"Syle?" I asked.
He nodded. "He must have the coal from the Berryglow Tree it might help us."
"Is he going to trade again, like before?" I asked.
"He might. He never does anything for free. We should go as soon as possible we're losing time. Let me arrange a meeting with him," said Samuel.
This time both Sir Benjamin and May decided to join us. Syle agreed to meet in two hours. Normally, Syle never accepted meetings so quickly, but for Sir Benjamin, he made an exception.
Two hours later, we arrived at Syle's antique shop. He was sitting at the till, just as before. His sharp eyes turned to May.
"You've brought a mundane this time," he said.
"She's May," Samuel replied firmly.
"What do you need now, and why have you come?" Syle asked Sir Benjamin with respect.
"We face a great disaster," Sir Benjamin said, and he told Syle everything.
At first, Syle shook his head in disbelief. Then he realised something was wrong—his memory had gaps, as if something important had been erased.
"We're going to perform the ritual of Mentis Revocatum to restore everyone's memory of the Blood Moon ritual," Samuel explained.
"And for that, you need coal from the Berryglow Tree and an elf?" Syle asked.
"Yes. That's why we need your help," Samuel replied.
"I do have a piece of coal," Syle admitted, "and I'm willing to help."
"What's the catch this time?" I asked.
"No catch," Syle said, glancing at May. "So this mundane girl is the next sacrifice?"
I nodded.
"Then let's begin."
We needed a large empty room. Sir Benjamin offered the ballroom in his mansion. Syle packed everything he would need, and we travelled there together.
The ballroom was vast, circular, and dazzlingly white. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, scattering light across furniture decorated with gems. White flowers filled the space, their scent drifting through the air.
Syle opened his bag. He pulled out a mortar and pestle, the coal from the Berryglow Tree, and a glass bottle filled with ash.
"Is that ash?" May asked quietly.
"Yes 'human ash," Syle replied.
He crushed the coal into fine powder, mixing it with the ash until it formed a dark paste. With his fingers, he began to draw on the polished floor. First, he made a large circle. Inside it, he drew a smaller one. Within that, a triangle.
"Stay away from the circle," he warned.
We stepped back. Syle entered the triangle and stood at its centre. His voice lowered to a chant:
"Per carbones sacros Arboris Bacculumen."
The first circle flared with fire.
"Per lumen lunae vigilantis."
The second circle blazed to life.
"Claustra memoriae frangantur."
The triangle caught fire.
"Mentis Rev"
The doors burst open. Countless Shaezraks flooded in, their shadows twisting across the ballroom.
The attack shattered the ritual. The ground shook with a deafening blast, and a violent storm roared through Saint Harley.
Sir Benjamin raised his hand. A shimmering, invisible shield wrapped around May, pushing the creatures back. "Hide!" he ordered.
The Shaezraks swarmed Syle, clawing at him until blood stained his clothes. Samuel rushed forward, summoning a fiery sword into his hand, slashing through the attackers. Sir Benjamin conjured the same flaming blade and fought with fierce resolve.
Together, the three of us battled until the last of the creatures fell. May, hidden away in one of the bedrooms, only returned when silence finally filled the mansion.
Syle lay injured, barely able to move. Samuel and Sir Benjamin bore smaller wounds, their strength only slightly drained. I had escaped almost untouched. But the ballroom was destroyed, the mansion wrecked beyond recognition.
When we stepped outside, the storm had ended, but its destruction stretched across the town. Streets were in chaos. Police cars and ambulances sped past with wailing sirens.