It took me until first light to track down all the squads after the trouble I encountered from faulty directions, knocking on the wrong windows, overrun positions, suspicious knights unwilling to believe me, snapping laundry lines, and ghouls crowding the streets. There were some fortunate examples of squads being in the same place and reducing my number of trips, but those were rare.

The city's eastern side was clear of ghouls and easier to navigate. However, I had the most issues with the residents and knights there. They wanted to know in great detail what had transpired in the rest of their city and whether their family and friends were affected. When I mentioned the gargoyle to the first group, it prompted a lengthy discussion I desperately wanted to escape.

I learned from the encounter and adjusted my initial explanation to avoid inciting fear and misunderstanding. By the final squad I talked to, I had eliminated all follow-up questions and panicked interruptions. However, I still couldn’t provide them with all the answers they wanted because I didn’t know the addresses they asked for or the streets they mentioned.

The northern side was largely safe, except for the gate near Tometh’s team. The gargoyle had left a path of destruction through the centre, veering in their direction and through their gate into the outskirts. They had ample warning of the coming danger and had barricaded themselves inside before its passing, so they and their militia detachment were still whole.

Tometh’s team was at the end of the maze the ghouls could only find after many turns and dead ends. The difficulty in getting to them reduced the number of ghouls, and they’d already secured what was left of the gate and streets—for now. The destruction of the southern gate also meant the ghouls were not pushed to go around the city, so those encroaching from the outskirts had halted.

I scaled up the row of buildings overlooking the bastion and pulled myself onto the roof to sit and rest my arms. The helmet and chainmail covering my body felt as if they doubled my weight, making the climbing all the more arduous. I crawled up to saddle the ridge and looked across the grounds. Dead ghouls were piled at the base of the fence, giving those remaining a step up to the enchantment above. The soldiers stood guard and didn’t continue the culling, likely to stop from making the pile high enough for them to use as a ramp.

I blinked for longer than needed, my eyes trying to steal respite. When my head jerked up, and I didn’t know how long I’d dozed off, it was time to get active before I fell off the roof. I shaded my eyes from the sun and searched for Tometh, Kera, or anyone who wanted to take this notepad from me. Its pages were filled with detailed accounts, casualty numbers, locations, questions, and potential plans. It was useless in my hands, and I needed to get it inside the fence if I wanted my effort to count for something.

Lugging around and clambering up the walls with a bow slung over my shoulder was a hassle at best. I had hardly used the weapon while traversing the city but kept it with me for the possibility of it being useful. My quiver was also missing a few arrows that had fallen out during my antics. Throwing the book to the wind would likely get it blown back at me, but what if I shot it?

I bent the notepad around an arrow shaft and secured it with a steel strap I forged from a bangle. I couldn’t see Tometh on the grounds but found Jestile conversing with others I recognised from the prior night’s meeting. With a little wobble in my draw, I pulled back the bowstring to my cheek and aimed my weighed-down arrow towards Jestile.

It took my tired mind far too long to realise the notepad wrapped around would get caught on the bow as it launched.

I unnotched my arrow, breathed out a long sigh and chucked the steel arrow towards the bastion. It tumbled end over end, clearing the fence and bypassing the enchantment but landing nowhere near my target. A passerby jumped at the thud it made against a tent and went to investigate.

When he looked for the source, I waved to catch his attention and pointed towards the captain. The poor man looked lost, turning the mutated arrow over in his hand and then looking back up at me. I gestured wildly to the left, and after some hesitation, the man followed my directions through the footpaths until he found Jestile.

Jestile looked at a loss for words when the arrow was deposited in her hands and slid the notepad out from its casing. The man pointed to me, and I waved half-heartedly. Jestile lifted a hand to acknowledge my presence and quickly marched off to the bastion with the rest of the captains in tow.

“I’ll just wait up here then,” I said to the breeze and laid back to bask in the soft morning light, hoping it would unfreeze my weary bones.

…

Something clanged against my chainmail, and I squinted into the sun. My neck was stiff from sleeping in my helmet, and I yawned, leaning away from the light. Another projectile landed on the tiles beside me, and I sat up to investigate, catching the next one before it hit me. I opened my hand to find a pebble on my palm and looked over the grounds for where it came from.

Tometh stood near the fence, his arm drawn back, ready to throw another. He saw I was up but threw the pebble anyway. I leant out of the way, and it sailed past to hit a ghoul on the street behind me. I threw my arms up in a silent question, wanting to shout at him to ask what was going on. The worst possibility came to mind and I checked my surroundings for the gargoyle, not finding it anywhere.

I slid off my helmet to roll my neck and rub my eyes. Tometh held up the notepad for me to see and tore out a page. He wrapped it around a stone and motioned to throw it. I put my helmet in my lap to free my hands to catch and nodded. The stone and paper arched through the air, falling short to smack into the tiles. Instead of scrambling for it and potentially falling off, I floated it into my hands.

I uncrumpled the paper surrounding it after casting Tometh a disappointed glance, yawned, and smoothed the page. As I read, I scratched the base of my tightly coiled braid. It, along with deciphering the crudely drawn map and script, was contributing to my growing headache.

The good news was that my worst fears were not realised, and I didn’t have to go back to every squad to issue their orders. I would only need to see Tometh’s 2nd, who would move towards the interior, meet up with other squads along the way, and press in towards the bastion while they enacted their own plans.

The bad news was that I’d downplayed my worst fears. Tometh was very sympathetic, and many lines of writing revolved around me not having to do it, not feeling obligated to do it, and it was all the commander’s idea.

I was requested to trace the path of the gargoyle and ensure it had left the outskirts or report back on its position. It was paramount to the operation for them to know where their greatest threat now resided, and I had proved myself as a scout. The pleasantries were appreciated, but the ask was a bit much.

My hands were numb, and my stomach complained about the lack of any real meals over the last few days. It had also started snowing again during the evening, the temperature plummeting out of nowhere. I’d hoped to come back, sit inside by the fire, and eat breakfast, even if it was rationed oats. I stuffed the page in my pocket, placed the helmet over my head, balanced on the ridge, and waved goodbye without looking back at their hopeful or worried faces.

Once I felt confident in my balance, I transitioned into a run and checked the sun to determine which direction was northwest. I didn’t slow down as I approached the edge and leapt across the narrower gap of the alley to the opposite rooftop. My fingers felt less chilled as my heart raced and my core warmed from the exhilaration.

I quickly followed in the wake of the gargoyle, viewing the destruction in the light. The cobblestones were cracked, with footprints covered by the snow and claw marks along the walls. If it had wanted to, the gargoyle could have destroyed the defences of any house, but it hadn’t. I didn’t want to attribute it to the whims of a mindless beast, knowing those in the castle held onto some of their past intellect.

The few gates shut to block its path had been ripped from their hinges, and others left abandoned. The ghouls became fewer as I travelled along the route, preferring to stay near all the people by the bastion or wander off to a dead end. I climbed down to cross over to the buildings that made up the outer wall, able to travel the circumference of the city along them.

Tometh’s team was at the corner gate, so it was my last climb for the time being, and I ran along to meet up with them. I eyed the treeline in the distance across an expansive field of ghouls and tree stumps. I imagined a force of Drasdan knights riding through the gaps in the trees instead of the pale bodies slinking into the forest’s shadow, but it was too early.

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I had faith that help was coming, yet I struggled to remain hopeful that my request would bring the force necessary to push back the ghouls. A silly part of my mind contemplated if the knights I trained with remembered my name or if I’d done enough to warrant the help I wanted. Perhaps I was being too self-centred, and weighing the option of helping squash the invasion of ghouls had nothing to do with me.

Most of the 2nd was out in the street with the militia and other volunteers, killing off the few that made it to the end of the maze. I dropped to the street, sending the snowfall flying with my landing. Chewkls wasn’t impressed and shook her head to remove the snow from her hair. After throwing me a disapproving glare, she turned back to the group she was commanding, too tired to squabble. Sennal, less of a combat-focused knight, came out of the shop front they used as a base.

“You’re back so soon?”

I yawned, taking out the twice-crumpled paper from my pocket and trying to smooth it out. I tore off the top half with my instructions and handed Sennal the bottom half. “You’re my only target this time. Tometh has this doodle he wants you to follow, along with a few scribbles.”

“I’m an expert at reading his writings at this point,” Sennal said, squinting at the page and turning it over. “Did the captain not sleep? This is worse than usual.”

“Have you?” I retorted. “He wants you to wait until noon, then push towards the bastion and collect the other squads along the way; I can tell you where they are if it's not clear.”

“Huh, is that all? And what does that torn-off bit say?”

“Just a very kindly worded suggestion Tometh passed along from the commander.”

Sennal groaned and held out her hand for the bad news, but I shook my head. “It’s for me.”

“Need any help with it?”

“I should be fine, but if I come running down the street yelling, I’d find somewhere to hide… after letting me in.”

“You’re not going after the winged terror that came through here, are you? What do they expect you to do about it? I can’t believe the captain would ask that of you.”

I adjusted my bow and tightened the strap of my quiver. “Nothing so consequential. They want me to track it and see if it’s actually gone. Tometh assured me it was a suggestion, not that I have interest in following orders if it was one.”

Sennal scoffed. “Great quality for somebody in your position to have. Are you sure we’re not meant to go with you? A small team makes sense, but one person is foolhardy. At least take a mount to get away easier.”

I hummed in thought, deciding I would enjoy the company and being able to rest my legs. “If there’s one spare.”

Sennal looked around, her gaze landing on the makeshift stable. “We lost another during the initial wave last night. Let me check who you can borrow from.”

Sennal’s horse had been lost near the auction house, so she went through the knights under Tometh’s command who were not already on horseback. I could tell by their scrunched nose and furrowed eyebrows when she made the proposal. They looked at me with crossed arms and wavered before shaking their heads. I understood, not wanting to let your companion go off with a relative stranger and waved off their concern when they looked back at me apologetically.

I rubbed my palms together for warmth, reminded myself to find an animal capable of manipulating fire, and prepared to leave on foot. The gate had been strung up with a length of rope tied to each end, but climbing over it wouldn’t be an issue.

“Valeria,” Sennal called, leading over a coal-black horse with a short mane they tried to throw about with exaggerated nodes of their head. “I’ve found Hutra for you. He’s Tames’, and I’m sure he would appreciate getting him back intact.”

I took the offered reins and held out a hand, asking for permission to brush his neck. “I don’t plan on fighting anything, and I’ll take any hits before he does.”

I stepped up, settled into the saddle, and apologised for the mass of metal weighing me down when Hutra complained. I flicked his ear when he threatened to rear back and throw me off, arguing there was no chance I was heavier than Tames. The horse settled beneath me and neighed over his mistreatment for being made to ride out alone with a novice who didn’t know how to hold his reins.

“Oh, quit your whining,” I said, directing him towards the gate. As recompense, I adjusted the armour over his head so he could see better and loosened a strap digging into his side.

“What?” Sennal asked, looking up from where she was untying the ropes holding up the iron gate.

“Sorry, talking to Hutra.”

“Glad you’re getting along.” She called for help from those loitering around, wondering what was happening since Sennal hadn’t handed over the orders yet. The edge of the gate scraped against the cobblestone as they hefted it up and swung it open just enough for me to ride through. “Give us a shout if you’re in trouble. I’ll send Chewkls to help.”

The knight heard the offer and rolled her eyes as she went back to the sword she’d put to the side. “Not if you have that ghoul on your heels, not fighting that thing without the captain around.”

“I’ll be fine,” I reassured. “I won’t be going near it.”

The street beyond was empty, and the snow filled the footprints dug into the gravel and dirt. I set Hutra to trot and drained the mana from my necklace. The horse and its mana reserve, larger than my fake one, would probably get me caught if I rode too close, but I felt confident he could outrun the gargoyle. I doubted it was still around, but I kept a close eye on the fading tracks and stretched my senses.

Lumps in the shape of bodies were buried under the snow, and I drew back my bow to add another to the pile. I loosed my arrow into the skull of a lone ghoul walking out of a damaged home, the impact of its body softened by the powder. There were more inside, clawing at whatever bit of mana caught their attention, but they were safe from me. My next arrow clattered against a stone wall, and I blamed my cold fingers and running target for the bad aim. My next hit the ghoul sprinting across the intersection in the stomach, and I quickly shot it again before its screech could attract more.

“Yes, yes, Tames would have hit that. My bad.”

We slowed to a crawl as the larger footprints of the gargoyle disappeared, replaced by claw marks on the side of a wooden building. It had climbed. Hutra and I slowly spun around, eyeing the rooftops around us. “I don’t sense it.”

I tried to encourage him forward, but Hutra’s ears were stiff and held towards the heart of the outskirts. I shivered as a chill ran down my spine; from the cold weather, I assured myself.

What is it?

The best answer Hutra could give was that the mana was being… odd. I closed my eyes and relaxed, letting the mana pass through me without interaction. There was a subtle pull from where Hutra faced, which could have been the natural ebb and flow of the ambient mana.

I didn’t sense the monstrous usage the gargoyle would draw upon, so I convinced a reluctant Hutra to move on ahead. If I’d known the ghoul would start running over rooftops, I would have left the horse behind, but I was still glad for the company. There was little evidence of its passing from the ground; some snow disturbed on the rooftops and a street where it landed, only to climb again.

Even when we turned corners, Hutra’s ears swivelled towards the same spot, and I was finally persuaded it wasn’t coincidental. I shot one last ghoul, which had been clawing at the same spot for hours, going by the deep gouge in the stone and shattered claws. Then, we turned down the next path towards whatever had caught his attention.

We had been ambling across the outskirts, following the gargoyle's incomprehensible and twisting trail. However, we came to a place I recognised—the battlefield from the ghoul I’d taken the helmet from—and I realised where Hutra was taking us.

We made our way down the damaged street and around the collapsed gazebo. Now close enough, I felt the subtle pull of the mana towards the auction house long before I sensed the gargoyle inside.

Hutra didn’t have to worry because I wouldn’t try to persuade him to go any further. The hole in the glass I and the lesser ghouls had entered through was enlarged, and the roof was destroyed to make way for the gargoyle's head and wings. Glass shattered inside, and I felt around for the now pointless key in my pocket. I didn’t get to look at every item in the auction house, but I hoped there was nothing gargoyle-sized inside.

I looked for where the sunlight was behind the dark clouds, guessing it was nearly midday. We waited with as little of our heads peeking around the corner to watch the auction house and its partly collapsed tower. Hutra didn’t appreciate that I wanted to linger to see if the gargoyle moved, not that I relished the task either. The part of me that called the Riker duchy home was glad it had stayed near the capital and hadn’t headed north to some unsuspecting village. However, being nearby complicated my feelings.

Do we go back? Or keep watch? I asked Hutra, trusting he would say to return and give me the excuse to leave.

Before the spooked animal could finish illustrating exactly how much he wanted to be anywhere but here, the rest of the stone tower collapsed to the side. The winged ghoul stepped over the corpse of its castle brethren, ignoring the stone blocks that fell around it. The gargoyle held a shield on the edge, had a ring forced over a claw, a great axe it dragged on the ground, and a torn piece of clothing it had tried to pull on.

It spread its wings and shredded the last of Hutra’s patience. He reared back in fear, neighing loudly and attracting unwanted attention.