Daniel moved through the gateway of the Brighttree estate, the guards quickly closing the heavy enchanted gate behind him. Blood trailed behind him as he walked, faint bootprints staining the pathway as he moved down it.

Daniel wasn’t in the right state of mind to pay it any mind. He just knew that he needed to find Pavel so he could find out if they were planning to weather the storm or if they were going to simply abandon the city. Either option was valid, though the giant serpent crushing large portions of the city was certainly making Daniel lean towards the latter option.

He needed to go through the cards he’d gained as well. There was a stack of twenty or so burning a hole in his pocket, and he’d need to look through them soon. The night was far from over and he very well could need them.

The doors of the main building swung open as Daniel entered, and the first thing he noticed was the sheer busyness of everyone in the manor. They ran about, each with clear tasks in mind to complete with a level of calm that frankly impressed Daniel. It seemed that Pavel picked out his staff carefully, because he doubted the other noble houses were exuding this amount of calm given what was happening right outside their gates.

Stepping in front of a portly man, Daniel blocked his path and only then did he look up from the papers he’d been holding.

“Where’s Pavel,” Daniel asked him, voice calm and even. That was when the man noticed the trail of blood that Daniel was leaving, most of it not his own and his eyes widened slightly.

“The young lord is upstairs conversing with his sister,” the man said, looking back down at his papers like they were the most interesting thing in the world, not making eye contact with Daniel.

Daniel simply nodded at that and walked past him, making his way up the winding steps and into the main room. In it he found Pavel, Trill, and an assortment of men and women that he didn’t know or recognize.

They were gathered around a large table, maps and various papers spread about haphazardly. Up above, dozens of flickering images floated in the air. Each labeled as sections of the wall, where what Daniel assumed to be a live feed was playing.

The ambience of the room was dower, with stress and fatigue plain on many of the faces of those gathered, and it was Pavel who first noticed Daniel enter the room.

“Ah, Daniel,” Pavel said, his expression lightening. “It’s good that you’re here. I was beginning to suspect that the worst had come to pass.”

Daniel nodded slightly, eyes still scanning the gathered documents, “I’m fine. I ran into a bit of trouble on the way back. More than once, but I’m here now. What’s the plan?”

A thin woman stepped away from the table and approached Daniel,” Do you wish to be healed?”

Daniel sent a glance towards Pavel, who nodded that she could be trusted so Daniel allowed her to get closer as a glowing light began to emulate from her eyes, flowing outward towards his wounds.

“You must have had a tough night,” Trill said from her seat at the table. “I would’ve stayed to wait for you, but I had other obligations. I’m sure you understand.”

Daniel watched her for a moment. She didn’t look very apologetic, but it wasn’t like it mattered much.

“It’s fine,” Daniel replied sharply. “I don’t think you’d still be alive if you’d waited for me, so it was for the best.”

“Oh,” Pavel said. “What did you end up facing on the way over here if you don’t mind me asking?”

Daniel’s expression hardened, “Why are you wasting time asking me questions? Shouldn’t we be doing something right now?”

Pavel chuckled softly at that, “Trust me, Daniel. We very much are. Thirty percent of our house is up on the wall and the rest is preparing for the very likely chance that we’ll need to abandon this city. This is the worst attack we’ve ever had, and quite frankly I’m unwilling to let this family go down with the sinking ship that Anton’s built for us.

At that moment the side wall exploded inwards in a spray of stone and light as Anton barreled through it, rolling across the ground before quickly standing up and looking all around him. His body still made of lightning, but his eyes visible as radiant spots of white that flickered around the room before falling on Pavel.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“Ah Anton,” Pavel said. “I see you let yourself in.”

“Pavel, that’s you right?” Anton asked evenly. His voice higher pitched and more staticky in this form.

Pavel paused a moment at the question, before continuing on like it hadn’t affected him.

“Yes, it’s me. What can I do for you? I thought you’d still be out there defending the wall.”

Pavel sent a glance to one of the illusions floating in the room.

“It looks like section eight of the wall is getting overrun. I’d attend to it soon if I was you.”

“I need you to destroy my shadow. I know that’s something you can do,” Anton said, disregarding Pavel's statement.

Pavel’s smile faltered.

“Not without killing you I can’t. A man’s shadow is linked intrinsically to their soul. It’s a part of them, a reflection of them. Why do you need it gone?”

Anton hesitated a moment before returning to his human form and showing Pavel the tattoo for Stalked by Shadows.

Pavel read it once, and then twice before running his hand through his hair and sighing.

“So it’s one of those cards,” Pavel said after a moment.

“Indeed,” Anton replied.

“You know you probably have two shadows now right? If you were in your lightning form then you aren’t exactly casting any shadows, so the card would have given you another one.”

“I’m aware.”

“Well, did you at least kill the person that gave you the card?” Pavel asked.

Anton shook his head, face stoic. “No, I imagine he’s not too far behind me though. I wanted to see if you could negate the card's effect before I faced him again. Otherwise I’ll need to consider some more dire options.”

“What?” Pavel questioned immediately.

Several of those gathered around the table visibly grew uncomfortable. Whether from Anton’s declaration or Pavel’s aggressive manner towards him, Daniel wasn’t sure. Either way the atmosphere of the room had become tense and he himself was not liking the implication of their situation.

“You ran to me during a Blood Moon for help, knowing damn well that you’d bring hell down on my house. I can't help you.”

Anton scoffed, “Pavel, with all due respect this is my city. If I want to speak to one of my nobles, then I will. I’ve already made concessions in allowing you to abstain from the wall.”

“I’m not abstaining from anything,” Pavel yelled, his voice cracking for a moment. “Half my house is out on that wall defending the city while you warm your feet in my bloody house!”

“They don’t have legendary cards, Pavel. And from what I can tell, your house has three of them.”

“Three?” Pavel questioned, turning towards Daneil.

“Hey, don’t look at me,” Daniel said with raised hands. “I just work here.”

At that moment the wall surrounding the estate shook violently, stone was sent flying and impacted the building they were in, shattering some of the window, but for the most part harmlessly pelted the building, lighting up the enchantments embedded in the walls.

“He’s here,” Anton said, turning towards the hole in the wall he’d made where he could see Alexander and the two draconians following him walk leisurely through the ruined section of wall.

“Hey Anton, do you need to breathe?” David asked, watching him closely.

“Yes, for the most part.”

“Damn,” Daniel responded. “There goes that idea I guess.”

In the next instant Alexander stepped through the opening in the wall, a smile on his face as he swung his longsword towards Anton, who responded slower than Daniel would have thought, backpedaling away in a flash of electricity.

A small portal flickered shut under Alexander’s feet, likely how he’d appeared so closely so quickly. A moment later the two draconians appeared with the snapping sound of two portals opening and closing.

Anton wasn’t idle during this. He launched a bolt of lightning towards Alexander as he backed away, and two others towards the draconians the moment that they'd stepped through the portals.

The yellow one took the bolt to his chest, grinning wildly when it proved ineffective and the older one opened a portal in front of him that redirected the bolt towards those gathered at the table.

It didn’t make it halfway before turning and rejoining Anton with a sharp crack.

Most everyone in the room turned to run, some beginning to activate card effects while others erected barriers between themselves and Alexander’s group.

Daniel watched as Trill fell into her own shadow, disappearing as Pavel did the same. Alexander barked a laugh at that, eyes following something that Daniel couldn’t see when moments later Pavel lunged from the yellow draconian’s shadow and wrapped his arms around his neck before pulling him into his own shadow.

As they fell Daniel noted that the draconian’s scales lost much of their golden shimmer, instead taking on a murky black color as Alexander rushed towards Anton, sword in hand and madness in his eyes.