Alessandra, Seth, and William accompany Captain Corsi as he splits from the wagons going to Port Calibre.  They discover the captain has a secret mission in Mercel, deep in the Dark Forest. He was sent to retrieve a powerful "relic" and return it to Castle Parlimae. A secret meeting between Corsi and a gang of highwaymen, led by the sinister Nicolas Bouchard, proves to have deadly implications for Alessandra, Seth, and William.