They reached the bottom of the valley where a light breeze, coming in from the northern end, chilled them all to the bone. Lilis walked hunched over, her arms wrapped around her chest, shivering as the wind took the heat out of her damp clothing. Avon looked more determined but was shaking twice as much and despite Raini's best efforts she could feel the cold seeping into her uniform. She felt her thoughts drift back to the Sea Spirit and her crew. Tain, Travic, Case, I'm sorry, I couldn't-

She forced her mind to push those thoughts out. Win now, mourn later. Younie had used to say something along those lines, with the first word changing depending on how much he'd drunk. No one spoke and Raini took the lead as the crossed the valley. With the other two behind her she felt like she was the only person left in the world.

Supposedly, when the Dragons had wiped out the Illifran a single one of them had survived the slaughter. It had spent weeks walking north, to where it knew others of a different kind lived, solely to warn them. It had spent weeks alone and utterly isolated, knowing what had happened to its people and had lived just long enough to give its dire warning. Raini had wondered how it had felt on its last walk. Had its thoughts flickered back to its friends and family as hers were threatening to do? Had its heart been full of revenge or merely regret? So engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't even notice the half dozen armed men as they rose out of a patch of dead ground ten meters away and aimed there muskets right at her. The whole group except her came to a halt.

“Identify yourself in the name of the Dead.” One more obstacle, Raini thought, one more push then I can hand off Mercy to someone better qualified then me and go back to just being a captain. She continued to walk forward towards the men, noting how their muskets followed her. Not five meters behind her she knew that Mercy, the much bigger threat, stood and waited. Raini reached the line of men and halted. She stared at the man who had spoken.

“We’re the only people left alive that aren’t inside your little fortress.” She mustered a weak grin. “So, I don't think it matters much who we are.”

The man’s eyes narrowed but before he could say anything she pushed past him and began walking up the other side of the hill towards the small tower. There was a shout, and she heard the men turn to track her with their mag-rifles but she ignored them. They didn't fire as she walked away, nor did they fire when she was joined by Lilis, or a moment later, by Mercy.

She trudged up the valleys side and refused to pay any attention as other groups of armed men and women slowly stood. They were good at hiding, she'd give them that, almost every bush or dip or low wall was packed full of them, but after she passed the first group it appeared that none of them quite knew what they were meant to do with her.

As she approached the final tower Raini noticed that the low wall that ran around it wasn't as low as she'd thought. It was a trick of perspective made even more impressive by the dry moat that ran around the wall and added an extra twenty feet in height to the by now very impressive but ancient looking wall. A single drawbridge, hard to spot, stood open and silently she motioned the others to follow her inside. Someone waved down at her from the walls ramparts and Raini was aware of others crowding in close behind her, but she ignored all of them until she entered the courtyard.

She came to a halt as two score of protectors closed around her; wicked looking bayonets were attached to the ends of their muskets. She heard a scraping sound and turned just intime to see the crowd behind her fixing their own bayonets. It was almost impressive looking, but something told her that if push came to shove Mercy would win in a fight. A middle-aged man, balding and just slightly too fat for his dark green uniform pushed passed the crowd and stared incredulously at Raini, Lilis and Mercy.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill all three of you right now.” Raini took a deep breath.

“I am Raini Kas-”

“I don't care who you are!” the man shouted. “You missed the chance to identify yourself when questioned at the perimeter.” Raini wondered how he could have possibly known that. She took another deep breath, trying to muster what remained of her strength.

“This here is-”

“One of the creatures, we know. Avon has already explained its presence to us.” The man's lip curled a little. “You appear to be so stubborn you think you can reason with it.” Lilis moved next to Riani, her hand on her small dagger but she didn't say anything. The man just gave her a dismissive glance.

“We have had some success,” Raini said quickly.

“Oh really?” The man shouted loudly enough for the whole courtyard to hear. “Saved your own skins, have you? Is that all?” Raini glanced to Mercy, but she was doing nothing. One eye flicked to Raini and then back to the man, if it was a signal then it was something that she didn't understand.

“We have negotiated with their-”

“I don't care!” The man's face flashed red, and he stamped his foot like a spoiled child. “You were given the order to identify yourself in the name of the Dead and you failed to do so.”

“Avon-” Raini spotted someone else was pushing his way through the back of the crowd.

“Doesn’t matter. You were given the order, you failed to follow it. Both of you!”

“What?” Lilis cried, “what did I do?”

“This is a dangerous situation; we cannot let this transgression against the Dead go unpunished.” With one hand he indicated half a dozen armed men next to him. Raini could almost see the other person pushing his way through the crowd, but whoever it was keeping his head down low. “Squad, present arms.”

Lilis gasped as half a dozen muskets were braced against shoulders and aimed at both of them. She looked ready throw herself at the line of men. Raini reached up and grabbed hold of the girl's shoulder.

“We've done enough.” The moment the last word left her mouth she felt a rush of air from behind her and blinked to see Mercy standing halfway between the firing line and Raini, her arms outstretched as if she was ready to catch the bullets. A heartbeat later and the rest of the crowd raised their own weapons. Either oblivious or just not caring that any misses would hit their comrades. “Stop,” Raini shouted.

“Make ready!” Came the response and a hundred flints were drawn back in their locks.

“You can't be serious. This is insane.” Raini said. The man just snarled at her.

“You failed to obey an order given by the Dead, you-” He trailed off as the unknown man tapped him on the back of the shoulder, as he turned to respond Raini caught a glimpse of the other man’s face and felt her heart come to a shuddering halt. Younie's fist smashed into the first man's face and sent him sprawling to the ground.

“Six years I've waited for an excuse to do that,” Younie said and laughed. Raini, her heart bursting, her body on adrenalin, and her mind in a panic ran towards him. He grinned, opened his arms to embrace her and staggered a little as she slammed her own fist into his jaw.

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“You bastard! You utter- clanless- son of a-,” she kicked him in the shins and went for another punch, but he grabbed her arm, spun her around, and pulled her into his bear hug. She still struggled, cursing him every way she knew how, and didn’t care that everyone was staring at her.

“I’ve miss you,” he said. “I’m glad you made captain.” She felt the anger drain from her arms and he let her go, she staggered to the ground and onto her knees.

“Everyone else, bugger off!” Younie shouted. The man who had challenged her climbed to his feet and limped away as the crowd around her scattered.

“You-,” Raini could feel the tears running down her face. “All this time, you were one of them.

“Hadn't anyone told you yet, Tain should have.” All the fire had gone out of Younie’s voice as he knelt down next to her.

“Tain's dead,” she said as if that explained everything. “Everyone outside is dead. How could you...” She felt his hand on her shoulder again.

“I got sick of following the clan’s orders, thought I could do more good here.”

“You never told me you were one of them.” Raini's voice was just above a whisper.

“That’s part of the job.” Younie laughed a little. “It was your recruitment that got me noticed by them in the first place. I was expecting you to join us in a few years’ time.”

“Is everything alright?” Avon's voice came from the gateway. She looked up to see him being carried on a stretcher by two more protectors. Raini nodded. “Don't mind me, I'm not as young as I was when I first said I'm not as young as I used to be.” He smiled weakly.

“So, you thought you'd use two of my soldiers and one of my stretchers to carry you here,” Younie said, but there was no malice in his voice.

“Well, I woke up on it after explaining the situation on the radio at the guardhouse and then being told that she'd made it all the way here.”

Younie nodded. “Right, right. Well get in here and get to one of the aid stations, we could use you there.”

“Yes champion,” Avon said and gave a mocking salute. “To the aid station.” he ordered the soldiers who began carrying him away.

“I was wondering if he was going to show up.” Younie said quietly.

“Wait, wait,” Avon suddenly shouted, and the soldiers came to an exasperated halt. He waved for Raini and Lilis to come over to him and together with Younie and Mercy they scurried over. “I just want to say that if I don't see you again, well done. You did everything that could be expected of you and twice as much.”

Raini gave him a salute. “We did the best we could. I'm not sure if that will be enough.” She looked around the fortress's courtyard, the walls were packed with Protectors, some watching them intently. The courtyard itself, aside from the medical tents had others tents for ammunition and weapons, while between them squads of more protectors marched back and forth. Younie himself had moved to one of the tents where a gaggle of officers stood around.

“No refugees,” Lilis said. “I'd have thought there would be some.” Raini could see Mercy watching them as they walked. She looked somewhat like an abandoned toy, standing alone in front of the gate. As they approached Younie she could see him and one or two other officers occasionally glance in Mercy's direction.

“What do we do with that thing?” Younie asked Raini as she approached.

“We were hoping someone here would know. Doesn't the Dead have a clan leader like the rest of us?” she said. Younie sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

“She didn't make it back here in time. We think. I guess that means I'll have to deal with it,” he said. Raini nodded. “Bugger.”

“I can answer any questions you have.” Raini offered. It took twenty minutes to go through the entire story, another ten to answer Younie’s first round of questions, and fifteen more spent on trying to make him understand that they could move bodies at will before Younie finally sighed and ordered that Mercy be brought over to him.

“And cover everything in this tent.” He ordered to the officers who had done nothing but listened glumly. “I don't want this thing seeing what we've got planned for its friends.”

Mercy arrived a minute later and stood there silently waiting for him to speak. Younie crossed his arms and took a step forward.

“Raini tells me that if I shot you now, you'll just come back in a new body, right?”

“Incorrect. I do not believe you possess the capability to harm this body.”

Younie raised an eyebrow and then shook his head. “If you say so. Are your people going to attack us here?”

“Yes.” Younie paused and shot Raini a glance. She shrugged.

“I don't suppose you'd tell us when?” he asked Mercy.

“The Warriors will arrive in twenty-two minutes and thirty-two seconds.” Younie’s eyes narrowed. He turned and mouthed something to the officers behind him. A moment later and they were running in all directions, he turned back with a confident expression on his face.

“That could be a lie Younie,” Raini warned him.

“It could be. Doesn't hurt to be prepared though. Which direction will they come from?”

“All. They have been maneuvered to attack from all directions simultaneously.” Younie's eyes flicked to Raini's. She nodded.

“Let's see if we get an answer for this one. How do we win?”

“You cannot,” Mercy said.

Raini took a breath and stepped forward, feeling like a young Ensign all over again. “We do what we've been trying to do all along and convince the King's to call off the attack. Maybe if we hurt them enough here it will make them reconsider.”

“I do not believe that the Kings will listen to reason anymore. I believe that they will attack regardless.”

Younie pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. “So, how many of the bastards will we have to kill to make them reconsider?” Mercy didn't respond.

“She's probably gone to ask them directly,” Raini said. A minute later and Mercy suddenly straightened up from a slouch that Raini hadn't even noticed. The arms stretched out a little and the head swivelled from one side to another.

“I had forgotten how limited these bodies are.” The voice was slower, more powerful and with a hint of menace behind it.

“Judgment?” Raini offered.

“Well done. When this is over, we will have to determined how you could tell.” He turned to Younie who too was standing tall, trying to look the creature in its face.

“I’m Younie of the Dead. I guess I'm the poor bastard who's in charge here.” Judgment took a step towards him, to his credit he didn't even flinch.

“King Judgment of the Scatha.” Raini narrowed her eyes; Judgment had changed his introduction slightly. No one put titles in front of their clan names, it made people think they were the more important part.

“Right. So, what will it take to get you to leave us alone?”

“Nothing.” To Raini's surprise the word didn't come from Judgment but from Lilis. She put her hand on the girl's shoulder and shook her head. Judgment looked down at the girl and twisted his head to the side a little too far for the gesture to look normal. Raini remembered that she wasn't under the same protection that her and Avon had been and gently tried to push her back. She didn't move but just glared at Judgment. Judgement slowly reached out one arm towards her, only to stop when the spindly fingers were just an inch from her face.

“You are correct little one,” Judgement said. “Should I start now, or would you prefer to wait for the Warriors to arrive?”

“Why are you even here Judgement?” Raini said, wishing her mag pistol still worked just on the off chance she could hurt him. “Are you afraid me and Mercy have done too much damage to your credibility?” She finally forced Lilis to take a step back and raised the pistol. Behind Judgment she saw Younie slowly reach for a sword that had been left on the table.

“No. After I have dealt with you, I will resecure my position. I am here to ask you to surrender.”

Raini laughed, but Younie appeared to believe him. “In exchange for what?”

“A quick end. I have nothing else to offer.”

“No deal,” Younie said without hesitation. “But if you order your troops to attack us here, I guarantee they will suffer.”

“I doubt it. In the past day almost all of your kind has died without even slowing us down. We have seen what your warriors have to offer, and it is sorely limited.”

“Oh really. Well, this facility has been home to some of the greatest minds our people have ever produced for hundreds of years. Since the Dead's very inception we have maintained a distinct technological advantage in the fields of killing things. So, you march your little warriors to us now and I promise you will lose far more of them than you ever have before.”

“Good. It will give us a challenge we can learn from.” The body slummed and little and then went perfectly still. Younie prodded it with his finger.

“Well, at least I don't have to bother thinking up a witty retort to that.” He laughed and slapped the body on its shoulder. To Raini's ears though the laughter wasn't as strong as it should have been.

“Is that all true?” Lilis asked. “You have new weapons here?” Younie's eyes flicked to the Scatha body and then back to Lilis.

“Yeah, we'll give you something special when they get closer.” He reached down to the table a picked up a small metal box before holding it to his lips. “Command to OP 4, range on the Scatha?”

“Still out of range.” The box squawked back causing Lilis to jump a little. “About three more minutes till they’re in range.”