RAVEN'S GAMBIT

The stench of the slain ghast still lingered as the battered remnants of Group Seven climbed the short staircase, stepping out of bloodied water and into dry air once more. Before them stretched a long, torch-lit chamber—twenty feet wide, the far end swallowed by shadows. A door loomed at the northern wall beyond.

Sir Cedric Lightbringer, grim-faced and wounded, led the way. Behind him walked Deputy Mercy Whitlock, Elowyn Mosswhisper, and Lysara Dawnveil. The rest fanned out in twos and threes.

As boots echoed into the darkness, a sound rose—soft, melodic singing, distant but seductive, curling around their ears like smoke.

The notes were hypnotic.

Without warning, Lysara’s eyes glazed. Mercy Whitlock smiled vacantly. Togashi Norimasa’s hand drifted to his heart.

Shino of the Whispering Leaves tensed, breathing through his nose. He blinked and shook his head.

Theron Blackroot sneered, “I’ve heard sweeter lies from devils,” and shook off the enchantment’s call.

Morven, undead and resolute, did not falter.

Unaware their comrades were entranced, they all continued forward—four abreast.

Sir Cedric, Mercy, Elowyn, and Lysara.

A loud click echoed.

And then—the entire front line vanished.

A trapdoor the width of the chamber dropped open beneath their feet. Screams rang out, accompanied by the wet thud of bodies meeting spikes.

Still enchanted, the second line kept walking.

“STOP!” Shino shouted.

But Talen Marr, Togashi Norimasa, and Hachiro Noboru took another step.

Morven lunged and caught Hachiro’s arm, yanking him back. Without hesitation, he slapped him hard across the cheek.

“WHAT?!” Hachiro gasped, blinking back the enchantment.

“Magic,” Morven said flatly. “You were being drawn in.”

Together, the three peered into the pit.

Sir Cedric Lightbringer, pierced by two poisoned blades, gritted his teeth. Though the venom failed to kill him, the pain was sharp and real. He shoved himself upward, grimacing, blood dripping from his side.

Nearby, Deputy Mercy Whitlock hung motionless, impaled through the ribs. Her glassy eyes stared into nothing.

Elowyn Mosswhisper coughed violently, her wolf yipping beside her. Both had missed the spikes by inches, the fall alone breaking the spell’s hold.

Lysara Dawnveil, kind-hearted and resolute, had landed with her full weight on a single, silent blade. It had pierced her heart. Her final breath was long past.

On the other side of the pit, Talen Marr and Togashi Norimasa lay grotesquely folded—multiple blades piercing their bodies. There would be no return for either.

Hachiro trembled. “What witchcraft is this?”

Shino squinted across. “We’ll have to jump.”

The singing stopped abruptly.

Morven’s eyes narrowed. “It’s ten feet across. With only ten feet of floor, we’ll need a hard push.”

Sir Cedric leaned against the pit’s edge, pale from blood loss. “Take great care. The floor’s slick.”

Elowyn knelt beside him and examined his wounds. Without a word, she cast her only prepared healing spell, golden warmth spilling over his form. The pain vanished.

She sighed and slumped beside him. “That’s all I had.”

Before anyone could speak further, Morven took off, dead legs pounding short distance. He leapt—

—and cleared the pit.

But as he landed, his feet skidded on a frictionless surface, like greased glass.

He slid helplessly, arms waving—

—and a second trapdoor opened beneath him.

He dropped from view.

A sickening crunch echoed through the chamber.

He was dead.

Despite his immunity to poison, a single blade pierced his spine, ending him instantly.

“No…” Elowyn whispered.

Shino turned away. “We’re not getting across here.”

“Looks like we’re stuck,” Sir Cedric groaned.

“Do not give up!” Hachiro shouted. Without hesitation, he backed up, took a few running steps, and leapt.

He didn’t make it.

He hit the far ledge but slipped, crashing into the pit. Somehow, he avoided the spikes, but twisted his ankle in the fall.

Sir Cedric scoffed. “That was foolish.”

“Keep trying,” Elowyn said, staring at the walls. “I have an idea.”

Theron stepped away from the others. “This is suicide. I’m going back for help.”

Shino nodded. “Agreed. Let the dead stay dead.” They turned and disappeared into the darkness beyond the chamber door.

Sir Cedric narrowed his eyes. “What’s your great idea, druid?”

Elowyn stood and whispered a prayer. Vines erupted from the stone walls of the pit, forming a twisting lattice of roots—a living ladder.

“We climb out.”

She pointed to her wolf. “But you’ll have to carry him for me.”

Sir Cedric grunted, picked up the wolf, and climbed the vine wall. Elowyn followed. Hachiro, limping but grateful, climbed last.

Together, they stood again at the trap’s edge—alive, though only barely.

“We will return,” Hachiro said, solemnly. “And conquer this place. For Mercy. For Lysara. For all of them.”

Elowyn nodded, wiping tears from her cheeks.

They turned and followed after the others, leaving the chamber of song and slaughter behind them—for now.

TO BE CONTINUED...