It was crowded in Stella's kitchen again.

Clergy was sitting next to Ezra, who still hadn't moved from his chair. He had his bow resting beside him, as he leaned over the table, working a dagger over a smooth wet stone.

Micah was standing near the head of the table, helping Stella put some jars away. As they worked, they talked and shared some laughs, but it all felt empty somehow. Just hollow words to tame the quiet in the room.

Abel was at the other end of the table, putting jars back on the shelves as well. He kept to himself for the most part, but when the other two laughed he'd stop. In that moment, he'd look over his shoulder, with eyes tormented by the distance between them. Eyes filled with nostalgia and loss.

Alvon was leaning on the wall by the backdoor, with folded arms and a stillness that was almost unnerving. It didn't feel like they were standing in the same room. His presence was too distant for that. It was more like he was standing off on a hilltop, watching them from afar; stalking prey too inconvenient to kill. For now.

The only presence that could match his was Nitara's. She was standing in the opposite corner of the room, leaning on the wall by the stairs. Her posture seemed more relaxed, with her hands resting in her pockets, but her eyes were far from calm. While the rest of the room avoided Alvon's eyes she'd meet them head on if she had to.

It was their own silent conversation.

Their own little war.

The back door swung open. Daniel walked inside.

He wasted no time taking off his glasses and pushing his hair out of his face. Under his arm were some rolls of paper and a corked jar of ink. He looked around the room. The tension seemed obvious to Clergy, but if Daniel noticed it, he didn't let it show.

He closed the door behind him. "Let's get started," he said as he walked toward the table.

Micah sat down in the seat closest to him while Stella finished organizing the shelves. Abel turned to face the others but didn't go for a chair just as Daniel placed his things on the table.

No one else moved.

"Alright," Alvon said after a moment. "Then I'll ask the obvious question." His gaze turned toward Clergy. "What're we gonna do with him?"

Ezra put his knife down. "You're talking about killing him."

Clergy suddenly felt his spirit shrivel beneath Alvon's gaze. Its indifference was stifling, its violence unrelenting, and for the first time, he regretted ever leaving his cage.

"Al," Micah said. There was pain in his voice. "Come on man, what're you saying—"

Abel slammed his hand down on a shelf. "No," he said, rage tightening his face. "It's not 'come on man' it's what the fuck man! We're not having this conversation!"

"And why not?" Alvon said, his tone still calm. "If he can't remember anything then he's only a loose end. A loose end that knows all our names and faces."

"He can get his memories back Al!" Abel said, walking toward Alvon. "We just need to give it some time and—"

For a moment Alvon's eyes slipped into a glare. Abel stopped walking.

"So you say," Alvon said. "But that's only what you think, isn't it?"

Daniel turned to face him. "We don't have any reason to doubt Abel's judgement."

"We do if he doubts himself."

Anger flashed across Abel's face again, but a moment later it started to fade. Cautiously. "I'm not doubting myself Al," he said after a moment.

"Then tell me you're sure."

"What?"

"Tell me you're sure that he'll get his memories back and I'll let it go."

Abel opened his mouth, his temper and eagerness rushing him to speak. The room turned to listen. For a moment it seemed like the words were right on his tongue, but then his expression changed. His head-strong posture turned to sunken eyes and a bitter frown as his thoughts, and the world, finally caught up to him. He turned his gaze away.

He said nothing.

"That's what I thought," Alvon said.

There was silence after that, as defeat hung in the air, fouling the room.

"I don't know why we're still talking about this," Nitara said suddenly. "The decision's already been made. We're letting the kid live."

Alvon turned toward her. "I'm surprised Nitara," he said, looking her over. "I figured you of all people would understand what a loose end could cost."

Clergy was wrong before. Abel had never been angry. At best, he'd had a passionate outburst. A childish tantrum. There was no way he could've been angry, because nothing he'd done could've ever compared to the look on Nitara's face. As soon as Alvon said those words her expression tightened and her eyes went wide, revealing lines in her skin far deeper than this moment alone. There were lines from fury, lines from tears, lines from pain too deep to imagine.

Too deep to endure.

A moment passed unnoticed. Nitara's hands were trembling.

Then, finally, she let a breath go, as her wide eyes fell back into a glare. She said one word. "Don't."

If there was something that could make the moment pass, no one knew what it was. The room stayed quiet and breathless. Its gazes darting from Nitara to Alvon.

"Suit yourselves," Alvon finally said, taking a breath as indifference washed over him. Those didn't feel like the right words, but the room breathed again.

Ezra went back to his knife.

Daniel cleared his throat. "So, it's settled then," he said. "Clergy's staying with us." He paused and gave Clergy a deferential nod.

I mean, yeah, if it's between that and dying, Clergy thought to himself as he returned the gesture. He definitely wasn't saying that out loud though. Keeping his mouth shut had kept him alive through that whole conversation. He wasn't about to stop now.

"Good," Daniel said. "I know Stella had you in a room already, but she'll make sure you have everything you need to be comfortable and rest."

Stella nodded as Daniel looked her way.

"In the meantime," he said, "the rest of us are going to get ready to move on with the plan."

Micah raised his hand. "I'm sorry. I thought the plan was to rescue Lund and then use him as evidence to get Gad arrested."

"That's right."

"But Lund's dead—"

"Which is why we're going to get some new evidence."

Ezra looked up. "You want to hit the archives."

Daniel nodded.

"No" Abel said flatly, walking back toward the table. "I know how bad loosing Lund is, but that doesn't mean we get reckless and start chasing rumors and stories."

"It's more than just rumors Abel," Daniel said, looking toward him. "We know the ledger is real."

Abel laughed at that. "We don't know anything about it, which is why we shouldn't be risking our lives for it in the first place!"

Daniel sighed and gave Abel a level glare. "The Crown buildings exist. David and Saadya have both confirmed that. Not to mention that I've seen the designation for them on Council documents. They were just on tax committee records the other day! I made sure of that! Which means there is a record of sale, and where else would that be?"

"What are Crown buildings?" Clergy asked, suddenly realizing he'd said that out loud.

The room quickly fell silent, before everyone turned toward him. Clergy felt his stomach squirm. That was supposed to be an inside thought...

Abel cleared his throat. "For a long time," he said, "the King and Council could repossess any property they wanted. No warning. No choice."

Well that's bad, Clergy thought.

"That power was rarely used though," Abel said. "Out of fear of the obvious backlash, but a year ago repossessions started happening left and right, and primarily to Amarians."

"What did they expect?" Alvon said. "They started a war. They should've known the King would strike."

"It wasn't just about the uprising and you know that," Nitara said, glaring over at him. "You know what was being done."

"They showed no mercy," Alvon said. "And we both know when it was you against the world you did the same thing."

Nitara grit her teeth and scowled. Her temper flared in her eyes, but it was just for a moment. She closed her eyes and took a breath. She met Alvon's gaze again.

"I'm not doing this with you," she said. She looked over at Abel. Then at Clergy. He fought down the urge to squirm.

He thought he'd end up hating Nitara at first, or at least just be afraid of her. Now that he knew she wasn't trying to kill him though, she just put him... on edge. She was angry and strong. She'd silenced a room twice with a glare; and what Clergy could tell just from the mood around him was that everyone could feel her fury, but everyone also felt safe. Everyone but Alvon. That was all Clergy needed to know.

"The point is," she said, "the repossessions weren't just happening to the uprising, they were happening to all Amarians. Even the one's who weren't fighting. People just wanted to live their lives and they took that from them. That's what was going on."

"Why were they even fighting?" Clergy asked. "What was the uprising about and who are Amarians?"

Abel cleared his throat. "Well that's—"

"Are we really gonna sit here for a history lesson?" Alvon cut in.

"He's right," Ezra said. "We'll be here all night if we do."

Abel groaned in agreement. "Fine," he said. "The details aren't important. Just know that Gad has enemies and that Amarians, for the most part, are one of them.

Clergy nodded. "So, Crown Buildings are just repossessed properties?"

"Yes," Abel said, "but we're referring to a few of them in the lower districts. We're pretty certain Gad got these buildings to store and distribute plain's flower."

Clergy nodded. Of course, he thought, and that's—

"It's opium," Ezra said, glancing over at him.

Clergy looked over and gave him a slight smile. Am I really that easy to read?

"He trafficked plain's flower directly into the lower districts," Abel said. "Propping up his side business and plaguing hundreds of Amarians with a drug problem they couldn't solve. Not in time."

"They'd didn't care about all the people who suffered because of it," Micah said. "They would've killed every Amarian if it meant putting an end to the uprising."

"But they didn't," Daniel cut in,"The uprising's over, and we still have work to do." He leaned in with both arms over the table. "Right now we believe that Gad's sudden repossession spree was part of a larger plot to consolidate his power, though admittedly we still don't have all the pieces..." He paused for a moment before shaking his head, sending a few strands of hair in front of his face. He pushed them back. "But no matter why it started Councilor Lund— David— was able to disrupt his plans. He managed to get a vote past in the Council and supported by the King that changed the power of repossession into a forced auction."

"Yeah and that was really helpful," Micah said as he rolled his eyes. "No one's out bidding the Council or the King. It's still a repossession."

"It wasn't great," Daniel said, raising his hand, "but it gave people notice and time to prepare. It also created a paper trail. Any auctions that the Council or King participate in must be recorded, and though Gad tried to hide it, we know—

Abel snorted. "We think—"

"We know," Daniel said, "that the ledger of these purchases is in the archives."

"I don't understand. How would that help you?"

"Gad bought those places with Council money," Micah said. "That makes them Council property, which means if we have proof, we could take it directly to the King and he'd have to investigate. Crimes happening on Council property would be a huge embarrassment. He couldn't risk it. We'd finally have a path to take Gad out."

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

"Ok so... why don't you think it's real?"

"The buildings are real," Abel said. "But that doesn't mean the ledger's incriminating. It doesn't even mean that it's there! You think Gad wouldn't leave misinformation? You think he wouldn't lie to lure us, or any other threats, out of hiding? We'd be walking into the most dangerous place in the city with no idea what's waiting for us inside!"

Daniel slammed his hand down. "What do you want me to do Abel? Everything we have says his ledger is in there! It has to be!" He rubbed his face with his hand. "Look, if it wasn't obvious before I'll say it now. This is our last chance. Hiding David's body bought us a little bit of time, but the second Gad knows David is dead, and that his only weak point is in those archives, he'll stop worrying about drawing attention to himself and bury the ledger in garrison security. We'll never see it again." He looked around the room. "Everything we've done, all our sacrifices, will have been for nothing, and I'm not willing to let that happen. Are any of you?"

No one spoke.

"Fine," Abel said after a moment. "Let's say the ledger is in the archives. It's there because it's the perfect place to hide it."

"All the more reason to check!"

"You're not hearing me," Abel said. "Gad is a careful man, and he's only been getting more paranoid since we've been here. His security keeps getting tighter. The archives have never been more secure, and that's especially true at night. Our usual night time smash and grab just isn't going to work and—"

"You're right," Daniel cut in. "A night raid isn't going to work."

They both paused.

"Tell me you're joking," Abel said with a sigh.

Micah started to laugh. "Of course that's your plan!" He said, throwing up his arms as he leaned his chair back. "All that build-up and in the end, you just want us to stroll to the archives for lunch!"

"I'm sorry, but, what's wrong with the archives?" Clergy asked. "Aren't those basically just a library?"

"They are," Ezra said, "but the problem isn't what they are, it's where they are."

"Which is?"

"Inside the city guard garrison," Abel said, as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "He's asking us to storm the guard's main base, in the middle of the day, for something we're not even sure is there."

Clergy raised a brow at that. I mean... that sounds kind of crazy doesn't it? He thought about it again. Ok, no. That definitely sounds crazy... but I guess they did break me out of prison, so maybe—

"Which is definitely as crazy as it sounds," Micah said with a stretch.

Oh good, Clergy thought.

"But," Micah said, as he eased his chair back on all fours. "I'm sure this is the part where you tell me it's not crazy at all, right?"

Daniel let out a short laugh, rubbing the back of his neck as the sternness fell off his face. "No, it's definitely a little crazy," he said with a grin, "but it's not impossible."

His eyes weren't laughing that time.

He quickly dusted off some space on the table and spread out one of the rolls of paper he'd brought. It was a detailed layout of the archives, with scribbled in lines and labels showing where guards were stationed and how they rotated.

"I can't believe they let you take that with you," Abel said, as he leaned in for a closer look.

"They didn't," Daniel said, "The layout was simple enough to get, but the security documents can't even leave their room. I had to sneak in just to get a look at them, then jot down the guards' positions from memory." A few strands of his hair fell back in front of his face. "I barely managed to do that too. I had to scribble on the original building plans just to make it out in time." He pointed down at the map. "Not to mention this still has be back by last call tomorrow, and it certainly can't have all this scribbled on it." He stopped, taking a breath and pushing the hair out of his face, before looking over at Stella. "I brought the supplies to make a copy. I hope that's enough time."

She looked back at him and smiled. "You know that it is." She pulled a pair of glasses from her pocket and dusted them off on her shirt, before putting them on and peering down at the page. "Planning out the escape route might've taken some time, but copying is just tracing rulers and curves. It shouldn't take too long." She cocked her head to the other side. "Actually I..." She began, but she mumbled the rest of the thought to herself. A moment later she pulled out a small piece of paper and pencil from her apron, before she mumbled again and started jotting something down. Whatever was on her mind, it didn't seem like anyone else in the room was a part of it.

Daniel smiled. "Ok then," he said, as he left Stella to her work. "Let's go over the plan."

"This should be good," Abel said, as he pulled up a chair and sat down.

"Oh, come on, don't be like that Abel," Micah said with a smile. "You know Daniel likes to go over all the little details before we leave." He rested his head in his hand. "Besides, we both know you don't have plans tonight."

Abel crossed his arms. "You don't know that."

"You both don't have to worry," Daniel cut in. "The plan's actually pretty simple this time."

Ezra put down his knife and looked up. "Sneaking into the guard's garrison, breaking into the archives, stealing documents, and making it out alive, in the middle of the day, is supposed to be simple?"

"Simple enough," Daniel said with a shrug.

Ezra sat back. "This should be good."

Daniel cleared his throat. "There was a food shipment that was supposed to go to the garrison a couple days ago. It never came."

Abel raised a brow. "Did we do that?"

"No," Daniel said, "but I still got Avram's office to offer an expedited resupply. That's our way in. Tomorrow afternoon Abel, Micah, Nitara, and Al will pose as the delivery crew. The pass and wagon will be waiting for you to sign out at the Hall. The courier for morning pickups there is a friend. He won't give you any trouble."

"You're not coming?" Alvon asked, as he walked up to the table.

"I can't. In order to make this work I had to spend the whole day convincing one of Councilor Nachman's aides that their event tomorrow would be attacked by arsonists."

"Arsonists?" Abel asked.

"The fire's in the lower district. Gad's been blaming them on arsonists there, and using them as an excuse to increase security around the Hall, as you all saw," Daniel said, looking over toward Nitara and Micah. "So I figured if he was gonna make all this fuss, I might as well borrow his name to convince Nachman's family to request additional guards. It should leave the garrison as empty as possible. Plus, Nachman's family is hosting their event on the other side of town, so when the alarm goes off it should take a while for any real reinforcements to get to you; but it also means I have to be there in person to manage the sudden change in logistics."

"I'm sorry, did you say when the alarm goes off?" Micah asked. "You're usually more confident about these."

Daniel shrugged again, but he couldn't hide his smile. "I am confident. That's why we're setting off the alarm."

"You want us to set it off?" Abel asked.

"I do. You said it yourself Abel. Gad's been getting paranoid. That's made him increase his security, but it also makes him overreact, and we can use that to our advantage." He pointed down at the map. "The archives are split into two buildings on the east and west sides of the garrison. Now, at Gad's insistence, anytime there's a breach in either building the garrison is locked down, the guards make a perimeter around the building, and do a thorough sweep to find the intruders."

"Because Gad figures the only people willing to break in there are the ones going after him," Micah said.

"Right, but that heavy-handed response leaves very few guards to watch the other side. We know the ledger should be on the east side with the tax records, so if we can put Ezra at a vantage point just outside the garrison—"

"I can take out a guard on the west side, triggering the alarm and giving you access to the east," Ezra jumped in.

"Exactly," Daniel said, "the delivery team should arrive just after 12th call. Once you hear the bells on the next quarter-call injure the guard and get the alarm sounded."

"Hold on," Micah said, "We've seen the garrison. The archives might be close to the wall, but even from a rooftop the closest shot has got to be almost what? 150? Maybe 200 yards away? We can't—"

"Micah," Ezra cut in, looking his brother in the eyes. "I can make it."

There was concern in Micah's face but it quickly faded into a smile. He nodded his head.

"Once Ezra makes the shot," Daniel said, "It shouldn't take them too long to finish their sweep and come back, so we'll have to be fast. Al will start running interference on the guards as the rest of you get the ledger. Once you have it, Nitara will help Al make a quick and distracting exit toward Ezra for cover, while Micah and Abel sneak out the other way. By the time any real reinforcements get there we'll be long gone."

Clergy was impressed. That was a pretty good plan. Well, really, he had no idea if it was a good plan, but it sounded pretty good and no one else seemed to mind it. While the rest of them went over the final details Stella walked over to him.

"I almost forgot," she said, holding up her small piece of paper as she put her glasses away. "I made a list of things I'm going to pick up tomorrow." She bent down and placed the paper in his hand. "Why don't you look it over and see if there's anything else you want me to get."

"Yeah sure," Clergy said, "thanks."

She closed his fist around the paper with her other hand and smiled. A little longer than he expected actually.

"Once everyone clears out, I'll help you get settled upstairs," she said after a moment.

Clergy nodded. "I appreciate it."

With that she stood up and walked back to where she was before. What was that about? He thought to himself. He looked down at the note, uncrumpling it. I'll take uncomfortable smiles over death stares I guess but— He stopped. The conversation around him blurred as he struggled to process what was written.

You're not safe. The note read. Alvon will still try to kill you.

He looked back up at Stella, as if answers would be there, but her smile was composed, her attention in the crowd, and no one else seemed to notice the horror on his face.

He looked back down. You're face, he thought. Fix your face or he'll notice. He took a breath for his nerves. To calm his heart and keep from sweating. His hands were shaking. Just take one more. His heart was in his stomach. His eyes couldn't leave the page. You're not safe. You're not safe.

The shaking wouldn't stop.

Alvon couldn't kill him. He just couldn't. That's not what they'd said. No one would let him. They'd protect him. They—

They're not here.

Tomorrow, for the plan. They wouldn't be here. Clergy shuddered as he sunk deeper into his fear. If they weren't here Alvon would come for him. It wouldn't even be hard. He could just walk back to the bakery and kill him while Stella watched. Clergy gripped the paper tight. But would he really abandon them? If he doesn't stay, they could die. He thought about it again.

He might.

Suddenly he didn't want to rest. Suddenly he didn't want more food. Suddenly clean clothes and sheets felt like waiting around to die. You're not safe. You're not safe.

He bolted to his feet.

Eyes turned. People shouted, but their voices just felt like noise.

"What the hell Clergy—"

"You alright—"

"What're you doing—"

"No!" Clergy shouted, his voice surprisingly firm. "No, I'm not alright." He took a breath. "But I will be, because I'm coming with you."

Micah laughed and shook his head while the rest of the room looked on.

Stella gave him a concerned look. "Clergy, that's not—"

"That's not a good idea," Abel said flatly. "You just woke up and you're far from recovered. Not to mention the fact that we're not exactly going for a stroll. This is the garrison we're talking about! We can't send you in there when you've never even been in a fight!"

"I have been in a fight!" Clergy snapped back. "I had to fight for my life to not get killed in that prison!"

"And making sure you don't get killed is exactly why we can't let you come!"

"No! It's exactly why I have to go!" He turned toward Daniel. "Look, people are already willing to kill me over whatever got me thrown in that prison. If I just sit around here waiting it's gonna catch up to me."

"And how is you going to the archives supposed to help either of us?" Daniel asked.

Clergy pointed down at the map. "You said it yourself. Whatever Gad is hiding in there implicates him in something, just like the people in the prison. You think it's the ledger, and you're hoping you'll find it there, but you might not. Going in by yourself means the ledger is your only shot, but if I go with you something could jog my memory. Then it wouldn't matter what you find. I could be all the evidence you need." He met Daniel's gaze head-on. "So, you can either gamble on the ledger or take me with you and give yourself another option."

Daniel stayed quiet.

"The plan's risky enough as it is," Abel said. "We don't need to make it worse by bringing a rookie."

"If you go," Nitara said, "we're not babysitting you. You either keep up or you get killed."

"Nitara don't encourage him!" Abel said.

Clergy took a breath. "Fine. I'll take care of myself."

"Daniel, you know this is a bad—"

"Ok," Daniel said. "You can come."

Abel scoffed. "You can't be serious!"

"I am serious!" Daniel snapped as sternness flashed across his face again. "I've been serious ever since we first started this fight. Since Gad came and destroyed our lives!" He jabbed his fingers down onto the table as he said those last words. His hair falling back into his face. "We swore he would pay for what he's done, and I'll do whatever it takes to make that happen; so, if bringing Clergy along improves our odds, even a little bit, then he's coming. End of discussion."

No one argued. No one moved.

"Then we're agreed," he said. "Tomorrow the five of you are going to the archives and ending this once and for all."

Clergy sat back in his chair, his body trembling with anticipation and fear. He still wasn't sure what he was doing, but he knew running wouldn't save him. Hiding wasn't safe. His only way out was forward. He had to find a way to get his memories back or Alvon would kill him, and he wasn't about to die.

Not yet.

——— ~ ———

Clergy was pacing, by the nightstand, the dresser, the bed. Everything's fine. His insides were churning. His mouth was going dry. Everything's fine. Everything's fine.

He stopped in front of the door.

Candlelight was coating the room. It stained the door's dark wood, glared off its handle and hinges. He reached out his hand. It wasn't too late. He could still leave if he wanted. He could sneak out the back while no one was watching, hide away until morning then— No! He pulled his hand back. Going along was the right decision. I just have to commit! I— His stomach started churning again. I need some air.

Clergy strode back across the room to the window and flung open the blinds. It wasn't much of a view. The back of a neighboring building. A small alley in-between. The cold air felt nice though, and some deep breaths helped calm him down— at least a bit. He took another deep breath. Everything was fine. It wasn't perfect or great or even good, it was just fine, and for the moment he could stomach fine. He let his breath go. Ok, he thought, now you just have to stay positive and get ready to sell "fine" to everyone else tomorrow. The door swung open. Or maybe tonight. He turned just as Stella finished walking inside. She closed the door behind her. And here we go.

"What were you thinking?" Stella asked as she strode toward him.

Clergy sighed. "Look I—"

"Do you have any idea how dangerous this plan is? How many guards there'll be? What made you think this was—"

"I know!" Clergy said, though his nerves turned it into a shout.

"Shhhh!" Stella said, as she snapped her finger to her lips. "Keep your voice down! Micah and Ezra are in the next room!"

"I know," he said, softer this time. "I know I freaked out, ok? I'm sorry! I just... I just didn't know what else to do."

"Didn't know—" Stella scoffed. "Clergy just stay here!"

"What you mean unguarded? Where anyone can get to me?"

She gave him a bewildered look. "Who's anyone Clergy? No one else even knows you're here—"

"But you don't know that!" Clergy snapped. "You can't! None of us could! Not when we don't even know who I am! In fact, the only thing any of us know about me is that someone threw me in a cage after doing all this," he said pointing to his face, "and maybe this is a wild assumption, but I don't think they wanted me to get out!"

You're shouting again, he thought to himself. He closed his eyes and took a breath. "I'm sorry," he said, lowering his voice. "I know you want to keep me safe, but the truth is you have no idea who's coming for me or how soon they'll show up!" His mind shot to Amos in his cell and the arbiter glaring at him through a dream. And you don't want to.

Stella looked him over for a moment before giving him a thin-lipped grin. "You're right," she said. "I have no idea how many hypothetical men are coming to get you, but Alvon is real, and you just agreed to go with him!"

"No, I agreed to go with the only people I know who can stop him and actually want to keep me alive!"

"And it'd be a lot easier for them to do that if you didn't throw yourself into harm's way!"

Clergy brought his hands to his face and sighed. "Look," he said pointing his hands at her. "Do you honestly think I'm safer here? Cause I'm pretty sure Alvon would have no problems coming back early and killing me while I'm exposed!"

"Just stop," Stella said, as she raised her hand. "You don't know him. You don't know me. You don't know any of us, and you can't make decisions based on assumptions Clergy. They're dangerous."

"Then tell me I'm wrong."

"What?"

"Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me Alvon wouldn't come back here if he knew it was just you and me."

She let out a quick laugh as she shook her head. "You can't..." She paused. "That's not—" She stopped. "Ok. Fine. Maybe you're not a total idiot, but don't think going with everyone is enough to keep you safe. Alvon could still find a way. You need to stay away from him."

Clergy laughed. "Ok, yeah, I think I got that."

"No, you don't, because you still think this is just about you." She took a step closer. "But it's not so listen up. Alvon's best chance to get to you will be if a fight breaks out with the guard. But that's also the best chance for all the people I care about most to get captured or killed, so stay away from him. Don't even go into arms reach. Just get in, get out, and don't go anywhere by yourself. Ok?"

Clergy nodded. "Ok."

She let out a long sigh. "Good," she said as she reached out and held his arm. "Now try to get some sleep." With that she gave him one last smile before walking out of the room, leaving Clergy to do anything but sleep.