The castle was surprisingly loosely guarded for a city at war. Perhaps they didn't believe that anyone could ever breach the gates. Or maybe they figured that if anyone got this far it was too late. The guards at the servant's entrance were sub-prime, easily eliminated by the Rangers. The sapiens inside were little more than slaves to those with more magic, more power. If they ever saw the Rangers they quickly averted their eyes, going about their business. The scent of roasting meat wafted up from the kitchens, making Pike's stomach rumble. It was a delicious scent that made him gag.
"They're cooking? During a siege?" he mumbled under his breath.
Shawi's whiskers twitched in disgust, "A victory feast. Arrogant pricks."
"It will just make their defeat that much more sweet for us," Vireo said with a sly grin.
Pike lacked her confidence. Gallen had been collecting primes, stacking their deck. This surprise infiltration might save Avery, but the war was far from won. They needed to get her and get out before the true fighting broke out. Prime against prime, wild magic. He glanced over at Hazel and Skye. They met his stare and shared the same look of concern. A battle between sapiens was no place for a human.
"Vireo, where would they have taken Avery?" Hazel demanded.
"I don't know the castle. Humans were too dirty to be servants in here." Vireo looked up and down the hallway. "Cells are usually below ground, so I would I guess we go--"
"Up," Skye interrupted.
"Not what I was going to say."
Skye pointed across the grand foyer to an enormous painting that covered the wall. It was a larger than life portrait of Safira standing on an outcrop with her arms outstretched in benevolence. The sun's rays reached around her serene figure as though she were the source of all light in the world.
It was vain and gaudy and pretentious.
"What is the highest point in the castle, a place where Safira could look down upon the world?" Skye asked Vireo.
"The tower. You think--"
"That's where the primes could call on elements, gods, whatever they will do to destroy the Sky Soul," Pike added. "A tower is so cliche it's perfect for an alpha prime."
A thunder clap crashed through the hall, echoing off the marble pillars and shaking the walls. The Rangers flinched, throwing their arms up over their heads to shield themselves from rubble.
"Was that from Avery's storm?" Skye asked.
"That was an explosion. The Corinthians are at the gates even though we couldn't rally Smalltown," Hazel said.
Vireo's eyes went wide. "Will it be enough?"
Hazel's eyes danced over to Shawi and Lanthus. They both scowled at the door leading out of the castle, itching to race to the walls and help their army. Pike grabbed Lanthus' arm and directed his attention back to the group. "You have a mission. You swore to Niamh you would help us--"
"We don't even know where to go!" Lanthus barked.
"Maybe you could put those wings to some use and fly up to the tallest part of the castle," Vireo snapped.
"And become a target? Great plan, human--"
"Shut up, all of you!" Shawi hissed. She cocked her feline head to the side listening to the sounds of the castle only she could hear. "Heavy footsteps moving this way. Not servants, soldiers. They aren't trying to be discreet."
"Move!" Hazel barked.
The Rangers dashed across the hall and ducked into the next room. Another blast shook the building helping to cover their footsteps as they raced between rooms moving around the castle in search of the entrance to the tower. Pike applied any techniques for tracking that might work indoors. He scanned carpets for signs of wear that would indicate heavy use; watched for dirt or blood or fallen pieces of uniform that would tell him the trail. Which doors were open, what did they have inside? Did bedrooms surround a castle tower? No, meeting rooms, council chambers. Then the alpha would retreat to her supreme office, ruling above them all.
Hallways and rooms were dark even in the mid-day. Black clouds still rumbled overhead, blocking out the sun and grumbling unnaturally. Perhaps it was a storm prime, or leftover from Avery's explosion, or just a bad weather day. Pike glanced up at the clouds and stopped abruptly. "The entrance has to be close. We're almost directly underneath the wall."
Hazel took a deep breath. "Lanthus. Could you wait by the window in a shadow for us? A backup plan. Surprise."
Lanthus scanned the courtyard below the tower. "None of the soldiers are looking back here. They're all focused on the city walls."
"If you can get me to that roofline, I can scramble up the stone as well," Shawi added with a flick of her tail.
"That's a big fall," Pike observed.
Shawi lifted a shoulder. "Cats always land on their feet."
Lanthus grabbed her under the shoulders and vaulted out the window. The humans sprinted down the hallway using the plush carpet to hide their footsteps. Ornate double doors adorned the far end.
"What do you want to bet there's a set of stairs behind those doors?" Pike asked.
"No bet," Hazel said, leading the charge.
Shouts echoed down the hall ahead of them and the humans dashed for cover. There were statues and paintings in the hall but Pike was really looking for a broom closet. A place no one would think to look but with cleaning solutions that would mask their human scent. He selected an unremarkable door, no label or ornamentation to suggest it held anything important. Ripping it open he practically threw Skye inside with Hazel and Vireo close behind.
It wasn't technically a closet; though hardly much bigger than one. The windowless room was drab and dank, paint peeling in the corners where mold was growing. A single table was protected by a thick layer of books and documents weighted down with bubbling vials and glass jars. More papers filled with equations and sketches were pinned to the walls and the floor was nearly impassable from the books and boxes stacked there. And in the middle of it all stood a young sapien, his mouth hanging open in a horrified 'O' as the humans crowded the tiny space, their blades gleaming.
Vireo reacted first, taking three steps and pressing her sword tip to his throat. "A sound and you die," she whispered. He raised his hands in surrender and pressed against the far wall, cringing as he waited for death. There was no arrogant challenge or disdain for a human thinking she could take a sapien life. Just surrender.
They held their breaths, the sapien included, and listened. Hazel and Pike took up positions on either side of the door but Skye studied the formulas on the wall and glanced at the chemistry happening on the table. "What are you doing?"
"I--I--I'm an alchemist," the sapien stammered.
"And this is your office?" Vireo sneered, gesturing to the mess around her.
"I chose it because that way I could work in private," he whined. His chin shook in fear and Pike wondered if he might wet himself. "I didn't want them to steal my work again."
"You're in the fucking castle. If you wanted secrecy there are much more discreet places to work," Vireo said.
The sapien's eyes darted between the humans and blinked back tears. "They wouldn't let me leave. I knew too much..."
"Why would Safira care about a lowly alchemist?"
"Not Safira; Sarlac. I figured out what he was trying to do, and I helped him."
Pike's blood pounded in his ears. He had no idea what sick experiments were happening in this closet but if this sapien had helped that disgusting male then he was just as bad. "That makes things easy. Kill him."
"Wait!" Skye barked. He ripped a page from the wall and held it up in his fist. "What did you help him do?"
"I didn't mean to! I didn't know what he would do with it!" The sapien's squirming pushed against Vireo's blade tip, a thin line of blood leaked down his neck.
"The potions...I figured out how to make magic...anyone could take the potions and have power. Sub-primes, even faunids."
Pike's stomach dropped as his mind raced through the implications. Safira had started by collecting primes but then Sarlac enhanced them with his chemicals. It was how they were able to take down so many cities, slip in and out of detection before the other alpha primes could rally their armies.
"Now can I kill him?" Vireo asked.
"Waitwaitwait," Hazel mumbled. She studied the vials on the table but her eyes were dancing as she looked into her mind's eye. "If Sarlac has this, why haven't they destroyed... everything. Bottled magic. He could have eliminated the allied army at the wall."
Piked looked at the sketches and equations and notes hastily scribbled on to the papers on the wall. Hazel was right; they should and...who? Had Safira known? If he gave everyone power, he could lose control. The fabric of society would shift. Primes would no longer be special, faunids would possess strength and magic. Humans would survive.
Skye lifted a book from a stack and studied the cover. "What's the long game?"
"It won't stick. The power fades quickly and leaves the sapien destroyed," the alchemist answered. "Sarlac had me researching physiology, trying to find the genetic code or specialty that would allow the magic to bond to the cells."
Hazel slowly reached into her shirt and pulled out an emerald green stone. Lines danced across its surface as though the rock itself were angry to be parted from the Sky Soul. It was too much. Pike couldn't process the possibilities fast enough. He needed someone to spell it out, explain it like he was a child watching a fairy tale unfold before him.
"Avery's power only grew stronger, never faded," Skye said.
"Avery? You know Lady Avery?" the sapien asked, his eyes wide in surprise.
"Lady?"
"A human, part of the Corinthian alpha pack. She visited here and we worked on a cementing potion together. Safira kept offering her a position in Gallen but nothing could lure her away from--"
"You know who Avery is?" Pike demanded, stepping up close to the sapien's face.
He nodded. "I was--we were...We shared notes. I had never met a human before and she was brilliant! I only wish--"
"Shut up!" Vireo hissed. "Now can I kill him?"
Hazel held up a hand telling the raider to hold off yet, but never taking her eyes of the Sky Stone.
"This is a book of folklore," Skye said, holding up the book.
The sapien gulped. "A human legend about a warrior who could wield magic. It was just a youngling's bedtime story! But Sarlac was obsessed with it. He started searching the continent, convinced this human was the missing link."
The sapien's eyes jumped between each of the humans in the room. Vireo still held the front of his shirt but the sword had strayed as the horror set in. Skye stared down at the children's book in his hands, Hazel's jaw hung open. Pike felt faint.
"He has her," Hazel whispered, closing her first around the stone. "What will he do to her?"
"Who?" the sapien asked.
"He has the Sky Soul from the legend. What will he do to her?"
The sapien looked baffled. "It's not possible. It's just a story!"
"It's true. Avery was born with the mark, and she has taken magic and kept it," Pike said. He looked over at Skye and Hazel. "The water magic from the creek, Niamh's fire magic--briefly. The mind-prime on the battlefield. And now Adelyn's..."
"Avery is the one from the story?"
Hazel's eyes snapped up to the sapien's face. "Where would he have taken her?"
The sapien was breathing heavily, panting as though he might faint. "Oh Ancestors. I never thought...it was just a stupid human story!"
"Hey! Pay attention--you--whatever your name is!" Vireo snarled.
"Dreysus. I'm Dreysus, son of--"
"We don't care. Just tell us where Sarlac would have taken Avery in this godsforsaken city."
"The lab! They're down in the lab! It's where he takes all of them!" Dreysus squealed.
"All of who?" Skye asked. Hazel strode across the room and put her ear to the door, listening to the sounds of the hallway.
"Sarlac been taking humans out of Smalltown to test. It's why he convinced Safira to let them in, hoping he could find the key."
Hazel looked back at the room. "It's clear, lead the way."
Vireo lowered the blade and grabbed Dreysus by the collar of his shirt. He flinched but did nothing to fight back. "What are you going to do? You can't just march in there and think that they'll give her over."
"We'll do whatever it takes!" Pike snarled. In two strides he crossed the tiny office and ripped open the door coming face to face with another sapien. He reacted instantly, slamming the door shut again, but the sapien was faster, throwing her shoulder into the frame and kicking it open. Pike was thrown back, crashing into Skye and a stack of books on his way down. Papers fluttered off the walls and the glass shattered off the table, crunching under the boots of the sapien soldiers.
"Stop or he dies!" Vireo threatened, holding her sword to Dreysus' throat.
"Like we care," the female sneered, taking two strides and ripping the pair apart before Vireo could even flinch. "Gross. A half-breed."
Hazel got two swings in before she was pinned to the ground and Pike felt the tips of a sword between his shoulder blades. Dreysus stumbled away dramatically and crashed into his work bench before landing on his rear. "Please help! These savages are trying to steal my formulas!" he whined.
Though his face was pressed to the floor Pike snarled in rage at the betrayal. Skye lunged for the alchemist but was pulled away by another guard before he was shoved face first into the wall as well. The fight was over before it really began. The element of surprise they had counted on was used against them.
"What are you doing out of your cages, vermin?" the female sapien sneered. No one answered.
"Fine, I don't care anyway," she concluded. "Kill them."
"Wait, Prime Priya!" Dreysus cried. "They are valuable. Two half-breeds. They would be good to study."
Priya hesitated. "Fine. Which ones?"
"I--I--I'm not sure. But I can smell it in this small space. We'll need to test them all."
Priya huffed in frustration. "Fine! Bring them all. Sarlac needs you in the lab for something. Why he needs a snivelling sub-prime for anything is beyond me."
Pike was lifted to his feet and shoved out of the closet following Hazel, Skye, and Vireo. As he passed by Dreysus they locked eyes and Pike hoped he communicated how much he was going to kill the male if he got out of this. Dreysus just gulped and nodded subtly before he was pushed out the door himself.