"What the hell is going on?" Andy asked as he drew his greatsword. The path behind them had disappeared, as if by magic. He didn't know what they might be dealing with.

  "Hold on," Arlene said quietly.

  Andy relaxed his shoulders and sheathed his sword. She was right. If an unseen creature was using illusion magic, that didn't necessarily warrant aggression.

  No need to rush into combat, especially not without Kermit here to help with healing.

  "Did you hear that?" Arlene asked.

  Andy shook his head. He held his breath as he listened closely.

  "There," Arlene said, pointing off into the distance.

  Then Andy heard it, a faint sound of laughter.

  It was uncanny, almost as if it were an otherworldly attempt to mimic the laughter of children. It grew louder, and slightly more menacing.

  "I don't like the sound of that," Andy said, fighting the urge to reach for his sword.

  "Me either," Arlene said. "Should we turn back?"

  Andy considered it. They weren't on an important mission, they were simply enjoying a day hike. Nothing would be lost if they refused the encounter and returned to the cottage for the day.

  "Perhaps we should," Andy said, finally.

  As soon as the two adventurers turned around to leave, a louder noise reached them from the woods, this time a remarkably human-like scream.

  Andy instinctively drew his sword, and Arlene followed suit, drawing her bow and using Blend into Shadow to disappear from sight.

  "Who is that?" Andy called.

  "WhO iS ThaAaT???" a wobbly, inhuman imitation of Andy's voice called back.

  Andy backed up, keeping his sword in a defensive posture before him.

  Arlene emerged from her shadows. "Let's get out of here," she said.

  Andy kept his sword drawn but began to backpedal where the path had previously been behind them. To his amazement, he moved right through all the brush and limbs that appeared to be covering the path as if they were holograms.

  "Illusion magic," Andy muttered.

  Andy turned around to exit the forest more promptly only to see before him an old crone, hunched over in purple tattered robes and adorned in bones, feathers, and other animal parts.

  Andy recoiled, raising his sword again. "A witch!"

  Arlene drew her bow and disappeared again into the shadows.

  "Calm down young ones," the woman said. A single yellow eye peered out from behind a curtain of tangled white hair. "Please do not be alarmed. I see you have met my imps."

  A small, batlike creature flew past Andy's head and toward the crone, latching onto her robes and hanging at rest. It opened its mouth: "A WiTcH!" it said in its imitation of Andy's voice.

  "I apologize for their rude behavior," the old woman said. "They don't often have visitors and so they don't know how to behave."

  "Who are you?" Andy asked.

  "Quite an accusatory tone coming from you who stumbled into my woods," the old woman chuckled.

  "I didn't mean it like tha–" Andy began.

  "Of course you didn't, dearie," the woman said, shuffling toward Andy.

  Arlene reappeared.

  "A mighty fine way you have with disguise," the old woman said, complimenting Arlene's feat. She continued shuffling past them and down the path. "Can I invite you in for some tea?"

  Andy and Arlene looked at each other and then back to the woman. Andy wasn't sure, at least not beyond the shadow of a doubt, that this woman wasn't hostile. But she didn't seem hostile.

  "And who would we be joining?" Arlene asked.

  Damn, she's good at this, Andy said.

  The woman turned around and bowed slightly. "Gimotria, at your service."

  "Nice to meet you, Gimotria, I'm Arlene."

  "And I'm Andy."

  "The pleasure is all mine," the woman said, smiling behind her tangled hair.

  "What do you do, Gimotria?" Arlene asked.

  "I tend the shrine here," she said, a bat emerging from her sleeve and flying away as she continued down the path.

  The group emerged into a grove where a large, stone structure stood covered in moss and vines. Atop the structure was a fearsome, decorative face with an extended tongue and furrowed brow. Smoke poured out of the face's flared nostrils. The stonework was beautifully detailed.

  "Come in, come in," the woman said, pulling a few vines aside to reveal an entrance into the stone structure.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  The group entered. Andy had to duck to get under the low doorway, but inside, there was plenty of room.

  "Welcome to the shrine to the unknown god," said Gimotria. "Please make yourself comfortable while I get some tea ready."

  The interior was warmly lit with dim lanterns and a small hearth that ventilated up to the high ceiling.

  There was a large, long, wooden dining table with bench seating.

  On one side of the table sat an open tome and a small bag of coins and bits of materials and scrolls scattered messily, the other half of the table was completely clear of materials.

  Gimotria took a large, wet handcloth and used it to pick up a kettle hanging over the hearth, pouring hot water into a teapot. She put the teapot and a few cups on a tray and shuffled back to the table, sitting at the head while Andy and Arlene sat on either side.

  "Here you are," the woman said as she poured three cups of tea, placing one in front of Arlene, another in front of Andy, and one in front of herself. "Enjoy."

  Andy took the teacup and smelled it. It had a beautiful, delicate, citric quality, and the color of the tea, as best as he could tell in the dim lighting, was a bright, pale green. He sipped it gently.

  "Delicious," said Arlene. "Thank you."

  "You're very welcome dear," Gimotria said. "Now what brings two young, otherworldly lovers like you into my forest?"

  Andy nearly spit out his tea. "Oh, we're–"

  He looked across at Arlene, who was blushing.

  Andy decided the best thing to do was to let it go.

  "Are you on a quest?" Gimotria asked after an awkwardly long pause.

  "Well, sort of. We're on a quest but our presence in the woods has nothing to do with it. We were taking a walk to explore, really."

  "We saw a shrine indicated on a map, a shrine to an unknown god," Arlene said.

  "Well, welcome to the shrine," Gimotria said, gesturing at the room around them. "I've been the caretaker here for quite a while. Say, I really do apologize for the behavior of my mischievous familiars earlier. I can make it up to you, if you'd like. I can read fortunes, you know."

  Andy looked at Arlene, who wore a curious expression.

  "Sure," Andy said. "Why not?"

  "That's the spirit! Adventurous spirit," Gimotria muttered as she pointed to the bag of coins on the cluttered side of the table. "Hand me those, will you?"

  Andy passed her the bag of coins.

  Gimotria emptied the small bag onto the table: five gold coins. But they didn't seem like currency. They were slightly larger than usual and had intricate decorative engravings: faces, animals, and arcane symbols.

  "Now, let me see here," she said as she gathered up the coins into her hands and began to shake them like dice. "What do the lovers have in store for them?"

  Andy felt himself blushing again as the coins hit the tabletop. He looked across at Arlene. Her face was delicate but determined… beautiful… her pleasing figure was… wait no.

  Stop it.

  "Ah, I see," Gimotria said in a low growl. She reached into her robe and produced a monocle which she held to her left eye. "You are searching for a lost brother."

  "Millford," said Arlene without hesitation. "Kermit's brother."

  "You will find him in due time," Gimotria nodded.

  "Where?" Andy asked. "I mean where do we go to find him?"

  Gimotria gathered the coins again and then tossed them back onto the table, studying them. A brief look of horror crossed her face as her eyes widened, but she quickly got control of herself. "Northwest," she said flatly.

  There was a long pause.

  "Anything more specific?" Andy asked.

  "No," said Gimotria curtly. "Next query." She began rattling the coins in her hand again, letting them fall to the table. "A flying… lizard."

  "We just fought a Green Dragon the other day," Andy said.

  "Ah," said Gimotria, studying the coins. "It seems you have attracted the attention of the Wizard Pendrake."

  "Who's that?" Arlene asked.

  "A very cranky old man," said Gimotria. "Trust me, I know. He employs many creatures, including the Green Dragon which you faced."

  "The dragon said he would take us to an exit portal or kill us… either way, why does Pendrake want us gone?" Andy asked.

  "Because, dearie," Gimotria said, "otherworlders tend to grow in power and change things. The nobility and many of the region's most powerful Dissidents don't want change. They appreciate things as they are. The current state of the world is to their benefit."

  It lined up with what Andy had heard about noble politics. The initiation and arena battle they had fought were designed to discourage or kill new arrivals. Somehow, though, the group had made it through.

  "Who are the Dissidents?" Arlene asked.

  "Persons of great power, unaligned with the nobility of Cresthaven."

  "Why haven't the nobility wiped them out?" Andy asked.

  "Oh, they would if they could, dearie," Gimotria said. "Indeed, they have tried to… and failed." Gimotria moved her hand slowly to her tangled hair, moving it to the side, revealing the left side of her face. Deep burn scars surrounded an empty eye socket.

  Andy gasped. "What did they do to you?"

  "Oh, this was many centuries ago," Gimotria said, allowing her hair to cover the left side of her face again. "The nobility has tried to squash out all resistance to their power, to court the favor of the Thirteen Dissidents, or destroy them."

  "And you are one of the thirteen?" Arlene asked.

  "Indeed, dearie," said Gimotria with a cackle.

  A silence fell over the room interrupted only by the intermittent crackle of the hearth.

  "Who else?" Andy asked.

  "Oh, well, I can't remember all of them… I've been huddled up here for the past, oh, two hundred or so years. Let's see… there's me, of course, and Pendrake. Then there's the Warlock Schelling… and how could I forget… Barno Pabst. Or was it Barney? And I reckon nine or so others. A pirate lord, a powerful druid…"

  Gimotria seemed to be straining to gather the considerable mental energy required to recall the names of the Thirteen Dissidents.

  "It's ok," said Andy. "I'm sure our scholar friends will be able to fill in the rest."

  "Ah, yes, of course. Those scholars keep all the records," said Gimotria. "They wouldn't last a day in the deep forest, but they know books."

  "So is the nobility not strong enough to take out the Dissidents?" Arlene asked.

  "No, they are not," Gimotria said matter-of-factly. "They have enough trouble keeping their own city's guild masters in line. Why would they try to conquer the continent if they can't even unite their supposed allies?"

  That made sense to Andy. In their little time in Cresthaven, he had seen the discord and strife among guild members. That reminded him…

  "I've heard rumors of a guild war happening soon," said Andy. "Can you tell us about that?"

  "I can certainly see what the coins have to say." Gimotria picked up the coins and threw them lightly.

  "Ah… very inauspicious," she said, closing her wrinkled lips and humming quietly to herself. "A great uniter will give way to a great divider. The divider is hungry. A resistance will rise. Many will… many will suffer."

  "What do you mean?" asked Arlene, leaning in.

  "Well, I can only tell you what I see in the coins," said Gimotria. She closed her eyes and furrowed her brow, sitting meditatively for a moment. "It seems a war is upon Cresthaven."

  "What does that mean for us?" Andy asked.

  "Very good question," Gimotria said. She gathered up the coins and threw them again. She pointed toward Arlene. "You will become of great importance to the resistance. A fighter. A leader. You will do great good."

  She gathered up the coins again and threw them. "And for you," she said, addressing Andy. Her face fell. "For you I see a great darkness."