††† Hall †††

Hall was sick to his stomach. After Bolverk and Eirik were interrogated in the barracks, he couldn't ditch the feeling that something was off with Bolverk's statement. To have his hunch confirmed hit him harder than the boy had anticipated. At least Svana seemed to be uninvolved. He tried to calm himself as he stalked the traitors. But the calm wouldn't settle in his chest. Instead, an old acquaintance of his threatened to fill him out and control his every action. Hate.

They were doing it again. Again, the changelings would take everything from him.

Hate. The one companion that sustained him through the past years.

Siegfried was already dead, taken over by the changeling, and now it would lead Bolverk and Eirik to their demise, assisted by the other vile abomination that led them on. He didn't really blame Bolverk and Eirik. Everyone had their weak spots, and they had lost their long-time friend Agnar just days ago.

But this time, he wouldn't let his enemies have their way. As long as there was a drop of blood left in his body, he would fight them with the unwavering resolve of someone who’d already lost everything once. He would not fail. He would kill both changelings and bring Bolverk and Eirik back to sense.

His heart hardened as he continued to follow them from the shadows to find the base of the underworld's spawn.

††† Siegfried †††

"And you are sure the rat will get the message there?" Siegfried asked, his face scrunched up in a sceptical grimace.

"His name is Ferdinand, and he always gets the job done," Torwynd snarled and turned on his heel. "Boss, I'll make myself scarce if there's nothing else. Gotta get some work done if we wanna eat." He slammed the door behind him.

"Don't mind him, dear. He's just a bit touchy when it comes to his little friends, but his ability never failed us," Eurydike assured Siegfried.

"It's okay. I can guess he didn't have it easy either."

"None of us had." Eurydike shook her head with a sad expression. "It's not easy to always hide your true self, living in constant fear of exposure. Every contact with someone outside our community is a risk. That also counts for family — those who still have one after evolving."

Siegfried absently clenched his fist as he thought of Hall's family and Agnar's father. Thinking of those responsible smothered his anger with a feeling of helplessness.

“I still can’t see how bringing in more people like us could change anything.” Sieg crossed his arms. “That kind of threat is exactly what the enforcers are trained to deal with. They were hardly challenged by the incidence here in the city.”

“They were not challenged by those who just evolved and had no mastery over their own ability,” Eurydike countered. “When you picked up a sword for the first time, did that make you a fearsome warrior? We have to train and develop our skills as well. Believe me, there are being outside of the city—” she stopped the sentence as the front door opened, and Haylee bounced in, followed by Bolverk and Eirik.

Now that he saw Bolverk before him, Siegfried was at a loss for words. It struck him that he had been far more anxious than he realised when a wave of relief hit him, seeing Bolverk well and true standing in the doorframe. The older guard regained his composure quickly and took the younger man into a wordless embrace.

Neither spoke a word. Neither knew words that could express what they felt like their embrace did.

Haylee bounced on her feet, grinning broadly at the touching moment.

When they let up again, Siegfried turned to the younger shapeshifter. "Haylee, I didn't have a chance yet but thank you for helping out when I came here and especially for bringing Bolverk and Rik' here so quickly." He went to shake her hand, but the energetic girl jumped him so swiftly that he returned her fierce hug out of reflex. Bolverk and Eurydike laughed at his perplexed face, and even Eirik snickered at the display.

"You're welcome, Siegfried," Haylee grinned at him, having to look straight up as she still only reached up to his chin. Suddenly being so close to her face, Sieg noted for the first time how utterly beautiful her slightly exotic features were. The first time he’d seen her, he’d been half dead.

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Her big, emerald green eyes that sparkled with cheerful excitement, her elegant, small nose, fine cheekbones and soft-looking lips were putting together a perfect ensemble of almost inhuman delicacy. It was enough to rob the young guard of his breath and just stare at her for a moment. Ultimately the spell broke, and he remembered to let her out of his embrace.

Bolverk laughed from the bottom of his heart this time, slapping a hand on Siegfried's broad shoulder. "In all the years I know this boy here," Bolverk wheezed, "never once have I seen him stunned like this!"

"Oh, knock it off, old man!" Sieg retorted with mirth while playfully slapping his arm away. To guide the topic away from his embarrassing moment, he introduced Bolverk and Eirik to Eurydike.

"Ya have my sincere gratitude for taking care of the boy when I couldn't," the old guardsman bowed to Eurydike.

"I’m just glad I came in time,” she answered with a half-smile. “I suppose Haylee already filled you in on what happened with Siegfried. Fortunately, it seems like no one saw us on the way here, so everything should be well for the time being."

"Well, 'bout that," Bolverk grimaced, "Rik' and I got a visit from the Red Brigade. We don't know how but they know that Sieg killed the enforcer."

Eurydike tensed, her eyes widening.

Siegfried froze, a deep chasm of dread opening in his stomach as his mind raced to calculate the implications of this knowledge. If the Red Brigade knew, then there was no way for him to permanently hide in the city. Even worse was the prospect that they could use his friends and loved ones as leverage should he not turn himself over. He consciously tried to stir away from that train of thought as he knew where it would lead him, which would help no one.

"If they already had you, how did you get out?" There was a hint of distrust in Eurydike's voice as her eyes narrowed. "Normally, they would have imprisoned and tortured you to get the information they need."

Bolverk turned his palms up in a nonthreatening gesture. "After the news of a dead enforcer spread, and Sieg didn't come to the barracks, I put two and two together and planned for the eventuality,” he explained. “I had several guard divisions meet in our barracks under false pretence. They all know me, and if the Red Brigade had just bagged me then and there without any evidence, they'd have a riot on their hands."

"It won't stop them from snatching you the next time you're alone," Sieg growled in frustration. "And what about Hall and Svana? Both could be used against me. None of you is safe as long as they are searching for me." He was pacing now, his body tense as a bowstring.

Eurydike clenched her brows with her fingers and let out a weary sigh. "This is a worst-case scenario but not one I didn't anticipate. We just have to bring my plans into motion far earlier than I hoped."

"And exactly what would those 'plans' of yours entail?" Eirik interrupted for the first time. Mistrust and suspicion were plainly audible in his voice.

The shapeshifter ignored Eirik entirely and focused on Siegfried instead. "As I already told you, we need help from outside. I was hoping I could help you explore your ability and widen its limitations for at least a few years. But even without my guidance, you and Haylee are still our best chance. You will leave the City of Nemeah in a manner that allows the Red Brigade to notice your escape."

"Are ya out of yer mind, woman?" Bolverk roared. "No one except for the gifted survives out there, and ya even want to let the hounds know? They will hunt him down even if he somehow evades the evil that lurks out there!" His face was beet red from shouting, and Sieg imposed himself between them.

"Tone it down, Bol'. These walls aren't soundproof," he tried to reason with Bolverk. "And I don’t see any better solution."

Before the concerned guardsman could respond, Eurydike intermitted again. "It is not as hopeless as you think. As a matter of fact, we know someone who actually did survive out there and managed to sneak back in." To everyone's surprise, she turned to the lithe, young girl who just smiled at them and waved, completely unfazed by the dire situation.

The moment was almost comical as all three men lost their voice and stared. "You're kidding me," Eirik finally broke the silence.

"Haylee is a fully capable shapeshifter with a feline form that is tuned to stealth and speed,” Eurydike intoned with a the protective glare of a mother, standing up for her child. “A perfect hunter that can outrun almost anything out there. Siegfried might not be able to survive alone in The Wilds right now. But his potential is far more significant than you realise. Haylee will teach him in my stead and keep him alive.”

Siegfried noticed how Haylee tried to hide the obvious pride she felt at Eurydike’s words. There was an uncanny resemblance to his relationship with Bolverk but Eurydike wasn’t the type to embellish her protégé’s skills like the old man did.

"The evil that lurks out there, as you pictured it, is actually nothing other than older, more experienced, evolved humans, shaped by the harsh environment and the rule of the strongest. They are dangerous, enough so but not evil. They can be reasoned with, provided one is strong enough to make them listen," Eurydike explained.

"I still don't like it," Bolverk grumbled when they were finished.

"You don't have to like it, old man, but it's the best shot we have. And I can do it." Siegfried said with conviction.

Bolverk said nothing for a while, his face buried in his hand. When he came to a conclusion, his gaze was laden with resignation. "Alright. We'll build up a resistance movement in the shadows and try to stay hidden until ya come back with the needed muscles," Bolverk agreed. "We'll hold out as long as possible, but ya have to find a way to send word before a year is gone, promise me!"

"Done. I'll find a way. You stay alive and away from the Brigade until then." Siegfried took Bolverk's forearm with his own. Their eyes said what words couldn’t. "We can take the way through the sewers together, break up at the border to the northern districts."

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