"My old enemy," Deamoen spoke excitedly as he regarded the person above him. Celeste's gaze followed his; her eyes widened in surprise as she spotted the armoured winged creature. Those were Anxoyal wings, but they were crimson in colour. She had never seen or heard of any Anxoyal with such a choice of feather colour. White, bronze, silver and gold were the usual feather colours for an Anxoyal. She had met many Anxoyal over the hundred and sixteen years of her life, but never someone like this person.
Nevertheless, she was hopeful. Hopeful but also cautious. She did not know that person; she could only hope they were here to their rescue. The person was not alone. There were more winged warriors with them. They were Anxoyal like them, but their feathers were black, grey or even dark purple. Some of them didn't wear helmets, unlike the person Deamoen was speaking to, so she could clearly recognise typical Tenarian facial features. She had no doubt they were from Tenaria. If she had to guess, she would say they were a special force no one knew about. No one except for the Nine and a few selected people. That was the only logical explanation that came to her mind.
She carefully approached Cruxia while Deamoen was distracted by the newcomers. "Come here to finish me off, Rion? I must disappoint you in that case. You and your feathered outcast freaks will not be enough to stop me."
"We will see about that," the crimson-winged Anxoyal replied. The way their voice sounded let Celeste assume they were male.
"I was eagerly awaiting another meeting. This time, you won't get away."
"No, you will be the one who won't get away this time," Rion replied. His dark bronze armour radiated an eerie aura. There was something that made him different from other Anxoyal. Celeste couldn't quite place her finger on it. He was scaring her but also giving her hope at the same time. She also wondered what Deamoen meant when he referred to him and the other Anxoyal as outcasts. She had never heard of Anxoyals, who had been banished from Tenaria.
She counted twenty-two Anxoyals, but they were not the only ones who seemed to have come to their aid. She saw dozens of creatures entering the ruins through all available entrances. Not all of them were Tenarians. She saw members of various races that inhabited Xevas. She saw Shadowliths, Aetherial Elu'vani, Crimson Sylphs, and members of other races she had never seen before.
She had never seen a more random crowd of creatures than this one. Her people had worked with the Aetherial Elu'vani before and even fought at their side centuries ago, but they had never seen eye to eye with the Shadowlith or Crimson Sylphs. Not to mention, those three races were ancient enemies. That made it so weird to see them marching side by side. She now thought they weren't a secret unit from Tenaria. But now was not the time to rack her brain over them. She had to get Cruxia and herself to safety before any of the Yxals finished her off.
"I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO TEARING YOUR PRECIOUS WINGS OUT, POULTRY!" Deamoen roared out as he crouched down slightly. Two seconds later, he was already in the air, landing on the remains of the roof. He will be busy with the bronze Anxoyal, so at least Celeste could stop worrying about him for now. She ran over to the beaten warrioress and knelt beside her, regarding her from head to toe.
Cruxia's face looked worse than it had from afar. The swelling around her eye had gotten much worse, the amount of affected tissue had been increased, and its colour had darkened. Her burst bottom lip was still bleeding. Her mouth was semi-open, so Celeste could see which teeth she had lost. Two left teeth on her upper jaw, but at least not her incisors.
"Cruxia, can you hear me?" Celeste asked, putting a hand on the back of the Yxal's head and carefully lifting her head, looking into her good eye. The warrioress' pupils were moving, but it didn't seem she had control over where they went. Celeste carefully touched the other woman's good cheek, which was not swollen, trying to find out if Cruxia was aware of her presence. Except for unintelligible muttering, she got no actual response.
"I'm sorry," Celeste muttered right before she slapped Cruxia's healthy cheek. Gentler at first but less gentle with the second and third time. She had to get her to regain consciousness. She shook her upper body, but not in a careful way. She had to get her to wake up no matter what. Otherwise, they were screwed.
After the third heavy shake and the sixth slap on the cheek, Cruxia's good eye finally shot open, and she lifted her upper body instinctively. Anger passed over her facial features, but it quickly turned to confusion as she recognised Celeste, and then her facial features began to reflect pain.
Cruxia's hand went to her injured cheek; even the slightest touch made her flinch. She winced in pain as she tried to get up, realising her lower leg had started to swell. "Fuck," Cruxia cursed through gritted teeth. The adrenaline must have left her body in the meantime, so she was feeling the pain caused by her injuries.
Celeste's eyes went to the hand close to Cruxia's right hip where Deamoen's pointed tail had wounded her. The skin there looked sickly greyish and covered by even sicklier-looking green veins. It almost looked as if something got into her system and infected her. So far, she had only seen something like that when poison had gotten into a creature's system. Poison would be much easier to deal with than with whatever Deamoen had put into her system.
"How are you feeling?" Celeste asked, expecting the answer already. She looked around, realising the Yxals were fighting against the newcomers. She could already spot creatures lying on the ground, dead or dying. But she didn't have the time to figure out who they were and to which side they belonged. Her gaze fell back on the pink-skinned Yxal next to her.
"I feel like shit. You need to help me up. I cannot walk on my own."
Celeste nodded without thinking twice. She was about to wrap her arm around Cruxia's shoulder as she caught the shape of a familiar person from the corner of her eyes. It was none other than Karilla, out of whose broken nose blood was flowing. She was more than just pissed. And it seemed that she intended to put out her anger on them. "Shit," Celeste cursed.
"The crystal...It's inside the pouch attached to my belt," Cruxia managed to say between painful moans. She lifted her arm and pointed at the floor not far.
The Anxoyal didn't need to be told twice. She reached out for the piece of leather and pulled it to her. She cursed again as she failed to open it right away. On the third attempt, she got it, and she didn't need long to find the crystal. It was the only thing inside the pouch.
"Shit," Celeste cursed as she saw that the crystal was damaged. It had tiny cracks on its surface, and the glowing intensity was much weaker than she remembered.
"It might still work," Cruxia said persuasively. She reached out and grabbed Celeste and forcefully yanked her down, causing the swift dagger that was meant for her to barely miss her. She blocked the next with her bracer, drawing it out and throwing it at her sister, who avoided it by jumping to the side. Fortunately, one of the newcomers drew her attention since they were getting closer to Karilla.
"You must hurry," Cruxia urged.
Celeste put the crystal in; disappointment started to set in as she realised there was no immediate change. She was about to say something as she heard a quiet clicking sound as the bracelet loosened a few moments later. She couldn't describe how happy she was to finally remove that thing and throw it away as fast as possible. She raised her arm, but Cruxia stopped her by gripping her wrist. "Don't," she said to her. "We might need it to disable one of their sorcerers."
"One of whose sorcerers?" Celeste asked as she allowed Cruxia to wrap her arms around her shoulder. She did the same and slowly helped the other woman up until she stood on one foot. Cruxia held the injured one in the air. She could only step on one foot because it was too painful to step on both. She had to rely on Celeste to keep her steady.
It took a few more moments until Celeste could finally feel her magic returning to her body. She was unsure whether she could summon her wings, but she had no choice but to try it out. Her gaze fell on Karilla again, who had managed to get rid of the Shadowlith. She was still pissed and hungry for her sister's blood.
Karilla shouted something in Dragda as she pulled three daggers from her belt. There was no way for them to avoid them in the short time window they had. Unless Celeste wanted to push Cruxia away from her, which would only result in her getting further hurt. There was only one thing she could do. She had to summon her wings somehow.
The light-brown-skinned woman closed her eyes and concentrated as hard as the circumstances allowed on the summoning of her wings. She felt magic pulsating through her body, and a moment later, she felt the presence of an additional limb attached to her body. She opened her eyes as she heard the daggers bounce off something.
A small amount of happiness overcame her as she saw the white feathered wing coming from her back. She may have only been able to summon one, but it was enough to protect her from Karilla's attack. She could even recognise the weakly glowing, thin, magical layer around it. It was like a barrier to protect the wing from minor injuries. The barrier dissolved the next moment, telling her it wouldn't remain unharmed the next time.
"Can you hand me my mace?" Cruxia asked, nodding at the weapon lying close to Celeste. The black-haired woman didn't hesitate to lower herself and lean to the side until she reached mace with her hand. The mace was heavy, so it took some effort to pull it until it was within Cruxia's reach. Despite being injured, Cruxia managed to pick up her mace without a problem. Celeste was once again impressed by how strong the Yxal was. She wielded her big, heavy mace like a one-handed weapon.
"What's the plan?" Celeste asked, looking around to see if she could spot Karilla among the fighting creatures. But the turquoise-haired woman was nowhere to be seen.
"Can you summon another wing of yours?" Celeste asked, letting her gaze wander as well. Fortunately, no one tried to approach them at this very moment, but dozens of creatures still surrounded them. It was not unlikely that anyone would try to attack them sooner or later.
"Not sure if I can. I might have regained my magic but need more time to manifest it. Not to mention, the past days in captivity have not done me any favour. But even if I could summon them, I'm unsure if I could carry you. Even at my strongest point, I would not have been able to do so. You are tall and pretty muscular, not to mention your armour must weigh a lot."
"You have a point," Cruxia said in pain. "In that case, we should get out of the temple and try to reach the northern forest. Perhaps we can hide there until the others are gone."
"There is not much else we can do now," Celeste said agreeingly.
Celeste turned her head to check their surroundings once again. "Fortunately, the temple doesn't lack escape routes."
"There are not many people to our right. Let's go over there."
Celeste waited for Cruxia's nod and moved them to the right. Somehow, almost like a miracle, they managed to manoeuvre themselves through the skirmishes without getting hurt. Cruxia had to swing her mace three times to hold Yxals away from them. One of them collapsed to the ground after she had hit their chest, the second was too scared to approach them again, and the third got hit by a spell a few moments later.
They approached the big hole in the wall and were about to go through it when the dagger hit Celeste in the back of her right knee, causing her to cry out in pain. Cruxia turned her head to see what was going on. Worry appeared in her eyes as she saw the dagger, and anger replaced it when she spotted her half-sister.
"You weren't planning to leave without saying goodbye to me first, were you?"
"We need to get moving," Cruxia pressed through gritted teeth.
"I'm afraid I can't move us away fast enough," Celeste replied. She ignored the pain as best as she could as she kept moving. They were not through it yet as Karilla was about to throw another dagger. If it would hit her in the back of her other knee, it would be over for them. There would be no way for her to move unless she could summon a second wing. She could not do so, but at least she could move her wing right in time to block the dagger.
She felt the pain as the sharp blade cut through flesh and muscles, but at least it remained in the wing and didn't reach the back of her knee.
"You are as immobile as a trapped animal. I like that," Karilla sat as she pulled two more daggers from her belt. The grin on her face was wide, and malice was radiated by her eyes. "I got you right where I wanted. You can barely move." She got closer to them, toying with her daggers, not paying much attention to her surroundings. "At this moment, you must feel utterly helpless."
Cruxia and Celeste managed to get through the hole and exit the temple. They dragged themselves a few more feet until they had to pause because the pain was too much to bear.
Karilla followed them through the hole. She twirled her dagger through the spaces between her fingers without hurting herself, making it look like the easiest thing in the world.
"You have nowhere to run. You won't reach the forest in time if that's what you aim for."
Cruxia glared at her half-sister. "You only have two daggers left."
"I don't need more to kill you," the turquoise-haired Yxal replied. The nasty grin that decorated her face vanished, and an upset frown appeared as she spotted how Cruxia curved her lips. "Why are you grinning like that, bitch? Tell me!"
"You might only need two for us, but then you won't have any left to deal with what's behind you."
A look of irritation hushed over Karilla's facial features. "If you are trying to distract me and make me turn around, your attempt is awful. I won't fall for your distraction. Besides, there is nothing for you to gain if I turn around. Why would you even try to achieve that? Why would you lie to me?"
"She is not lying," a familiar voice said.
A heavily surprised look appeared on Karilla's face as she turned around and spotted the towering creature behind her. "Cruxia Darkborne is not yours to kill," Deamoen spoke in his usual controlled, deep voice.
Before Karilla could react, Deamoen had already grabbed her by the neck and lifted her above him. Instead of using her daggers to hurt the hand that choked her, Karilla got in a panic and threw her remaining daggers at him, aiming for his eyes. One dagger graced his left cheek, leaving a cut out of which green blood flowed out. The other totally missed him.
Deamoen was not invincible; the bleeding cut on his cheek proved that. He bled like anyone else, which meant he could be killed, too. But Karilla was not given that opportunity. "You are as pathetic as your sister," Deamoen said to Karilla, savouring the fear in her eyes for one last moment before he snapped her neck. He regarded the life vanishing out of her eyes before he dropped her body; his gaze immediately went to Cruxia, whose face showed signs of various emotions. Among them were anger, hate, grief, and even fear.
"Now, back to you," Deamoen announced as he slowly approached the women who had not gotten far in the meantime. "Now, you are indeed the last member of your pathetic clan, which will die with you."
Cruxia tightly grasped her mace, ready to strike at her opponent. She knew she had no chance, especially not with all her injuries. She knew she didn't stand a chance in her injured state, and even with Celeste and a portion of her powers, she knew she couldn't beat him. She would die, and all her doings would be for nothing. She didn't want to die, nor did she want Celeste to die, but there was nothing they could do at this very moment.
This was the second time of the day where her life was threatened, and she had a bad premonition she wouldn't get away this time.
Deamoen lifted his left claw above his head, and his nails grew immensely, reminding Cruxia of twisted branches. They grew crooked but were sharp, making them deadly weapons. Not to mention, Deamoen still had his thick tail, which must have been about seven feet long. He didn't lack of weapons to kill them.
The corrupted Yxal being here and his old enemy being absent let Celeste assume he had killed him. Or perhaps his nemesis was not dead but just busy fighting other Yxal. For some reason, she had a bad feeling that the first scenario was true. Except for the cut on Deamoen's cheek, she couldn't see any injury on him. Could it be possible that he killed the red-winged Anxoyal without having been injured? She hoped this was not the case. Even though she didn't believe in any of her people's gods, she still prayed that Deamoen's old enemy would be there at any moment to save them.
He did not appear to save them, but another Anxoyal arrived in his stead. The Anxoyal's full body armour was as black as the colour of their wings; his cylindrical helmet had a flat top, a vertical slit to allow them to see and several holes on the lower half to allow them to breathe in air. They carried a halberd made of dark steel in their hands.
"This is not over yet, Deamoen," the Anxoyal shouted; their booming voice was definitely male.
"It's Malcoroth."
"You seem to switch names and forms quite often, don't you?"
Malcoroth's greenish glowing eyes narrowed once the Anxoyal had finished his sentence. "Shut the fuck up."
"Make me," the Anxoyal said challengingly as he rose in the air and pointed the tip of his halberd at him.
"With pleasure, but first, I need to make sure those whores do not run away," Malcoroth spat. Before Cruxia or Celeste could react, he had already lashed out with his tail. He sent them flying through the air; a painful cry escaped Cruxia's lips as she crashed onto the ground and hit her head on something. Everything around her went dark within a fraction of a second.
---
It had been a long time since Nevi had last visited Tenaria. He assumed it must have been over eighty years since he had last set foot in Umbral. The capital city has changed a lot over the decades. It was much larger than he remembered. Despite Tenaria losing tens of thousands of soldiers during the last Great War, its population seemed higher than ever. He had not ever seen the streets as overcrowded before. Tenaria had more than just made up for its losses. He wondered how they managed to achieve that.
He didn't want to expand on this thought, so he let his gaze wander from the passing creatures to the surrounding buildings. Even the smaller ones were made of fine-quality stones or bricks. From appearances alone, he did not see any material used in the construction of inferior or decent quality. The Tenarians loved to boast about the quality of their buildings, materials, armour and weapons. They also boasted about their superior quality of life compared to the five remaining kingdoms. Or four, to be exact, since the Kingdom of Dragdom no longer existed.
Nevi followed the course of the street, passing nearly two dozen guards. It seemed that Umbral was guarded more than ever. No war was going on, but Tenaria seemed on high alert. Their army seemed stronger than ever. He had no actual numbers of how strong the Tenarian army was; it was merely his gut feeling that told him that Tenaria was more than just prepared in case another war would ever break out. He was hoping it wouldn't come to that. Hundreds of thousands of creatures lost their lives during the last major conflict. Too many lives were wasted for unjustifiable reasons.
Most of those who passed him were Tenarian, either Keristian or Anxoyal. But he also spotted several Aetherial Elu'vani, creatures with long, pointed ears and fair skin that were friendly to most races. They were taller than the average Keristian by half a head.
Nevi finally arrived at his destination. The Sanctuary of the Nine looked much more prestigious than it did the last time he saw it all those years ago. It was much bigger and much more decorated on the outside. The vast and wide entrance was heavily guarded. He counted two dozen Anxoyal and almost the same number of guards with no wings. He was aware that some of them could still be Anxoyals. He was aware that a good portion of Anxoyal showed their wings only when they needed them.
He regarded the guards curiously, trying to figure out who the leader was. There were two Anxoyals, whose bronze armour looked much more impressive than the others. He made his way over to them, noticing that their faces looked quite similar. They could be fraternal twins.
"Who are you, and what do you want?" the male twin asked.
"My name is Nevi Ventore, and I'm here on an urgent matter. I have important information that the Nine will want to know," Nevi said as he took a rolled-up scroll out of his bag.
"Nevi Ventore? I never heard of you," the female twin replied. She stepped closer to him, regarding him curiously. Like her twin, she had vivid green eyes and a cute face.
"Nor have we ever seen you in Umbral before," the brother added.
"I may be an outsider, but I'm known to several members of the Nine. I just want you to deliver my message. I will wait till they want to see me, which I know they will."
"You seem pretty self-confident; I like that," the sister replied with a grin on her lips.
"And you expect the Nine to remember you, although you have not been seen in Umbral in the past sixty years." It was not a question but a statement from the brother.
"I fought alongside Helen the Holy and Superion against the Seven Sinister Sins. We saved each other from certain death. There is no way they forget me," Nevi replied, brimming with self-confidence.
"And why should I believe a word you say?" the woman asked.
"Do you have anything that proves your claims?" the man asked, staring down at Nevi.
The auburn-haired man did not hesitate to pull the necklace he wore over his head, handing it to the woman. Her curious eyes regarded the necklace, especially the pendant on it. A winged chalice with a specific engraving on the backside.
"N.V.", the male guard read out loud.
"Nevi Ventore," Nevi replied.
"Honestly, the initials could stand for anyone else, but the pendant makes me curious," the female guard said.
"I haven't seen such a pendant since the last Great War ended," her brother added.
"I'm not lying to you." The guards didn't respond to him, so Nevi made a bold statement. "As I said, I known some of the Nine for quite some time. You don't want them to find out that you refused entry to a good friend of theirs." He didn't consider himself a friend to either Superion or Helen, but he didn't want to wait any longer. He had urgent business to discuss with the Nine, so he didn't want to waste more time with the guards.
The twins' gazes lingered on each other for a few moments before their attention shifted back to Nevi. The woman handed the pendant back to Nevi, instructing him to follow her as she went inside the Sanctuary. Her brother remained outside; his gaze rested on him but then shifted back to the people waiting outside.
The Sanctuary's inside was even much more prestigious than the outside. No expense had been spared to upgrade this magnificent ancient building. Marble of the highest quality possible was used to build the walls, statues, and even the polished floor in which Nevi could see his reflection. It was not as clear as the reflection a mirror would give him, but he could still clearly recognise himself.
He wasn't surprised to see a massive statue of Gayle, the Radiant, in the first hall. However, what surprised him was seeing a statue of Superion in the next hall. It was not the statue itself that surprised him but that it was much taller than the statue of the first Anxoyal.
Knowing Superion, Nevi had no doubt that the so-called Defender of the Sacred Light had insisted on having his statue built that tall. Only an immodest man as Superion would place himself over his own mother, who gave her life to protect her people against probably the evillest mortal creature that had ever existed. Gayle was a hero in his eyes. Meanwhile, Superion was nothing but a smug, arrogant prick.
He didn't want to think what might have happened if Gayle didn't slay Cerestus the Corrupted during the Battle at the Shattered Spire. In his opinion, not all Yxals were evil, but those who had followed Cerestus over a hundred years ago were. They were corrupted by the Seven Sinister Sins and would have left Xevas in ruins if Gayle and the Tenarians didn't stop them. She was a hero who cared about the well-being of her people more than her own. She was much different from most of the Anxoyals who ruled Tenaria today.
Nevi and the guard eventually came to a room at the end of a long corridor with heavenly paintings decorated walls.
"You wait here while I talk to Lady Helen," the guard said to him. She approached the door and spoke to the two guards before it; both wore helmets that covered their faces entirely. The guard on the left knocked on the door and waited for a response, opening it once he got it. The female guard stepped in and vanished into the room for nearly a minute. "Lady Helen is awaiting you," she said to Nevi once she returned.
Nevi simply nodded as he approached the door, opening it wide enough so his muscular physique could fit through. The room he had just arrived in was splendidly decorated with white furniture. The walls were white and decorated with golden symbols. A large table with a chair behind it stood in the middle of the room.
A woman stood in front of the table. He had not seen her for decades but could still easily recognise her. Her golden hair that reached half her back, golden eyes, and gorgeous face were unmistakable.
Her form-fitting dress was too revealing for his liking. The white silk was so thin that the shape of her arms and legs could be seen through. Much of her belly and vast cleavage were exposed, making it hard for him to not stare at these spots. The purpose of the dress's cut was to draw attention, but Nevi managed to keep his focus on the woman's face.
"It has been some time since I last saw you," Helen announced, a happy expression decorating her face as she approached Nevi. She was over a foot shorter than him; he assumed she was close to six feet tall. She stopped right before him, and his nose immediately caught the smell of her perfume. It reminded him of citrus fruits.
"About eighty years or something," Nevi replied, his eyes immediately wandering to the hand that now rested on his chest. The golden rings she wore on her gentle fingers matched the colour of her sleeves. He stepped to the side, breaking their physical contact. He didn't miss the short look of irritation in Helen's eyes.
"You haven't changed much," Helen replied, stepping closer to him again. "You are still as handsome as I remember."
"I didn't. You, on the other hand...," Nevi regarded her dress again, remembering her wearing either armour or formal dresses whenever they had met. Her choice of clothing had changed over the years. The same seemed to count for her behaviour. He did not remember her ever coming so close to him or trying to initiate physical contact. The last time he had met her, she was happily married to a high-ranked member of the Community Blessed. He guessed her relationship status must have changed as well. Otherwise, he could not explain why she was so flirtatious.
"Yes?" Helen asked with a raised golden eyebrow; an expecting look could be seen on her beautiful face.
"I remember you wearing armour most of the time. Even when you weren't going to war or training. You used to wear your armour even inside your house," Nevi replied, walking to the window on the opposite side and looking outside. He hoped Helen would realise he did not want to flirt with her. He hoped she would keep a distance from him, but his wishes were not fulfilled. Helen walked over to him, putting a hand on his lower back.
He turned around and caught her other hand trying to reach his face. His facial features reflected seriousness as he slowly shook his head. Helen did not seem pleased by his reaction but didn't say anything about it. "Why are you here if not to see me?" she asked, almost sounding hurt.
"I need an audition with the Nine,"
"An audition?" Helen asked curiously. "The matter must be sincere if you want to speak with all members of the Nine."
"It is," Nevi replied shortly; the expression on his face was as severe as the tone of his voice.
"What is it about?" the Anxoyal asked, getting closer to Nevi again.
"I have reason to believe the Seven Sinister Sins are gathering their strengths again and plan to unleash havoc over Xevas sooner rather than later. We must act quickly if we want to prevent them from drowning Xevas in blood."
Helen tilted her head softly, and a frown appeared on her forehead. "We killed the Sinister Sins, don't you remember?"
"We killed some of their Chosen," Nevi corrected, running his fingers over the left bracer of his makeshift armour. "You cannot kill the Seven Sinister Sins. We can only weaken them and force them into hiding. That's what we did when we fought them over a hundred years ago. I believe they are plotting again and increasing their influence to conquer our world once they are strong enough again eventually."
"Are you certain?" Helen asked, surprised.
Nevi nodded. "The information I gathered speaks for it. It would be too much of a coincidence if what I noticed happening was not their doing."
"May I have a look at them?" Helen asked.
Nevi took a notebook from his bag and handed it to the golden-haired woman. Helen didn't hesitate to open it and quickly read through the first pages. "Zorn the Sunderer? Didn't he die like forty years ago or something? I'm pretty sure I have seen his skull on a shelf in Superion's private chamber."
"That was Sonder the Sunderer. I think Zorn is related to him, a descendant, but I don't know in which generation."
"Explains why he named himself after Sonder."
"She."
"Pardon?"
"Zorn is a woman," Nevi explained.
"Are you sure?"
"I am," Nevi replied. "I met her."
A look of surprise washed over Helen's features. "You did?"
"I know how to travel through all regions undetected. Guess how I got my information? I gathered most of them firsthand, but I also spoke to the people in the different kingdoms."
"And you believe that the Sin of Wrath might have chosen Zorn because of her aggressive behaviour?" Helen asked, slightly irritated.
"Not just that," Nevi answered. "Read the next page. I have the theory that Sonder did not only sell his own soul to the Sin of Wrath but his family and all their descendants with it."
"This is interesting indeed," Helen responded. "The others have to hear about this."
"How fast can you gather them?" Nevi replied almost impatiently.
"I'm not sure. We are all quite busy these days. I hope tomorrow, but I cannot guarantee that we can put up a meeting so soon. The next meeting of the Nine would be in three days. Either tomorrow or in three days at the latest."
"We must act fast. We will be in big trouble if we waste too much time."
"I see what I can do," Helen replied, running her hand over Nevi's right upper arm. Nevi moved away immediately. "Stop it," he hissed. Helen shook her head but said nothing in response, walking over to her desk.
"Is this the only copy you got?" she asked eventually.
"Yes," he lied.
"Mind if I keep it till the meeting?"
"No, I don't mind. I need you to study my notes to help me convince the other members."
"I will have a closer look at them. I promise."
A small smile appeared on Nevi's lips. "Thank you."
"What will you do in the meantime?" Helen asked curiously.
"Not sure yet. Explore Umbral, I suppose. The city has changed much since I last visited it."
"Do you already have a place to stay the night?"
Nevi shook his head.
"You could stay with me. My bed is big enough for the two of us," Helen replied; a flirtatious look could be seen on her face as she put a strand of golden hair behind her ear.
"Nah, I'm good. There are plenty of taverns here. I snore loudly, you know."
"I wouldn't mind."
"I prefer sleeping alone."
"Your choice."
Nevi was about to say something when he heard a loud knock on the door. Helen was already at the door before he could say or do something. She opened it, and a bright smile could be seen on her face as she spotted the person outside.
Nevi moved to the right to see who made Helen smile like that. It was a young, dark-skinned woman. Nevi assumed she must have reached adulthood only a few years ago, but it was hard to tell since Tenarians aged slower once they reached adulthood than other races. He couldn't know for sure, but something told him she was no older than twenty.
Nevi frowned as he saw Helen run her fingertips over the woman's wrists and hands. It seemed as if Helen was flirting with her.
"I think I should go now," Nevi said as Helen guided the woman inside.
"Are you sure? I thought we would talk a little about the good old times. We could even share a bottle of wine or two."
"Maybe another time. Also, you already seem to have enough company now," Nevi replied. "I will try to get a room in the Golden Chalice. Please inform me once you know when the meeting will take place."
"I will," replied Helen, who wrapped her arm around the woman's waist in the meantime.
Nevi said nothing else as he left the room and closed the door behind him.