Florian fought to restrain himself from leaping at the lying snake. Anna seemed similarly antsy, but a cloud of worry descended on her, and Hornbeck just looked plain relieved. Given the circumstances, Florian supposed, an exile was much better than an execution. It could be worse, he thought.

Kayla promptly escorted him away from the funeral site and back to the annex. There, she let him grab any of his belongings that he would be taking with him. Despite the darkness that clung to the room, it was impossible for Florian to leave anything behind; all he had were the clothes on his back and Bludgeon, and if someone successfully made it past Bludgeon without tripping over it, that was nothing short of a miracle. The mace had earned more than its fair share of enemies that way.

“Do I get any food?” he asked, latching the heavy mace onto the belt he wore around his armor.

“No.”

Florian chuckled. Working for the wizard was like working for the worst employer ever. There had been no pay, no benefits, and no retirement. He’d been safe these past two months, but that was all. He had come no closer to finding his family, and nothing he did would actually make that easier for him in the future. Perhaps the only benefit of living in Leeds all this time was the growth of his magical power, which had skyrocketed in the recent days of fighting.

“In that case, I’m ready,” Florian said. He walked out of the annex, following Kayla to the gate. Crowds of people surrounded them as they cut in between the tents, but there were way too many of them for this to just be business as usual. Had Theo publicized this?

A few of the men and women around him booed him as he passed, though he noticed that most of the people around him were simply bored and watching his journey in amusement. Precious little, these days, were available for entertainment. Florian could hardly blame them. It was not as if he expected a resounding chorus of support; anyone that dared do such a thing risked bringing Theo’s ire down upon them like a hammer on an anvil. It just wasn’t worth it at all. And so Florian walked in silence, recognizing a few of the onlookers as Warriors he had fought with.

Before long, Florian had arrived at the ruined gate, where a pile of Hellwolves still served as a makeshift barricade. Anna and Hornbeck were among those gathered near the gate, and when prompted to climb the barricade, Anna offered him a smile. It was probably the fakest smile he had ever seen, but Florian appreciated the gesture.

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Climbing the carcasses was significantly more difficult than the Hellwolves made it seem. They shifted underfoot, and no foothold was really able to bear his full weight. Instead, he had to make like some kind of mountain goat as he moved as fast as he could up the mound. When he crested the top, he quickly glanced back. Theo stood there, smiling even as he stood regally in front of the people. But it was not him that Florian noticed as he began sliding down the opposite side of the barricade. No, it was Hornbeck, who offered a solemn salute.

And then he was outside the walls. Looking upwards, Florian noticed that the Warriors on the wall – for some still manned the structure during the day – were mimicking the salute. Florian returned the gesture. Then, hearing Theo’s irritated voice, Florian knew that it was high time for him to leave. He turned his back on Leeds, the newest place he had come to call home, and he didn’t look back.

That is, until something practically slide-tackled him. Barely managing to stay upright as he hopped around, Florian made to unhook Bludgeon.

“So, where to?” his assailant asked. Joe sat there on the ground in front of him, a comically oversized pack on his back. Florian sighed, taking his hand off his weapon.

“Joe, you need to go back right now. I’m pretty sure I know where to go, but the journey won’t be easy, and I’m not sure I can protect myself, much less both of us,” Florian gently helped the boy stand and began to push him back in the direction of Leeds.

But Joe dug into the dirt with his feet and pushed against him with all his might. “No, Florian! I’m coming with you.”

“And what about Jake and Ellie?”

“Mrs. Brown promised that they would be safe with her. They wanted to come too,” Joe noted, looking pointedly at Florian. “But I didn’t bring them because I knew it would be dangerous.”

“And it’s not dangerous for you?” Florian asked, hands on his hips.

“I’m not totally defenseless, Florian! I’m a wizard too, you know. And… I’m thirteen, now!” Joe unveiled his trump card, pride written all over his grin. Florian found it hard to dismiss the enthusiastic boy.

“Fine, you can come with me, Joe. But first, I need to know what you’ve got in that pack of yours.”

Joe responded by swinging the bag over his shoulder and opening the thing in front of him, unveiling a cornucopia of every food item that Leeds had to offer. It was nothing short of a miracle, and it would make this journey much, much more pleasant.

“To Tonbridge, then.”

It was only later, as they walked, that Florian realized that Joe had been the likely source of Theo’s irritation, scampering after Florian in some kind of display of choosing him over the new Lord of Leeds. Florian hoped that Theo would be a more magnanimous ruler than Jones – for Theo certainly intended on ruling – but he found himself doubting that. If anything, Theo was twice as cunning as Jones, and manyfold more powerful.

He sent one last salute in the direction of Leeds, which had now disappeared behind trees, in the hopes that Anna and Hornbeck would be safe there. No longer able to be there to protect them himself, Florian knew that his friends would have more pressure on them than anyone to work with Theo and to defend the crumbling walls. Good luck, friends.