Gemma led us through sections of the castle I had only ever heard described. The architecture shifted, becoming grander, the stonework more precise and imposing. Tapestries were hung up on the wall telling stories, real or imagined. The air grew colder, and the ambient light dimmed, sourced from glowing crystals set in sconces.
We approached a set of massive, reinforced doors, flanked by two members of the Host. Their armor was polished to a high sheen, and their faces were set in grim, impersonal masks. They looked at us with flat, assessing eyes before nodding to Gemma and pushing the heavy doors open.
The throne room was vast, its ceiling lost in shadow. At the far end, on a dais carved from the same dark stone as the castle, sat Gunlaug. He was the only one seated. His golden armor was unlike any metal I had ever seen; it flowed like liquid over his form, shimmering with a low, hypnotic light. A palpable pressure radiated from him, a mental weight that pushed down on my consciousness, urging silence and submission.
Flanking him were his three standing lieutenants. To his right was Harus, the Butcher. He was a gaunt, skeletal figure, his posture bent into a pronounced hunch that made him seem smaller, yet somehow more sinister. His long fingers twitched slightly at his sides. On Gunlaug's left stood Tessai, the Guard Captain, a mountain of muscle and grim duty, his arms crossed over his chest and his face permanent marred with a scowl. Beside Tessai, Seishan took her place and completed the triangle, her silt-grey skin and professional smile looking utterly alien in the oppressive atmosphere.
We were led to the center of the room and then left there, Gemma moving to stand slightly apart from the other three, beside a woman I could only presume was Kido. The five of them formed a half-circle around us. The silence stretched, thick and heavy under Gunlaug's suppressive aura. It was a test of will, and I focused on keeping my breathing even, my mind my own.
It was Tessai who broke the silence, his voice a low gravel rumble. "The Priest and his Shadow," he said, his gaze a physical weight. "You've been busy." He let the statement hang, an open-ended accusation.
I bowed my head slightly, a gesture of respect that also helped break the intensity of his stare. "We have been trying to contribute, Captain Tessai," I said, my voice carefully neutral. "As all Sleepers must."
"Contribute?" Tessai repeated, the word a blunt instrument. "Is that what you call it? A Fallen Terror dies. A nest of Stone Saints is wiped out. The eastern districts are in chaos for a week. And you two, newcomers, broke the Bright Lord's rule by consorting with that beast of a woman now of all times?" He took a single, heavy step forward. "Explain the coincidence."
I kept my eyes downcast, playing the humble part. "We were back hunting in the eastern sectors after the chaos calmed, sir. The zone has indeed changed too much, so we sought help to map it out. And Huntress Athena is hailed as one of the best."
From the corner of my eye, I saw Harus the hunchback shift. His head tilted, and though his eyes were clouded, I felt an unnatural focus settle on me. "Lies..." he rasped, his voice like dry leaves scraping stone. "I can smell them on you, boy. Tell us what you really have planned."
A chill that had nothing to do with the room's temperature went down my spine. This was the real threat. Not Tessai's brute force, but Harus's uncanny ability to discern the natures of others, and the fact he held the Bright Lord's ear.
"We fight for our lives, like everyone else," Sasrir spoke for the first time, his voice cutting through Harus's whisper like a shard of ice. His simple statement carried the weight of cold truth. "We are mere Sleepers in a city of Awakened and Fallen. Gathering allies and forming connections is the only way to survive in this world."
Tessai's scowl deepened, but he shifted his attention to Sasrir. "Your companion doesn't speak much. And his... presence has grown lately." It wasn't a question. He was stating a fact he found suspicious.
"He has always been quiet," I interjected smoothly, drawing the focus back to me. "And the Labyrinth changes everyone, does it not? We are all just trying to adapt and survive under the Bright Lord's protection." I dared a glance toward the dais, aiming my words at the silent, golden figure.
Gunlaug had not moved. His gaze, from within the helmet of flowing gold, was fixed on us. He offered no reaction, no cue. He was a judge, allowing his prosecutors to make their case.
"The preacher is as silver-tongued as they say," Seishan commented, her voice a smooth, neutral counterpoint to Tessai's gruffness. "But words are one thing. You say you need the Huntress to explore the ruins, but why not come to your fellow Hunters, or to Gemma?"
This was the most direct question yet. I had to answer without revealing any flaws for the paranoid hunchback to capitalise on. "Sir Gemma has been very busy frequently, coordinating the rest of the Hunters and Pathfinders. Besides, and while I do not blame hem for this, most of the other Hunters had made it clear the didn't want anything to do with the newly established zone over the lockdown."
Harus let out a wet, rattling chuckle. "So you believed your fellow comrades to be too cowardly? How... convenient." The pressure in the room seemed to intensify. They didn't believe us. Not fully. But they had no proof we were plotting anything. However, in the Forgotten Shore, truth and justice were a long way off.
"It...was not entirely on them, I suppose." I revealed a hesitant and torn expression, fidgeting with my fingertips a bit. "While the Hunters did make their apprehension of the new zone clear, there were still a few who seemed excited to achieve glory. However..."
Here I took a deep breathe, maximising my role as young, calm and well-intended but ultimately still naïve to the ways of the world.
"I also wanted to acquire the glory for myself, the glory of being the first Hunter to establish a path through the eastern sector. So, I avoided calling upon the other Hunters or Sir Gemma and instead searched for someone from the Settlement, someone who was known for keeping to themselves and not being loose-lipped. This naturally led me to Huntress Athena."
There, I had said it. My "Shameful" secret and motive, laid bare for the big and scary adults to judge me. Peeking up at the leaders of the Host with the expression of a child caught stealing from the cookie jar, I struggled to keep the sneer off my face.
Tessai looked back at Gunlaug, seeking a command. The Bright Lord remained immobile for a long, heart-pounding moment. Then, the faintest nod. It was barely a movement, but it was enough.
"You will abandon your appointment with the Huntress," Tessai commanded, his tone leaving no room for argument. "And you will be confined to the Hunter's quarters until this matter is investigated further. Your movements will be watched and you are not allowed to leave the Castle. If nothing is found, you will be released."