He aimed for a shallow cut on the boy’s calf. He would probably have to slap the Iron around a few times to get him to give up, but this would at least keep him out of the fight for a moment.

A blue-and-white figure stood between them.

It was Lindon, his eyes made of blue crystal with white circles for irises. He held Jai Long’s spear in his hand of flesh and a sword in his right. The Iron had swung a blade to try and intercept Jai Long, and though the blow would never have landed, Lindon gripped the weapon by its blade with no apparent discomfort.

Thorns wrapped around his leg, but he ignored them, turning his disquieting gaze on Jai Long. “We’re trying to negotiate with the Fallen Leaf School. Please don’t kill them.”

Jai Long filled himself with his Flowing Starlight technique, which Enforced his entire body. White madra filled his limbs, standing out on his skin like shining serpentine tattoos.

With all the strength he could muster—what was left to him in this cursed valley—he pulled at his spear. Lindon didn’t budge.

For the first time, Jai Long scanned Lindon.

And his heart ran cold.

He released his spear, staggering backward. He pushed his sister away. “Run!” he shouted.

She was the picture of confusion. Even her dragon flew in aimless loops in midair. More importantly, she didn’t run.

“Underlord!” Jai Long screamed.

It was the worst-case scenario. One of their enemies had tracked them down from the world beyond, and had found them before the curse drained their power.

Lindon only gave off the spiritual strength of a Truegold, but Jai Long didn’t know what kind of advantages a Lord’s body would retain in this place.

Even if he was down to Lowgold, he had more strength left than Jai Long could call up. And he had a personal grudge. Lindon wouldn’t give up until they were both dead.

Jai Chen looked from side to side. “I know.”

Madra still ran through Jai Long’s limbs, and he pushed his Enforcer technique as far as it would go, ready to intercept Lindon. Would he be fast enough?

But Lindon didn’t move. He looked vaguely uncomfortable.

Only then did his sister’s words make it into Jai Long’s ears. “You know?”

“I scanned him when he walked up. I don’t think he’s going to attack us.”

Lindon scratched the side of his head. “I’m not. If you don’t want to come with us, you’re welcome to go your own way. I just…don’t recommend it.”

Jai Chen walked up to look at the blue spirit on Lindon’s shoulder. She extended a hand. “May I?”

The spirit chimed and stepped lightly onto her hand, scurrying up to her shoulder and chattering into her ear.

By this time, the Jade’s thorns had wrapped all the way up Lindon’s thigh. He glanced down. “Do you mind if I remove these? They’re starting to get…uncomfortable.”

“Not until you explain yourself,” the Jade said firmly. “What is an Underlord? How do you know about this…Dread God?”

Lindon switched to his Blackflame core, controlled aura for just a blink, and the entire vine burned to ash. “Apologies, but that was making me nervous.”

Jai Long found himself still in a fighting crouch, madra flowing through him, as Jai Chen chatted merrily to Lindon’s Riverseed and Lindon himself reassured a Jade that he meant no harm.

At that moment, he was glad for the strips of cloth covering his face. He didn’t want anyone seeing his face turn bright red.

“I feel like you’re about to dump me into a pot and boil me,” Orthos rumbled.

Lindon felt the turtle’s emotions, and he wasn’t as irritated as he pretended. He sat in front of a fireplace in a lodge of the Fallen Leaf School, taking up most of the living room. Orthos felt relaxed, as though he were with family for the first time in years.

Lindon only wished he felt the same with his own family.

The sacred turtle was covered in bandages. Eithan stood over him, one eye closed, examining him like a painter looking for the perfect spot to place a brush. With one swipe of his finger, he spread green goop over Orthos’ injuries.

The room was already filled with the scent of mint and flowers, created by this powerful healing salve. The wound closed up instantly, but Eithan clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“Not enough. With only this much, I’m afraid the flavor won’t set in.”

Orthos flicked his tail. “Some Archlords do eat intelligent sacred beasts.”

“There’s one such Archlord before you now. Be silent and marinate.”

Lindon returned his attention to the map spread out before him. He’d studied maps of Sacred Valley as a child working in their clan’s library, and little had changed since then, but it was still better to refresh himself.

“We can reach the Wei clan well before sunrise,” Lindon said. “But we can’t go together. We don’t—”

He was cut off by the ground quaking, rattling mugs on shelves and causing sparks to fly from the fire. Earth aura surged beneath his feet, accompanied by a fleeting sense of deep hunger.

“…we need to split everyone up,” he continued. “We have almost three hundred Golds, and we need to put them to use.”

He didn’t need to say the rest. The Dreadgod was coming.

They were almost out of time.

Orthos snorted out smoke. A bandage covered one eye, though Lindon was sure that Eithan had already healed that eye with a pill, and his other eye swiveled to Lindon.

“Do you want to set the Wei clan aflame yourself?”

Lindon sighed. “No, I’m going to save them.”

They may have exiled his family, which had led to his parents’ suffering, but he didn’t see what other choice the clan elders had. The Heaven’s Glory School was both more powerful and more influential than the Wei clan.

Orthos made a sound like another earthquake. “Your sister isn’t as inclined to forgiveness as you are.”

“If I had been here, I might not be able to forgive them either.” If he had watched the clan turn his family over, maybe he would leave them here to die, but he had enough distance that he was sure he could handle it.

Dross popped out over his right shoulder. [Don’t worry! Lindon has me to restrain his murderous impulses. And I’ve seen his memories of this place; his clan leaders are reasonable people. We can talk it out, I’m certain.]

Lindon wondered if he and Dross had watched the same memories.

Eithan leaned over at a new angle, judging distance with his thumb, and then swiped another slash of green salve onto Orthos. Lindon didn’t even think there was a wound there.

“Yerin and I can go to the Wei clan,” Lindon said as he rolled up the map. “We still need people to visit the Holy Wind School, the Golden Sword School, the Li clan, and the Kazan clan. Eithan, why don’t you assign people to those?”

“Hmmmmm…I don’t know, I might just want to lounge here in the very lap of luxury.” He poked a thin cushion with one hand, shuddered, and remained standing. “I don’t see why I should bow to your authority.”

Lindon suppressed his irritation. He didn’t want to waste time dealing with Eithan’s sense of humor, but at the same time, he did need Eithan’s help.