Shadow Slave

Like a demon of chaos, Mordret had appeared out of nowhere and thrown everything into utter disarray. Antarctica, which had been like a powder keg for a while now, finally exploded into a conflagration of violence because of the macabre gift that he had delivered to his sister in an elegant lacquered box.

Sunny had not realized the full complications of what had transpired in the courtyard of the port fortress until some time later. He knew that Knight Shtad was a highly regarded Ascended of Clan Valor who had been entrusted with an extremely important mission in the Dream Realm. So, he simply assumed that Clan Song managed to pull off another victory in the simmering conflict.

This was important, of course, but not groundbreaking in and of itself.

However, his misconception was corrected by a short message from Jet: "Our colleagues from Ravenheart are mobilizing their forces. They seem pretty angry."

He stared at the screen of the communicator for a few moments, frowning.

'What?'

Why would Clan Song be preparing to make a big move in a hurry if the death of Knight Shtad was a part of their plan? And why would they be angry? Unless, of course... What Mordret had done was not something they expected, or even went directly against their machinations.

Sunny's eyes narrowed slightly.

'Don't tell me...'

Had Beastmaster, perhaps, received something like that black lacquered box, as well?

'What the hell is that madman doing?'

Feeling an ominous premonition, Sunny deactivated the communicator and hastened his steps. He was walking across the inner courtyard where the confrontation between Morgan and the Reflection had happened not too long ago, heading toward the main keep.

His shadows were already inside. They were trying to get closer to Morgan, Madoc, Nephis, and Sir Gilead, who had all gathered for an emergency meeting after the discovery of Shtad's skull.

he eventually managed to gain access to their conversation and learn a few more things

Sunny's frown deepened.

'Black Skull Citadel?'

depths. The clan in possession of a Citadel would gain a staggering advantage in the task of reaching the Tomb of Ariel, so Morgan and Madoc had put a lot of effort

somehow managed to not only learn of the clandestine mission, but also intercept

mean that the Black Skull had fallen into

However... it had not.

from the fact that Song was mobilizing their forces in a

if neither Valor nor Song controlled the

who the hell

The answer was obvious.

Mordret. Mordret

as meant that the Black

might

holding the key to the Nightmare Desert in

to Morgan, he had painted a target on his back. The true

"Come and get me."

if Sunny knew anything about Mordret, then the message sent to Song

before they

from the moment the Prince of Nothing revealed that he had usurped the Black Skull, the two great clans were in a

had he done

was a pace and cadence to the conflict between Valor and Song. It was a complicated dance that followed a subtle, but ruthless logic. Awakened, Masters, and even Saints were like game pieces. By moving pieces around the board, advancing and retreating, both sides were delivering small wounds to the enemy and trying to maneuver

the end of its early stage. Both clans were still acting with caution, laying the groundwork for the true assaults that

had destroyed that pace, and made a