"So what’s the solution? You said killing the enchanter but I’m thinking it’s more than that." Azaroth said.

"Indeed, you are right. Killing Ghostwriter will naturally weaken any enchantment done by him but that won’t be enough to undo it completely." Evernight said.

"First Ghostwriter dies and I help you rewrite the enchantment on the mask or you make sure he dies before he puts the mask on you." Evernight continued.

Azaroth thought about it. He didn’t know much about enchanters and how it was made and he didn’t want a mask made to compel obedience to be put on him.

"How will I make sure Ghostwriter dies before the mask was put on me?" Azaroth asked. That seems like the only sensible option.

"You release the monster that will kill him of course! That will kill the Elder too!" Evernight said.

Azaroth frowned. This scheme.... isn’t sitting well with him. There were simply too many holes he couldn’t fill and so many ways it could turn on him.

"Why don’t you release the monster before they come into East Haven?" Azaroth asked.

Evernight laughed, his laughter was smooth and carried gently in the air like flowers. "You still have a lot to learn Azaroth. Tell me apart from death what’s most important?"

Azaroth narrowed his eyes. Why was Evernight asking him such a question? Then he thought about it, apart from the killing what’s important?

His mind turned and his brows drew together, if an assassination occurred, apart that it occurred what’s important is...

"The way and where and who," Azaroth said, his voice a little smug.

Evernight clapped. "Oh! You think fast! If I killed the Elder and Ghostwriter here that means there are probably spies and assassins here and it would mean a divided house. It would disturb the Inferno Legion capital and send a ripple through it."

"I still don’t understand, why would any powers in the continent be after their death? Can’t they go after the leader?" Azaroth asked.

"Do you know why there hadn’t been any major conflicts and war between the five Great Clans that ruled the Doomhaven continent?" Evernight asked.

Azaroth shook his head.

"They have the power to attack each other of course but they won’t because attacking your neighbor leaves room for your other neighbor to attack you. They are all so afraid of their neighbors attacking or betraying them that no two of any of them allied with another."

Azaroth shook his head. "I still don’t see how that relates to my question of attacking the leader."

Evernight started at Azaroth. "Because no one is powerful enough to attack any leader of the Five Great Clans unless they are leaders themselves. They are just that powerful."

"Sending a ripple through Inferno Legion is like creating a crack in a fortress wall from the inside," Evernight said.

"And," Azaroth said.

"If you make them weak internally then it will be easy to take from outside." Evernight clapped and laughed.

Azaroth sighed. How did this man get the energy to laugh even at things that aren’t funny?

Well, now he knew why Evernight wanted to make sure they died inside East Haven but Azaroth still had a lot of questions.

"How do you have a Hound mask and keep disobeying?"

Evernight touched his mask. "Oh, this! It is fake of course! See!"

Evernight’s right finger lit the room in a soft pink light as he summoned essence. He waved it in front of himself and the mask... turned pink. The mask began changing, from black to pink then it got soft until the only thing covering Evernight was pink leaves.

Even the leaves gently detached from his face and revealed a white mask the color of bone. Where the sockets were supposed to be were two pink rose flowers that glowed with inner light, a smiling mouth had been painted with vivid red and a nose had been drawn too.

Azaroth stared at Evernight. Was this his real mask? It looked beautiful like a mocking skull.

Evernight laughed and it sounded strange to hear his laughter with that red smiling lips that was painted on his mask.

It didn’t sound light to Azaroth this time. The laughter sounded like he was mocking him.

"You should look at yourself! I told you Azaroth, that you were interesting! You are one of the few that had seen my mask and still look indifferent!" Evernight clapped. "Well most of them can’t scream again anyway but still!"

Azaroth decided it wouldn’t be necessary information to ask about that last sentence. It hit him then that he didn’t know anything about this man.

He knew he was powerful but not his rank or where he came from, he didn’t even know the extent of his plans in East Haven.

Azaroth shrugged. He didn’t mind though, since they were using each other and it wasn’t like Azaroth was sharing anything either.

"How do you do that?" Azaroth asked.

"My technique of course! Illusion! A very complex but well-worth one." Evernight turned his rose eyes on him and Azaroth had the feeling that it wasn’t there just for decoration.

He might be seeing through them.

"Your technique is Illusions?" Azaroth asked.

"Of course not! My technique is The Way Of The Still Flowers. It has an illusion skill though." Evernight said.

Azaroth nodded, is that why he was able to manipulate leaves? There are lots of techniques out there.

"Can’t I have an illusion mask too?" Azaroth asked.

"No, my illusions are only for myself and my environment. It won’t work if I’m not there." Evernight said.

A shame, Azaroth thought. "You haven’t shown me how the Hound mask works though and that’s the very beginning of our deal."

"Oh right!" Evernight clapped and a little shockwave of pink energy pulsed through the room. Energy warped around his hands and the rose eyes glowed bright.

Hundreds of pink leaves appeared in the room, creating a storm that soon surrounded them.

Soft leaves brushed again Azaroth and his white hair whipped up in the gust created. Evernight was floating in the middle of the pink storm now, his brown hair flying wildly.

Azaroth opened his mouth but his voice was drowned out by the leaves storm. Azaroth split pink leaves from his mouth and looked up just in time to see the storm collapsed on the two of them, drowning out all sounds.