Fenn’s shock faded as anger replaced it.

“So we are ruined,” he stated flatly.

“Perhaps not, though we have had need to abandon our current strategy.”

Thank the gods.

Though he had said “current,” thus abandoning it meant creating another and that might give them time to end this altogether.

“Jell?” Fenn inquired.

Jell?

The priest G’Thom, clearly the leader of The Rising, shook his head.

“We have not heard from him for months. I do not know if he fled or if something befell him. But it is worse.”

Tedrey noted that Fenn’s expression shared he did not think there could be much worse.

However, what Thom said next proved there could.

“All the men who do the blessed work at the Ritual Ground have disappeared,” Thom declared.

“All of them?” Fenn asked.

“All. They, with Jell, have vanished.”

“But, not long ago, we felt a tremor,” Fenn said.

“It has been shared with me by sorcerers it was not of the Beast,” Thom informed him.

The Beast?

The Beast?

“So, the Beast has gone unstirred for months?” Fenn demanded. “Again?” he went on as if this was catastrophic.

“Yes. And we’ve suffered a number of blows, my friend,” Thom stated. “Thus, we must restructure our strategy. This, I have discussed with the Society, and we have done.”

There it was again.

What Faunus had mentioned.

The Society.

But, what Society?

Who were they and what had all this to do with the Beast?

They could not possibly be referring to the Beast of yore. The creature that assailed the earth, nearly wiping out humankind.

They could not possibly wish to stir that Beast.

For what good would come of surfacing such a creature?

“We had hoped to weaken the realms, establish a firm foothold of leaders and followers, and use him when we had him with us, under our control, to finish cowing them should they protest the righteous worship of the true gods. Now, we will have to use him to bring down the royal houses, eliminate the royal lines, and then we shall install our brothers in their castles, tear down their temples, and build up our own.”

They did.

They intended to stir that Beast but not for good.

To complete The Rising.

From what Tedrey knew, from what all knew from the last earthly tenure of the Beast, it was unconquerable.

Mars was mighty, Cassius was clever, True was steadfast, and Aramus commanded the seas.

But they would stand no chance against the Beast.

Lorenz must know this.

Mars must know this.

They all needed to know this.

Which meant Tedrey needed to find his way free, find his way back, and share this.

“We must make haste to the ritual grounds and resume the sacrifices,” Thom stated.

By the gods.

With every word uttered, it simply became worse.

Sacrifices?

He did not wish to hope (but he did) that they were speaking of sheep.

He, however, had a feeling, with their determination, and what Tedrey knew about the Beast, that they were not.