Alarm bells were blaring, the stone shook from the noise, and Clergy’s heart was in his stomach.

Nitara nodded toward the back way. “We need to move. Now.”

There was a commotion coming from the window. Voices. Shouting. Guards racing down the path, but… not toward the archives. They kept on past the building, hurrying deeper into the village. What’s going on? Clergy thought.

“Into the hall,” Micah said. “We’re going out the back.”

Clergy started to nod but Micah had already grabbed his arm and was towing him toward the doorway.

“Lock it down!” A voice shouted from outside. “I want five men to sweep this area, the rest of you get your asses up there! Move!”

More voices were at the front. Swords and plates rattled just beyond the door. Micah dragged Clergy past the desks toward the doorway. This is bad! Clergy thought. This is bad! This is bad! He stumbled and dropped his book. Wait— he pulled his arm free from Micah. I need this. He started walking back toward the book, but kicked it a little forward by mistake.

Micah turned toward him. “What’re you—” Clergy picked up the book. Got it.

“Clergy get away from the window!”

Clergy looked up. What?

“Do you see that?”

“In the window! Look!”

“I think something’s moving!

Voices called out from outside as others began to echo those chants.

Shit! Clergy stumbled toward Micah, who caught him and pulled him out of view. “Clergy you can’t—” then Nitara strode over.

She grabbed Clergy and hoisted him up by his collar. “Are you trying to get us—” She grit her teeth as she stumbled. She let Clergy go.

“Nitara!” Micah said, as he raced over to help her, but she waved him off.

“It’s your ankle, isn’t it?” Micah asked.

Nitara took a breath then stood back up. “I’m fine.”

Micah gave her a level stare. “You know the brace isn’t a full fix. It just takes the edge off. You’ll hurt yourself if you keep going.”

“I’m fine.”

“You always tell me not to push it when I’m hurt.”

“That’s for you,” she said. “I’ve been pushing it all day.”

“And that’s why you need to slow down!”

She sucked her teeth. “We don’t have time—”

There was banging at the front. “Get this door open,” a woman’s voice called out. “We need to check inside.”

Nitara and Micah snapped toward the door.

“Get behind us,” Micah said. He reached into his boot and pulled out a dagger, while Nitara unsheathed her sword. They took their stance, but Nitara hissed through her teeth as she did, before shifting some weight off her back foot.

Micah looked toward Nitara and—

Clergy flinched at more banging by the door. “Where’s that damn key?” Another voice at the front called out. Clergy could feel himself start to shake. He’d seen the two of them fight before but now... now— they’re screwed, Clergy thought. There were too many guards. Nitara was hurt. They—

“Clergy!” Micah said. Had he been calling his name the whole time? “You need to go out the back, now! Find Alvon. He’ll keep you safe.”

Clergy froze. What? “Micah I—”

“There’s no time to argue!” Micah said. “Nitara and I can look after ourselves but not if we have to watch you too!” He pointed at the door. “Now go!”

“But—”

“Go!”

Clergy looked toward Nitara with a silent prayer.

She eyed him for a moment, then sucked her teeth as she looked away. “We’ll be out there soon.”

Clergy’s insides twisted and squirmed, but Micah glared at him again and Clergy knew he had no choice. He headed toward the back door. What could he do? I’m dead. There had to be something. I'm dead! Anything! I’m dead! I'm dead! He stepped through the door.

There was nothing.

The bells had stopped. Alvon was gone. Just the empty backway and—

“... we have to— hey!” a man’s voice suddenly called out.

Clergy turned towards it.

Oh no. Five guards rounded the corner to his left. Swords drawn, wide-eyed, and angry. The sergeant was among them too. Clergy stared at them in horror. Why isn’t Alvon here? He thought. The guards started to approach. Why wasn’t the sergeant with Abel? His legs refused to move. Why—

Then he had his answer. Screams.

Clergy brought his hands to his ears and cried out as they blared in his mind, filled with passion and fury. Demonic screeches echoing inside his— wait, Clergy thought. I know this feeling. I know this sound.

The guards flinched back at Clergy’s scream. “The fuck are you doing?” One of them said. Then another looked behind them and his face went pale. “Sarge!”

Oh no.

Coming up behind the guards in tattered clothes, wielding an axe and a sword, was Amos. Fresh blood was dripping from the blades, and his eyes were pulsing with a fierce red light.

The guard who’d screamed stumbled back. “Form up!” The sergeant called. “Get—” an axe dug into his head.

Amos was still following through his throw as the guards gawked at the sergeant’s falling corpse. Three of the five roared and charged Amos, while the others failed to meet the moment so soon.

The first came up fast taking a swing across Amos’s chest, but Amos ducked the blow, stepped through, and sliced his gut. The second came just as the first fell. He brought his sword down with a vengeance, but Amos swung up as he stood, knocking the guard’s blow away, before cutting down his chest and sending him to his grave.

“Fucker!” The third guard screamed, as he came up behind the second, but Amos paid him no mind.

Instead, he kicked the second’s corpse into him as it fell, forcing the third guard to stumble and fall beneath his dead friend. Amos spun away and pounced after another guard, who was still gawking at the sergeant. He came too just in time to watch Amos run him through.

The fifth man, it seemed, heeded the sergeant’s final words, approaching slowly before taking his stance. Amos charged and for moment the guard was holding his own.

A high blow, ducked. An arm saved off a block. Swords crossing. Colliding. A parry from Amos. The guard’s leg was exposed, and with a flick of his wrist Amos let his blade bite into flesh, and brought the guard down to a knee.

The guard looked at Amos and glared. “You won’t—”

Amos slit his throat.

The third guard finally started getting up, but there was nothing left of his friends but corpses amid carnage. His face went pale and he bolted, heading back toward the path and lodges.

Amos sucked his teeth, went back to the sergeant, ripped out his axe, and hurled it at the guard. He dropped.

Clergy stared in horror at the scene. What—

Amos turned around. Clergy stood frozen as their gazes met. Amos’s eyes went wide. “You.” He charged.

Oh shit! Clergy thought as he flinched back. Don’t— he tripped, stumbling over a sword. His gaze flashed to it. Take it. It was his only chance. He grabbed it, scrambled back, raised the sword, Shit!

Suddenly, time stopped. Color faded from the world. Blood froze atop wounds as the breeze turned stagnant. Everything was silent.

This is… like at the prison, Clergy thought as he stood and looked around. Then his gaze was drawn toward Amos. He was caught in the middle of his charge. His eyes still glaring and red. Suddenly, red smoke started pouring out of his skin, building in front of his frozen frame until it formed a smokey red figure that looked exactly like him.

The smoke clone met Clergy’s gaze. Oh no. It resumed it’s charge, staying low to swing up at Clergy. Shit! Shit! Shit! Clergy raised his sword.

The vision faded. Color returned to the world. Bells and barked orders rung out through the space again. Amos was still in his charge. One stride, another, he was at Clergy and swung, but… Clergy’s blade was already moving to block. Their swords collided and they tumbled back onto the floor.

“What a surprise Clergy boy,” Amos said, leaning over Clergy as he pressed his sword down hard. “Here you are again.” Clergy’s arms trembled against the weight. “Mr. Doesn’t know a thing but’s always mixed up in the shit.” Amos leaned in close. “I don’t like being lied to.”

Clergy could barely speak against the strain. “I… I never lied!”

“You must think I’m fucking stupid,” Amos said. “If you thought I’d fall for this bullshit twice.” He pressed down harder. “Now tell me who you are. Who sent you?”

What? Clergy thought. “Sent me? I—”

Glass shattered nearby. Clergy looked and saw two guard’s bodies, then Micah and Nitara burst out the archive windows. The guards thudded against the ground while the other two rolled as they landed.

Micah swiped the hair out of his face, and his gaze caught Amos over Clergy. His eyes went wide. “Cler—”

Nitara bolted over, sword in one hand, dagger in the other. She hurled her knife at Amos, who quickly grabbed Clergy’s wrist while he spun and deflected the blow, but Nitara had closed the gap. Still charging, she grabbed the sword with both hands and swung up at Amos, who barely had time to react. The force of the blow sent him to his feet, and he leapt away from Clergy; but Nitara stumbled then screamed as she followed through the swing.

Micah was already racing over, sword in hand as well. “Nitara!” he cried.

Clergy scrambled to his feet. Amos had just recovered. He went to charge again but a bolt whizzed through the air and caught him in the shoulder. He stumbled forward.

“Take them down!” A man’s voice called out.

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Everyone turned towards it. An ashen haired warrior with a goatee and a crossbow stood at the head of a dozen guards heading down the path.

Amos ripped the bolt out of his shoulder, which bled for a moment, until smoke started to rise from the wound. It started to close. The thin trails billowed into the open air for a few more moments, until all that remained of the wound was a dark scar.

“Fuckers don’t know when to quit,” Amos said, cracking his neck while he rolled his shoulder. He started walking toward the crowd.

“Clergy!” Micah called. Clergy turned toward him. He’d already started walking deeper into the village while holding up Nitara, but he’s stopped and turned toward Clergy. “We have to go! Now!” he said.

Clergy started to walk toward him, but then he stopped. Is he really gonna let me do this? He thought. Then he turned toward Amos.

He’d stopped just ahead. He turned and eyed the three of them for a moment, before looking back at the guards, and deflecting another bolt. He sucked his teeth and met Clergy’s gaze.

“You and I aren’t done,” he said. “We’ll talk again real soon.” He continued up the path, deflecting another bolt before charging at the guards.

“Let’s go!” Micah said.

Clergy took a breath and snapped his mind away from Amos, at least for the moment. He started heading toward the two of them. They continued on past a lodge, before turning left and heading back up toward the open field.

Nitara winced and grunted as she hopped along on one foot, but Micah was hardly doing any better. He kept a hand around Nitara, while the other clung to his side. He was panting, and with every stride he favored his left foot, as blood dripped down his face.

“Just gotta get back to the gate,” Micah said. “Just gotta get—”

“Stop,” Nitara breathed out between her grunting.

Micah snapped still. “What is it? Am I going too fast or—”

“Guards,” she said, “up ahead.”

Clergy looked up too. They were back near the stable, where two guards meandered outside, and where Nathan’s body still— focus! He snapped in his thoughts. Micah hobbled over to one of the lodges and Clergy quickly followed behind. The door to this one was facing them. It was open.

Micah let Nitara go for a moment to peek inside. He looked around then hurried back. “Inside,” he said to Clergy, as he put his arm around Nitara again. They quickly headed in.

It was a surprisingly homey space. Wooden walls and floors upholstered the scene. A long table stood in the middle of the room overtop a large rug. There was a shelf on the adjacent wall, while a few chairs sat in a row by the door. Paintings, knickknacks, and a suit of armor filled up the rest of the empty space on the walls.

Micah quickly sat Nitara in one of the chairs, before looking and pacing around the room.

Nitara groaned as she sat herself up in the chair, keeping her lame leg extended. “So, what’s the plan?” She asked, looking toward Micah.

“Working on it,” he said.

“You know we can’t stay here.”

“I know I—” he stopped. “I got it.” He strode over to the suit of armor, placed his sword against the wall, took off his cloak, and started putting on the pieces.

Nitara gave him a puzzled look. “What’re you—”

“I can talk my way past the guards,” he said. “I’ll put on the armor, play a guard, and convince them to go back with the others.”

Nitara raised a brow at him.

“You know I’ve played guards before,” he said, “and there’s already shit going down. It’s a good excuse for them to leave.” He finished attaching the final piece of armor, before going back for his sword. He adjusted his grip a few times while he took some deep breaths then…

Then he cut himself.

A bright red gash, deep enough to bleed well, emerged on his arm in the wake of the blade.

Clergy flinched back at the sight. “What’re you,” he began, but Micah’s groans cut him off.

“I need to look worse than I am,” Micah breathed out against the pain. “So they’ll ask less questions and be more inclined to help.” He turned toward Clergy as he put his sword down. “But I need one last thing.” He tapped the left side of his face. “Hit me.”

“What?” Clergy asked. “Why would I—”

“A good bruise is hard to ignore,” Micah said. “Now come on. Let’s just do this.”

Clergy could feel himself trembling as he slowly balled his hand. “Micah I—”

“Help me up,” Nitara groaned suddenly.

Micah’s focus quickly jumped to Nitara as he strode over to her. “What’s wrong?” he began, as he reached down to help her. “We—“

She slammed her forehead into his face.

Micah reeled back from the blow, as Nitara stumbled forward into him. Micah quickly caught himself and her though, wincing as he did. He gave her a bewildered look as he reached up toward his reddish left eye, but she grabbed his shirt with both hands then met his gaze. She said just two words.

“Sell it.”

Micah’s eyes grew firm as they caught the fire in hers. “I will.”

He left her standing while he went back for the sword. He turned back toward her. “I won’t lose anymore family.” After a breath he grabbed his ponytail with one hand and cut it off with the blade in the other. He headed out the door.

“Come help me,” Nitara said once Micah was gone.

Just don’t hit me too, Clergy thought as he headed over. “We’re not waiting here?” He asked, putting his arm around her.

“If he can’t get them to leave he’ll distract them long enough for us to slip by,” she said as she leaned on him. “We need to be ready if he does.”

Clergy nodded and together they made their way out the door. Micah’s a lot stronger than he looks, Clergy thought as the two of them hobbled over to the edge of the lodge they were in. From here they could peak around the corner and get a good look at the scene.

Micah was making his way over to the stable, limping along while he held his bleeding arm.

The two guards were still standing by the path, watching either side of the stable. After a moment one of them seemed to notice Micah and gawked, calling out to the other guard. They both started heading over.

“What the—“ one of them began, but Micah quickly cut him off.

“You have to go back!” He said, panting and limping as he did. “Everyone’s dying I… you have to—” He stumbled into the first guard’s arms.

“Slow down,” the guard said, looking over Micah’s wounds. “What happened to you? Where’s the rest of your unit?”

“Fighting, dead, I don’t know! Everything happened so fast. There’s some maniac up there! He started killing everyone! I went down but Sarge got me up. Told me to run back. Get help. I— you have to go back!”

“Slow down,” the guard holding him said again. “Help’s already on the way.” He looked over Micah again then looked to the other guard. “This guys in bad shape Saul.”

Micah slowly found his footing as the guard let him go. “I… I didn’t think there were still more of us here,” he said. “Didn’t everyone get sent away to some party?”

The guards gave each other a glance. “Well aren’t you well informed,” Saul said.

Micah shrugged. “Everyone was talking about it. I figured most of us knew by now.”

Saul eyed Micah for a moment while the other guard cleared his throat. “Damn thing was cancelled as soon once the alarm went off. They’re on their way back now.”

“Oh,” Micah said. Then he took a breath. “Good,” he said after a moment. “Shit was a nuisance anyway. But still you should really head back. It wasn’t going well when I left. They could be in trouble.”

Saul looked Micah over again. “About that. You said the sergeant sent you away. By yourself?”

Micah gave him a puzzled look. “Why does that matter?” He asked. “They could be dying you have to leave!”

“You are too injured to do anything, and we aren’t leaving until we understand the situation.”

Even the other guard eyed Saul with a trying look. “Come on, we’ll figure it out on the way, but if guards are in danger—”

“This is important Oren,” Saul said to the other guard. “We need to know what we’re dealing with unless we want to end up dead ourselves. But more importantly his story doesn’t make any sense.”

Micah’s face jumped from puzzled to bewildered. “What’s not clear about guards dying up ahead?”

“How about why would a sergeant break basic protocol and send you away without a partner? Or how did one “maniac” manage to break through the 15 man squad they sent ahead. We need answers here, not hysteria.”

Oren paused, before he and Saul both looked toward Micah.

“What do you want me to tell you?” Micah asked. “I don’t know how he was doing it, but he was. I spent the worst moments of my life watching him cut us down like wheat on the fucking field. There weren’t a lot of options.”

“That’s the other thing,” Saul said. “We were here to pick up the stable hand, Nathan, and get his report on who passed through here today. But he’s dead. Strangled inside and very much not cut with a sword. Would you know anything about that?”

Micah gave an exasperated sigh that made him wince and scowl all at once. “This is ridiculous,” he said. “I’m not playing this game with you. Men are dying. I need your help. That’s all there is to it.”

Oren looked toward Saul. “I’m going,” he said. “I won’t let men die because you’re feeling suspicious as always.”

He started making his way back up the path toward the lodges.

He really did it, Clergy thought to himself, as he looked on.

“Alright,” Saul said. “We’ll leave.” He started walking himself but paused after a few steps. “Just one thing first. The sergeant who sent you. Was it Rothschild?”

“Who cares,” Micah said. “Let’s just go.”

Oren stopped. He turned to face Micah. “Rothschild is dead. He died in the Native War. Every guard knows that.”

Oh no.

“I…” Micah began, but he stumbled, nearly falling over himself. Oren reached out to grab him but Micah sprung up, whipping a dagger out of his boot and sliced Oren’s side, following through then stabbing him in the back of his neck.

Oren collapsed, spitting up blood as he did. Micah was panting. Saul drew his sword and charged. Micah tried to pivot to face him but he winced and stumbled again.

Nitara clung to Clergy’s shoulder as Saul reached Micah. Sword raised to strike. “Micah!” Nitara yelled.

Then, out from the sky, an arrow burrowed down into Saul’s head. He dropped. Clergy peaked out from around the corner, looking toward where the shot had come from. How did, he thought, then he realized. Ezra! Looking past the lodges and the field surrounding them, Clergy finally noticed the tops of some buildings peeking above the walls sides. He’d really been watching from there. He really made that shot.

Micah looked over to the buildings bewildered and dazed, before smiling and raising a fist toward the rooftops.

Good eyes really do run in that family, Clergy thought to himself. Though now that he was thinking about it, why was Ezra there? Wasn’t he supposed to be near the other side? And how—

Clergy quickly cut himself off as a horse snickered and brayed behind him. He and Nitara snapped around to face it and— Holy shit, Clergy thought. Abel!

He was coming up behind them still driving the wagon. He brought it to a stop and met their eyes. “We have to go!” He said “Now!”

Nitara wasted no time heading toward the wagon’s rear, and Clergy quickly followed behind. As they approached Clergy noticed that the wagon bed was empty now except for— is that a guard?

Laying in the back was a younger looking guard who had clearly seen better days. He had a few scrapes and bruises, and was clutching his side. The worst wound by far was his foot, which twisted awkwardly at the ankle.

“What this about?” Nitara asked, as she noted the guard too.

“Oh… don’t mind me,” the guard said with a feeble smile. “I’m just… hanging out.”

“I ran into him on the way to you. Literally in fact,” Abel said. He was already a little wounded so I patched him up quickly and then came to get you.”

Nitara gave him a look. “And now…”

“And now we’re heading back out and to the clinic. Things are only gonna get more chaotic around here. It’s time to leave.”

“I already… told you it’ll be fine,” the guard said. “More men… will be here soon.”

“He’s right about that,” Micah said as he started limping his way over too. “Before they—“ then Micah looked over at the guard, “before you got here guards were saying they were sending reinforcements. They’ll be on their way by now.”

Abel eyes went wide as he took in Micah’s wounds. His face soured. “This was too reckless,” he said. “When this is done we need to have a chat with Daniel.”

“Let’s just worry about leaving,” Micah said, as he started to climb onto the back. Then he looked around. “You didn’t get Al?”

“I thought he’d be with you,” Abel said. “If he left he might be back at the archives again—"

“Alvon is a big boy,” Nitara cut in, as Micah helped her into the wagon. “He can take care of himself.”

Everyone was silent.

“Right," Abel said after a moment. “He knows where to meet us when this is done.”

Nitara found a seat close to the guard, while Clergy sat adjacent to her. Micah moved to the front near Abel, sat down, and placed his dagger beside him. Then with that the wagon left back up the path toward the tents and Gate.

It was a quiet ride at first, save for the guards occasional groans. The crowd in the field had long since left it seemed, abandoning most of their tents. The wagon waded through the eerie quiet of the scene, until Micah stood and and made his way over to Abel.

“What did you tell this guy about us?” Micah asked in a hushed tone. Thankfully Clergy was sitting closer to the front, and the guard was far more focused on his wounds to follow the conversation.

“Only what we’ve told everyone else,” Abel said softly. “We’re just dropping off a shipment to the garrison.”

“That story doesn’t work with me looking like this.” Micah said. “And I can’t change in front of him now.”

Abel furrowed his brow at that. “That does complicate things… but we’ve got no choice, he’ll talk to the guards and get us through.”

“Or he’ll talk to the guards and realize we’re not who we say we are. We don’t need them chatting and putting two and two together.”

“That won’t happen,” Abel said. “They’ve got nothing to go on.”

“Maybe,” Micah said, as he looked back toward the guard. His face betrayed nothing as the word hung in the air. “But like you said, we’ve been reckless enough, and I won’t lose anymore family.”

“What does that—”

Micah turned, grabbed his dagger, and pounced at the guard. He wrapped his arms around his body locking his arms in. Micah reached up and held the guard’s mouth shut with one hand, then stabbed him with the other. The blade slipped beneath the armor above his waist, as the guard screamed beneath Micah’s hand.

“Micah stop!” Abel shouted. “There’s no need to do this! Let him go!”

Micah said nothing as he ripped the dagger out and threw it away. The guard quickly started to bleed more, as Micah switched his grip into a chokehold.

“Micah!” Abel shouted, “This isn’t right you don’t have to—”

“It’s not deep, below the midline, and away from the kidneys,” Micah snapped. "I remembered what you taught me."

Abel scoffed. "I taught you that to help people not murder them! None of that means he’ll live!”

“No, but it gives him a fair shot, and gives us our best chance of getting out of here."

“How does this help?” Abel roared.

Micah ignored him as the guard clawed at his arms, but he held firm. The guard didn't stand a chance. With his new wound and ankle twisted like that the guard could barely even resist.

“Micah!” Abel said again, pulling the wagon to a stop as he turned around.

“Don’t you dare stop,” Nitara said. “We need to leave now. And this is the only way we do it and don’t get captured or killed.”

“That’s not worth—”

“Our lives?”

Abel sucked his teeth at that, but eventually he looked away. He said nothing.

Clergy watched on stunned as the guard writhed and thrashed against Micah’s grip until at last he grew still, but then Micah let him go.

“Nitara get me some cloth!”

She moved quickly tearing off some of her cloak and handing it to him

“Now, what do we tell the guards?” Abel asked.

“The truth,” Micah said, pressing the cloth down on the guard’s wound. “He got hurt fighting and we’re trying to save him.”

Abel scoffed. “That’s not—”

“They we’re gonna ask questions we couldn’t answer.” Micah said. He nodded down to the guard. “Now they won’t.” He pressed his hand down harder as blood soaked the cloth. He sucked his teeth, took off his cloak, and pressed that onto the wound too.

They started to approach the stone gate from before. There was no time to argue. They moved on. The archers posted in the ramparts were poised much like before, but just beyond the archway… was an army.

At least three dozen guards formed up and ready to head in. At their head was one guard who was clearly barking orders. A middle aged man in uniform with dark hair and a goatee.

“Come on!” Micah shouted suddenly. He was panting now. “Come on, come on, you can’t die yet! Dad can’t this go any faster?”

Abel looked back at him for a moment, then down over at the guard. He took a breath and egged the horse on. “I’m going as fast as I can.”

Micah shook his head and kept working. Pushing harder still onto the wound. “Come on!”

The archers called out as the wagon approached and the man who’d been barking orders turned and started heading toward them.

“Why are you still here?” He asked as he came around the side. “The alarm meant evacuate promp—” He stopped as he noticed the scene. “What happened?”

Abel had stopped the wagon as he got close but clearly wanted to keep going. “I’m sorry we don’t have time, this man needs to get to the clinic now!”

The man looked him over. “I asked what happened—”

“Do you want this man to die?!” Micah asked, blood staining his clothes and face. “We need to get through!”

The man looked over the scene again, before finally sucking his teeth. “Let them pass!” He shouted. “They need to get through now!”

The guards quickly cleared a path through the plaza, and Abel egged the horse on through the crowd. As they raced through the rows of steel plates and angry faces, and the shouts from the crowd as more guards corralled people away, only one thought raced through Clergy’s mind.

Why does this feel so familiar?

He gnawed on the thought as they made there way through the plaza and out of sight of the wall.