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“We’ll make fer the third stop, then camp fer the night afore headin’ ta the shrine,” Maggie stood up, handing off the simple wooden plate, and brushed off her lap.
“We’re good, if you want to hit it tonight,” Rory looked up from where he sat.
“Nae, boyo. If somethin’s made camp in the shrine since ah been gone, we’ll want ta be fresh,” Maggie looked down the tunnel, deeper into the earth.

Erin and Jack stopped horseplaying and turned to the dwarf.

“Do you think that’s likely?” he asked.
“Ah’ve left fer weeks at a time afore, an’ somethin’ usually creeps in, attracted by the power o’ the shrine,” she replied darkly.
“Why not seal it up?” Layla asked.
“The stone ‘round the seal resists magic an’ tools, an’ the actual platform goes… well, if there’s a bottom to em’ nobody’s ever found it,” she replied.
“You mean someone tried to dig one out?” Erin replied.
“Aye, the Empire. Spent what must’a been a few million crowns tryin’ ta destroy the one down in tha southern wilds. Far from their actual territory, in case the seal exploded or cursed ‘em all,” she grinned.
“What ended up happening?” Jack asked.
“They dug a few hundred stride down inta the mountain, but every night, the stone’d grow back ten or twenty stride. Tale is, they broke ten thousand picks, worked a thousand slaves ta death, and ruined a number of terrible expensive machines what had all the magic sucked out of ‘em. Brought the best geomancers from all over the Empire, but none o’ ‘em could shift s’much as a single rock,” she smiled again.
“So, Ouroboros stopped them?” Layla pondered.
“Nae lass. The Nightfather cannae really interfere cause o’ his wounds. He’s cut off from the real by the traitor sun,” she scowled.
“So?” Layla pressed.
“Ah dinnae know all the secrets o’ the universe, lass,” Maggie smiled blithely.
“But you do know this one? Cause you didn’t say you don’t know,” Layla squinted at the dwarf.

Maggie’s head swiveled around to face the succubus, one eyebrow raised.

“Theories, guesses. The Soldaen... and Tyler agreed wit’ ‘em... thought the seals an’ the cave o’ beginnin’s… Hell, some o’ em even believed the Sisters an’ the Stars were part o’ it, but tha’s rubbish,” she paused, collecting her thoughts.

“Anyhow, they believed the seals were part o’ a great eldritch machine, like a giant magic ritual array, an’ when it were completed, it’d steal up all Heleyl’s power,” she answered.

The rest area was quiet for a few moments.

“Is that likely?” Rory asked her.
“Ah dinnae, boyo. I dinnae have all the answers,” she shook her head.
“Fair,” he replied, then turned toward the tunnel.
“Wait… by completed, do you mean if someone collected all the shrines?” Layla asked.
“Aye,” Maggie nodded slowly.
“But, there’s a map, and a compass, so… you’re telling me nobody in hundreds of years, maybe thousands, has managed to get them all? You’re telling me a dude that can lift entire ships and just snap ‘em over his knee couldn’t just go out and stand on a bunch of animated gifs?” her voice was strained, some thought or fear pressing against her.

The dwarf turned and walked down the tunnel about ten feet.

“Ah’m sure someone did,” she replied without turning around. “But if they did, they dinnae finish the job, did they?”

She started walking down the tunnel.

“Fuck,” Layla dropped to her knees.

Erin took a knee next to her.

“What is it, El?” she put her arm around the succubus and squeezed her.
“Fucking… this shit’s been going on at least six hundred years. These motherfuckers can build magic skyscrapers and techno-magic cities and effortlessly kill entire kingdoms, but they can’t just… pop around and stand on some seals?” she looked up at the dreadnought, anxiety clear on her face.

Erin looked up at Jack and Rory, bewildered by Layla’s behavior.

“Explain it to us, El,” Jack said, walking over to sit cross-legged in front of her.
“I get it,” Rory whispered. “They’ve had centuries roaming around with crazy magic powers. At least one of them strong enough to be worshipped as a literal god. If all they have to do is stand on some black platforms, why are we here? Why hasn’t someone done it? Something’s wrong.”

Layla’s distress eased visibly as Rory voiced her fears.

“Something’s wrong,” she whispered.

The dwarf’s burr rang from the darkness of the tunnel.

“Aye, somethin’ is wrong,” the voice was cold, and angry.

“Then just tell us, Maggie,” Jack growled.
“Yeh’re all afraid o’ the dark is what. There’s at least three or four o’ yeh roamin’ round out there, maybe more, wit’ the power to level a nation at a fuckin’ whim. Unagin’, undyin’, blessed in ways most o’ the fools o’ Ayrgard cannae even comprehend. An’ none o’ yeh, even me boy, would walk the damned circle an’ plunge that cunt Heleyl inta the sea,” she growled back at him.

“Don’t take that out on us,” Erin stood, the leather of her gauntlets creaking as she clenched her fists.
“Look at yeh. Wee bebs. Ah could crush yeh ‘tween me fingers. By the changin’ o’ the seasons, yeh’ll likely be stronger than me. An’ what’ll yeh do with all that might?” the dwarf stalked out of the shadows, hot tears rolling down her cheeks.

“What’ll yeh do?! HIDE from HER! Same as the others,” Maggie wept as she shouted at the Chosen.
“What ‘others’, Maggie?” Rory asked softly.
“Me boy, the Last Brother, that twat what founded Necropolis, and her, the queen bitch herself,” she spat.
“All Chosen?” Jack asked.
“Aye. Ah’ve seen… things… in the branches of Fate, though. There’re more, ah’m sure o’ it. Hidin’ out there,” she wiped her tears away.

Layla stood up.

“You’re telling me, there’s just a random number of fucking LIVING GODS just roaming around out there? And any ONE of them might decide to SQUASH US LIKE FUCKING BUGS for doing what we were BROUGHT HERE TO DO?!” she stalked toward Maggie, her voice rising steadily, until she was shouting in the dwarf’s face.

“If’n yeh survive the next few months, it will’nae matter. If the White Beast kills a couple o’ yeh, yeh’ll hole up same as the others,” the dwarf’s expression was an unreadable mask.

Jack stood up and turned toward the dwarf.

Suddenly, the space of the tunnel seemed cramped, thick with choking shadows. Darkness pressed down on everyone present, but none as much as Maggie. The crushing Night bore down on her with the mass of a black hole.

“WE ARE DISAPPOINTED, MAGGIE,” the twin voices echoed in against the stone.

The dwarf stood, defiantly, against the weight of the world on her shoulders, pressing down with inexorable force.

“Yeh will’nae pick one o’ us ta carry out Yer Will. Instead, Yeh bring these soft creatures here time an’ again. An’ what has that wrought? Countless lives lost, an’ no closer to the end of the Tyrannous Sun!” the dwarf ranted.

“HAVE YOU NEVER WONDERED, MAGGIE, WHY I CROSS THE NOT-WATERS OF THE BETWEEN, THOUGH THE TORMENT OF THE VOID WORSENS MY WOUNDS EACH TIME AND FORCES ME INTO TORPOR FOR DECADES AFTER?” the serpent’s voice took the fore.

“O’ COURSE AH HAVE! But Yeh cannae spare a moment ta tell us, can Yeh?” tears had begun to roll down her face again.

“WHEN DID I LAST HAVE A VESSEL, MAGGIE, THAT I MIGHT SPEAK TO YOU?” the great serpent asked.

The dwarf put her hand over her mouth, then fell to her knees.

“JACK’S TIME IS SHORT, BUT WE WILL GRANT YOU THIS GIFT, TO EASE YOUR CRISIS OF FAITH. WHEN ILANI WISHED FOR PURPOSE FOR HER CHILDREN, AND THE STARS AND THE SISTERS BECAME THINGS THAT WERE, THE PATH OF FATE WAS SET. AND THEN, HELEYL WAS. AND IN BECOMING, HE, AND I, AND ILANI, AND EVERY CREATURE BORN UNDER THESE STARS, WERE BOUND TO THE PATH OF FATE,” the Nightfather explained.

“Yeh cannae even raise a hand against him?” Maggie’s bleak expression displayed the destroyed expectations and beliefs built up over a lifetime of convictions suddenly shattered in a moment of horrifying revelation.

“THE TYRANNOUS SUN IS A THING THAT IS,” the twin voices returned. “AND THERE IS NOTHING YOU, NOR ANY OTHER CREATURE BORN UNDER THE STARS OF AYRGARD CAN EVER DO ABOUT THAT.”

“Ah’m so sorry, Father,” Maggie placed her head against the floor.

“DARKNESS ASKS NOT THAT YOU KNEEL, BUT THAT YOU STAND.”

Maggie looked up just in time to see Jack suddenly collapse, forcing an involuntary gasp from the weeping dwarf. 

Rory handed Layla a gold coin.

“Fuck. I really thought he’d make it,” the salesman grumbled.

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