We hurried Lady Iris to the nearest doctor. Even without proper medical training, I knew she was barely alive. Considering how long she must have been trapped in that basement, I was surprised she was alive at all. Had we waited an extra day or two, she might not have made it. Even though I didn’t agree with Gunner or his plans, and I wasn’t over killing Louis Korpi, I was glad she was alive.

Patches found the doctor first. They were located in a small house on the edge of the town, with patients lined outside the door all the way to the next street. Coughing, sores, and a strange rot were all common among the patients. The corruption along the river was taking a toll on the inhabitants of Freeriver. I wondered if Greenspring knew how to help them. Druids knew the most about the corruption of nature, or at least that was what I assumed.

We pushed our way to the front. Some shouted at us, others held their tongue and glared. The harska and I didn’t care. Holding Lady Iris in my arms, I walked behind the harska as they pushed people to the side. She looked up at me and smiled. Her eyelids fluttered, trying to stay open. Her mouth moved, but nothing came out.

The doctor, a dwarf with a long red beard, took one look at Lady Iris before hurrying us inside. He kicked some patients out of a room before taking Lady Iris from me. She groaned as he placed her down gently on a table. Calling for his assistant, he grabbed his surgical tools from a leather bag.

“You,” he said, pointing to me. “Explain.”

“We found her like this. She was trapped in the mayor’s basement, locked in a small cage.”

The doctor’s eyes widened. “The mayor?” His assistants entered, two dwarves like the doctor. One moved to help the doctor while the other gestured for us to leave.

“She’ll be fine,” said the assistant. “Doctor Tencho will get her patched up before night.”

“He better,” said Damian, turning to leave. The rest of us followed him out. We stayed near the clinic for the rest of the day. None of us had expected Lady Iris to be in such a condition. Imprisoned? Sure, but Gunner had told us nothing about the cruelty of the mayor. I hadn’t even expected her to be in the manor.

As the sun started to set over the town, lighting everything in an orange glow, the line of people dispersed. We still waited outside, as well as another group of people. After talking with others waiting in line, we learned that this clinic had two doctors. Both of them, Doctor Tencho and Doctor Tabitha, were dwarves. I was glad they could help us, but I was a little worried about how much this was going to cost. We had spent quite a bit of Gunner’s money.

The door to the clinic opened, all heads turning toward the noise expectedly. One of the doctor’s assistants who had been helping with the surgery gestured for our group to enter. I apologized to the other group and followed the assistant in. Lady Iris was sleeping on a makeshift bed, her body covered in blankets.

Doctor Tencho watched her carefully. “She’ll live. Not well for a while, but she’ll live. The wounds on her back will leave scars. I can’t believe this was done by… Regardless, she can’t stay past tonight. We don’t have enough rooms to handle everyone these days. You’ll have to move her yourselves.”

I nodded. “How much is this going to cost?”

“Nothing. Lady Iris has always been pleasant to my clinic and me. If we had the room to keep her for longer…”

Bagheera made a dismissive gesture. “You’ve done more than enough. Thank you.”

We took turns watching Lady Iris throughout the night. During my watch, she stirred but didn’t wake up. Seeing her sleeping reminded me of the first time Arienne got sick. I stayed up all night watching her sleep, making sure she slept soundly in my arms.

I hoped Henry was okay.

In those quiet hours of the night, the memory of stabbing Louis replayed in my mind over and over again. I could see it clearly. Each time it replayed, I felt like throwing up. The only thing that kept me going were thoughts of my family.

I missed Beth.

The next morning we carefully moved Lady Iris to the inn. Patches and Bagheera took care of her while Damian and Smokey left to report to Gunner. I spent my time performing in town for extra money, but mostly to distract myself. People seemed to enjoy the brief reprieve from their suffering, but they couldn’t give much.

No one seemed to notice their mayor was dead. I scouted around the manor a few times, to see if anything would change, but it stayed the same. At least, that’s how it appeared on the outside. Servants who didn’t live in the manor came in each morning and left each night. It was unnerving watching nothing change, but I didn’t want to upset things even more. I wanted nothing more to do with this place.

After a week in Freeriver, Lady Iris recovered enough to stay awake for more than a couple of minutes. I wasn’t around the inn when she was lucid, but Patches told me she was thankful for our help. Every time I saw her, she still seemed in pain. Watching her twist and turn restlessly in her sleep made me wish I could do more, but I couldn’t. There wasn’t a spell I knew of that could take away her pain.

After a day filled with street performances and haggling for money, I stumbled into the inn. Sweat drenched my clothes, and a cloud of stink followed me. Each step leading upstairs felt like a mountain. When I reached the floor our room was on, I had to stop for a full minute to catch my breath. I had planned to drop off the day’s earnings before going to bathe, but when I entered the room Lady Iris greeted me.

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She was sitting upright in her bed, pillows propping up her back. A blanket covered her lower body. Patches and Bagheera were gone, probably looking for food. Lady Iris smiled at me before my smell reached her and she gaged.

“Is that you?” she asked, holding her nose.

I nodded, throwing my bag of coins onto the floor. “Needed to drop this off before I cleaned up. Need anything?”

“Yeah, I need you to take a bath.”

I laughed, the first time since killing the mayor, and gave a quick bow. “Right away, my good lady.”

“Wait! There’s something I want to ask you.”

I turned toward her and leaned against the wall. Besides the bed, there weren’t many places to sit. “Yes, he’s dead. I made sure of that.”

Lady Iris shook her head. “That’s not what I wanted to ask. What is your name?”

I had guessed she would be concerned about her former mayor, so her question caught me off guard. After a few seconds to recollect myself, I answered, “Norman Benson.”

She smiled. “Since I started working with King Gunner, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting most of his closest allies. Patches and Damian are often sent to negotiate on the king’s behalf. Smokey and Bagheera sometimes help move supplies between here and the king’s castle. But I’ve never seen the king work with another human. Why are you working with him?”

I sighed, folding my arms. “He has something I want. If I do what he says, he said he’ll give it back to me. What about you? I understand you have an agreement with him, but how can you stand working with that tyrant?”

Lady Iris took a sip of water, collecting her thoughts. “King Gunner is the only hope I have for restoring this town to its former glory.”

“I don’t believe that. Is there no one else you can call for support? Local lords? Other kings?”

“If I could,” she said, her body shaking. “I would. But there is no other way. I need hands to fix this town. Good hands that aren’t rotting from sickness. The townsfolk are dying, Norman. Louis did nothing, so they looked to me for a sign of hope. Even in the few weeks since I’ve been gone, I can tell months of progress has been lost.”

“When Gunner has no more use for you, he’ll send someone to kill you like he did Korpi.”

“I know.”

For the next few minutes, no one spoke. We both knew how bleak our situations looked. Tools for tyrants to abuse, that’s what we were. If it weren’t for the hope Sunday had given me, and the return of Arienne, I would have given up weeks ago. Looking at Lady Iris, I could tell she was close to that point. If not there already.

“How loyal are you to Gunner?” I asked.

Lady Iris froze, her eyes staring directly into mine. “How loyal are you?”

“I hold no loyalty for the Rebel King.”

She smiled. “I’d rather see his head on a pike than a statue.”

“I can make that happen, but it will take time. Once he’s dead, his people will need a support network to recover. Can your city provide that?”

Thinking about it for a moment, Lady Iris shook her head. “The corruption is too great. We’ll need to focus on ourselves for a bit.”

“What if I said I could get rid of the corruption for you?”

Lady Iris sat up straighter, her brow raised. “You can?”

My face felt hot as I nervously squeezed my arm. “Well, someone I know can. Hopefully.”

She frowned. “You’re not convincing me very well.”

“I promise I’ll do everything within my power to help. All I ask is you don’t help Gunner if he asks. Beyond your usual deal, of course.”

Lady Iris smiled. She shuffled around on the bed so that she was on her side, the blankets pulled up to her chin. “It’s a deal. Thank you, Norman. Now please, go take a bath.”

I laughed, giving one final bow before heading to find a bathhouse. “I will do what I can.”

After a few more days, we left Freeriver. Patches spent those days watching Lady Iris to make sure she would recover. I continued to perform around town. Bagheera joined me, only to watch of course. He never talked to me after my performances, but I could tell he enjoyed them.

My heart ached as I took one final look at the town. Its walls barely hiding the towering roofs of its buildings. A town lacking hope, could it ever be saved? Did I want to save it?

Even so, I was excited to be heading back to the fortress. Not just because I would finally see Nia and Greenspring, but because I had a real plan for getting rid of Gunner. I no longer wanted to escape. Seeing everyone in that town suffer made me think of the others Gunner kept captured. It made me feel for the other families he had torn apart. Gritting my teeth, I vowed to repent for my actions. Though I knew I would have to cause more suffering before I could save them. Deposing of Gunner would be no simple task.

My harska companions also seemed to be in good spirits. Patches excitedly chattered about the food back at the mountain fortress. All of us were tired of staying in that cramped inn room. Even though my room back under the mountain wasn’t much better, I had to agree.

A couple of miles away from the fortress, Bagheera walked beside me. Patches was a few paces ahead, whistling to herself. I had been trailing behind so I could think about my plan some more.

“Do you believe you can usurp King Gunner?” asked Bagheera, quiet enough so only I could hear.

Stunned, I faked a smile. “What are you talking about?”

“I heard your conversation with Lady Iris a few days ago. You told her not to help King Gunner if he asked. Why else would you say that if you don’t plan to usurp him?”

I glared at my harska companion, trying to read his face for signs of anger. “And what if I am?”

Bagheera shrugged. “I serve Gunner because he’s my king. I believe that the strongest among us can lead others into glory. But Gunner, as much as he’s tried, hasn’t. We’re still scavengers, just as we’ve always been. If someone stronger were to take over…”

“I have no intention of taking over.”

Bagheera sighed, staring at Patches’ back. “There are few harska who would. I doubt even Damian would take the opportunity. I want my people to thrive, Norman. That can’t happen under Gunner.”

“What are you saying?”

He turned back toward me, his pupils like thin streaks of darkness. “I will aid you as much as I can, Norman Benson.”