The tunnel eventually widened out into a large clearing. This was one of the many outposts along the railway line, originally built to house the engineers who would maintain the line and the locomotives. Now it was nothing more than a desolate cave, with several derelict buildings scattered throughout.

Padraig stopped abruptly. “This is where Diarmuid claimed he was attacked. We should split up and search.”

As they dismounted, Fionn stepped forward. “Wait, so we have no real proof that She’s here? You’re saying that we could have been travelling for a whole day just to find nothing?”

“What choice do we have?” asked Padraig, shrugging. “It’s only a matter of time before Morrígan returns. Penance remains the last bastion of civilisation, and we certainly won’t be able to hold it if it’s attacked again. Now, search the area, and shout if you see anything strange.”

They all split up, though Nicole stayed close to Farris. Slowly, the two of them paced around the perimeter of the outpost, examining every inch of the walls and floor for any indication of oddity.

“I never did thank you,” said Nicole eventually, avoiding Farris’s eyes. “As much as I hate to admit it, I’m glad you came back to… save me.”

Farris swallowed deeply. His heartbeat quickened. “Why, wouldn’t you have done the same for me?”

Nicole took his hand into her own. “That’s another thing you’d never catch me admitting.”

In that instant, all his fear left him. Fear for his people, fear for what Morrígan may do next. As much as it hurt, even the deaths those back in Penance no longer weighed upon Farris’s shoulders.

“Nicole,” he said carefully. “I’ve been meaning to say—”

“Hey!” came Fionn’s panicked voice from across the clearing. “Come look at this!”

Dropping Farris’s hand, Nicole turned and ran towards Fionn. Farris jogged on behind, cursing the lad’s timing.

When they reached the other side, it was clear what Fionn had found. There, in the stone, was a large, crooked hole with irregular edges.

“What is it?” said Cormac breathlessly. “Another tunnel?”

“No,” said Fionn. “There were circles drawn on the wall. Like the symbol of the Trinity. When I touched them, they opened.”

“This must it,” said Padraig, stepping forward. He unsheathed his sword. “There are stairs here, but they don’t look very safe. You better watch your step.”

The captain led the way, the others following closely behind. The stairs indeed were difficult to navigate, with each step larger or smaller than the last. Whereas they were once in a natural cave formation, this one seemed far less so. Oddly shaped columns held up the ceiling, as if conceived by a drunk architect. Or a madman.

The stairs eventually led down to a small opening in the darkness. Before them, stood an altar, with a strange, blue aura emanating from it.

“What is this place?” asked Padraig, looking around at the empty room.

In a brilliant flash, blue light engulfed the party. From the radiance came a terrible voice, each word drenched in spite.

“You have killed but two kings,” it said. Farris’s hands cupped his ears. “And already you have strayed from the path set out before you. This day was destined to come since Creation, and I am ready for whatever force you have brought.”

From the source of the light emerged a figure. A woman, slender and beautiful, who wore nothing but light as a gown. She stepped forward, and the blue aura began to dwindle, giving the party a full view of her grace.

Padraig was first to fall to his knees, followed by Cormac and Fionn. Nicole did the same, leaving Farris the only one standing.

“Holy Mother of Gods and Kings,” whispered Padraig. “We are not worthy to witness your beauty. We humbly come before you for help.”

The Lady Meadhbh paused and looked down at the group. A curious expression crossed her face, almost like confusion.

Is it possible for a god to even be confused?

“Who are you to come before me?” she demanded, her words echoing around the chamber. “None of you should be here. Where is the Godslayer?”

Farris stepped forward, his fingers curling into fists. “Her army was defeated at Penance. She left and hasn’t been seen since.”

Meadhbh frowned on hearing this. “No. The horde never made it to Penance. King Diarmuid died drunk and alone in Cruachan, and she claimed his power there. The army never travelled north.”

Farris hesitated for a moment. None of the others seemed likely to respond, so he continued instead.

“This is not true. We took the king to Penance, and he died atop the Tower of Sin.”

“Lies!” screamed Meadhbh. The shrill sound of her voice was worse than knives cutting glass. “What right does a heathen like you have to stand before me, and weave falsities in my presence? You—”

The Lady cut herself off. She looked down at each of the others and turned back to Farris.

“You…” She said, Her voice softer than before, almost like a whisper. “All of you. You are all dead.”

Farris had no answer to this. Cormac gasped, and Fionn jumped to his feet. Nicole’s eyes were as white and white as ever, but only Padraig was unmoved.

“How did we die, my Lady?” Padraig asked, perhaps more sardonically than he should have.

Meadhbh looked down at the captain. “Padraig Tuathil died in the Grey Keep, after bringing news to his king that the city had fallen. The dead stormed the building, and he died trying to protect the citizens of Cruachan.”

“Cormac O’Branna,” she said next. “He travelled to Penance after the fall of Point Grey and caught the bloody flux while living amongst the squalor of the refugee camp.”

Cormac himself barely acknowledged his own name, but kept his gaze locked on the floor.

“Fionn the Red,” she said next. “He was set upon by bandits on the way from Roseán to Point Grey. Chief Engineer Nicole was killed in an explosion that took down the Tower of Sin.

“And Farris Silvertongue,” she said, turning to Farris. “He died after an encounter with a mountain troll and drowned on the shores of the Clifflands.”

“You’re wrong,” said Farris. “None of these things have unfolded as you claim. I did not die on those cliffs. Padraig was rescued from Cruachan on the night the horde came, and the Tower of Sin still stands.”

“The Tower still stands,” echoed Nicole, rising to stand by Farris’s side. “As do we.”

“Impossible,” mused Meadhbh. “This is not what was destined to happen. Your fates as I see them were determined before Creation. Before the Apotheosis. Before—”

A strange look crossed her face. Then the Lady smiled.

“Of course. I understand now. You no longer walk in my Light.”

“What do you mean?” asked Farris. Even if She did, he certainly didn’t understand what was going on.

“Most of what you have been told by the Church are half-truths,” She began. “It is not my place to elaborate on them, but there is one thing you should know. Seletoth did not create the heavens and the earth. The land, the wildlife, and the animals that inhabit this world all predate Creation. It was only Humans that Seletoth created. Therefore, it is only Humans that are bound by destiny. Of the fate I have seen.”

Padraig shook his head slightly on hearing this. As unfamiliar with the faith as Farris was, this certainly seemed contrary to what the Church taught.

“But long before Seletoth’s Humans made it to Alabach,” Meadhbh continued, “something peculiar happened. The savage primates that once roamed the lands slowly changed over time, developing from generation to generation into what you today call Simians. The fate that binds Humans so tightly does not have as much strength over your people.”