"Now listen to the words of Alex, Hero of the Pit."

  In response to my words, the crystals running up and down the street flared to life.

  Vral's eyes cracked open, and she looked up at me.

  I brushed a few stray strands of hair behind her ear, then pressed my hand to her chest before continuing. "All you who fought against me have been defeated. Now, by the memory of the world and the bones of our ancestors, I make this demand: align yourselves with my will."

  The goblins in front of me looked at one another and started whispering.

  Just then, I saw words appear in my mind.

  [The Great Reclamation]

  I felt a wave of familiar energy wash over us. Looking up, I found the sky above the Dreaming Crown's center had ignited into rainbow-colored light. Along with the light, a wave of scintillating motes had erupted from the tree's center and was slowly floating down to the city.

  Inwardly, I prayed that meant Tristan had succeeded. Maybe both of us would today? "You will obey my commands without complaint or deception. You will protect my children, their children, and their children's children from all who would bring them harm." As I spoke, one of the motes fluttered past my nose, making my skin tingle as it brushed by. Slowly, playfully, it touched down in the center of the pile of ashes that had been the goblin I'd burned away.

  The mote flared and faded, and the ashes began to pull back together. The ash became bones, over which grew muscle, then skin.

  I felt my words die in my throat.

  In seconds, the ashes became a female goblin once again. As long red hair sprouted from the crown of her head, her eyes fluttered open and met mine.

  She screamed.

  "Shhh." Urik reached forward and pulled the woman into her arms, and Berik began stroking the woman's cheeks.

  Just then, I saw things approaching in the corners of my eyes. Turning left, then right, I saw dozens more bloodstained goblins approaching from every side, walking from the alleyways and into the street, their steps careful and measured as they walked toward me. And, walking with the goblins, there were others. Not many, but they were there. Humans. Elves. Dwarves. Even halflings. All of them looking very confused, and all of them were wearing robes of various colors and styles, none of which matched the era we were in.

  What was happening?

  Not knowing what else to do, I kept speaking. "If you should betray this oath, may your souls fade into the Black Waters, where they will never know rest, for all of eternity." As I finished speaking, the crystals all grew brighter, becoming so bright that they were hard to look at. At the same time, more and more motes touched down on the cobblestones. On crystals. On the buildings. Wherever they touched, there was a burst of light, and something sprouting from the ground and beginning to grow. From plants to flowers to trees, the city was quickly filling with people and becoming a jungle.

  In my mind, Dhurak's words had started to fade, but I didn't feel like my vow was done. I took a deep breath and decided to make an addition. "In return for your service, I will be the shield that protects your people. I will be the sword that will strike down those who would bring you harm. And I will be your voice when you can't speak." As I spoke, the crystals grew so bright that I couldn't see anymore. But still, there was something left unsaid. I could feel it. "As your Sovereign, if the day ever comes, I will lay down my life to preserve yours. This vow I make to you."

  As the final word left my lips, there was a pulse of energy, followed by a loud humming sound. Nearby, the light emitted from the crystals burst forth, filling the air around me with rainbow energy. Slowly, it began swirling like a vortex around me, gathering countless motes as it expanded and rose into the sky, meeting the light shining down from the Dreaming Crown's peak. At the same time, one of the motes fell out of the vortex and drifted lazily downward. Brushing past my cheek, it fluttered down and pressed itself onto Vral's lips before disappearing in a puff of light.

  All at once, her blackened veins cleared, her eyes popped open, and she took a deep breath. Wrapping her hands around the one I'd pressed to her chest, she unbuckled my gauntlet, pulled it off my hand, and threw it to the ground. One by one, she started kissing each of my fingers. Then, she grinned and bit my middle finger.

  "See, I told you I'd be fine." She stuck her tongue out at me. "You really gotta stop doubting me so much."

  I rolled my eyes. "You were quite literally about to die in my arms."

  "So?" Her grin grew. "I'm not dead now, am I?"

  "I'll actually drop you." I meant it, too.

  "You wouldn't dare."

  "Are you sure about that?"

  "Yes." She crossed her arms. "I'm precious good—Ow! My tit!" Her brows scrunched together as she rubbed the top of her breast.

  My heart nearly fell out of my chest. "What is it?!"

  "I don't know, but it hurts like a bitch!" With a groan, she grabbed my wrist and guided it to her breast. "Check it for me. And if it's bad, just lie..." She gritted her teeth, closed her eyes, and murmured, "... Dark Father's curly ass hair, that hurts..."

  "Okay." Carefully, I pulled back her leather vest and instantly found what it was. I wasn't surprised, but I didn't like it all the same. "Uh, Vral?"

  "Yeah?" She cracked an eye. "Is it bad?"

  I had a feeling she was about to turn into a feral cat on me. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm pretty sure you're one of my vassals now." Before she could respond, I added, "But that doesn't mean you're not your own woman!"

  "Huh?" She cocked her head downward. "What do you mean?" Cupping her hand under her boob, she pushed it upward so she could see better. "Wait, is that...?"

  "Yeah." Running my fingers over her raised skin, I traced the lines that made up a shield etched into her skin. My shield. "That's my symbol."

  For a second, her red eyes met mine, and her expression was unreadable. Then, a wide grin split her face. "Yesssssss!" Cupping her hands around her mouth, she screamed, "Ark! You dumb slut! You're not his number one vassal! I am!"

  "Vral..." All I could do was shake my head.

  "Does it look good?" She squirmed in my arms so she could see the mark better. "It looks good, doesn't it?"

  It did, in fact, look good. "Very." This wasn't how I thought things were going to go.

  "Damn right it does." Her smirk grew. "You did good with the tattoo placement. It's kind of hot knowing that only you and Tris'll get to see it when my shirt comes off." Her eyes met mine. "Which'll happen real soon, I hope?"

  I liked that thought.

  I liked it a lot.

  "As soon as we get home."

  "Fuck yeah..." She continued admiring the mark.

  "Um..." Berik murmured in front of us. "B-boss?"

  In response to the voice, Vral sighed. "There really isn't ever a moment of peace, is there?"

  I shook my head. "Nope." Looking away from Vral, I found that the swirling vortex had grown into a massive rainbow-colored wall far in the distance. Where it had been, all of the many, many goblins, along with the rest of the people, had surrounded us and were looking absolutely bewildered. What was more, every one of them had a shield etched somewhere visible on their skin.

  As I was taking them in, all the people who weren't goblins fell to their knees and began shouting.

  "My lord!" One man screamed.

  "You've brought us back!" A woman said through her wracking sobs.

  "When those insects came out of the basement, I thought that was it!"

  I held up my free hand. "I-I didn't—"

  "Thank you!" Another woman cried out. Her cry was followed by dozens more.

  I tried to tell them that I hadn't done anything and that they had it wrong, but they weren't listening. That was probably a good thing, since I had no idea what had actually happened other than that Tristan had cast a spell. So, I did the only thing I could. I decided to wait and see what happened.

  As the people continued their shouting, the resurrected goblins began shuffling through the crowd and gathered next to their friends. Within a few moments, there were dozens of goblins seated in front of me.

  "Boss?" Berik asked again, her voice a little shaky. "Uh, is it okay if we call you that?"

  I nodded to the little goblin. "Yeah. If you'd like."

  "You heard the man!" Urik stood and aggressively began pointing at the others. "Every one of you lazy sacks of shit better call him boss; otherwise, I'll gut you myself!"

  The goblins all began nodding and chattering excitedly with one another. From the sounds of it, and contrary to how I thought they'd feel, they were happy to have a strong new boss.

  Noticing the commotion, one of the bowing halfling men lifted his head. His eyes scanned the chattering horde of goblins for a few moments. Then, with a crooked finger, he pointed at me and screamed, "Fellow citizens of Caer-Elath! My friends! This man is no saint! He cavorts with the enemy!"

  Several of the citizens looked up and seemed to notice the goblins for the first time.

  "Goblins!" One woman shot to her feet and ran.

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  "They're here!" An old man teetered up onto his feet and nearly fell before another man caught him.

  "Call the guard!"

  The first halfling pointed at me. "Why is it consorting with demons!"

  "Is he one of the shadowspawn?!" A kneeling woman hissed.

  "He's holding one of the filthy things!"

  "Disgusting!"

  "Ugh, damn it..." Vral buried her head into my shoulder. "Can we go now?"

  If they'd only listen, then... "Hold on! I can explain everythi—"

  The halfling screamed, "It's the Black Flame! He's just used powerful magic to bring us back from death! Who else could do such a thing?!"

  "It is! It's him! I know it!"

  "I heard he can put on anyone's face!"

  "He's a devil!"

  "The Black Flame stole my wife!"

  More members of the crowd jumped to their feet and began shouting. Some even started throwing stones at the goblins.

  "I lost my son to a filthy goblin's blade!" A woman screamed.

  "I lost my daughter!"

  "Daughter? I lost everything in their raids mere weeks ago!"

  Looking down, I watched as the wonder quickly vanished on each of the goblins' faces. In its place, there was a familiar look of emptiness, one that had crossed Vral's face countless times since I'd met her.

  Just then, a long, jagged rock sailed through the air and nearly struck Vral in the temple. Before it hit her, I intercepted it with the back of my hand.

  My blood ignited.

  Without thinking, I cupped my hand over my mouth and screamed, "BE QUIET!!"

  The crystals lining the streets flared, and there was a pulse of energy. It entered me, sank deep into my spirit, and resonated with the threads inside of me, rippling from me to them. When every single mouth snapped shut, I realized that the magic had been amplified by the glowing crystals around me. I also realized that there were so, so many more threads now. Threads that went outward, and some more than floated into my spirit. What could that even mean?

  Rubbing my forehead, I took several deep breaths and tried to compose myself.

  This wasn't the time to lose my head.

  I had to calm down.

  For a few minutes, I soaked in the silence and got my bearings. When I finally felt ready, I looked out over the crowd and tried my best to feel what they were feeling. To look into their eyes and see what was behind them.

  There was doubt in their eyes.

  Uncertainty.

  Fear.

  And pain. So much pain.

  "Everyone, listen..." My mind blanked.

  I was no leader. And I sure as shit wasn't a public speaker.

  Sure, I used to run kitchens, and I taught martial arts on a fake-ass, alternate reality version of Earth, but that was it.

  What was I even doing right now?

  They'd just come back to life and were confused. And they needed to know everything. But who was I to tell them? I barely knew shit about shit.

  "Alex." Vral's voice was firm.

  My eyes found hers. "Yeah, Vral?"

  "Be strong." Her voice was uncharacteristically serious. "You've got this."

  Nodding to my partner, I took a deep breath and said the first thing that came to mind. "People of Caer-Elath-Sylnareth. This is going to be hard to hear, but please listen to what I have to say...."

  ***

  It took a few hours talking and several hundred of questions from the crowd, but, eventually, the resurrected people in the robes and togas finally understood their situation. They'd been dead for centuries. The world they'd left behind was long gone and had been replaced with this one. And now, they had been brought back through some incredible power. Now, there was no turning back. This was their life now. By the time they understood, the members of the crowd seemed more than a little shell-shocked. Slowly, the crowd's attention fragmented as people started recognizing one another and talking.

  At the same time, the goblins had also learned who I really was. I wasn't one of the hands of some cult. I was from Earth, I was a temple recruit and adventurer, the Hero of the Pit, and a chosen. I'd bamboozled them, and now, they were my vassals.

  Rather than being upset at getting tricked, the entire group seemed absolutely enamored with how I'd lied to get what I wanted from them. More than a few of them had come up to slap me on the back or tell me how much they respected my "hustle." In all honesty, it had probably been the most cunning I'd ever been. Whether that was a good thing or not, I had no idea.

  Once things settled down, Vral said she wanted to talk to her people and asked to be let down. Once I made sure she could actually stand, I did as she asked and watched as she sauntered over to her people. They welcomed her with open arms, and ever since, she'd been talking up a storm and seemed to be having a great time, especially with Urik and Berik... despite all the murder the Vral had committed, and all the murder Urik and Berik had attempted just hours before.

  I tried to make sense of it, but that was a losing battle. Goblins were insane. But, when the three women walked up to me, I put on a comforting face and asked, "So, is everything okay, or...?"

  Berik spoke first. "Who woulda thought someone like Vral the Slasher'd end up with a human?" She looked me over. "Not my thing."

  "I can see it." Urik shook her head as they stopped in front of me. "He may not be much to look at, but he carries her around like she's nothing. What girl wouldn't want that?"

  "Eh," Berik replied. "I guess I can see it."

  "You bitches are just jealous." Vral walked up to me, a grin on her face and her hips swaying, and hooked her arm around my waist. "He's a real man, and you should see how much of an animal he is when he throws our girlfriend and me into bed. Neither of us can walk afterward."

  She was hamming it up, doing her best to posture over the other women, and I was here for it. Who didn't like an ego boost?

  The goblin women didn't say anything, but their eyes told me exactly what they thought about Vral's words.

  "Don't get jelly," Vral said with a smirk. "I'm sure you'll find one of your own one day."

  The sisters both rolled their eyes.

  Vral stuck her chin up at the women. "A word of advice, though, ladies: Test him hard. If you find a strong one, there's no end to the fun."

  Berik snorted. "All I hear is that you got a leash put on you, girlie."

  Vral chuckled, but it was nervous. "Well, uh..."

  Urik quirked an eyebrow. "Did you take his hand?"

  Vral looked at the ground. "Well, almost... We're still working on it."

  Urik's eyes went wide, and she covered her mouth with her hand. "How scandalous."

  "Whore," Berik said flatly.

  "Shut up! I'm training him!" Vral shouted. "He hasn't learned all of our ways, yet. But he's drunk a pint of Breskaya! And he got approval from my Ka'dral! Isn't that good enough?!"

  Slowly, Urik nodded in approval. "Well, that's something, at least. You're not a total whore."

  "Breskaya, huh? How was that night? Fun?" Berik asked.

  Vral puffed her chest out. "We fought thirty-seven people. Right after, we went at it in an alley. He tore my top right off. Best night ever."

  The sisters both grinned and whispered, "Good man," at the same time.

  I looked at the sisters, then back down at Vral. "Can we back up? I thought you all wanted to kill each other?"

  Vral nodded. "We sure did."

  "I wanted her teeth," Urik said matter-of-factly.

  "I was going to put her ears on display," Berik said in the same tone.

  "And you're all okay with this?" I shook my head. "With being friends?" Pointing at the other goblins, I added, "I mean, she killed, what? Fifty people before Berik got her with an arrow?"

  "Forty-seven," Vral said. "But who was counting?"

  The entire goblin gang cackled at Vral's math.

  "She slit me ear to ear!" One goblin woman said, laughing.

  "Before I knew what was happening, I had a dagger in my heart!" Another goblin man said through chuckles.

  "The bitch gutted me good!"

  The others began loudly recalling their death-by-Vral experiences.

  "We're good now," Vral said with a nod.

  "Yeah, we worked it out," Berik clarified.

  "How?!" Nothing about their culture made sense.

  "Well, she killed most of our crew before we got her good." Urik ran her hands through her hair. "I think our blood debt's about settled. Right, Vral?"

  "Eh." Vral sighed. "I'd still rather you traitors take a dirt nap, but sure. I guess we can call it even."

  "Traitors?" I asked.

  "Those two bitches were Ash Eaters like me, but my dad kicked 'em out of the tribe for being dirty thieves."

  "We were starving!" Urik shouted.

  I looked at the three of them in turn and, when none of them explained, I said, "Explain."

  "We stole food from the others and got caught," Berik clarified.

  "Ah." I scratched my beard. "And that got you exiled?"

  "Yeah! And then the two bitches went and tattled to the Istaeran's about us!" Vral snarled. "They made up all kinds of lies about us sacrificing people and shit!"

  Urik stomped her foot. "I told you we didn't do that!"

  "We really didn't, Vral." Berik crossed her arms. "You know we'd rub it in if we did."

  Vral glowered at them. "Fine. I guess I believe you."

  Before they could keep going, there was a thunderous flap of wings and a massive gust of wind. An instant later, something huge flew over the street, then landed on a nearby manor with enough force to shake the ground.

  "The Great Mother!" One of the robed citizens screamed.

  "Is that her?"

  With a mighty pump of her wings, the massive creature lifted its head toward the sky and let out a cry that shook the air and earth both.

  All of the citizens of the city threw themselves onto their knees, and nearly every goblin did the same.

  For a long time, I took the Great Mother in. She had great leathery wings and scintillating scales running down her chest. A long crystalline horn jutted from her head, catching the light like a prism, and her eyes glowed faintly with inner power that reminded me of the light inside the crystals. Fur lined her arms and back, and she had large, upright ears that made her look kind of like a shepherd or Doberman. In fact, her entire face was vaguely doglike.

  She was incredible.

  As I soaked her in, more shapes descended from the Dreaming Crown above. They were harpies. Dozens upon dozens of them. One by one, they landed on the rooftops around the Great Mother, forming a perimeter around the massive dragon-thing. Ushai was with them, her grey hair whipping in the wind as she touched down on the manor's edge, looking tiny but regal as she stood beside the Great Mother. When she noticed me, she inclined her head.

  Then, movement at the top of the Great Mother's head caught my eye. Something small and white scurried up from behind one of her massive ears and perched between them. It looked like a cross between a rabbit and a ferret—white and brown fur, long ears, and a body that was stretched out long. Its tiny crystalline horn matched the Great Mother's.

  It was Fluffy.

  "Ri ri!" The little creature chirped, and the Great Mother's head turned slightly, allowing her massive eye to take in her offspring with a look that I could only describe as affection.

  "Look!" One of the goblins pointed at the rooftop. "There are more of us up there!"

  I followed the man's finger and saw five figures crawling down the Great Mother's fur. Five very familiar, green-skinned figures.

  Ark stood at the front, her red dreadlocks unmistakable even from this distance. She raised both arms above her head and waved.

  "BOSS!" Her voice carried easily across the distance. "WE MADE IT!"

  Grort stood beside her, along with Klart, Lutz, and Frik. All five of them looked exhausted but excited, grinning and waving down at us alongside Ark.

  Relief washed over me. I'd been worried about them.

  "No fucking way," Vral growled.

  "Vral!" Ark cupped her hands around her mouth. "You should see this thing! She's incredible!"

  Vral's entire body went rigid, and her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Ark, you ginger bitch!" She screamed back. "You better not have ridden a fucking dragon before I did!"

  Ark stuck her tongue out and made an exaggerated gesture of petting the Great Mother's side. "Oops."

  "I'm going to kill her," Vral muttered. "I'm actually going to kill her."

  "Be nice," was all I said.

  "No! That slut rode a dragon first! That was supposed to be my thing! Vral the Dragon Queen, remember!"

  Before I could respond, another figure appeared on the rooftop.

  Vral's throat caught, and my heart stopped.

  "Tristan!" I started forward, but something made me hesitate.

  The woman on the roof looked like Tristan. She had the same height, the same build, the same long black hair, except her usual ponytail wasn't tied. Instead, her hair hung loose around her shoulders and flowed in an invisible wind.

  "Is that..." Vral's words faded away as she took our partner in.

  There was something different about Tristan. Her posture was straighter, more regal. Her shoulders more firmly squared. And her face, even from this distance, was wrong. While it was her face, I could see that her expression was different. It was still beautiful. Still striking. Still kind. But it was more placid, too. More relaxed than Tristan usually was. More distant.

  And her eyes.

  Her eyes were glowing with brilliant white energy, so bright I could see them clearly even across the distance.

  The woman who was and wasn't Tristan raised one hand toward the sky and whispered words of power.

  [Call of a Thousand Roots]

  A wave of soft white light rippled outward from her raised palm, washing over the entire street and continuing beyond. In response, the thousands of crystals flashed, too. Wherever the light touched, the trees that had already begun growing from the Great Mother's motes of light twisted and surged upward, their trunks thickening and their branches spreading. Bushes sprouted from cracks in the cobblestones and swelled to three times their size. Vines crawled up the sides of buildings, covering the ancient stone buildings in thick vines.

  And then, once each plant tripled in size, all at once, every plant burst into bloom. The trees, bushes, and vines all became covered in blossoms of every size, shape, and color. The flowers lasted only moments before they transformed again. The petals fell away, and in their place, fruit began to form. Apples, pears, berries, nuts, and cones filled their branches and ripened. And then, when the light finally faded, everywhere I looked was covered in food-bearing plants.

  The crowd stood in stunned silence.

  I stared up at the woman on the roof, my mind struggling to process what I'd just witnessed.

  That wasn't Tristan. I mean, the being had Tristan's face. It had Tristan's body. Its power felt like her power. But whoever was looking out through those glowing white eyes, whoever had just transformed an entire city block into a garden with a single spell... That wasn't my Tristan.

  Vral whispered beside me. "Alex, what the fuck just happened?"

  I didn't have an answer.

  Slowly, the woman on the roof lowered her hand and turned those glowing eyes toward us.

  And then, she smiled.