A dark rift in space opened at the center of the archway that Jesse and Golem had activated.

  “This should lead to the palace, from why Tormund has told me.” Jesse explained to the group. “This is your last chance to reconsider. I’m going through either way. I will get my daughter to safety. If I have to go through the Archon then so be it.” Jesse said with a slight scowl.

  “I’m with you.” Tormund said after a short moment.

  “As am I.” Lord Valrith said. He still bled from a few cuts but they had mostly stopped after their few hours of work.

  “I’ll come.” Cleb said, still reserved and sounding somewhat resigned. He seemed to have largely recovered from the battle, though he too still bled. The other two living soldiers, who Jesse couldn’t remember the names of, nodded their agreement. He felt a bit guilty at that, but he decided it was best not to grow too attached to the soldiers here. He had not had the best luck with those under his leadership.

  Echo just silently nodded her assent. The young woman had regained her composure after the battle with the constructs.

  Jesse took a deep breath and let it out. They were committed.

  Jesse stretched the mechanical arms of his exoskeleton. He deployed the shield on his left arm. “I’ll go through first.” He said. Nobody argued as he stepped into the hole in the world.

  A moment later Jesse appeared on the other side of the portal. He looked around. He was in a large chamber with numerous ancient looking artifacts from the Tekessara people. He noted pedestals and deactivated constructs. The archon definitely had an interest in these people. A moment later Tormund and the others stepped through. They all looked around the room with the same look of bewilderment.

  “I think I know where we are.” Tormund said after a moment. “I wasn’t allowed in his artifact room but I knew where it was. We are in the lower levels of the palace. It shouldn’t be far to the palace holding cells.” He said, leading the way. As they walked Jesse had distinct and growing discomfort.

  “Were these rooms usually guarded?” He asked his friend.

  “I don’t really know about the insides. I didn’t come down to the lower levels often.” Tormund replied. “The guards were usually posted right outside. If we move quickly we should be able to remove them before they give the alarm.”

  Once the door neared th door, Lord Valrith shot out and to the right. Jesse moved out with a similar speed but without any of the grace and to the left behind him. In a moment two guards were dead on the ground. They had yelped in surprise but it wasn’t loud and Golem couldn’t detect anyone approaching, though the stone did block much of his capability.

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  “If we move down that way we will pass my masters study and reach the stairs to the upper levels of the palace. That’s likely where the Archon will be. The jail will be on this lower level though. The opposite direction.” Tormund said.

  Jesse thought for a moment before deciding to go to the cells. He turned to move down the halls. They arrived at the door to the cells and he opened it. Inside he found five empty cells. They were dilapidated and had clearly not been used for some time. “Damn it.” He said. “Let’s find the archon then. If she isn’t here we will make him tell us where.” He said with a growl.

  He stormed down the hall towards the stairs. Anger boiled inside him. Every turn, every path he took, he always was met with these obstacles. It was the Archon. He was always the root cause of the issues he faced. He would get her location from him and then end his tyranny once and for all.

  A door in front of him and to the side suddenly burst open as he approached. Out stepped an elderly man who looked at them in utter shock.

  “What? Who are you?” He asked Jesse with shock evident on his face.

  “Uh I’m Jesse.” He said looking at the man with confusion.

  The old man looked past them and saw Echo. He didn’t seem to notice Tormund, who stood gaping at him.

  “You freed her? And she lived? Remarkable. Does she retain intelligence?” He asked. Then he looked back at them. “Wait, you aren’t supposed to be here. Uh go to the cells and lock yourselves in or be destroyed.” He said in the tone of a man who knew the orders he gave would be ignored. This was Tormund’s master? The old man didn’t seem dangerous at all.

  “Uh, no.” Jesse finally said after a moment of staring.

  The old man nodded, as if he knew what they were going to say. He sighed and raised his hands. They began to glow.

  “Wait! Master! Don’t you recognize me?” Tormund shouted. The glow faded and the man looked again toward the group.

  “No… Tormund? Why would you be here boy? The Archon will kill you!” He responded. “I sent you away. No no no. You must go.” The old man moved towards his apprentice and began pushing him towards the artifact room.

  “We came to stop him.” Tormund answered, resisting the attempt.

  “You? These? No you don’t have the power. He is too strong.” The former master stated.

  “I need to find my daughter.” Jesse interrupted. “Do you know where she is? She is around Tormund’s age, brown hair about your height.”

  The old man furrowed his brows. “Yes yes. The archon keeps her in the rooms above. Near his own rooms.”

  A look of pure rage flashed across Jesse’s vision as he saw red. He better not have done anything to her. “Why would he keep her close like that?”

  “I don’t… I… hmm.. she reminds him of someone he lost I think. He doesn’t… treat her poorly.” He stammered. The man seemed confused. His eyes lit up once again. “Tormund? What are you doing here? You must go! Yes. I need to send you away before the Archon decides two arcanescents aren’t needed.”

  Tormund looked at his frail former master with concern. “You already sent me away, I’m back to stop the Archon, remember?”

  “Yes… no… wait, you can’t stop him! He’s too powerful! You will die!”

  “Come with us. Help us kill him.” Jesse cut in.

  “What? No… no I couldn’t. He will kill us all.” The man said. He visibly trembled at the idea. This wasn’t the strong master that Tormund had led him to believe he had. This was a frail old man who tortured women and killed his own kind out of fear. He deserved death. Jesse thought that maybe he should give it to him.

  “Let’s leave him.” Tormund said. Perhaps he had seen the look in Jesse’s eye. “He is just trying to survive.”

  Slowly Jesse nodded. “Fine. Let’s go.” He said.

  The group moved to the stairs. “You’ll die you fools!” The old master pleaded. They left the man shaking in fear as they continued their search for Rebecca.