voice. "Answer me, dammit!"

"The students we sponsor are precious to us in different ways. To Barrus, his students and their martial ability is his way of showing off his dominance. To me, Lolli is a close friend. Someone who I take great pride in mentoring, and watching grow. To Prieda, well you can be the judge of that. But we are not monsters, Tek. Not all of us." Spindle said.

Another bolt of lightning erupted out of thin air by Barrus' student, then another, and another until finally the bolt struck close enough to send Honey falling to the ground. Barrus' student approached the small bee. She wasn't moving, and Tek began to assume the worst. Until, weakly, she raised her head to look up at her opponent. The armored student raised their spear, and-

"Enough!" Tek roared. The webbing that bound him burned away to ash as he rose to his feet. The symbol for runic fire burned into the air behind him, stretching out like wings of fire. An array of flaming spears arced over him and as he extended his hand, palm out, towards Barrus' student, the spears shot across the arena. Exploding just short of the battle, sending the armored student to the ground.

Tek leapt into the arena and charged the armored student, bringing his foot down on their throat. He could hear them choking for air beneath him. "How dare you prey on the weak!"

The air crackled with light and Tek jumped back just in time to avoid a bolt of lightning. The armored student got to his feet and rushed Tek. Raising his hand, Tek tried to call upon the fire rune again, but nothing happened. The armored student threw Tek to the ground. Tek reached for the student's spear, but they grabbed it first, hefting it into the air.

Tek was sure this moment would be his last, when the armored student cried out in pain, before falling off of Tek. Honey had stung him, her stinger digging deeply into the armored student's calf.

Jumping to his feet, Tek grabbed a hold of Honey. "Fly us out of here!" Tek shouted, as the outraged roar of a dragon could be heard in the distance.

"Mmmmmm where do we go?" Honey asked, nervously.

"Anywhere!" Tek shouted.

Honey flew high above the arena, before dropping down towards the rest of Acria. Leaving behind a disappointed crowd and enraged guardians.

*****

"Mmmmm," Honey buzzed nervously, "Tek, they will send my sisters to find us. Bad. I've been so bad. We've been bad."

"We did nothing wrong, Honey." Tek said, looking back at Barrus' platform, he noticed smoke beginning to rise, forming a thick dark cloud above the school.

"Mmmmm. I do not know where to hide." Honey began flying erratically, making Tek feel sick to his stomach.

"Just bring us near Prieda's room." Tek said, "But not directly to Prieda's, I don't want to risk her intercepting us." He wasn't sure whose side the sphinx would take. She almost attacked Honey once, and she was still a guardian.

Honey buzzed nervously, but did as Tek asked. Landing on a balcony and sneaking into the school through one of the windows.

"I don't know this part of the building." Tek cursed under his breath. The sun had begun to set, and what little light remained in the sky had been blotted out by Barrus' growing smoke cloud.

"Mmmmm. I have never been in this building. My duty was to tend to the archives. Bad. This is bad." Honey buzzed. Tek hushed her, trying to think of a plan. When a voice called out from the darkness.

"Perhaps I can be of assistance?" Tek turned to see a dog approaching them. Her fur was pink and she wore the standard school uniform. He readied himself mentally for a fight, but perhaps this dog hadn't heard yet about the commotion in the arena. Although the dog didn't look threatening, he couldn't be too careful. This was a school for mastering magic afterall, and he wasn't visily that threatening himself.

"I don't think you can, I'm afraid." Tek explained, "But thanks for offering. We'll be on our way now."

"But Tek," The dog said, smiling, "You just got here."

"You know my name?" Tek dropped the friendly tone he'd spoken with prior.

"Oh golly, Tek." The dog said, swaying back and forth innocently, her tightly curled hair and tail bobbing about as she did so. "I know everything about you. Now why don't you come with me?"

In the distance Tek could hear the sound of footsteps and the buzzing of wings coming closer by the second.

"Besides," The dog said, her innocent look dropping away as she gave him a wicked smile, "It's not like you have any other choice."

*****

"Keep that bee quiet and follow close." The dog whispered as she led Tek and Honey down a hallway. Tek had to keep Honey walking on the ground to prevent her from zipping around in the air in a panic. The sound of other worker bees searching for them filled the air with a loud buzzing that grew steadily louder with each passing minute.

Wherever you're taking us, we better get there soon, pup." Tek said.

"Right this way," The dog gestured to a panel on the floor, tail wagging proudly. Tek gave her a blank stare, to which she gave him a pitifully sad look. "You're not going to make me lift it all on my own, are you?"

Tek rolled his eyes, but reached down and lifted up the false floor panel. It seemed to lead to a dark passage below the building. "You're burning time, rat boy." The dog said, before pushing Tek inside. Tek hit the ground hard, a cloud of dust kicking in the air as he landed. The dog came in after him, flying down slowly on Honey's back. "Oh, I'm sorry. That first step can be quite the doozy."

Getting to his feet, Tek dusted himself off. The tunnel was freezing. He wasn't sure what magic was used to heat the rest of the school, but this place was absent from it.

"Who are you anyway? And how do you know about me?" Tek asked, following close behind the dog as she led him down the tunnel.

"You can call me Devi, and everyone knows about you, Tek." Devi said, turning and poking the end of Tek's snout with her finger. He brushed her hand away.

"And why is it you're helping me?"

"Gee Tek, you sure are a paranoid one." Devi said, giggling.

"Your little act isn't working on me, pup. Get to the point." Behind him, Tek could hear Honey buzzing about nervously, occasionally bumping into the cramped walls of the tunnel.

"You're no fun." Devi said, her tone shifted in an instant, dropping the childish innocence from her voice. "You're close to someone who has something I want. So you're going to get it for me." Devi pushed against a wall, revealing a room lit by torchlight. They stepped inside to find a bedroll and pillow.

"Mmmmmm," Honey buzzed, "She is not a student! Imposter! Bad, this is bad!"

"It took her long enough to figure that out." Devi admitted. "My magic was too powerful for this school. Every guardian I went to refused to give me access. So I had to find my own way in."

"Impossible." Tek said, "Acria is thousands of feet in the air. There's no way to-"

"With a strong enough will, anything is possible." Devi growled, cutting Tek off. She closed her eyes, taking in a long breath, before opening them once more. Her demeanor instantly shifted back to her more innocent looking guise. "But let's be fair. You won't be doing anything for me unless I give you something in return. I believe this is yours." Devi stepped further into the room and Tek's jaw dropped.

"Hello my prince." Digit said, standing in the shadows. "It's been a while."

"What are you doing here?" Tek asked, "Did she hurt you?"

"Hah!" Devi laughed, "I'm not so easily hurt."

"I wasn't talking about you, and we'll see about that." Tek said.

"I'm fine, Tek." Digit said, raising her hands to calm Tek, "But be careful, Devi is more dangerous than she lets on."

"Digit and I had an agreement. She would bring me to Acria and help me get what I want, and in exchange I would bring her to you. Of course her work is only half done, there is payment that is still expected. Perhaps you will be more useful to me." Devi said, looking over Tek.

"Mmmmm!" Honey buzzed loudly, "Bad! Very bad! She is a binder! That is illegal! Illegal magic! Bad! Very bad! We are in grave danger!"

"I don't think I've ever read about binders before." Tek admitted. He did his best to keep his expression calm, but his heart beat nervously. Standing in the presence of someone who could wield a form of magic deemed illegal by the guardians was unnerving. Devi must have picked this up as she gave Tek a wide grin.

"It's nothing to be worried about, Tek. I would never hurt anyone who's true to their word." Devi said, swaying back and forth innocently.

"What exactly is this payment, you speak of?" Tek asked.

"I like you, Tek," Devi said, taking Tek's hand and towing him further into the room, "You get to the point fast. That's a sign of a good businessman. All I need from you is a certain book that Prieda keeps in her room."

"What book?" Tek asked.

"Well knowing Prieda, it's probably the only book in her room. She only keeps it because it holds value, and she only doesn't bring it back to her hoard, because the school wouldn't allow her to take it. It contains key knowledge to the most powerful forms of binding and manipulation magic." Devi said.

"Sounds dangerous in the wrong hands." Tek said, keeping an eye on Devi. He continued to look her over, although she didn't appear to be armed with any kind of weapon.

"It's rude to stare at a woman like that, Tek," Devi teased, "And the book would be in my hands. I would never let it fall into the paws of someone who couldn't handle such a responsibility. Besides, I'll be sure to burn it when I've finished reading it."

"Bad. She is bad," Honey buzzed, "We should go. Go now, please."

"And what's in it for me?" Tek asked.

"I will release Digit from my binding. You need someone to break you into Barrus' library don't you? How else will you gain the knowledge to fix The Iron Doors? If only we knew someone who could travel through the shadows." Devi said, tapping her lips with her finger.

"Alright," Tek said, "It's a deal."

Devi giggles, "Not yet it's not." She walked over to her bedroll and took something from behind it. The object appeared to be a crudely made doll lacking all but the most basic features and devoid of any real color. With her free hand, Devi extended her pinkie finger out towards Tek. "We have to make a pinkie promise first."

"You're kidding." Tek brushed her hand away, but Devi seemed insistent, jabbing Tek in the chest with her finger.

"I'm quite serious." Devi said, the wide grin returning to her face.

"Mmmmm!" Honey buzzed, "She is trying to bind you! Bad! Do not take the pinkie!"

"I don't need to be bound to get the book." Tek said.

"I find my clients work faster with a little fire under their feet. This is part of our agreement, Tek. Take my finger, or leave with your bee. I'm sure you'll do just fine with all of Acria looking for you." Devi said.

Hesitantly, Tek took Devi's pinkie with his own. He felt cold, as if a cool liquid was washing over his body. Both Devi and Tek began to glow faintly. "Do you promise to bring back the book of binding by sunrise in exchange for Digit's freedom?" Devi said.

"I do." Tek agreed.

"And under no circumstance, are you to attempt to bring me any harm, or disclose my location to anyone during or after our arrangement." Devi continued.

"Agreed."

"Wonderful, do be sure to return to me with the book before the sun rises." Devi said. The glowing stopped and Tek noticed the doll she had been holding was now the same red as his fur. The ends of its ears had turned black and the nip Prieda had left him was even present.

"What happens at sunrise?" Tek asked, pulling his finger away.

"Did I forget to mention that?" Devi asked, feigning innocence once more, "If our agreement isn't met by sunrise, the binding becomes permanent."

Chapter 26

Tears

"Why are you here?" Tek asked, sitting against the wall in the dark of the tunnel.

"I came for you, prince Tek. The Iron Doors are bound to open. We must return to The Burrow. Your time has run out." Digit said.

"So long as the doors remain closed, I still have time. I'm so close, Digit. I know if I can get into Barrus' library, I can find the answers I'm looking for." Tek said, getting to his feet. He could hear Honey buzzing not far in the dark.

"I promise you, you cannot stop The Iron Doors from opening, my prince. Please, we must return to The Burrow." Digit pleaded.

"The crimson moons are becoming more frequent, Digit. What happens when every night is bathed in their red light? How long will the world last?"

"Who ever said the crimson moons appearing more often had anything to do with The Iron Doors?!" Digit scowled, bringing her face within inches of Tek's.

Tek's eyes widened. "What do you know?" He was almost afraid of what Digit might say in response.

"Let's find Devi her book," Digit said, walking past Tek, "Then I will take you to the answers you seek. Then you will know everything, and you will finally understand what I do. Even if you could save this world, it isn't worth saving."

Tek was impressed by how massive the labyrinthine tunnels below the building were. He had asked Honey if she knew why they'd been built, and she speculated they could be for emergencies in the event of a crimson moon. Should any demons get into the school, those students who couldn't protect themselves could hide until morning.

"Digit, there's something about the crimson moon that you're not telling me, isn't there?" Tek said.

Digit hesitated before responding. "I... Am not sure you're ready to know what I know. I want you to come with me back to The Burrow, Tek. You've tried to fix things your way, and look where you've ended up. I need you to trust me that everything will be okay."

"Look where I've ended up?" Tek asked, "Digit, you're in the same place as I am. If you want me to trust you, then you have to share with me what you know. I can't trust anyone who has as many secrets as I'm sure you do."

Digit stopped walking and a long silence fell between the two rats. "Fine," Digit said, the runes woven into her cloth wraps began to glow. "Perhaps a detour is in order. Devi can wait."

Shadow enveloped the rats and for a moment Tek was given the sensation that he was falling, only to find his feet firmly planted on the ground a moment later. They were in The Silent City, far below Acria. Digit stepped out of the shadow of the building they had teleported to and Tek followed. He froze when he saw where he'd taken her. That void of a pit that lay at the city's heart. That dark place that had unnerved him so terribly.

"Digit," Tek said, staring into that horrible pit, "What is this place?"

Digit fell to her knees as she stared into the darkness before speaking. "My home."

*****

Twenty Years Ago

Digit winced as she bumped into the jagged rocks in the dark of The Underground. It was difficult for her to squeeze through some of the more cramped spaces without cutting herself. Every surface of the walls was sharp and her body shivered violently from the cold. The tips of her fingers touched something wet in the dark. Her hands trembled, her tongue gliding against her cracked lips in anticipation of water. Her throat stung as she swallowed anxiously. Bringing the small drops of liquid to her mouth, she felt her body shrink in disappointment. Blood. Another rat must have already searched this tunnel for water, bloodying themselves against the sharp rocks in the process.

If she hadn't been so dehydrated, Digit would have cried. Instead, whimpering to herself, she turned around and began the long crawl to the dark corner of The Underground she called home. There her siblings waited for her.

"Find anything, little bead?" Gildred, her eldest sibling asked. His voice was scratchy, but audible enough where he didn't have to speak in a whisper. He had obviously found some water. When Digit didn't respond, he simply patted his lap, signaling her to come sit beside him. Crawling over to him, she rested her head against him.

"I hear there are a few puddles in the south tunnels. Rest a bit, then we'll check them out together."

"I heard a rat climbed high enough to see sunlight today." Ana said, her voice barely audible as she choked out the words.

"Ana, quiet. No more talking until we find you some water." Gildred ordered.

"I'm going to climb out of here someday. I want to see the light. I hear the sky there stretches so high, you can't even see the ceiling." Ana said, her voice trailing off into a pathetic whimper.

"Sure you are, Ana. We all will. Someday." Gildred said. Digit felt him squeeze her shoulder in reassurance, but she knew it was a lie.

The sound of armored footsteps echoed down the narrow halls. The light of a torch in The Underground was blinding to look at, and as two armored figures stepped into the open Digit found herself wincing. Gildred squeezed Digit and Ana, trying to assure them that they would be safe.

The armored figure holding the torch pointed towards Ana and spoke in a deep voice. "That one." The other armored figure took a step forwards and Gildred jumped to his feet, stepping between the armored figures and Ana.

"What are you doing?" Gildred asked. Digit looked back and forth between Gildred and the armored figures nervously.

"Stand aside." One of the armored figures said. When Gildred didn't move, he was met with a backhand that sent him to the ground. No rat in The Underground stood a chance against anyone from the above world. Each one of them barely clung to life.

Digit ran at the armored figures, kicking one in the shin. She felt her toes crack against their protective plating and she let out a squeak of pain. The figure's fist crashed into the side of her head, and the next thing she knew she was on her back. Her ears ringed and by the time she returned to her senses, the armored figures were gone, and Ana along with them.

Getting to her feet, Digit attempted to guess what direction they had fled. It only took one step for her to realize the toes in her right foot were broken from the kick. "Digit, wait here. I'm going after them." Gildred said, hurrying down one of the corridors.

Closing her eyes, Digit focused her hearing. The ringing in her ears began to fade and in the distance she swore she could hear the clanking of metal boots against stone. Gildred was going the wrong way, but if she hurried, she might be able to find out where they were taking Ana.

Pain swelled in Digit's foot, but she forced herself to run after the armored figures. The jagged walls bit and scraped her skin, carving into her as she bumped into them in the dark. The warmth of her own blood was a stark contrast to the cold of The Underground.

Cursing to herself, Digit tried to listen for Ana's captors, but she could no longer hear them. Hours passed and Digit searched until her body was bleeding from head to toe. When it became clear she was not going to find Ana, she simply curled into a ball and closed her eyes. There wasn't enough water to cry.

*****

Months turned to years, and still Digit never found any sign of what fate her sister had met. Sometimes the armored figures would return to The Underground. When they did, Digit would follow them, being sure to stay far enough away where they wouldn't see her. She had heard rumors that the armored figures came to The Underground often to take away rats. Those they took, never returned.

Digit crawled through a cramped tunnel. The sharp stone still cut deep, but her skin had grown rough from the numerous scrapes she incurred daily. Grasing the cold floor with her hands, her fingers touched something wet. Bringing her fingers to her lips, she was relieved to taste water. Pressing her lips to the ground, she sucked down what little she could find before continuing. Her throat burned as she swallowed as the water trickled over her soars.

Continuing through the tunnel, Digit heard a small splash. To her shock her hand had pressed against an entire puddle. She trembled, almost in denial at her luck. Cupping her hands together, she scooped up the liquid, before blindly bringing them to her mouth. As her lips touched the liquid, her heart leapt in her chest. It was water!

Eagerly, Digit drank every last drop of water from the floor, until it was bone dry. Then quickly continued crawling through the narrow tunnel. Excitement turned to carelessness, as she was not familiar with this part of The Underground, and as she pulled herself forward to find more water, the tunnel ended.

Digit found herself tumbling down, her body slamming into the sharp stone, before finally coming to a rest on the cold hard ground. Her head spun, she wasn't sure how far she'd fallen or where she had ended up. Panic began to set in, as she began to realize backtracking to Gildred would be nearly impossible if she couldn't find her way back to the tunnel she'd fallen from.

Then Digit heard it. The sound of heavy boots on stone, walking towards her. She froze as the cavern became visible from the torchlight. Two armored figures dragged a rat into view. Digit pulled herself behind a rock, peering over it carefully to see where they were going. They stopped about twenty feet away, and with the light of the torch, Digit could see that the cavern she'd fallen in appeared to be attached to some kind of underground cove. She licked her lips at the sight of so much water. How did the other rats not know about this? Then she noticed something was wrong. It was dark, but in the torchlight, she could tell whatever liquid made up this cove, it was not water. It was black, and almost seemed darker than The Underground itself.

The armored figures dropped the rat before the cove. Digit noticed one of the two figures seemed to be the same species, but one had wings where the other did not.

"Drink." The winged figure demanded. The rat scampered over to the shore, scooping up the black liquid in their hands. They had to know the strange liquid was not water, but so scarce was the precious liquid that the poor creature probably hoped that the black liquid really was water, and that this was all just some trick of the lighting. The rat poured the liquid into the mouth, before instantly recoiling. They let out a horrendous shriek before their body stiffened, turning to a pale stone-like substance.

The wingless figure took a step back, as if they had not been expecting what they'd just witnessed.

"Break it." The winged figure demanded. The wingless figure looked back at them, hesitating. "Lord Barrus has no place for weakness among his students. If you want to earn your wings, you must be strong. Now, break it!"

The wingless figure slammed their spear into the rat, and Digit watched in horror as the rat shattered and crumbled until there appeared to be nothing more of them but dust and rubble. Then the armored figures turned and made their way out through another tunnel.

Realization dawned on Digit as to why rats dragged away by the armored figures never returned. Getting to her feet, her hands trembled. Whether it was from grief or sheer horror from what she had just witnessed, she did not know.

Following the distant torchlight, Digit managed to make her way back to Gildred. It would be hours before she could bring herself to speak about what she had seen, and when she told him, he made her swear now to tell the other rats. They had enough to worry about. Causing a panic in The Underground was something they couldn't afford. They barely clung to life as it was. Life spans were short in The Underground. Neither Gildred nor Digit expected to survive more than a few more years, if they were lucky.

Months passed, and Digit occasionally heard the haunting sound of the armored figures marching through the tunnels, searching for their next quarry. So badly did Digit want to know why. Why did they do this to them? Who were they, and what had the rats done to deserve this? She hid at the sound of their footsteps. Scared they would come for her.

One day Digit awoke to Gildred shaking her. "Digit, they're coming! You need to hide!"

Gildred helped Digit crawl into a small hole in the ground, before placing a heavy stone over the top of it to conceal her.

"You there, rat," Digit recognized the voice as the same figure who'd ordered the rat to drink that horrible liquid. "Where is your sister?" Digit's heart beat heavily against the inside of her chest. What did they want with her?

"She'd gone. You dragged her away years ago." Gildred said.

"Your other sister. Where is she? She is to come with us." The winged figure demanded.

"Take me wherever you need to go. What difference does it make what rat you drag off. I've seen you drag away plenty of others at random." Gildred argued.

"Our work is never random. No other rat will do, now where is she?" The winged figure demanded.

"She's dead. She died two nights ago." Gildred lied.

"We know she's alive. Her importance is vital to the survival of this world. If you value your life and those of the surface, you will turn her over or we will kill you." The winged figure demanded.

"Why would I give a fuck about anyone on the surface. You could all burn for all I care-" Gildred let out a gasp, as Digit heard the sound of steel piercing flesh, followed by a body falling to the ground. Gildred fell silent.

Digit felt a strange liquid trickle down the side of her face from her eye. Touching it with her finger, she brought it to her lips. Water? She thought in confusion. She had heard about tears before, but so few rats ever had enough water in their system to experience them. So curling up alone in the dark. Digit cried what little tears she could, knowing she would never see her family again.

Chapter 27

The Pursuit of Knowledge

"The winged figure slaughtered every rat in The Underground in search of me. The blood of our people spilled through the tunnels. Tek, I almost drowned in blood as it poured into the hole I was hiding in," Digit said, as she began to sob, "We had done nothing to them, and they butchered us! Only now do I have the strength in my body to weep for them properly! Why do you want to fix The Iron Doors? Why save any of them!?"

As Tek stood in the darkness of that horrible place, his body bleeding from the razor edged of the jagged rocks that lined every surface, he began to understand why Dreg had chosen the life in Behemoth Bay that he had. How? How could anyone treat another living thing this way? How had this been allowed to go on?

"Digit, those who did this to you. Those who committed these atrocities. They will answer for what they've done. My duty to The Burrow is to fix The Iron Doors, but as a rat, I will not forget about what happened here. We will return to The Burrow together and tell Rodentia of this place. The other guardians will have to answer to her. I promise, there will be a reckoning." Tek said, embracing Digit. She sobbed quietly into the side of his hood, and they stood there in the cold darkness for a long time, before Digit tapped into her rune and they disappeared into the shadows.

When Tek opened his eyes, he was back in the halls of Acria, not far from Prieda's room. The sun had set long ago and they had little time left before Devi would bind them forever. Something began pricking at the skin of Tek's arm and he winced at the horrible pain.

"I feel it too," Digit said, "It's Devi, she's going to start putting a fire under our feet to get us to move faster. In a very literal sense I'm sure."

"Devi can harm us with the dolls?" Tek asked. Digit nodded, and the horror of the power Devi had over them set in. "Wait here and stay hidden. I will find the book in Prieda's room."

To Tek's surprise, the corridor leading to Prieda's room was unguarded. No bees nor any of Barrus' armored students stood vigil over his guardian's section of Acria. Perhaps this was all a trap, or perhaps Prieda's authority as a guardian had kept them at bay.

Carefully, Tek made his way to Prieda's room. Pushing against the door, Tek strained to get them open, as he put all his weight on them until they began to swing open. Quietly, Tek slipped inside. His eyes adjusted in moments and he scanned the room for any sign of his guardian.

Prieda was gone.

In the corner of the room sat a basket. Daisy would likely be sleeping inside, as she'd been spending more time in Prieda's company ever since she took her under her tutelage.

Prieda's room has always been filled with piles of treasure and old trinkets that would have drawn more of Tek's curiosity had he not been so pressed for time. Never had he noticed any books lying around. Stealthily he moved from pile to pile, carefully overturning pottery and golden ornaments. Even Prieda's small treasure hoards must have been worth a fortune. Still, Tek was grateful he didn't have to dig through her temple to break his bond with Devi.

Sighing to himself, Tek put down the last piece of treasure he could find, then wearily walked over to Prieda's bed and flopped onto it.

Beside Tek was a small golden statue of what looked like a cat. Maybe Devi would be satisfied with this thing. Tek thought to himself. He crawled across to the otherside of the bed and looked down to see a book half exposed from under the bed.

Unable to believe his luck, Tek reached out for the book, but was stopped when someone grabbed him by the wrist. Tek jumped, pulling his hand free from the figure's grasp.

"What are you doing?!" Jade said. Even in her hushed voice, Tek could sense her frustration.

"Stay out of this, Jade. I need this book." Tek said. He picked up the book, but Jade grabbed the other end of it, refusing to let go.

"When I heard someone rummaging around Prieda's room, I half expected it to be one of Mallifera's bees looking for you. Do you have any idea what this book even contains? We shouldn't even be touching it!"

Tek winced in pain, releasing the book and putting one hand to his side. He felt as if someone had just cut him, but Jade had both hands on the book. He would have seen her if she attacked him. Pulling his hand away, he heard Jade gasp. His hand was soaked in blood. Feeling weak, Tek fell against the bed.

"What time is it?" Tek asked, looking towards the window. Light began to creep over the horizon. He needed to get back to Devi before it was too late.

"Tek, tell me you didn't. Tell me you didn't go to see her." Jade said. To Tek's surprise, Jade threw the book she had just been ranting about the importance of, before sitting by his side to examine his wound.

"Jade, I need that book. If the sun comes up I-"

"You did! You went to Devi! Tek, do you have any idea how dangerous she is? And you want to give her this?! With her wit and this magic there's no telling what kind of damage she could do!"

"How do you know about Devi?" Tek asked.

Jade scoffed at the question. "Do you really think you were the first person she's tried to bind in Acria? The guardians have spent months searching for her."

"Once I fix The Iron Doors, I will get this back from Devi. Please Jade, I'm so close to finding the answers I've been searching for. If those doors open, what does it matter if Devi has this book or not? We'll all be dead in the end."

Jade looked again at Tek's wound, then out the window at the rising sun cresting the horizon.

"Please, Jade." Tek pleaded.

Taking in a long deep breath, Jade closed her eyes. Emerald light swirled around her and Tek felt the pain in his side fade, not entirely, but he no longer felt as if he'd been stabbed.

"Fae magic isn't the best for healing, but it will last long enough for you to get back to Devi. Try not to leave a trail of blood behind when you leave. If someone finds you, Devi will be the least of your worries." Jade said. Tek thanked her and made for the door, but not before Jade called after him one last time. "And Tek, do be sure to get that book back from Devi after you're done saving the world."

Tek nodded then stepped out of the room just as Daisy poked her head out of her basket looking groggy,

"Was that Tek?" Daisy yawned.

"Nope, you're dreaming. Go back to bed." Jade said.

"How the heck can I go back to bed if I'm dreaming? Wouldn't that mean I'm already asleep?" Daisy asked.

"Nope. Go back to bed." Jade said again.

Their voices faded as Tek ran down the hallway to meet back up with Digit. He found Digit slumped against a wall behind a statue, hand gripping her arm with blood seeping between her fingers. It seemed Devi was growing impatient.

Tek extended a hand towards Digit, and helped her get to her feet. "Come on," Tek said, pushing open the entrance to the hidden tunnels beneath the hallway, "Let's get this over with."

*****

"Golly, you actually did it!" Devi said, her tail wagging in excitement at the sight of Tek holding the book she desired, "Although admittedly I was looking forward to having two rune tappers bonded to me. You're so useful."

Honey buzzed nervously in the corner of the small room, and Tek walked right past Devi to check on her. "Did she harm you?" Tek asked.

"Mmmmmm, no," Honey buzzed, "But I did not like the way she was treating the dolls she made of you and your friend. I do not like binders. Mmmmmm."

"Undo our bond, and you can have your book." Tek demanded. Digit watched quietly from the entrance as Devi looked Tek over.

"So eager to remove yourself from my service. I returned your friend to you. With her help, which in a way is like my help, she can take you to Barrus' library. Imagine what else we could accomplish with a little binding." Devi said, smiling at Tek.

Tek gestured to his wounds, then at Digit, who was using the doorway to support her weight. "You nearly killed us."

"And I'm so sorry for that," Devi said, her tail and ears drooping. She held her hand to her forehead in a grandiose and greatly exaggerated gesture. "I only wanted you to know how serious I take my bindings. Imagine if you'd taken advantage of me. Who knows how long I could have been stuck down here waiting for you to return. Stuck here in the dark all alone, powerless to do anything."

"Mmmmmm!" Honey buzzed in frustration, as Devi acted if she hadn't been present the entire time.

"You're anything but powerful." Tek said.

Devi's expression changed in a flash from feigned drama to a knowing smile. "Thank you for such a lovely compliment, Tek."

"You're not welcome. Now, undue our bond." Tek demanded, pointing at the dolls.

"Undue them yourself. All you have to do is hand me the book." Devi said, offering out her hand.

Tek looked to Digit, who nodded in approval. Then Tek handed over the book. In an instant the two dolls that resembled Tek and Digit lost their color and shape, resembling nothing but featureless gray figures.

"It was a pleasure doing business with you." Devi said, giving Tek a curtsy.

"I wish I could say the same. I hope you know having that book has put a massive target on your back." Tek said.

"Good. That means the knowledge inside has been worth the risk," Devi said, "Now how about your little bee friend gives me a lift out of here."

"Mmmmmm," Honey buzzed, zipping around the room, "I do not want to go with her."

"Relax Honey, no one is going to make you leave with Devi." Tek said.

"Gee Tek, the way I see it, I can either leave with her, or I can stay here and trick someone else into bonding with me. What harm could come from that?" Devi said, swaying back and forth innocently.

"If you hurt her in any way." Tek said.

"Relax. You have my word, and if that's now enough for you..." Devi trailed off, extending her pinkie finger towards Tek. He pushed it away immediately.

"Not a chance."

"Golly Tek, I'm beginning to think you don't trust me." Devi said, frowning at his rejection, "Now little bee, if you'd be so kind as to drop me off at Behemoth Bay-"

"The Skunk Kingdoms." Tek interrupted.

"I beg your pardon?" Devi asked, a blatant look of frustration breaking through her innocent guise.

"She will be taking you to The Skunk Kingdoms. There she will seek asylum with The Court of Cards. You can get to Behemoth Bay by yourself once Honey drops you off. You're more than clever enough to figure that out."

Devi's fur stood on end and for a moment Tek thought she might leap at him. All she managed to muster up as a response was "Fine." Before storming out of the room.

"Mmmmmm," Honey buzzed, "Do I have to take her with me."

"She's too dangerous to be allowed to wander Acria. Especially if she begins to grow desperate for a way out." Digit said.

"Agreed," Tek said, gently placing his hand on Honey's shoulder to calm her down, "All you have to do is fly her to The Skunk Kingdoms and tell The Court of Cards that I sent you. They will take good care of you there. Just make sure to warn them about Devi. If they want, they can arrest her for all I care."

Honey nodded, then left after Devi.

*****

"Are you ready?" Digit asked.

Tek stared out a window, body close to the wall in an attempt to remain out of sight. The outside was buzzing with worker bees, all searching for Tek. Smoke rose high, filling the air in a thick haze from Barrus' platform. "I was hoping to find Prieda first. She may have tried to kill me, but she is my sponsor." Tek said.

"Time is growing short. We wouldn't even know where to look." Digit said.

"She wouldn't have gone far. The fact that this place isn't swarming with bees means she must have ordered them to stay away from her section of the school." Tek turned and began walking down the hallway.

"If you're going to wander, we should at least stick to the tunnels. Please my prince, it isn't safe." Digit insisted. Tek ignored her, but made sure not to linger in front of any windows for fear of being spotted.

It wasn't long before Tek spotted a long gray tail, flicking in the air before disappearing down another hallway. "Wait here," Tek said, "When we're finished talking we'll leave for the library. If it looks like she's going to grab me, pull me into a shadow and we'll go. I'm not sure she'll let me leave once she finds out what our plan is." Digit nodded, ducking into the shadow of one of Prieda's many statues.

Tek drew in a deep breath to calm his nerves, then followed after the sphinx. When Prieda spotted him, they both froze for a moment, staring blankly at each other. Both were searching for the other, likely expecting to find one another, yet surprised by the other's presence.

"I should have never let Spindle remove you from my side," Prieda started. "I won't let Barrus take you. Come, let us leave at once. We'll leave for my temple and-"

"I'm not leaving." Tek interrupted. Prieda's ears perked up in surprise.

"What?"

"I'm not leaving. I can't leave. Not yet. I haven't found out what's wrong with The Iron Doors. The answer is somewhere in Barrus' library. I found a way to get in and out without anyone noticing."

"You'll die. Die for real. Your rune tapping cannot save you from Barrus. I must admit, when I found out about the display you put on against one of Barrus' students, well..." Prieda trailed off, her tail flicking in excitement, "What else could I have expected from my favorite student. Still, there will be no surviving if you get caught. Without my authority keeping the other guardians at bay, you'd be dead already."

"Were you not the one who said that I just won't die?" Tek asked. Prieda clawed at the stone tiles as she stared down at Tek, waiting to hear what he had to say. "I have a way to get in and out of Barrus' library quickly and quietly. Once I've found the knowledge I'm looking for, I will find you. Then we can return to The Burrow. There I will be under Rodentia's protection. Barrus wouldn't cross two guardians."

"You don't know Barrus, Tek. He hates rats. When the first demon entered this world, we were still mortal. The world didn't need guardians. That same rat that took the offer of demonhood, killed Barrus' son. There's more than one reason why Rodentia refuses to leave The Burrow. I think she's afraid of what he might do in her absence," Prieda paused, looking as if she had drifted deep into thought, before continuing, "I will wait for you. Just promise to return to me alive. Life just started getting interesting again."

Tek turned, but paused for a moment. "Prieda, I have to know. Were you the one who turned Honey in?"

"The bee? You told me not to, and so I obliged your request. If she was sneaking around the library, it was only a matter of time before she was caught. I don't think your presence helped much either. One student breaking into the library is hard enough to cover up. So no, I did not turn in your bee friend." Prieda insisted.

"Thank you, Prieda." Tek said. Then he stepped into the shadows and disappeared.

Chapter 28

Recollection

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Digit asked, staring up at the smoking platform above.

"I haven't come all this way to back down now. Whatever Barrus is hiding in those books, it has something to do with The Iron Doors." Tek said.

"Very well, but remember whatever you learn cannot be unlearned." Digit said. Tek felt a chill at her words. Something felt wrong.

Digit took Tek's hand, and led him into the shadows. The runes woven into her wraps began to glow a bright amethyst and the shadows around them grew impossibly dark. Tek felt his surroundings move and when they finally stopped he stumbled, forcing Digit to catch him.

"Did it work?" Tek asked.

"See for yourself, my prince." Digit said, gesturing to what was behind Tek.

Tek turned to see they were in a cramped room with stone walls. Torchlight made the shadows dance around them like playful Fae, and Tek hesitated before stepping further into the room. The scent of parchment and smoke clung to the air and so hot was the room that Digit might as well have transported them into an oven.

"I thought it would be bigger." Tek admitted.

"Perhaps it was," Digit said, remaining in the far corner of the room. "It wouldn't surprise me if he burned most of the books he removed from the archives.

"Are you alright being here?" Tek asked, "After what Barrus and his students did to you?"

"If they couldn't break me before, they won't be able to break me now. This room may be a bit warm for my liking, but at least the walls here aren't sharp." Digit said, running her hand across the smooth stone walls.

Walking over to a table, Tek grabbed a piece of parchment and quill and drew out a soul rune, before tapping into it, creating two copies of himself to assist with his search. Slow progress was dragged out even longer as every creak and thump Tek heard sent him and his copies hiding for fear one of Barrus' students were coming.

"Barrus won't be looking for you here, my prince." Digit insisted, "Without me, there's no way you could've reached his platform without his knowing. He'll be too arrogant to think you have the resources to outwit him."

Tek nodded, then allowed his copies to converge, leaving just him and Digit in the room once more. He frowned as the knowledge they had accumulated filled his mind. "Something's wrong."

"Are these not the books about The Iron Doors you were looking for?" Digit asked.

"They are, but they do against everything I thought I knew about The Iron Doors. One of the books says the citizens of the silent city weren't killed, rather it was emptied. While another says that there aren't demons behind The Iron Doors. There was mention of something else. Something called red magic? The knowledge here is completely different from what the world believes, and at the same time it contradicts itself."

"I'm sure in time we can separate the truths from the lies. Perhaps there's a little truth to all of it. At the time these books were written the guardians had yet to ascend to immortality. They were simple mortals, like us. It's possible some of what you're reading is simply wrong."

"Then why hide it?" Tek asked.

The sound of claws clacking against stone echoed down the hall towards them. "We've run out of time. Come my prince, we must leave at once." Digit said, extending a hand to Tek.

Tek didn't take it. Something about those footsteps sounded familiar.

"Tek!" Digit said in a panicked whisper.

"It can't be..." Tek said, looking towards the door.

The door to the room swung open and Tek became too shocked to move.

"Tek?" A voice said, quivering with emotion upon seeing the rat. Tek ran across the room and embraced a friend he thought to be lost.

"It's good to see you again, Gimmick."

*****

"I don't understand, how is it you're here?" Tek asked.

"Lord Barrus' winged kobolds found me in the silent city and brought me here. I was told you'd died." Gimmick said, wiping tears from her face.

"Why didn't you just stay with the nuns?" Tek asked, "They would've taken care of you."

"It's difficult for a kobold to resist the will of a dragon. Even more so for a guardian like Barrus." Digit explained.

"Well that doesn't matter now, let's get you out of here." Tek said, stepping back and looking over Gimmick. She appeared tired, but otherwise unharmed. "He didn't hurt you at all, did he?"

Gimmick paused, and Tek immediately felt the same rage that had overtaken him at Dreg's outpost begin to rise up inside him.

"Barrus usually isn't around, but his students sometimes hit me if I bring them the wrong books." Gimmick turned, exposing a purple welt on her back. Tek moved to walk past Gimmick out the door where he'd be sure to find one of Barrus' students, when Digit grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Not now. We have what we need, now we must egress." Digit insisted.

"Have what we need? We still aren't any closer to knowing how The Iron Doors broke. Every time I take a step in the right direction, I'm immediately thrown several steps back! I've hardly learned anything new since I first stepped out of The Burrow and Gimmick keeps getting hurt." Tek said, backhanding a stack of books that had been sitting on the table.

Digit slowly stepped to Tek, meeting his emotional gaze with a more calculating look. She took in a long breath before speaking. "When we first met in The Skunk Kingdoms, I wasn't sure if Rodentia had made the right choice choosing you to fix The Iron Doors. You had the talent and the intellect, but your attachment to others seemed to slow you down. I've often wondered how much faster your journey could have been if you hadn't gone back to see your beloved princess of hearts, pick a fight with a crime lord, and take up pirating. This task of yours was one that never allowed for distractions."

"Those 'distractions' saved lives and brought me closer to Acria." Tek snarled.

"I can see that now. Still I wonder, what else has it taught you, my prince? about this world. About rats."

Tek looked puzzled, but humored Digit's question. "It's cruel. The world hates us. And even if I-" Tek paused. He wasn't sure if he could bring himself to finish his sentence. To speak the truth he'd been denying himself all this time.

"Say it." Digit said, taking another step towards Tek.

"Even if I fix The Iron Doors, nothing will change." Tek felt as if he'd just suffered some terrible defeat. Gimmick took his hand, and the pain lessened, if only a little.

"I think you're ready." Digit said, stepping past Tek and standing beside Gimmick.

"Ready for what?" Tek asked.

"The truth," Digit said. She raised her right hand so her palm was flat facing towards the back of Gimmick's head. Tek's heart leapt in alarm as teal light filled the room. A rune he'd never seen before burned into the air between Digit's hand and Gimmick's head. "Our truth."

*****

Gimmick screamed. Dropping to the floor, the kobold wept and trembled like a child. Tek charged Digit, knocking her to the ground and destroying the strange new rune. In his rage, he felt his body fill with runic energy. Taking in a deep breath, he forged a flaming spear, which he pointed at Digit's throat.

"What have you done?" Tek snarled. There was a shout from somewhere outside. Their presence was no longer a secret.

"Undone." Digit said, "I've given my friend back her memory."

"No!" Gimmick cried, "No no no no no no no no no!"

"Make her stop crying. Whatever you did, undo it. fix her!" Tek said, the flaming spear in his hands burned brighter as his emotions spiked.

"I did fix her. The kobold you've known until now was only a fraction of who she really is. She was shattered, I've mended her." Digit said, hands outstretched defensively, as if that would somehow stop Tek from incinerating her should he want to.

Tek grabbed Digit by the back of the neck, forcing her to look at the screaming kobold that still wept in the center of the room. In his other hand, he held the flaming spear up to Digit's throat. "Does she look fixed to you?"

"Regaining one's memory can be traumatizing." Digit said.

Tek's eyes grew wide at the realization of what Digit had just done. The tattooed runes on Gimmick's body began to glow. Tek threw Digit behind a bookcase, then dove onto Gimmick, holding her close. His flaming spear dissipated and he wrapped his arms around the kobold. Raw runic energy whipped around the room, slicing through bookshelf and stone alike.

"It's going to be okay." Tek said, trying to calm Gimmick down. There was no telling what her runes would do should they be activated. A tear dripped down the side of Tek's face at the sight of his friend in so much pain. "I know, it's hard sometimes."

Gimmick's weeping, slowly dissipated to a quiet sniffling as she buried her face in his chest, hugging him tightly. Flashes of Gimmick holding Tek after his night terrors of what had happened to Iary and his father arose in Tek's memory. Gimmick had held him in a similar manner when he was near his lowest.

"It was you," Tek said, suddenly fueled with an even greater anger, "Digit, it was you. Back in The Skunk Kingdoms. You're the one who made me relive it. You forced me to relive watching Iary die that night! Memory, that's your other rune!"

"I can explain everything, but we need to leave now. We're out of time. Barrus' students know we're here." Digit said, peeking out from behind the bookcase.

"Why are you really helping us, Digit?" Tek asked.

"I'm trying to save our people. Same as you." Digit said, stepping out from behind the bookcase. "Listen to me, Tek. Barrus made a deal with-"

"No," Tek said, "Enough of your deception. We're not the same. I wouldn't go into people's minds and prey on their weaknesses and rip out their memories."

"I would sacrifice anything to find a future for our people." Digit said. "Look what they've done to us, Tek! You saw where they were keeping me. Where hundreds of rats were slaughtered. How many of us do they need to kill before you wake up? Maybe I just need you to live it as I did."

There was a flash of teal light, and before Tek could do anything he was plunged into Digit's memories. His flesh screamed at him as his body scraped against the sharp stone walls. His mouth dried from dehydration, making his tongue feel like sandpaper. It was dark, not like the darkness of The Burrow, this was true darkness. It was like the abyss itself had swallowed him. Suddenly he was falling. Someone had pushed him into a hole and covered the entrance with a rock. His brother? No, this wasn't his memory, it was Digit's brother.

Blood poured into Tek's hiding place. How long had Digit been down here? Tek began to panic as the blood pooled at his feet, rising to his ankles, then his waste, then his shoulders. Only when it reached his neck did he try to move the stone trapping him in that hole. Was he going to drown down here, alone in the dark? He was too weak to move the stone. His strength was limited to Digit's at the time of the memory, and even if he could move the stone, he wasn't sure the memory would allow him to.

The weight of the stone lifted off of Tek, and someone pulled him free with so much force that he found himself flying through the darkness and slamming into the cold jagged wall. His body hit the ground with a splash. More blood, Tek thought. Looking up with what little strength he had, he saw two of Barrus' students, one with wings, while the other looked to be just an armored kobold. The kobold held a torch, showing that the walls and floor stained red from the slaughter. Tek couldn't see the bodies, but perhaps even worse, he could smell them.

Panic overwhelmed Tek, knowing he was about to die. He'd died before, many times in fact, but to die in this place, and alone? He didn't know if the fear was his or Digit's, but he threw himself against the wall just to put as much space between himself and Barrus' students as possible.

The winged student drew his sword and Tek waited for the end to come, but it never did. There was a sound of steel piercing flesh, followed by a loud splash as the winged student fell at Tek's feet. The kobold had killed the other student. Looking up in confusion, Tek saw a hand reaching out to him in the torchlight. He took it, and was pulled to his feet. There he could see the face of his, or rather Digit's, savior. Gimmick gave him a smile, then began to lead him to the surface, where Digit would see the sun, for the first time.

*****

Tek was yanked out of Digit's memory, and found himself back in Barrus' library. Judging by the fact that they hadn't been caught, he figured everything he'd just experienced had only lasted mere seconds, if even that long.

"Gimmick saved you." Tek said, looking down at the kobold, "And you stole her memories. Why?"

"It was necessary at the time. Her devotion to our cause was in question. She wanted to undue what we worked so hard to achieve and I couldn't have her get in the way of my work." Digit explained.

"What work?" Tek asked.

"Tek, everything I'm doing is for the future of our people. You saw the horrors the world put us through." Digit insisted.

"The horrors Barrus put you through." Tek said.

"I don't recall the Barrus having anything to do with the slaughter of your family and friends. The Skunk Kingdoms were responsible for those atrocities, yet you had relations with one of their princesses. I'm starting to realize I may have been wrong about you, Tek." Digit said.

"The feeling is mutual. Why don't you take us back to Prieda, then we can go our separate ways. I don't think working together will benefit either of us going forward."

"Tek, I'm so sorry!" Gimmick wept.

"It's going to be okay, Gimmick. We're going back to The Burrow. We've done what we can to fix The Iron Door, now it's time to go home. I'm done with all of this." Tek said.

Gimmick started, "No Tek, I mean I'm sorry for-"

"She's not going with you," Digit interrupted, "And you're not coming with us."

"Digit, don't do this." Tek took a step towards Digit, who immediately grabbed Gimmick by the arm and pulled her back. The rune on her palm glowing a bright purple.

"You still want to fix The Iron Doors don't you?" Digit said.

"It was you. You're the one who broke the runes on The Iron Doors." Tek said. This got a chuckle from Digit.

"Me? No, Tek, not me." Digit said, smiling as her gaze slowly moved from Tek down to Gimmick.

"I'm sorry, Tek," Gimmick wept, "I'm so sorry. I didn't remember until now. I swear. I- I didn't mean to cause all this. I understand if you don't want to be my friend." Tears bubbled up in the kobolds eyes and streamed down her cheeks.

"Why?" Tek asked, dropping to his knees. He felt as if he'd been stabbed in the heart. "Just tell me why? What is it that you hope to accomplish?"

"I'm sorry, Tek." Digit said, "There was a time when I would have told you everything, but you're just not the rat I thought you were."

"Tek!" Gimmick shouted out for him, before Digit pulled her into the shadows and they disappeared entirely.

*****

Tek knelt alone in the dark of Barrus' library with no way home. In the distance he could hear footsteps rushing towards him, followed by someone banging on the door. Tek didn't get up. What was the point? Gimmick had broken The Iron Doors and he still had no idea how to fix them.

The door flew open and Tek's eyes widened with realization as a thought dawned on him. Gimmick's tattoos. Gimmick hadn't broken the runes on The Iron Doors, she'd tapped into them. Her rune was the same as those on the Doors. Tek couldn't fix The Iron Doors, but Gimmick could!

Looking up, Tek saw the same armored student that he'd faced in the arena. The same student that was trying to hurt Honey. "The rune tapper." The student growled from beneath his helm.

"The coward who preys on the weak." Tek said.

Electricity arched around the students' forearms, but before he could do anything an explosion erupted at the student's feet, sending him flying back out the door into the hallway. Fueled with rage, a massive fire rune had burned out of thin air, and floated behind Tek. He had no time for this. He had to get word out that Digit was going to try to get through The Iron Doors, and that Gimmick had the ability to close them.

Stepping into the hallway, Tek took in a deep breath. A cool sensation covered his skin, as if he'd just dipped into a pool of water. His entire body was covered in runic fire. His feet lifted off the ground and with a motion of his hands an array of flaming spears appeared above him. Power unlike anything he'd felt before coursed through his veins, and the only outlet coward before him.

"Your kind are monsters!" The armored student spat from beneath his helm.

"No," Tek said, reaching down with a burning hand and grabbing the student by his chest plate. "My people aren't monsters. Only me."

The runic fire on Tek's body spread onto that of the students. The student screamed for a moment, as the fire that covered Tek's body began to cover him as well. Tek could feel the student's armor melt between his fingers from the heat as his body turned to ash. Only then did Tek's feet touch the ground, and the fire that covered his body burned away.

Everything had happened so quickly that Tek had almost forgotten where he was. Had the platform not been made for a dragon, Tek was sure there would've been serious structural damage, although he did notice the stone where the student was previously had begun to actually melt.

A roar echoed through the air, and the platform shook violently. Barrus was coming. Tek knew it. This time there would be no escape. He simply sat down, crossed his legs, and waited for the dragon to arrive.

Within moments, the roof of the building was torn violently away, raining debris down around Tek. A shadow as dark as the night sky loomed over Tek, from which two burning red eyes stared down at him in the same sinister manner as the crimson moon itself. "Nowhere left to run." Barrus growled.

Tek looked up at the dragon. He'd done the best he could to get this far. His runic energy was spent, and even if he did manage to call upon that power again, he doubted it would be nearly enough to defeat someone like Barrus. So he smiled. "Nowhere left to run indeed."

Chapter 29

Judgment

Tek sat alone in a dark cell. Chains held him suspended in mid-air, preventing any chance of etching a rune anywhere in the room. He'd lost track of how long he'd been imprisoned. He was certain that his fate had been decided long ago, and this was just a small taste of the punishment Barrus had in store for him. A small part of Tek thought he would be left to rot in the cell. Perhaps Barrus would simply keep what had just occurred a secret, never telling Prieda or Rodentia what had happened to him. The idea of Gritta and Gretta waiting for him to return to save their home crept into Tek's mind. His heart broke at the thought of his sisters clinging to a hope that they would see him again. This thought vanished, when the prison door swung open and two of Barrus' students walked into his cell.

"It took you long enough-" Tek's words failed to escape his mouth as one of the students uppercut him in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. The students continued to bludgeon Tek with their fists until he was on the brink of unconsciousness. Only then did they take their leave, never once saying a word to the rat. Three more times this would happen, before Tek was finally dragged from his cell.

Disoriented from his injuries and occasional loss of consciousness, Tek had no idea where the students had taken him. His wrists were chained, holding him in place, wherever this new place was. It wasn't until a splash of water struck him in the face that he found the energy to look up.

Tek had trouble believing what it was he was seeing as he looked around. A massive room lined with thrones so large that only a deity could sit upon them. Sitting upon three of the thrones were Mellifera, Spindle, and Prieda. Where Barrus was, Tek could only guess.

"Tek the rat," Mellifera started, "Do you know why you've been brought before the guardians today?"

"Let me guess," Tek said, his mouth still tasting of blood from the beatings, "You want to apologize?"

One of the armored students punched Tek in the jaw, forcing Tek to fall to his knees.

"You've been accused of disruption of judgment in the arena, breaking into the archives after being banned, theft, handling of a relic deemed too dangerous for mortals, binding, aiding and embedding an intruder, destruction of priceless librams, and the murder of a fellow student," Mellifera explained. "How do you plead?"

"I doubt that really matters." Tek said, earning him another punch from the armored student guarding him.

"If you cannot take this trial seriously, then you will be considered guilty of all charges and sentenced without defense." Mellifera said.

"That certainly would save us all a lot of time," Tek started, "But I suppose I can entertain your accusations."

"On the charges of breaking into the archives and disrupting judgment of the arena. Is it true that you, Tek, broke into the archives?" Mellifera said.

"I don't suppose you have any proof of this accusation." Tek said. As far as he knew, Prieda hadn't said a word about that event.

"This brings us to our next accusation, disrupting the judgment of the arena. One of my daughter's confessed to your presence in the archives and when we sentenced her to fight in the arena, you interfered. Yet you stand before us and have the nerve to deny it." Mellifera said, her fingers tapping against the arm of her throne.

"Perhaps the guardians have forgotten why I am here," Tek said, "Rodentia, a guardian, tasked me with fixing the runes on The Iron Door. Yet every step I take is met with resistance and open hostility."

"Rodentia is an outcast. A guardian in power, but not authority. She is not recognized by this council. As for The Iron Doors, the affairs of mortals are not the affairs of the guardians. If The Iron Doors break, then so be it. Bring in the witnesses." Mellifera ordered.

Tek turned to see Daisy and Jade enter the room.

"Princess Jade, you and acolyte Daisy were granted admission to Acria by your father, correct?" Mellifera asked.

"Correct, your magnificence." Jade said, curtsying to the guardians.

"Being the daughter of a true guardian, can we trust you to be honest before the council?" Jade and Daisy exchanged a nervous look, before Jade turned and nodded to Mellifera. "Excellent. Can you tell me, the night of the arena incident, did Tek come to you at all?"

"He did, you magnificence." Jade said.

"And what happened then?" Mellifera asked.

"He wanted a place to hide. I knew he was a criminal at that point, so I turned him away." Jade said.

Don't lie, you kind fool! Tek thought to himself.

Mellifera paused for a long moment. The only sound in the trial room was the sound of her fingers drumming against the arm of her throne. "Daisy, cast a hypnotic manipulation spell on Jade." She ordered.

"She will do no such thing!" Prieda said, getting to her feet.

Spindle soon joined in the argument, "Sister, we cannot have innocent students casting spells on each other to-"

"Innocent?" Mellifera interrupted, "You think she's innocent? She's in league with the rat, and I will prove it. Daisy, cast the spell or we will find someone else who will."

Daisy looked horrified. Tek had seen her cast a spell on Jade before, but that was always for small things. This would be a complete violation of Jade's free will.

"I'm so sorry." Daisy said, her eyes illuminated in a bright blue glow, and the room averted their gaze to avoid the spell. Jade's eyes widened in shock, before relaxing as the blue glow from the spell's effects illuminated her eyes as well.

"I will ask you again, Jade, what occurred the night Tek came to you after the arena incident?" Mellifera asked.

Jade answered immediately without hesitation, "Tek came to Prieda's room in search of a dangerous book for the intruder Devi. She binded with him, although I do not know the details of their contract."

"You may release her." Mellifera said, with a dismissive wave of her hand. Daisy was quick to release Jade of the spell, but the damage was done. "I am disappointed in you, Jade. Were it not for your father's place on this council I would have you punished for lying. I will inform your father of this incident and leave your punishment to him." Jade bowed her head, and along with Daisy, was escorted from the trial room.

"You're out of line Mellifera." Prieda hissed. This got a chuckle out of the bee.

"You, who abandoned your role as guardian for centuries and destroyed the kingdom you swore to protect, think you have the right to judge me?" Mellifera asked, "I speak on behalf of Barrus, do not forget that." Mellifera turned her attention back to Tek before continuing, "There is little need to continue with the other accusations, as Barrus himself witnessed the crimes. We shall move onto the judgment."

"Judgment?" Tek asked, "Judgment? I will not find judgment here. I will find anything, but judgment here. How I wish I was there on the day of your ascension, so I could have plunged my spear down your throat and watched you choke on your blood before you could greedily cling onto your power. I swear here to you all, that before I draw my final breath, I will personally break the chains of this academy and laugh as it all comes crashing to the ground!"

Mellifera rose to her feet scowling as she gave an order to the armored students, "Enough of this! Kill this rat before-"

"Stop!" A voice boomed from somewhere above them. The room shook, as if trembling in fear.

Everyone in the room, Tek included, looked up. To Tek's surprise, the ceiling was far higher than he thought. Above them this entire time Barrus had been lurking in what appeared to be a massive cave. The structure itself seemed to be built into the mountain that was Barrus' platform, allowing room for the mighty dragon.

Barrus had intervened seemingly at the right time, as Tek had noticed Prieda's claws were quite visible and she looked as if she wanted to tear Mellifera to pieces. "I will speak to the rat, alone." Barrus growled. The room cleared, except for Prieda, who remained defiantly. "I said-"

"I heard you." Prieda interrupted, "You are a guardian, same as I am, and I take orders from no one. Not mortal nor deity."

The dragon bared his teeth at the sphinx, and Tek was convinced he was about to see the two guardians fight. "You forget your place, Prieda. Go back to your sand and sleep another century or two. You will be missed by no one." Barrus said, circling the sphinx. Even with Prieda's elevated size, the dragon still dwarfed her, "What is it you hope to accomplish here? You leave your temple for what, a rat? You are a failed guardian, a failed teacher, and a failed ruler. Your people are dead. Your kingdom is buried. You have no place in this world, and you know it."

Tek anticipated Prieda to lunge at the dragon, but to his surprise she fell to her knees in defeat, forehead practically touching the ground. "Please, Barrus, I beg you. Let me take Tek back to my temple. You will never hear from us again. I can't keep losing everything. Please." Prieda pleaded.

"Pathetic." Barrus growled. "You will return to your section of the academy at once, and once the rat confesses his crimes, I will call for you. Then you will take him to your temple in the sands and neither you nor he shall step foot into this world again."

Prieda visibly shrank, but did as Barrus asked, looking back at Tek one last time before taking her exit.

"You want to know how I got into your private library." Tek said.

"I know how you got into my library," Barrus growled, turning his attention to Tek. The heat of his gaze felt as if it could set Tek's skin on fire. "I want to know where she is. I knew that traitorous kobold would lead her to me eventually, yet still she slipped through my grasp."

"How sad that despite your best efforts, rats seem to continue to out maneuver you." Tek said. He smiled. Barrus couldn't kill him. Not until he knew where Digit was. "I will consider giving you the information you seek, but I want to know everything. What is it that's on the other side of The Iron Doors that Digit wants? Why are the crimson moons occurring more frequently? And why did you imprison so many generations of rats under The Silent City? Then you will let me fix The Iron Doors and take Gimmick to live with Prieda as you've requested. You will never hear from me again, and you will have the rat you've been hunting."

Barrus growled quietly to himself, before finally replying to Tek's offer. "Very well, rat, we have a deal."

*****

"The pit in The Silent City, why were you slaughtering my people? This hatred is far beyond that of a father who's lost their son." Tek said.

Barrus growled, and Tek sensed he had just crossed a dangerous line. "Do not presume to judge my hatred. Your kind took something from me that can never be replaced, and I will never forgive them for it. Rat lives may be meaningless to me, but the deaths in that pit served a purpose. When The Iron Doors closed, the world believed the greatest threat to our world was locked away. The doors are a visible form of reassurance for this world, but if they truly did their job, then the crimson moons wouldn't be a problem." Barrus said. He puffed a thick layer of smoke that filled the room. Through the blackness Tek could only see the crimson glow of the dragon's eyes. "The threat of the demons had been dealt with, or so the guardians thought. I alone knew the truth. You see, we were not the first guardians of this world. There were ten before us. So beyond our strength they were, that to compare them to anything other than gods would be a gross inaccuracy. We don't know why, but one day the first guardians demanded blood, and it was a rat that answered their call. My son, was murdered and the world was cast into chaos."

"The first guardians, they're what The Iron Doors are protecting us from." Tek said. "But if they were able to manipulate us into destroying each other before, what's stopping them from doing so again?"

"I struck a deal with the first guardians. Everyday I would sacrifice a rat's life to them. They were more than happy to agree. The blood of your people is a delicacy to them. Still, even this wasn't enough to sate their bloodlust, and so we agreed that at the change of the seasons they could unleash their demonic hordes to feast upon our world. When the time came for the rat you call Digit to be sacrificed, she went missing. So the rats were slaughtered, hoping this would satisfy the first guardians. For a time, it seemed to work, but then the crimson moons started happening more frequently. For a century I have been training kobolds in the event of The Iron Doors opening once more. Those worthy ascend as draconids. The blood of dragons runs through their veins and the most worthy of all even grow wings. Your kobold companion spit in the face of all I have worked and sacrificed for."

"What have you sacrificed other than the lives of my people?" Tek shouted.

"A son I loved!" Barrus roared. The building trembled, threatening to come crashing down from Barrus' fury.

"And how many sons did you kill for this deal? It's because of your cruelty that Digit wants to find the first guardians!"

"And what do you think she will do when she finds them? Free your people peacefully? She would genocide this world. Not even the guardians will be able to stand before them. When nine of the first guardian's betrayed the tenth, a sacrifice was made. It was said that the first cannot truly die unless they will it. So it was that the tenth guardian shattered himself, and a piece of his power entered those he found worthy. Thus a new age of guardians was made, but with only a fraction of one of the first's powers."

"Why should I believe what you're telling me? The other guardians seem to have no memory of this event." Tek asked.

"I am a dragon, even without the shattered one's powers I am long lived. Therefore, our minds are sharper. I suspect anything prior to the other's ascension could be susceptible to their previous mortality."

"In other words, they've forgotten their previous lives." Tek said.

"A small sacrifice for divinity and power." Barrus growled, "In truth, when the runes on The Iron Doors began to break, I thought the end was already upon us. So I began to safeguard Acria. If the world were to end, then at least the strong would survive here in the sky. The Iron Doors cannot be fixed, not without the kobold who broke them and the rat whose survival has caused the world so much pain. So now you understand, you never could fix The Iron Doors. Your mission was doomed from the start. But now you've been given a second chance. There are too many rats in The Burrow for me to identify your little friend, but you can bring her to me and we can put an end to this. Then, after your kobold fixes The Iron Doors, you can take her to The Shifting Sands and live out the rest of your short life in luxury with your guardian."

Tek had never been so tempted in his entire life. He was tired. By the guardians, he was so tired. Digit had lied to him. Betrayed him. Then a thought crossed his mind. "And after you kill Digit, how do you plan to sate the first guardian's blood lust?"

"There are plenty of rats in The Burrow to-"

"No."

"What did you say?" Barrus growled, loomed over Tek. The heat of the dragon's body pinched at his skin.

"No. The rats will not be your fodder. Not anymore." Tek said. "If giving you Digit means the slaughter of my people will continue, then I will have no part of it."

"So be it, rat." Barrus growled, "I sentence you to death by combat. I look forward to seeing your blood staining the sands of my arena. I will see the entire Burrow burn before I allow the first guardians to return. So know that your death will do nothing to save your people."

Chapter 30

The Arena

Tek hung at the center of his prison cell, suspended by chains and alone in the dark. He had failed. The Iron Doors would open, and his sisters would die waiting for his return. Digit would likely abandon Gimmick the moment she didn't need her anymore, resulting in her death in the chaos to come as well. He would lose everything. He had lost everything.

A faint purple glow emanated from somewhere in the dark and a figure emerged before him. Tek knew who it was, but had nothing more to say to them.

"There's still time for you to join me, Tek." Digit pleaded, "You don't fully understand what it is that The Iron Doors are hiding. We can change the world. The Burrow could be lush with fauna and water like that of The Forbidden Valley. Imagine our people living their lives safely in such luxury."

"There's always a cost, Digit. Don't you understand? The first guardians want nothing more than blood. They're the ones who wanted your family dead. They want you dead." Tek said. He still refused to look Digit in the eyes.

"Barrus, killed my family! It was Barrus who ordered rats to be used as fodder to hide behind. The first guardians only want blood. I will give them more blood than they could have ever asked for and in return they will grant us the power to-"

"The cost is too high, Digit!" Tek interrupted. Digit jumped at his sudden burst of anger, "What happens after you've destroyed the world and saved our people? Have you thought about that? Another kingdom will be enslaved and used as fodder. They'll grow to hate us the way you hate Barrus. Then the cycle of killing will start all over again. I won't be a part of it!"

Tek finally looked up, only to find Digit had left. He exhaled heavily, knowing his words had fallen on deaf ears. Moments later the door to his cell opened up. Tek half expected more of Barrus' students to walk in and beat him, but it was Spindle who entered. Her form was smaller than normal after using biomancy to fit in the small cell. It was strange to see a guardian his size.

"Is this the part where you apologize for the way the guardians have treated me, then tell me The Iron Doors have been fixed and I'm sent home with a sack of gold for my heroics?" Tek asked.

"Close," Spindle said, "Barrus has sentenced you to fight another guardian in the arena. Part of me thinks Barrus will want to kill you himself for insulting him, but I overheard that he wants to 'make this as painful for the rat as possible'. That means Mellifera will likely be the one you'll be fighting. Her stinger is full of potent poisons. It won't be a pleasant death."

"Of course it won't be." Tek said, "That seems pretty on point with the way things have been going."

"Aren't you scared?" Spindle asked.

"I've died before, Spindle. In many horrible ways. I don't think scared is the right word. I guess I'm more sad? I guess... I really wanted to see my sisters again." Tek's words choked up in his mouth. He hadn't expected to get emotional.

Spindle reached for something on her person, then held whatever it was up to Tek. In the light from the entrance, Tek could see two vials in Spindle's hand.

"One is a poison. It will be quick and painless. The other is a numbing agent. If you'd like you can take it now and by the time we reach the arena you won't be able to feel pain. I made this myself and it should stop the agonizing death at the hands of Mellifera's stinger." Spindle held both potions out to Tek, but he shook his head. "I'm sorry it has come to this."

"When you took me to the arena to watch Honey fight. Did you know how I would react?" Tek asked.

Spindle paused for a long moment before responding. "War is coming, Tek, regardless of if The Iron Doors open or not. I need to make sure I have the right people on my side."

"Prieda?" Tek asked.

Spindle didn't respond, instead she unshackled Tek, then bound his wrists in webbing. She began leading him out of the prison cell when she stopped. Frowning, she reached into Tek's pocket and pulled something out. The spool of webbing she had given him back in The Endless Web. "You still have this?" Tek nodded.

A contemplative look fell across Spindle's face and she remained quiet for a long moment. "In most futures I've seen, you've either lost or used this by now. This is... interesting."

"And in how many futures do I survive this arena fight?" Tek asked.

"Mellifera kills you every time I'm afraid. It's like I said, Barrus wants to make this fight personal." Spindle said, "Do me a favor while you're fighting my sister, little rat. Give her a good few jabs for me? Give the crowd a good show. I know you've never stopped entertaining me for even a moment."

"Will you do me one favor, since I've been nothing more than an instrument to return Prieda to you? Find Gimmick. Make sure she's safe. And if at all possible, save The Burrow."

"Oh Tek, you're more than an instrument. You're like a whole orchestra and it's been my pleasure to watch you perform. I will find the kobold before Barrus does. That I can promise you." Spindle said, resting a hand on Tek's shoulder. "Now, go give them all a show they'll never forget."

Tek nodded, then entered a small dark room. The webbing on his wrists unbound him and he noticed an assortment of weapons lining the wall. Amidst the steel blades and finely crafted shields was a single wooden spear that looked to be poorly carved. It seemed the guardians couldn't even do him the honor of granting him a decent weapon in his final hour. Not wanting to let their poor sportsmanship bother him, Tek grabbed the wooden spear and stepped onto the lift.

The roar of a crowd filled the air as Tek was brought into the arena. The guardians had made sure to fill the stands for this event. There was no doubt that nobles and royalty from the surrounding kingdoms had been invited, as a guardian battling a rune tapper in the arena was a spectacle for the ages. Tek knew he was going to die. The arena floor was covered in sand, a substance that proved increasingly difficult to draw stable runes in, and below the sand was solid stone. He could try to call upon runic magic using his emotions as he had in the past, but it had never worked when he wanted it to. So it would just be him, a small rat from The Burrow with a wooden spear, fighting the mighty guardian Mellifera. He would die, but just maybe he could put up enough of a fight to make the guardian look bad.

Tek's heart sank as he noticed something terribly wrong. Sitting in one of the private booths was Mellifera. The horrible realization of what was about to happen dawned on Tek. Barrus had promised to make this fight hurt, but not just him...

The arena doors opened, and Prieda stepped out.