Cavrey’s cool air put the mood of the soldiers at ease. Gwen wasn’t sure if she liked the idea of it, really. The last thing she needed was for her men to be taken off guard now, when they were so close.

The Wishcharmer was here, in this very city. Babo had confirmed it, though Gwen herself was still unsure how.

‘You’re unsure of how to proceed?’ the cat-like creature asked from near Gwen’s feet. She bristled, looking down with a scowl.

‘I’m perfectly capable of completing the mission, Babo. There is a reason Salvidi trusted me to this.’

‘And there is a reason he invited me to come along, as well. Please don’t be combative, Gwendolyn. I am but a servant of the cause. We are on the same side.’

Gwen sniffed, looking across the city as they marched on. Trees grew in manicured lines throughout the streets, hugging the curved roads and caressing the sides of the taller buildings. In the air, birds chirped in the morning light. They were still a day behind this Wishcharmer, and though it was still early in the morning, Gwen was on edge. They needed to find him. She hoped Babo was right. She hoped they had arrived in time.

‘Do you know of any way we can locate this Wishcharmer?’ she asked, looking to the cat.

Babo tittered. ‘We will be made aware of his location.’

‘We will?’ She smirked. ‘And do you mind telling me how this will be done?’

Sighing, the cat stopped, forcing the column of soldiers to do the same, just behind him. He shook his head and looked up at Gwen. ‘Perhaps Salvidi should have told you more… Never mind, I suppose….’ He nodded, before continuing. ‘The Wishcharmer is wild, and has no idea how to control his powers, yet the vengeful Djinn has not been contained by their council. This was done in good faith.’

Gwen furrowed her brow. ‘I don’t understand. I always thought the different councils didn’t care for each other.’

‘They do not have any direct animosity toward one another. However, you are correct in your assumption. There is no official distaste between the ruling councils of the Djinn, Sorcerers and Goulems… However, time has given way to… diverse disagreements.’

‘They hate each other silently.’

Babo nodded and started forward once more. ‘Very astute. In regards to the appearance of a Wishcharmer, however… They have managed to put aside their various differences.’

‘So they let this angry Djinn wander around… I don’t understand how it is supposed to be a boon for us.’

‘This is the very same Djinn who was wronged by our wayward Wishcharmer. While I’m not permitted to discuss details, I will tell you that the Djinn is partly responsible for the creation of the Wishcharmer, but because of this, he has lost nearly half of all the magic power he possessed.’

‘Half Djinn? Then it’s a Magi…’

‘A very vengeful Magi, my dear. One who pins the blame of his lost power squarely on the shoulders of the man we seek.’

Gwen scoffed as they moved deeper into the quiet streets of Cavrey. It was a bold plan, but there was no guarantee it would work.

‘My scouts have seen the Magi wandering the edges of Cavrey. Undoubtedly, he has found our Wishcharmer for us.’

‘So we wait for him to pounce on the prey?’

‘Precisely. With any luck, we will be able to subdue them both with relative ease.’

‘But… He will be out for blood! I thought we were meant to bring this Wishcharmer back to Geb alive!’

‘That would be the ideal outcome. We must discover exactly how he came to be. If for no other reason, then to assure it never happens again.’

Gwen sighed. ‘I still don’t understand why these Wishcharmers are so dangerous!’

‘The answer is simple, my dear Gwen… The Wishcharmers threw the universe into chaos eons ago. They are the sole cause of the misery of war. The archetypes of destruction. They were the enemy in the last great war of the universe.’

Gwen felt something catch in her chest. The burning heat of fear washing over her as Babo’s words wound their way through her mind. She had read the sacred books. She had learned of all the wars, but none had been more terrifying to her than the last great war. The war to end all wars, it had been called. The three great powers of the universe, locked in immortal combat.

She had read of their foe. A force more powerful than any that had ever been known. Their name had been whispered on the wind for as long as she had sensed it’s passing. The horde of darkness. The Star-Killers.

‘Sufficed to say, we have little time to waste,’ Babo insisted, hurrying forward. Gwen nodded, though she knew the cat hadn’t seen it. He was concerned with the task at hand, while she still couldn’t comprehend what she had learned. If it were true, if this Wishcharmer was one and the same as the Star-Killers spoken of in the Holy Books… Their world, and every other life in creation, across the oceans of heaven, was in danger.