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about things unnatural. If the Thinblade didn’t work against the beast, then facing it would probably be the last thing he would ever do.
    Later that night, he walked with Isabel back to their quarters.
    “I’m worried about tomorrow,” she said when they came to her door.
    “Hopefully, Kelvin will have something powerful enough to deal with that thing. If not, maybe I can lure it out onto the bridge again and at least get some of our people into the Keep without a fight. Eventually, we’re going to have to deal with it though.”
    She looked up at him. “I just wish there was a way to know if your sword will work against it.”
    “Me too, but I think there’s only one way to find out.” Before she could protest, he gently pulled her to him and kissed her. She held on tightly and responded with gentle passion.
    “Alexander, this is killing me. I know we agreed to wait, but I don’t want to wait any longer,” she said.
    He smiled down at her. “Me neither, but I think it’s important that we do.”
    “I know,” she said. “When do you think our parents will get here?”
    “Not as soon as I’d like,” he said with a smile and kissed her again. “Good night, Isabel. I love you.”
    “I love you, too,” she said before she reluctantly released him and opened the door to the room right next to his.
    It had been a challenge for them both, spending their nights with nothing but a wall and their agreement between them. With every passing day, Alexander felt his love and desire for her grow stronger and his resolve to wait for their wedding weaken, but he knew that they should be wed first and that meant waiting for their families to arrive. Of all his concerns, this one was the least urgent yet the most distracting.
    The next morning, he stood watching the scourgling while awaiting Kelvin’s arrival. He could see the army camped below. It looked like a small force from this altitude. They’d arrived just after dark and made camp by the light of torches and fires. Alexander knew that Kelvin would take time to make preparations for the scourgling before he made his way to the top of the bridge platform, but he was impatient for the Guild Mage to arrive nonetheless.
    Two hours after dawn, the bridge sentries reported movement on the spur road below. Isabel sent Slyder for a closer look and reported that Mage Gamaliel was approaching and he had six wizards with him. Clearly, Kelvin took the threat posed by the netherworld beast very seriously. Half an hour later, Kelvin and his six wizards cautiously and slowly came into view. They quietly moved onto the bridge platform and spread out behind the scourgling. The netherworld beast was oblivious to them; it stood stone-still, waiting for an opportunity to get to Alexander.
    Alexander and his companions watched as the wizards advanced on the demon. When he saw Kelvin and the others, Alexander made up his mind that the risk to them might be too great. He hoped that once safely inside the Keep, they would be able to discover a means of killing the beast.
    He reached into the Keep Master’s ring and brought the bridge into existence. All seven of the wizards stopped and waited for the beast to make the next move. It held still for just a moment as if it expected the bridge to disappear, but then started charging across it toward Alexander.
    “At least it’s stupid,” Alexander said with a sidelong glance at Isabel. A moment later the bridge vanished and the scourgling tumbled silently toward the spur road below.
    Alexander brought the bridge back into existence and called out for Kelvin and his wizards to cross. He scrutinized the colors of each man as he passed under the arch into the paddock and found each to be honorable, dedicated—and very powerful.
    Alexander felt much better having them at the Keep. They could begin exploring some of the areas devoted to the study and creation of magic. He’d left the shields guarding those areas in place to protect both