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they are the only previous champion to continually survive. One has to wonder how old this woman is and what information she has about the Baron and our path.”
    “Way to kill my birthday party,” Nyx mutters, drawing everyone’s attention to her. They notice her mouth is filled with marshmallows and her voice is coming from thin air. “Sorry to be the selfish one here, but there’s nothing we can do. We need the sixth champion, so we need to go into the forest and get a goblin guide. Besides, we’re in the dark unless Isaiah shows up to get questioned. So let’s stop dwelling on this and enjoy ourselves. If that’s not enough then look on the bright side. We’re going to meet a new friend soon.”
    Sari cuts herself another slice of cake, holding it up high to propose a toast. “Happy birthday to Nyx. Happy belated birthday to Timoran. Hopefully our new friend is a nice person. Cheers!”
    It is an awkward clinking of plates with Luke dropping the rest of his slice on the table where Fizzle quickly devours it. The drite groggily crawls off the table and curls up on the open floor, swiftly falling asleep. The forest tracker is about to pick Fizzle up when a finger taps him on the shoulder.
    “I want to talk to you in private,” Delvin whispers while pointing at the ceiling.
    *****
    The roof of the inn is covered in hidden traps, so the two warriors carefully walk along the narrow eave. The pure darkness makes it impossible for Delvin to see anything, which forces him depend on Luke to guide him. He can hear the half-elf moving ahead of him, but the steps are scattered and inconsistent. The random footfalls are surprisingly faint, causing him to forget the initial reason for their private meeting. The question is on his tongue by the time they reach a spot that the forest tracker is sure is safe to stand on.
    “Why are your footsteps so strange?” Delvin asks, leaning against the chimney.
    “I’m using the wind to help with my balance and keep me a hair off the ground,” Luke admits as he tries to keep his breathing steady. “Pulling an ability out of a spirit without transforming is still difficult, but I’ve nearly mastered Stiletto’s senses. He’s easier than the griffin, but that’s not why you called me up here.”
    Delvin gazes into the darkness when a series of lights erupt across the street. He hears yelling and cursing as a pair of thieves hurry out of the alley, their departure illuminated by the continuing explosions. One of the men has smoke wafting from his legs, which still have a few flames around the cuffs. The other is a woman who is nursing a badly burned arm, apparently ignorant of the fire at the end of her long hair.
    “I’ll be brief because I want off this roof,” Delvin says, his eyes following the thieves until they disappear behind a building. “What did you talk to Nyx about? I understand if you can’t tell me, but I’m worried. She hasn’t been herself in a long time and I want to know if she’s going to need protection.”
    “It’s the Stephen issue like you and Sari have been saying,” Luke calmly states. He gets closer to his friend to avoid yelling, aware that prying ears are everywhere. “She feels helpless and fears that he’ll use all of us to control her. I hate to say she’s given up fighting, but Nyx talks like him winning is inevitable.”
    “That’s not good,” the brown-haired warrior mutters. Out of habit, he is about to start pacing when his friend stops him with a firm grip on his arm. “Whether Stephen can block her magic or shrug off any damage she causes, we need Nyx to be strong. Otherwise, we’ll spend the entire fight protecting her, which gives him the advantage.”
    “That’s probably what he wants.”
    “I don’t follow.”
    Luke flips over Delvin and lands on the edge of the chimney, leaning close enough for his face to be seen. “This idea just came to me. It’s possible Stephen is scared of Nyx because she has the power to