††† Sally †††

Sally forced herself not to stare at the mutilated corpse of the goat-man, propped against the tree. Showing even a shred of empathy, let alone remorse, in front of Jenna could lead to her demise. Fortunately, she was reasonably adept at hiding her feelings behind a mask of indifference.

They combed the forest for hours before dark and started again with the first light, but without success. The area was too vast, hiding places too numerous for a single squad. When her squad leader, Jenna, finally called them together, Sally expected them to give up the futile endeavour.

"We're changing tactics," Jenna declared. "I got the location of several settlements in the area. The boy can't hide forever, but we need more eyes, so we will threaten them into scouting for us. I don't care how we achieve it — just remember not to diminish their numbers too much. I'll assign each of you to an area. Status-meeting in two days from now. Questions?."

Sally groaned inwardly when their youngest member stepped forward. He joined their squad recently — recommended for his talent but lacking experience.

"I don't get it, squad leader," he intoned. "Why are we going to such lengths to catch that man?”

"Because the first enforcer said so," Jenna snarled with finality. "Are there any other questions?" she looked at each squad member, her glare indicating that the inquiry was purely rhetorical.

Sally waited quietly for her assignment. She just hoped that there wouldn't be too much resistance. But she would do what she had to do. As always.

††††††

Meanwhile, in the City of Nemeah, Bolverk and Eirik were responding to a report about a possible changeling threat in a residential area.

"It's the mid of the day, and not a soul in sight," Eirik said as they walked down the empty cobblestone road.

Bolverk huffed. "Report said they heard some infernal screamin' — high pitched like a steam whistle of a kettle. If ya heard that sound in the mid of the night, ya wouldn't leave the house either."

"No," Eirik admitted, "I wouldn't. Yet here we are." His gaze wandered nervously from house to house. "We should have taken another squad with us."

"Quit yer yappin', mate. I went over the report with Eurydike too, and she came to the same conclusion as I," Bolverk retorted. "Whoever made that sound 's just tryin' to keep us and others away. Like a dog barking at everything, ya know?" The older guardsman seemed calm as the sunny weather, but he still had his hand constantly on the pommel of his sword.

"Yes, that's why we go alone, so the dog will have the courage to bite us," Eirik snorted sarcastically.

"Told ya, it's yer decision," Bolverk reminded his comrade, eying him up for a moment of silence. "Thought so. We both have to make amends, Rik'. No need to pull others into it right now."

"You still didn't say a word to Svana, did you?" Eirik changed the topic. "You know how she is. She will find—"

Eirik's words were suddenly swallowed up by silence, but Bolverk could still see his friend's lips move. He hadn't heard their last steps either. Before his mind consciously registered the implications, the veteran's body had already reacted. He had drawn his sword and swung into a parry behind them.

A gangly, almost malnourished young lad stumbled back from the bulky guardsman, dropping the stone he held in surprise. His mouth was opened in a silent cry as noiseless as the impact of his body on the ground.

Eirik had also caught up and drawn his blade. The young man scrambled backwards until he hit the stonewall of a nearby garden.

Bolverk sheathed his weapon again, holding both palms up in a placating gesture as he slowly advanced.

The boy was a pitiful sight. Dirty, underfed and clearly terrified of two simple human guards. His skin was riddled with tiny holes a handbreadth apart from each other, the skin around them calloused.

Even the ever-suspicious Eirik had put away his sword by now and stepped back to let Bolverk handle the situation.

The old guardsman sat down slowly, motioning to his open mouth while holding up his other palm in a universal gesture of peace.

The evolved young man swallowed, his eyes darting to and fro between the two bulky men. Eventually, he came to a decision and closed his eyes briefly in concentration.

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

Bolverk felt a sudden pressure on his ears as the holes in the boy's body bulged slightly. The scraping of Eirik's boot across the cobblestone indicated his agitation, and Bolverk quickly barred the way with his arm. "Don't worry, boy, ya have nothin' to fear from us." The calm, deep voice seemed to loosen up the lad enough to stop backing away from Eirik.

"Don't mind the idiot — he's overcautious, but he won't hurt ya," Bolverk said, shooting Eirik a glare. "Yer also the one who made that screeching sound earlier?"

"I — yes, sir." The young lad's voice was high-pitched but cracked and hoarse. He addressed Bolverk but kept his eyes fixed on Eirik, still trembling. "I didn' wanna—"

"Yer have nothin' to apologise, boy,” Bolverk interrupted. “I can't imagine what yer went through since ya evolved," Bolverk said with sincere sympathy. "But not everyone in this city is out for yer hide, ya know?" He smiled in his typical fatherly manner. "There's people like yerself in a hideout not far. Rik' can take ya there while I make up some report to the guard."

"People like — other changelings, sir?" There was a mix between hope and trepidation in his gaze, which was still focused on Eirik.

"Sorry for that, man," Eirik intoned, scratching the back of his head. "I'm a bit jumpy right now, but I won't harm you, promise." He held out his hand to the young man, who looked up to Bolverk again. After an encouraging nod from the older guardsman, he accepted Eirik's hand and stood up.

"That's an interesting power you have there," Eirik praised. "Wouldn't mind if you could keep that up on the way back. It would certainly help."

The lad's back straightened as the fear finally left his limbs. "Thanks, sir. I can keep it up fer hours if it helps!" he said enthusiastically.

Bolverk chuckled lightly at the swift change of demeanour. "I think ya’ll be fine now. I'll be with ya after I checked in with the uppers. Now go!" he sent them off with a fond smile.

Eirik and his charge took off at the next crossing, heading west toward the slums.

Bolverk went straight ahead, aiming to submit his report on a false alarm right away. There was a spring in his step that had become rare in the past decade as he went by the marketplace, greeting known faces left and right. The feeling of doing what is ethical instead of following orders blindly elevated him. Playing it safe had kept him healthy for a long time in the guard. But healthy and happy were not always the same thing.

His mood dropped when he saw the red-clad enforcer coming his way. The holy executioner smirked cruelly as he was surrounded by a bright red glow. Bolverk stopped in his tracks, holding absolutely still as Akali's gift activated, and the third-class enforcer suddenly stood right in front of the guardsman, a gust of wind blowing in the latter's face.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" the enforcer remarked. It was a heavily tanned man with a broad chest but delicate facial features, almost like a woman's in Bolverk's mind. "I was following a rumour about a loose changeling on behest of the scared citizens, and who do I find? The 'veteran' guard, Bolverk, himself!" the haughty man intoned mockingly. "You seem to be a topic of interest in the best circles, guardsman."

Bolverk tried to keep the fear from his voice as he answered. "I am honoured that you would—"

"I don’t know why they forbid us from taking you captive," the enforcer interrupted as he leaned in to whisper. "But I swear I will find a way to get all the information on Siegfried from you. The enforcer he killed in the alley was a friend of mine, and someone will pay for his death," he snarled silently. "We will catch you alone, sooner rather than later. So don't get comfortable, old man." With a last glare, the enforcer passed Bolverk and went the other way.

The guardsman was glad he made it into a livelier area before that enforcer found him. It was time to change plans.

††††††

When Bolverk entered the hideout in the slums, it was late evening. He had to take a longer way through the sewers to stay hidden from prying eyes. The main room was still well-lit, and several known faces greeted him with smiles as he entered. Of course, Eirik and the new guy were there. But he also spotted Eurydike, who still took care of Hall, and Torwynd, the always ill-tempered animal whisperer. Even Archibald, a timid dark-skinned man who could bend his body like a snake, welcomed him with open arms.

"It's good to see you back safely," Archibald said in his oddly vibrant tenor.

"Thanks, Archi," Bolverk responded. "It was a bit close today, to be honest." He shared his encounter with the enforcer, watching the men around him tense in fear or anger. Only Eurydike kept a serene but thoughtful look.

"This might actually be perfect timing," the mature shapeshifter said, looking at her newest protégé. "I've planned to use Harper's ability to carve out a new hideout directly in the wall of the sewers in case we have to vanish completely one day. It's impossible to do in a timely fashion without her, but the explosion would be deafening and alert everyone in the district. If our newest family member can contain the sound, we could do it within a day and operate from a safer space onward," she explained confidently.

"Won't that be dangerous?" Hall asked as he hobbled out of the infirmary on two crutches. "You said Harper can't fully control it. What if we cause a collapse in the sewers?"

"That's because she can't calculate the needed amount of the fluids she produces to create the explosion," Eurydike answered. "But I can."

"I say we try it," Eirik stated. "But this should stay a secret between the people in this room and Harper until everything is finished. No unnecessary risks."

"Agreed. But we might also need Bridgette to seal up the wall quickly. I trust her with my life," Eurydike assured them. "Torwynd, please send them a message. We need them by tomorrow."

††††††

Svana was frustrated. The young woman was sitting in the barracks, hoping for either Bolverk or Eirik to make an appearance, but neither came. Again. They had been avoiding her, only taking her on the necessary patrols but not divulging anything about Siegfried or Hall.

They told her Hall needed medical treatment and was not allowed to have visitors. They didn't want to talk about Sieg, which Svana would generally understand. Sieg was like a son to Bolverk, and finding out he was a changeling must have been horrible.

But this was precisely what seemed somehow off from her perspective. She didn't know Bolverk as well as Eirik did, but she would have thought the old guardsman would be crushed after this event. Instead, his steps seemed somehow lighter than before. His sour expression didn't fool her for a second.

Svana knew they both definitely knew more but didn't trust her enough to open up. Alas, there was one more person she could count on. Someone who was obviously entangled kneedeep in their secrets. She just had to get a lead on his location, sport her best smile, and the boy would tell her as sure as the moon followed the sun.

She had to find Hall.