Once everyone had been served, Branwen came to join them at the table, sitting down next to Tom with a bright smile as she saw that he’d already finished everything she’d given him.

“So, Branwen,” Verdan said, doing his best to ignore the smirking Cullan, who was laughing under his breath. “Cullan told me you wanted to speak to me about something?”

“Yes, I wanted to let you know that I’ve had received a message from one of my fellow Clerics. He is making his way here, along with two others and a small group of fighters.”

“That’s excellent news,” Verdan enthused, relieved to know that they’d have more Clerics joining the effort. “When will they arrive?”

“Four day’s time, according to Lorcan.”

“Wait,” Cullan said, sitting upright in his chair. “Lorcan? Wasn’t he hanging around with that serious fellow?”

Branwen nodded with a touch of reluctance. “Yes, Bastian is coming as well. The fighters I mentioned are his group.”

“Oh great, just what we need,” Cullan said, making a throwing gesture. “There goes any chance of this being a fun bash of slaughtering the minions of darkness.”

Verdan gave Cullan an incredulous look before giving Branwen a somewhat pleading look, asking for an explanation.

“Lorcan is our cousin, and a Cleric of Brannoc, like I am. He is a quiet and sombre man at the best of times.” Branwen paused as Cullan snorted and muttered something under his breath. “Bastian, however, is the only Cleric I’ve ever heard of who follows two gods. He is a man of purpose and is dedicated to his goals, unlike a certain idle brother of mine.”

“The man is boring, he never turns it off,” Cullan said, rolling his eyes. Seeing the look they were giving him, Cullan sighed and continued in a more serious tone. “Take it from me, constant violence and exposure to the corruption of the darkness can wear on your mind and soul. Without something to act as a balm to his soul, Bastian will snap if he maintains his pace.”

Verdan sat back, idly ripping off a piece of bread as he mulled it over. In truth, he sided more with Cullan than he’d have expected to, but that was only thanks to his previous brush with the consequences of pushing too hard.

“Alright, thank you, Branwen,” Verdan said eventually, finishing his stew before getting up. “I’ll go speak with Commander Silver and ensure he’s aware. Let me know if you hear more in the meantime.”

“Of course. I will pray to Brannoc tonight and tell them to be as swift as they can.”

Verdan nodded and went to step away before pausing. “As a thought, which two gods does Bastian follow?”

“Gwyll and Rharth.”

“Ah, yes, I can see how that might engender a certain level of dedication,” Verdan said with a slight wince.

Gwyll, the God of Judgement and Punishment and his brother Rharth, Patron God of Protectors and Monster Hunters.

Neither of those were especially lighthearted deities.

“Alright, thanks, Branwen,” Verdan said, turning to carry on heading away.

He’d just got to the gates of the estate when Pania came jogging up to join him, still buckling on her belt. “Hey Boss, Captain Nikau said we’ve got lax in guarding you in the city. Pawel and I have been assigned to escorting you in shifts.”

“Oh, yes, I suppose we had let it slip a little,” Verdan said, realising that he’d been heading in and out on his own for the last few days. Having an escort wasn’t as important as it had been in the past, but Verdan wasn’t about to object.

He still remembered being ambushed on the way through the city and the hectic chase that had followed. Without Tim there guarding his back, that could have been much worse.

Verdan paused to let Pania finish getting ready before carrying on out of the gates.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Hurried footsteps rang out barely a few seconds later as Cullan came jogging out to catch up with them, now completely dressed with a well-made green tunic and his long red hair in a rough braid.

“Cullan?” Verdan arched one brow at the Idrisyr, wondering what fresh chaos the big man was going to unleash.

“I thought I’d come with you to answer any questions about the capability of our incoming brethren,” Cullan said with seeming indifference, but Verdan wasn’t buying it.

Then again, Cullan’s motive didn’t really matter right now. The information he could provide did, though. “Alright, let’s go.”

-**-

The guard headquarters building was as busy as usual, but thankfully, Verdan was fairly well known among the guards by this point and it was easy enough to get a message sent to the Commander.

A few minutes later, Verdan and Cullan were walking up to Silver’s door while Pania waited in the hall.

“Verdan, I hadn’t expected you today,” Silver said, looking up as they came in from where he was working at his desk. Verdan had been in the Commander’s office a few times since he took over, and usually it was devoid of anything approaching personal.

This time, however, a black ceramic statue of a bear stood at the end of the desk.

Looking back to Silver, Verdan took a seat as he answered. “We’ve had some new information I wanted to share with you. Cullan, do you want to summarise?”

“Of course,” Cullan said, taking a seat and giving Silver an oddly intent look before beginning to explain about Lorcan and Bastian.

“He serves two gods?” Silver asked, once Cullan had finished. “I’ve never encountered that before. Clerics are rare enough as it is.”

“I haven’t either,” Verdan said with a slight shrug. “I think it’s an oddity specific to him, so all we need to know is that we’ll have two more Clerics and a small band of fighters to add to our ranks.”

“A welcome addition indeed,” Silver said, making a note on a piece of paper before shaking his head. “We’re going to take just about everyone we can, and the logistics of it all are daunting, to say the least.”

“Is there anything we can do to help, Lukas?” Cullan asked in an almost kind tone, one that Verdan hadn’t heard from the imposing Idrisyr before.

“Not unless you can magic up several tons of grain and meat,” Silver said with a sigh, giving Cullan a warm smile. “Thank you, though. I appreciate it.”

Verdan watched the interaction quietly, a few things abruptly making sense to him. Not the least of which was why he only ever heard Cullan refer to the Commander by his first name.

Glancing at the tunic Cullan was wearing, Verdan wondered if he should share this particular chink in the indomitable Cullan’s armour, but decided it wasn’t worth it.

“Well, I need to check in with the Kranjir, so I’ll leave you to it,” Verdan said, getting to his feet before pausing as he had a thought. “Actually, it might be worth getting a full briefing on the type of training that we’re doing for my new guards. Cullan, would you mind staying and talking it through with the Commander?”

A smile tugged at the corner of Cullan’s mouth, and he shot Verdan a wink before nodding. “Of course, leave it with me.”

Verdan left at a quick pace and grabbed Pania from the hall before heading for the exit.

“Don’t we need to wait for Cullan?” Pania asked, glancing back the way they’d come.

“No, Cullan will be finding his own way home,” Verdan said, suppressing a smirk. “For now, let’s head over to the Kranjir. I have a favour to ask of Ciaran.”

-**-

The city square where the caravan had been quartered was still occupied by a few stalls, and there was some general traffic, but the majority of the Kranjir were absent.

Looking around, Verdan spotted Padraig talking to a few of the guards and headed that way.

“Wizard Blacke, what can I do for you?” Padraig asked, turning to face Verdan with a questioning look.

“I was hoping to speak with Ciaran on some matters. Where would I find him?”

“The Chosen is helping Clan Mhorgain settle into their new lodgings. The city has given them a section of abandoned housing north of your estate. Most of our people are helping them move, but we Blades are taking in turn to keep an eye on things over here.”

“I see,” Verdan said, a little surprised that the city council would agree to that. “Could you spare someone to show me the way?”

“Of course, Wizard,” Padraig said, whistling and calling out to one of the guards. “If you have need of anything else, please don’t hesitate to ask us. Clan Thrain remembers its friends.”

Padraig had no political power, but they were the heart of a Chosen’s Thearns, so Padraig’s attitude toward him was a good measure of his standing as a whole.

Thanking Padraig, Verdan followed the guard out of the square, feeling a little more optimistic about his task.

The guard brought them to an area that was only a few minutes away from Verdan’s estate, but was dilapidated and filled with buildings in dire need of repair.

Verdan had seen the consequences of the steady decline the city had experienced until the last year or so, but this was a particularly bad example.

No wonder the council was willing to part with it. They were likely hoping the Kranjir would leave it in a better state than they found it when they moved on.

To be fair, from what Verdan could see, it looked like that was exactly what would happen. Already there were groups of the Mhorgain at work, with teams of the Thrain Thearns helping here and there.

The guard carried on into the area, bringing Verdan to a city square where the bulk of the Mhorgain possessions were being stored. A pavilion had been set up on the near side, and Verdan could see Ciaran, Maeve and Sinead were inside, leaning over a table and in deep discussion.

Thanking the guard, Verdan took a deep breath and made his way over to them.