Leila took a leap of faith since she had decided to try until the end. She kicked the wall of the rocky mountain hard while her hand lifted her upward. She flew in the sky toward the edge of the cliff. She saw the dusty edge getting closer so she extended her arm to grab onto it. However, she failed to reach it. Before an inch left, she fell backwards to the base of the mountain. It was a hundred feet drop with no chance of survival. Her mind knew that it would be the end. Leila closed her eyes and let herself float in thoughts before everything ended. Life flashed back. She saw Lily her mother, her father, Mrs Borger the nanny, and Ethan her dear other half. While she was praying for Ethan, she noticed she was being pulled up by a knight and saved.

Leila saw the old knight scratching his beard contemplating whether to let her live or not. She told everything truthfully without a single lie but her story was too hard to believe.

A powerful man like Duke Ducan had many mistresses and lovers openly. Yet he had a young maiden secretly hidden in the dungeon to fulfil his sexual desires. Why would he go to such lengths to get some pleasure from a girl? The old knight shook his head. It was ridiculous. But the name seemed familiar to him so he asked the name again in case it rang a bell.

"Leila Longbart. Daughter of Atkinson Longbart."

"Yes. I have heard the name somewhere. Where? Where...?" The old knight scratched again as if it were his odd habit. Suddenly he remembered, "The one who sells exquisite spice?" He asked.

Leila nodded excitedly as she believed he might be an old friend of her father. She saw the old knight smile heartily then he was confused again. "But his daughter is dead. Publicly hanged by the Great Ayeegyee himself."

"Yes. It is exactly the reason why the Duke can't have me openly," explained Leila, "he locked me in the dungeon most of the time. That's why I ran away when I got the chance."

After her explanation, everything became clear for the old knight. He nodded continuously as he found out a new important information from Leila. He decided to let her live. "I buy the spices only from Longbart store because the quality is exquisite. They make anything tastier. So, I believe this is destiny. Let me introduce myself, miss. My name is Arthur, the trusted counsellor of King Louise and Princess Cleo. You are in safe hands now. Unless you do something stupid that is. Come, let's get back to the camp."

Leila said that they were not safe yet and that Horsemen were coming up the mountain along the path. Arthur cut her and said that his men would take care of them. Just as he spoke, Leila soon heard a very sharp screaming followed by the sound of a fight. "Are you not going to help your men?" She asked worriedly but Arthur seemed to have absolute faith in his men so she didn't mention it again.

At dusk, Leila saw twenty knights return to the camp with blood-splattered capes and armours without apparent wounds on their bodies. Leila wondered how they beat the Duke's guards without getting a single wound. "Traps and arrows," Answered a young knight as if he read her mind. "They are the most lethal weapons in mountain and forest terrains," he continued while rubbing the sweat on his forehead by flexing the bicep. As if she read his mind, Leila said to him, "I am promised." It baffled him.

The camp was hidden inside a small wood at the narrow saddle facing the crown city. Unlike the bare peak, the saddle had trees which extended from the forest at the base. The trees covered any smoke and fire, completely hiding the camp. A little walk from the camp Leila reached the edge where she could stare down at the bustling crown city under the dusk sky.

"Are you missing your city girl life?" Arthur teased Leila as she seemed to be in a daydream while watching the lights.

"No, it is just...they look beautiful."

"Indeed. It is quite a sight. But it looks beautiful because we are seeing it from up here. It is quite miserable down there right now. Every day, children steal in broad daylight to satiate their hunger. Men rob at every corner of the alley. Women sell their bodies to get a roof over their heads. It is a lawless broken city since the day Adders were dethroned. After the Adders, the zealots also drove sympathisers and their families out of their homes and unlawfully seized the properties without trials. It is a tragic mess," Spoke Arthur his mind while staring at the city with teary eyes as if the city was the child he raised.

The two sat there quietly each with their thoughts and concerns. Then, Leila broke the silence, asking if her family would be alright to which Arthur replied that her father, Atkinson was a smart man who could adapt to any situation. "Also, the Adders will take it back soon, with Revenant," Arthur said firmly with strong conviction.

When Leila heard Revenant, her eyes shone. "Revenant? You mean Ethan will be there too?" She asked with hopeful eyes.

"Ethan? Of course. He is our champion after all."

As soon as she found out about Ethan, she stood up immediately and readied to leave for Crown City.

"Then, I have to be there." She muttered.

"No can do, miss. I may be a regular customer but I don't know you enough. You are staying here until everything is over." Arthur told her firmly.

That night, Leila ate three bowls of stew as if she had been starving for a while. She was served with the finest dishes and sweetest fruits in the dungeon but they tasted bitter on her tongue. Yet a simple stew made by simply boiling the salted meat with a few spices tasted divine to her even though the knights complained that the meat tasted like leather. She might not be meeting Ethan again soon but the thought alone still made her happy. After ravishing dinner, Leila fell asleep like a log through the night to the next one from exhaustion.

Under the dull moonlight, the banners of Goldfield stood proud above the towers and the walls of the crown city, the golden wheel sparkled from the light of the torches at each wave of the wind. Even though Ducan Goldfield wasn't crowned King, his sigils were hanged at every corner of the city to welcome his ascension. Except for a few opportunistic thugs and guarding patrol units, otherwise the streets were clear of life soon after nightfall. After the sunset rush when the commuters dashed to their homes before the dark to avoid robberies, no one got out anymore. The bustling city quarters became deserted neighbourhoods.

Every night, a house was banged on the door in the city. The neighbours heard the ruckus and chaos but no one dared to go out and help. It could be robbers or even worse the zealots. Anyone who helped would fall victim the next night. the guards would also arrest anyone seen without proper investigation or trials. It was not worth the risk to help the others.

It was the ultimate fall of a once-thriving city. An absolute tragedy.

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Cleo felt a sharp stab in her heart when she found out about the miserable state of her people. She was ashamed for failing them. She clucked her tongue in throbbing anger. "Mordu' and those Templars, I will make them pay soon." She mumbled frustratedly as she and her team sneaked around a silent neighbourhood near the town centre.

The initial plan which they were to besiege the city wall was scrapped when they found out the Duke had sent his retainer to the crown city before him. Both Cleo and Luther concurred it was best to retake the city before the Duke had full control over the city and its garrison. So, they decided to infiltrate the city wall in a small handpicked team with the help of sympathizers from the garrison before the Duke's retainer arrived. Their mission was to assassinate the Duke's retainer, Chancellor Hammock, and the Ayeegyee of Crown City.

The dozens of zealots were wreaking havoc on the general mess because the public had lost their leaders. Luther figured if they could get rid of the enemies' leadership first and resume leadership, then they could regain the whole city again without a fight.

And so, Cleo infiltrated the city with Ethan, Luther, Dovos and Igüan while Jonah, Gura, Abeline and Signard along with the army were to attack the Temple outpost in the vicinity and then marched to the city to show force. Unless they showed force, Cleo figured the people would relent to join their cause even if they eliminated the leadership. It was a risky plan that could fall apart like a domino if they failed to obliterate the enemy leadership. But the success would be tremendous if they made it.

Before the day of the attack, the spies had already given the team the exact whereabouts of their targets at the setting time. The Duke's retainer and chancellor would be at the palace to discuss the situation of the city and the coronation ceremony before the Duke's arrival while having dinner. Meanwhile, the Ayeegyee had to attend a charity hosted by a rich man earlier that day and would return to Temple by dusk. He would be resting alone in his chamber, the spy's report said. Cleo, Luther, and Igüan decided to infiltrate the palace while Ethan was to sneak into the Temple with Dovos.

The night was young but the roads of the city with a hundred thousand population were empty. Cleo hid behind a big wooden signboard while Luther and Igüan behind a huge trough when the lights from torches approached from the corner of the road. Cleo looked around hoping to find a better hiding spot since the board wouldn't be enough if the guards came into the street. Fortunately, the place she was hiding seemed to be deserted, the door was broken so was a window so they went inside. As she was afraid, the guards turned into the street from the road but they were a step earlier. They hid inside the building. The place seemed to be deserted for a while as spiders had been running wild, and cobwebs were everywhere. The dust rushed into their nostrils at each breath, they struggled not to cough or sneeze.

As the guards passed them, Cleo saw the torchlight shone on the board earlier, illuminating the words written in beautiful cursive- Best Inn in Town, Catrina. Cleo remembered the place 'Catrina'. It opened till midnight so she had once had a pie at it after a secret mission in the past. She had that memory because Catrina was famous for its best meat pie and ale. She was heartbroken to see her favourite pie place in such a horrible state. Just how much did the Temple destroy her city, she mumbled angrily.

They returned to the streets after the guards were gone. Unless they saw the torchlight from the patrols, they could roam the roads freely since no one was on the road and all the buildings were closed completely; both the doors and windows. It made it easier to navigate through the town till they reached the palace. They passed a couple of patrols on the route but dodging them didn't even break them a sweat. The patterns of the guards were simple and predictable. Soon, the silhouette of the grand palace came into their view.

The palace was a compound made up of several sections. The outermost part was the ring of the palace wall. The wall extended into the castle at the east and west dividing the courtyard into the northern courtyard and the back garden in the south. While the west wing was connected to the small royal harbour in Grand Midlake, the east wing opened a small entrance into the city. The castle faced its front toward the port of Midlake and the iron mine at the base of Mount Crownguard. The secret tunnel Cleo and Luther used was near the small iron gate at the eastern wall. A little bit south of the gate was a tiny square garden built in remembrance of a tragic love tale. Legend said a young nobleman fell in love with a beautiful servant but his family and the law denied them their union. One day, while the young man travelled to the palace to appeal the amending of the law, the family silently extirpated the girl. Brokenhearted when he found out, he hanged himself on a tree outside the palace in the hope of reuniting with her in the next life. The incident became so well-known that the king at that period had to amend the law to allow marriage of different classes. A small garden was built surrounding that tree. In the current period, it became Lovers' Square. The secret entrance that Leila and Luther usually used was built behind the cover of bushes.

"There are a lot of guards today," Luther commented after surveying the surroundings. "Well, both the retainer and chancellor are inside so it is under our expectation," replied Cleo calmly while monitoring the pattern of sentries on the wall. Igüan as quiet as always hugged his shield and awaited his order. "Indeed. And I believe the positions of the sentries are the same as usual. When that patrol unit passes the garden, we will sneak in. Igüan, follow us exactly as we did." Luther told Igüan to be ready as they awaited the ground patrol to pass the lovers' square.

However, they met an unpredicted situation when the patrols suddenly stopped at the garden and decided to rest.

"Oi, my feet are burning. Let's rest."

"Right. My calves are dying too."

The guards dropped their weapons on the grass and threw their asses on a bench to have the best time of their day.

Their ridiculous behaviour made Cleo's and Luther's heads heavy. Time was ticking. If the meeting was over and the chancellor returned home, it would be hard to execute. Unlike the palace ground where Cleo and Luther memorized every nick and spot, the chancellor's mansion was an uncharted territory which would require another day of surveillance. They couldn't bust in either as it would alert the entire garrison and they would be outnumbered.

Instantly the plan to lift the entire city out of misery was on the verge of failing because of a bunch of lazy buns.