The fight was bloody and fast, and it was surreal just standing there watching it all happen without interfering. Hammersmith had been allied with the Knights of the Storm less than a minute ago, and suddenly she was slaughtering them; politically I couldn't imagine it would matter much since their numbers were nothing compared to the Endless Empire, but Hammersmith had a reputation for being a woman of her word. Sure, the knights were assholes and were ignoring her attempts to say we were off limits, but it still seemed strange that she would so quickly change her mind and go right to murder. Something was going on.

As the fighting ended, I could see the same thoughts going through the heads of the Empire soldiers. There were probably a dozen of them that had been taken out in the melee, and while I noted a few being healed I was pretty sure the majority were dead. There was no way that any of them could feel good about what had just happened, no matter how much they respected Hammersmith. While it was possible that Errod's bluff about executing me was responsible, that seemed unlikely; even if Hammersmith didn't know Errod well enough to realize he would never follow through with it, her attitude hadn't shifted instantly. She'd noticed something about the sword, I was sure of it.

I just couldn't figure out what that would be. If she wanted the sword, she could have just demanded it in exchange for our freedom or killed us and taken it. I could still feel the iron all around me, pressing in on me, and I wasn't thinking clearly. Chances were there was something I was missing. Errod looked like he was ready to fight or run at any second but couldn't decide which, and Katrin... Katrin looked like she wanted to throw up. She still hadn't really adjusted to being in combat situations, not fully, and this particular fight had been both unexpected and brutal.

A strange ripple passed over Hammersmith, and all the of the blood dropped away from her onto the ground. There wasn't a speck on her, like it had never happened. "Errod," she said, "I hope you can appreciate the difficult situation that I'm in. It's been hard to keep Calliope here on task, and I think you know just how much hangs in the balance."

She'd addressed Errod, but it was Katrin who responded. "Just a moment ago you were saying there was nothing you could do to prevent us being handed over for execution. What changed?"

Hammersmith nodded. "In my position, I often have to make very difficult decisions with little or no time to spare. Worse, these decisions can have terrible consequences regardless of what path I choose." She gestured to the fallen soldiers that were still being lined up at the side of the hallway. "These brave citizens of the Endless Empire have just bought your freedom and your lives. In return, I am asking that Calliope accompany me to Trallanar to open a door. A simple task, but one that could save countless lives. After that, the three of you can be escorted back to the prime plane, get debriefed and ask any questions you may have, and be given an award at the capitol."

She hadn't said shit about the sword, and I was still sure that was why she'd done an about face. "No," I said, "you're going to find Hugh. And then he's going to take Katrin and Errod to Erathik, and he's going to call me using whatever communication thing you have set up, and I'll ask him questions until I'm sure it's him. Then, once I know they're both out of your hands and away from any of the Knights of the Storm, I'll go open your fucking door."

"Hugh is in Trallanar, if we all head over -"

"No. Katrin and Errod go home first, before I go to Trallanar."

"Time is of the essence, Calliope."

"Then you'd better call Hugh fast, right?" Her lips tightened into a thin line, and I could almost feel the frustration radiating off of her. Oh. "He doesn't know we're here, does he? Well he's just going to be more angry the longer you try and stall this. And I know you're like, a third of the leadership of the Endless Empire and he's just a semi-retired royal guard, but I'm guessing you can't get away with pissing off Erathik the way you just did to the Knights of the Storm."

"Our alliance with Erathik is bound by treaty, unlike the temporary arrangement we made with the Knights of the Storm. That being said, it's not about 'getting away' with anything, that's the way children and criminals talk. If I cause trouble, I face the consequences. It's a matter of estimating what those consequences might be, and then balancing them against what you stand to gain - in the case of the Knights of the Storm, they were a useful and largely positive force in the world. They were a bit... zealous... and often too extreme in their actions, but they helped more people than they harmed and spent most of their time recovering or destroying dangerous artifacts that nobody wanted floating around.

"But they had agreed to defer to me on this mission, and it had become clear they were no longer willing to abide by those terms. Furthermore, I understand that they will be far less politically relevant soon, as they've lost the artifact their order was formed around and Storm's Keep is currently in chaos with a significant number of knights dead and a whole wing closed off indefinitely thanks to a pool of alchemical slag. I understand that's your fault, Calliope. The creation of alchemical slag, on purpose or through negligence, is a serious crime - one that you can be prosecuted for by any treaty nation, unlike the murders."

That wasn't bullshit. I'd learned about it in the original timeline, talked to myself about it a little in this one, and even had a chat with Hammersmith about it at one point - she told me about one of the Clockmaker's generals, who had launched barrels of alchemical slag over the walls of a city they were laying siege to. The Clockmaker heard about it, dragged the general and everyone who had known about or assisted in the plan into view of the city to behead them, and then sent in supplies to clean up the mess to the extent that was possible. He also fully lifted the siege, and vowed to not start it back up for three months. He'd drawn a firm line in the sand - nobody was going to start throwing around magical radiation, not even once. If I - Connie, that is - hadn't died killing Telen she would have been in deep shit for irradiating the underground part of Zistarne to do it, and that was just aligned mana which was maybe worse in the moment but not nearly as bad long term.

It honestly hadn't been anything I'd considered when I kicked over the shelves in Storm's Keep; logically I knew some alchemical metals and devices had to be disposed of carefully, or couldn't be mixed, or whatever... and I'd known that those shelves were filled with dangerous or half-broken magic items... huh. I wasn't sure what I would have done differently - we would have been killed if we hadn't had that mess exploding behind us - but I didn't feel great about creating a big pool of toxic waste.

Hammersmith shook her head. "Amazing. You really aren't a typical Sahrger, are you? I can see it on your face sometimes, the defiance slips and there's some glimmer of remorse or genuine affection." And then, so quiet I wasn't even sure I really heard it, she whispered, "I wonder if you get that from him."

Before I could say anything, she continued. "Back to the topic at hand. I'll have Hugh brought here, as you requested. I'll make sure you're removed from the vicinity of all this iron - I know it hurts - and you will be escorted directly to an exit portal."

"Not to Trallanar?"

"I've decided that's up to Errod, actually. Errod, would you like your sisters to go free?"

He looked like she'd just handed him a snake. "I don't understand."

"Come with me, and I'll let the others go. What little I know about you speaks well of your character, and frankly I think I can trust you more than I can trust Calliope. I also doubt you're as reflexively anti-authority. I know right now you're not fond of me, but I suspect you know that - while I've made mistakes - I have treated Calliope much more gently than others might have. The charges against you from the Knights of the Storm put me in an adversarial position, unfortunately, but I chose to spare you from them at great personal expense. Even if you don't fully trust me, I think you care about saving the world. Your threat on Calliope's life was dramatic, but not careless or hateful. In the end, you agree with me - don't you? We need to stop Gilbrecht Halenvar from finishing whatever he's working on behind that door."

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"Wait," I said, "I thought you needed me to open the door?"

"And I thought you didn't want to go? I suspect that, as your acknowledged brother, Errod will do just fine. And in gratitude, Errod, the Endless Empire would be pleased to offer you whatever form of compensation you require. I assume you're bathing in pins after helping to uncover that lost Duminere, but surely you could use assistance in dealing with the paperwork and politics required in getting your father back from Tarmestal?"

I heard a tiny gasp from Katrin. I wanted to be mad, I wanted to yell at Hammersmith for dangling Katrin and Errod's imprisoned father over them like that, but it wasn't like she'd put him there - they were from the Free States, and he'd basically plead guilty. Besides, Errod had even said that it wasn't as easy as just buying his way out. They really would need some sort of help with it. Katrin pulled Errod back, and got up in Hammersmith's face. "I'm part of the family as well, I'll go. Leave Errod and Calliope here."

I knew Hammersmith wasn't going to go for it. She wanted that sword. Sure enough, she looked very unhappy at the suggestion. "No, because I'm not going to play this game where each of you insists it has to be you. We're talking about the simple action of opening a door, and through that action potentially saving every living being. I'm trying to be as kind as possible about this, but it shouldn't be a difficult conversation."

"Is it at the Crossroads?" Errod asked.

"No. If it's a mana battery you're hoping for as payment, I may be able to arrange that. The Crossroads facility itself is... inaccessible... but several batteries are likely behind sealed doors you can help us get through, and given the craftsmanship they won't have degraded significantly. In fact, the ones used locally may have outflow restrictions calibrated to last indefinitely; they deliberately exported only the ones that would fail sooner."

"And there will be no Knights of the Storm?"

"I'll give orders immediately to have them all sent to exit portals. None will be in the facility we go to."

Errod was going to go for it, and he was going to convince himself he was being all noble and shit by 'saving' us. I shared a look with Katrin, and was sure she was thinking the same thing. "Okay, fuck, we'll all go. Final offer, you get what you wanted. No Knights of the Storm, and we only go to the one place you need before immediately leaving Brinkmar. But we all stay together, the whole time, and you get Hugh to us as quickly as possible. Before we go in the building. Also, you promise to pardon us for everything we've done since the last pardon, and you promise to do everything in your power to get their dad back."

As bad as it felt, considering I was still in horrible pain from the iron-induced headache, in the grand scheme of things this would be a pretty good deal. If she was siding with us over the Knights of the Storm that was a good start, and then Hugh would help make sure we got out of this mess basically unscathed. I wouldn't have to leave Hammersmith alone with Errod, and while he'd be in the same city as the thing that asshole knight wanted to throw him into there wouldn't be a chance for it to actually happen.

Hammersmith nodded. "You have my word." It was the best we were getting, since there wouldn't be anyone around to do a binding contract. Iron spikes were removed from their hiding spots all around the hallway, and I felt a pressure lift off of me - though the headache itself would last for the rest of the day, if past experiences had taught me anything.

We were escorted out, and Hammersmith loaded us onto a flyer. I hated to admit it, but it was actually very cool getting to fly over Brinkmar and I had to keep reminding myself to not smile. The city swept by beneath us, and I saw multiple places where huge sections had been destroyed by flung architecture as well as a shockingly large area at the edge of the city that was just a matte black void. As we headed inland over the hills, everything shifted to the uniform yellowish-brown of dead vegetation. We went higher and higher as we approached the central mountain, and then dramatically crested over the cliffs and saw Trallanar.

Tucked into the valley at the center of Brinkmar, it was a glorious sight even in its ruined state. Eight of the original twelve spires still stood, gleaming white towers that climbed hundreds of feet into the air spaced all around the city. Two of them - one fallen - flanked a huge shattered crystal dome, but we were angled towards one of the other spires instead - one whose base had been absorbed by a blocky building of a style that seemed out of place compared to the rest of the architecture.

I tried to figure out what anything here was, but my memories from Connie were foggy and the books hadn't been so descriptive that I could pick out much by their rooftops. The crystal dome I remembered, because it was basically a magical power plant in the books - which meant that was almost certainly the Crossroads Facility. The whole place had been under the control of Thanatos in the books, and the most notable places to the plot were either underground - like the Sundered Throne - or only briefly described as Jake Ross and his team snuck inside. The only one I had any chance of identifying would be the monastery that Thanatos had used as a base of operations, but even then nothing was popping out from the air.

We landed without incident, and someone ran up to give Hammersmith a quick briefing as we walked - after glancing at us questioningly. When she waved at us dismissively, he rattled off some fairly interesting updates: no new groups of Halenvar troops had shown their faces in Trallanar, but the doomsday device wielded by the Hierophants of Oblivion had been attacked by some people who wanted to recover it. They'd all been killed. This was the first I'd heard that Hammersmith had captured the device, but I wasn't too surprised; it was a bit showy when it went off, and they would have made it a high priority.

"And finally," the man said, "we believe the Behemoth and a group of Hierophants are on the move somewhere nearby, but our perimeter is strong. They seem to be trying to keep themselves unseen rather than attacking anyone."

Ugh, that asshole.

My thoughts of revenge were short-circuited when Hugh stepped around a corner, and I found myself rushing over to him and wrapping my arms around him. It had caught me off guard, honestly, but I was mentally exhausted and so I gave myself a pass. "Hugh," I whispered to him, "I think I fucked up. They were going to make me stay there without you, they said they'd let Katrin and Errod die if I didn't, and I was so mad and so crazy and so stupid that I broke out and busted into Storm's Keep and kinda wrecked the place getting them out, and then we ran away through a portal and then Hammersmith was going to let them die too, but now I think she wants to get Errod alone so she can take the magic sword we found and they used iron on me, and I don't think I'm thinking straight, and I need you to get us out of here somehow."

He laughed, pulled me away from him to give me a strange look, and then smirked. "You stole someone's face, I see."

Oh, right.

"I will do what I can," he whispered as he leaned in closer, "but if you were able to break yourself out of a secure planar fortress and lay siege to the Knights of the Storm on your own you may not need as much help as you think, yes?"

With a pat on the shoulder he brushed past me, and walked towards Katrin and Errod with a big smile on his face. "Ah, it is so good to see you safe and healthy, yes? I will let Prince Lute know that you are safe and under the care of Lord Protector Hammersmith herself so that he knows without a doubt that he has nothing to fear."

Prince Lute? I was going to need to find out if Katrin had known that when she started making eyes at him and writing letters back and forth, but in the moment I was too busy watching Hammersmith to see Katrin's reaction. And Hammersmith... had for sure not known. For a moment I wondered if Hugh was making shit up, but Hammersmith would at least know the names of the royal family of Erathik, right? Also, as my mind in Ematse sped up time just to filter through what I knew about Katrin and Lute, I remembered that when Hugh had come to collect us from our jungle training facility and helped get us away from those bounty hunters he'd said that he was there specifically to make sure Katrin was safe. She'd assumed it was on Lute's behalf and at the time I'd just gone with him being a bit of a stalker, but who the fuck could send a retired royal guard to check on his girlfriend?

Not even girlfriend. Pen pal? No, they hadn't even sent that many letters, right? Man, I did not understand why some people got so serious so quickly. Or at all, honestly.

Anyway, fine, Katrin was flirting with a prince and Errod had a magic sword cool enough to make Hammersmith sweat. Sure. We headed inside, past checkpoint after checkpoint after checkpoint. This place was locked down tight. There were a few areas I got a glimpse of as we passed, and they looked like workshops or laboratories. We headed down sloping passages that led ever deeper, and eventually reached a huge security door. This was it. Before I could reach it, Katrin darted forward and pulled at the handle to no avail. Of course she would want to test Hammersmith's 'since you're siblings' statement.

And why shouldn't we do some tests? "After you," I said to Errod, "I insist."

He sighed in a resigned kind of way, and then strode forward and pulled the door open. He didn't look surprised.

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