Thankfully, the day brought only a light drizzle, so they made good time once they found their way out of the woods and returned to the road. It was not yet noon when the walls of the Dūr-Sūqerbettû loomed over them.

As the gates rumbled open, the sergeant in charge descended from the wall to greet them, accompanied by twenty of his soldiers. "Who are you?" he demanded.

Jasper let out a little chuckle. "Have you really forgotten the feeling of my hand around your throat, Nabulîl? I can refresh your memory if you'd like."

The man scowled, but didn't back down. "Aye, you look like the mages, but you can't be. Lord Yas̆peh's party headed south a few days ago and hasn't returned to the castle yet. This is the only road to the north that doesn't require weeks of travel, so whoever you are, you aren't Lord Yas̆peh. So I'll ask again," he stepped forward, raising his shield and mace. "Who are you?"

He found it almost amusing that the man thought that twenty soldiers would be enough to do anything more than inconvenience them, but he had no desire to turn the situation into a fight. If we're going to be working with Damqa and the Ammatu, I suppose it no longer matters if they know I can fly.

"There are other ways to bypass your castle for a mage," he replied, releasing Spectral Wings. A slight spasm shook his shoulders as the ghostly wings emerged and flapped lethargically.

"How do I know that's not just an illusion…" The sergeant seemed uncertain, but he still didn't budge from his position.

Jasper rolled his eyes but kicked his feet free of the stirrups and soared into the air, landing with a thud in front of the sergeant. "I assume this will suffice - unless you'd like a repeat of our first meeting."

The sergeant scowled, but lowered his weapon. "All right, you've made your point. Stand aside, boys." As the men parted to let them enter, the sergeant turned to him more respectfully. "Lady Damqa requested you be sent to speak with her as soon as you returned, Lord Yas̆peh."

"As it happens, I need to speak with her also," Jasper replied. "You can send notice ahead."

They stopped by the inn long enough to drop off their mounts, and Jasper headed up the winding path to the keep. The guards had clearly alerted Damqa of his arrival, as the lady stood waiting on the steps of the keep as he entered the courtyard.

"Lord Yas̆peh, I trust your mission went well?"

"Took out another camp," he shrugged dismissively, "And ferreted out a few rats."

The lady paled, but kept her composure, ushering him into the keep with a few pleasantries. Dismissing both her maids and guards, she waited until the doors were closed to speak.

"Lord Yas̆peh," she wrung her hands together, squeezing until her knuckles turned white. "I don't know how to tell you this, but, please, hear me out before you act-"

"I already know you've been working with the stoneflesh," he cut her off.

Her face crumpled in on itself, and she shrank back as if he was going to hit her. "Please, you don't understand-"

"Easy, I'm not going to hurt you," he sighed. "Look, I know they used your father to blackmail you into cooperating with them."

"You do?" She looked up through tear-laden lashes.

"I do and, look, I understand why you did what you did. If I had to pick between the Empire and Ihra's life, it wouldn't even be a debate. Unfortunately, I doubt the Empire will be as merciful if they learn of your actions. Your only saving grace is that you haven't actually betrayed the fort yet - there's still time to change course."

"You haven't told them already?" she asked, seeming stunned.

"I'm not beholden to the Empire directly. I'll do my best to stop the stoneflesh from taking the fort without turning you in, but I can't promise your involvement won't come out from some other source. I am curious, though," he shifted in his seat and threw her probing glance, "What sparked this sudden confession?"

"I received a letter from their leader this morning, sent the usual way."

"The usual way?" he questioned.

"The letters arrive with my morning breakfast, hidden beneath the plate," she explained. "They must have a worker on my staff, but I don't know who it is."

Great, another traitor in the castle, he thought silently, but gestured for her to continue.

"Their leader normally only writes once a week, just to verify the patrols haven't changed their routes but…this one was so different from what she normally sends, I wasn't even sure if it came from her. It sounds like she no longer wants me to open the gates, but I don't understand why."

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"Let me see the letter." She handed it over reluctantly, and he quickly unfolded it.

D,

Our previous plans must unfortunately be canceled. A distant relative has crashed our party and stolen all the life out of it. If we come knocking, tell N to turn us away, unless you want a small horde of uninvited guests.

P.S. Please give Y my regards when he returns from his hunting trip. I think the two of you should be better friends.

Jasper frowned as he read the short missive, as he'd been hoping for more details. "I assume the distant relative she refers to is the blood mage I saw," he said slowly. "I don't know what his plans are, exactly, but I received a warning from Lady Selene two nights ago. The goddess warned that the stoneflesh's plans involved a sacrifice and a portal - perhaps the uninvited guests the Ammatus wrote of."

"A sacrifice and a portal? Like the Bloodspiller?" He hadn't thought Damqa could get any paler, but she turned so white at the name that she'd give Caspar a run for his money.

"Who?" He quirked his brow, but his curiosity turned into horror as she told him of the mage's deeds. "I don't know if it's the same mage I saw, but it certainly fits with what we know." He pulled the ruined letter out and handed it over to her. "The Ammatu gave a letter to me too, but, unfortunately, the rain blurred most of the words. I could only make out a little bit of what she said, but, like yours, I got the feeling she wants to make a deal. Whatever this mage is planning has her running scared."

"What about this N?" he asked. "Any chance they'd know more?"

Damqa squirmed in her seat. "N is…Sergeant Nabulîl," she admitted shamefacedly. "I haven't asked him yet, but I don't think she ever sends him letters."

"Then we're left without all the details," he grumbled. He picked up the letter Damqa had received, prepared to reread it in the vain hopes of wringing out some further detail, but froze as, for a brief second, the light from the fire hit the paper just right to reveal more writing. What the hell?

He moved the letter again, rotating it back and forth slowly until he found the sweet spot.

If you find this coda, know that Ēpis̆dāma has returned. I believe he intends to sacrifice the entire fort and my own forces as well to open the portal. Do not let him in, no matter the cost. If I can escape his notice, I will send a message with more details to the inn in Agur-Alamittu.

"Well, I guess that answers one question, and I'll suppose we'll have to send somebody to the village to see if she sends another message." He set the letter down with a sigh. "In the meantime, we need to prepare the fort for an attack."

After outlining the start of a plan with Damqa, Jasper headed back to the tavern to update his friends. On the way, though, he decided to check in with the sergeant at the gate, the Ammatu's second traitor. Unlike Damqa, Nabulîl was unwilling to admit to working with the stoneflesh, denying the accusation with bluff and bluster until Jasper read him the letter and its postscript.

"Ēpis̆dāma? Did she really say Ēpis̆dāma?" He'd demanded to see the letter for himself, his hands shaking as he suspended it in the firelight. "I thought the man was dead…" he muttered.

"Well," with a visible effort to compose himself, he handed the letter back to Jasper. "I'm certainly not the N this letter refers to," he lied brazenly, "but you can count on me to hold the gates, my lord. No man on my watch will surrender to the Bloodspiller."

Satisfied that the man's own self-interest, not to mention the genuine fear he seemed to display, would prevent him from opening the gates, Jasper continued on to the tavern.

The others were already eating by the fire, scraping at nearly empty bowls of stew, but a fresh bowl and a tall mug of ale sat waiting for him. He plopped down with a sigh, ignoring the squishing of his garments, and took a tentative sip of the stew. The warmth spread through his chest as he swallowed, the perfect balance of savory and salty, and he dug in with relish.

"I think we've taken care of the donjon's rat problem."

The dining room was nearly empty at the moment, but a few of the villagers sat drinking at the bar, so Ihra leaned closer, her voice low. "Damqa admitted it then?"

"Didn't even have to ask her," he replied softly. "The Ammatu sent her a letter of her own this morning, ordering her to work with us."

"That seems rather presumptuous," Tsia commented. "We haven't agreed to help her yet."

"Well, based on the letter she sent, it seems the stoneflesh sent some sort of legendary blood mage, some dude named Ēpis̆dāma?"

The name drew no reaction from Ihra or Tsia, but Nissilât's brow furrowed. "She's not presumptuous, then; she's desperate. I assume she fears he intends to sacrifice her and her men."

"Plus the whole damned castle," Jasper nodded. "She begged us not to open the gates, but gave us pitifully little information besides that. She said she'd try to send another messenger to the inn at that little village to the north of the castle, Agur-something or other. One of us will have to go."

"Two of us," Ihra corrected him. "It could be a trap."

"Fair enough," he agreed, "though I really don't think it is. She let me escape last night, and then she commanded the two traitors she recruited to keep the gates closed at all costs. If this is all some elaborate plot to take the castle, it's beyond me. I think her offer's sincere."

"Any idea when the bandits will strike?"

"Nope." He popped the p noisily. "If I had to guess, we'll have at least a couple of days. They didn't have anywhere near enough horses for that whole group, so it will be at least a full day, likely two, of travel, and that's assuming they don't wait for the other camps to reinforce them."

"There's no guarantee they'll attack immediately, either," Nissilât pointed out. "If the Ammatu is serious about wanting to work with us, she'll likely do everything she can to delay their attack."

"Probably," he agreed, "but I don't want to count on that. Damqa sent a messenger to Abāya with everything we know, but I doubt it will get there in time for reinforcements. We're going to have to do this on our own."

"So what's the plan?"

"For now…" he drummed his fingers against the table. "Nissilât, you know Commander Tōrîl the best, right?" She nodded. "Fill him in on the situation and have him start coordinating the defenses with Damqa. Ihra and I will head to the village to see if there's another message."

"And what about me?" Tsia asked.

"Any chance you can get Imḫullu to give us a little bit of back up?"

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