As Teyva, Azrael, and Paraklytus approached the tower that contained the floor lifter. Teyva scratched her chin and looked the thing up and down. “Now that I think of it, since you all were down here doesn’t that mean your people built this thing?” Teyva asked, opening the door and stepping inside. Azrael glanced up at Paraklytus while the Archlich slipped in behind Teyva. The ancient being took a moment to take in the space, including the platform in the center of the floor.

“Remarkable,” He said, “They truly were built to last. Yes, my ancestors constructed the fortress above us. Although, by the time I was born only the liches knew its purpose. I had never thought to ask.”

Azrael frowned at him and ran her hand over the control panel. “There were other liches?”

“A lich,” Paraklytus said proudly, “Is a noble calling. A labyrinthian casts their name, body, and life aside to become eternal. They exist as living repositories of knowledge for our kin, unassailed by time and weathering unlike books and recording devices. Though, I doubt that many survive to this day, if any at all,” He muttered.

“Were you called?” Teyva asked as the lift began to move.

“Heavens no,” Paraklytus chuckled, “I performed the ritual on my own in order to protect the library and the lost souls within. Without a caretaker I feared that what little was left of our vast knowledge would be lost.”

“So why Archlich?” Azrael pressed.

“Why not? I was the last of my kind and I know more than enough magicks to lay claim to such a title. Besides, there are none who can contest my claim and we Labyrinthians are prideful-even to a fault. I acknowledge it is a silly, petty thing, but it satisfies me,” The Archlich said, putting his hands on his hips and raising his bony chin.

Teyva snorted out a laugh, “So… self-proclaimed?” The Lich turned to her and she could almost sense his hurt frown. She laughed out loud that time and waved a hand, “Sorry, sorry, better question. What was with all the cat statues on your desk, you even made a point to take Nephral here.”

The Lich canted his head to the right as if he was confused, “I like cats. What more is there to say.”

Teyva and Azrael looked at one another before bursting into laughter. The Lich looked between the two of them with bewilderment flashing in his glowing violet eyes. When they finally stopped laughing Azrael spoke up first. “We’re sorry, you need to understand, though, honorable Lich,” Azrael managed, “When we first met you, you were terrifying. The way you knew everything we’d done so far, you knew us better than we did. You haunted us through a maze and pit us against an army of undead,” Azrael counted his ‘crimes’ on her fingers.

“Yet it turns out, you’re a sweet, poetic, cat-loving, dorky old man,” Teyva chuckled.

“Dorky?”

“I’m afraid I still haven’t quite figured out that strange word myself,” Azrael consoled him.

“Hey! It’s a real word!” Teyva protested.

“Of course, my lady, whatever you say,” Azrael teased as the lift drew closer to their destination. Azrael looked up and spotted the door above them. “Here we go.”

Teyva turned to Paraklytus, “Before I forget to ask, how did you watch me all that time?”

“Well I-”

He was cut off when the doors opened and the light-hearted air in the room stilled before roiling into a simmering pot of tension. Sitting on the ground no more than ten feet from the open doors of the lift was Yaga Yftha. Her legs crossed beneath her and her hard eyes staring forward. She took the three of them in, first Azrael, then Teyva, then Paraklytus. She squinted at the skeleton and her hand slowly moved down to her weapon. Azrael was the first to react, breaking into a wide smile and hurrying to Yaga’s side.

“Yaga! You’re back! How’d it go? Where’s Elat?” She pressed, peppering the woman with questions. Yaga blinked and turned to look at Azrael as if she was seeing her for the first time.

“Azrael?” She blinked again and turned to look at Paraklytus, then back at her, “You’re alright. He is at the Pinnacle, resting.”

“Of course I’m alright!” Azrael blurted. “What did you think happened?”

Yaga turned again towards Paraklytus and pointed frankly at him, “What in the aspects name is that?”

Nephral cleared his throat on Teyva’s shoulder and leaped off, landing between the two pairs. “Master Yaga Yftha, allow me the pleasure of introducing the once Grand Magistrix of the Labyrinthian people and now Archlich and Guardian of the place you call Nulakam,” The smooth-talking feline crooned, whipping his tail left and right and spreading his wings for emphasis, “This is Lord Paraklytus, who has sworn fealty to my Lady.”

The old Lich bowed his head, “How do you do.”

Yaga pressed her palm to her forehead and pulled it back over her a-little-too-tight hair. She looked to Teyva who shrugged and nodded and then back to the Lich and finally to Azrael who put her hand on Yaga’s shoulder. “Just blame anything weird that happens on Teyva. That’s how I get through it.”

“Hey!” Teyva shot.

Yaga pinched her nose, “Right, I can do that.”

“Oh come on!”

Azrael squeezed her mother figure’s shoulder, “Anyway, what are you doing out here?”

“Waiting for your return. I have been in vigil since my arrival back in Osan,” Yaga said stiffly, she panned her gaze finally over to Teyva and made a face. “I see you are well, Lady Akura.”

Teyva couldn’t help but frown a little, even if they were keeping things private between them she could at least be a little bit more pleasant. It wasn’t much to ask. Azrael looked up at Yaga and then over at Teyva, then back again, she frowned at the leader of the Wardens, “Really?”

Yaga turned to Azrael, confusion written all over her face, “What?”

Azrael stepped behind Yaga and gave her a hard push in Teyva’s direction, “I’m not an idiot Master Yaga, greet her properly.”

Yaga stumbled forward and caught herself just a few feet away from Teyva, managing to step over a suddenly fleeing Nephral. She had to tilt her head up a bit to look at Teyva who returned her gaze. The older woman let out a breath through her nostrils and hesitated. Teyva started to grow impatient and opened her mouth to speak just as Yaga opened hers. The two went silent and then tried again only for the two of them to look like a pair of fish in a bowl. Teyva felt her face warm a little and she clamped her mouth shut. Yaga raised an eyebrow, “Did you know when you blush your skin turns grey?” She said.

“You are an idiot,” Teyva grunted.

“I’m glad you are alive, Teyva,” Yaga said finally.

“You too,” Teyva said, finally easing into a smile. The two of them held one another’s gaze for a while before Paraklytus mimicked the sound of clearing his throat. Teyva blinked, realizing where she was and turned around to see the Lich with his arms crossed behind his back. He had no skin to make a face but she could see the amusement glowing in his eyes. She sighed and scratched the back of her head before turning back to Yaga. “We should get going.”

No sooner did she speak that the Floor Lifter began to move again. They all turned to stare at it, Teyva immediately getting a bad feeling. “That’s not good.”

“What’s not good?” Yaga pressed immediately, reaching for her weapon.

“I don’t think that’ll be necessary, but we’re about to do a lot of talking in a minute I think,” Azrael said, reaching for Yaga’s arm and easing it away from the sword. The woman frowned and glanced in Azrael’s direction. Minutes later the sound of the lift returning to their level was accompanied by the muffled sounds of conversation. A moment later the doors opened and revealed five men in the tattered armor of the Labyrinthian Royal Guard. Of course, one of them was Batel. Teyva let out a groan and brought her palm up to her face. “Batel, what are you doing here?”

The Five men immediately turned to face her when she spoke and dropped to a knee. “Mother, we could not allow you to go unaccompanied into the unknown. Much time has passed, yes, but we do not yet know the disposition of the new-people. Please allow us to accompany you.”

Yaga turned her head slowly towards Teyva, “Mother?”

Teyva shrugged awkwardly, “Guess that makes me a milf, right?”

Yaga blinked, “A what?”

Teyva sighed, “Nevermind, it would have been funnier back at home. Look, things happened down there and we were going to explain it to the King first,” She said, eyeing Batel with a bit of scorn, he shrank a little beneath her gaze. “Before anyone came up to say hello. But I guess the cat’s out of the bag.”

Yaga scowled, “Explanation, from the beginning, now, before we go anywhere.”

Teyva exchanged looks with her two companions and sighed, “Alright, but we might be here for a minute.”