The corridor was filled with silence. The cooling bodies on the floor did not comment on the sudden declaration, and neither did anyone else. Mila looked at Helly, considering what the woman’s words entitled.

From not so far away, muffled screams and sounds of clashes interrupted the still atmosphere the mansion now had. Sometimes, a louder boom, a thundering reverberation or a noise of unidentifiable magic reached Mila’s ears. It appeared the siege of the Noble district was increasing in its intensity.

But it all felt so distant now. Mila watched Helly’s smile wane.

“That’s a weaker reaction than expected.” The woman noted. “What? No anger-filled screams? Questions about my loyalty? Inquiries of why now? Accusations about lying?”

The gears in Mila’s mind continued to turn. She had known Helly was hiding something, just… This certainly took her by surprise.

And while Mila was still parsing the information, Isabel had a question. “Andrew. Did you know?” She demanded.

“Not…” Andrew was still avoiding looking at them. “Not exactly. Just that there could be more people interested in the same thing as we are.”

“And that they won’t attack us two, right?” Helly happily added.

“The painting.” Mila finally spoke. “Did they take it?” She remembered the task she had failed to fulfil what seemed years ago. It had been one of the first things she had committed to do after coming to Stilag.

“Oh, that. Yes. Probably.” Helly nodded.

Strangely, that made Mila feel better. It hadn’t been an unknown party that had made her fail. It had been the same one from which the man who defeated her had come form. She could make them pay… Mila struggled to push the useless thoughts away. The time will come. There was no need to become heated now.

It was Isabel’s turn to ask. “Who are they?” She raised a better question than Mila.

Meanwhile, the Iron Swords and Viola stood aside in silence, watching the drama unfold. Their postures did indicate they were ready to attack Helly at a moment's notice. Not that it made the woman any more nervous. She just ignored them.

“They? They are from Litvaut.” Helly revealed without ceremony.

“Where?” Isabel looked at Mila.

“It’s a kingdom south of Imeglenmo.” Mila helped her girl.

“And they are secretive assholes.” Viola had an opinion. “But they keep to themselves. They hadn’t been involved in any wars for years and years.” She didn’t reveal more, likely to keep her allegiances a secret.

“That’s likely to change.” Helly shrugged. “So, the map?” She began walking. “Show the way, little Coward.” Her finger found Mortimer’s side and mercilessly poked it.

“What do you mean?” Viola was suddenly very interested. “Ah, you are from Litvault as well.” She realised.

It made sense to Mila. It was no wonder that neither Viola nor Barcy had managed to find much information about Helly. The woman simply had no trail in Tordgo to follow.

“I am.” Helly was as sure as ever. “And Ohilpy’s dogs are sniffing around our borders as well. At least they have yet to attack. The same could not be said about Imeglenmo. After I realised the war was brewing, I packed my stuff and came to Tordgo. Not that it did much good. This shitfest exploded from nowhere.” She complained.

What to do about Helly? Mila hesitated. She looked at the brooding Andrew. He certainly did not look happy. Most of his displeasure was directed at Helly, though. “Why tell us now?” She finally asked, hoping the woman would clarify.

“You mean, why not earlier?” Helly stepped on the stairs leading up. She had taken the lead, dragging Mortimer along. “It’s personal.” She tapped the absent tip of her nose.

“And yet you are not afraid of meeting them again?” Mila interpreted the woman’s words the best she could.

Helly scoffed. “You misunderstand. We trained together. I just didn’t make the cut.”

Viola immediately picked up on the implications. “A cut to what?” She was interested in the potential ally, Litvaut and how it was run.

“Not telling. I still want to live.” Helly stepped onto the second floor with the rest of the group following. Mortimer now moved in front to lead. While a couple of bodies lay on the floor, the situation here was more peaceful. At least the stench of blood was more tolerable.

And despite the refusal, Mila knew Helly had given them information with the short sentence. The group was dangerous, but they were part of a larger force - possibly an organisation or government. Maybe a private fighting group of sorts, but that was less likely.

“There.” Mortimer pointed at large two-sided doors with golden handles.

Helly walked to the doors and kicked them open. “As for why say anything at all,” She continued to speak. “That could have earned a dagger in my back.”

There was probably more to it if Mila understood the woman at all. And as if to warn her, Andrew finally met her eyes and shook his head. It appeared he wanted to dissuade Mila from taking drastic measures.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

“Ah, a rat!” Helly suddenly exclaimed, pulled out her sword and bolted forward. A moment later, a strangled dying sound testified of another death.

Mila finally reached the doors and looked inside. Helly was currently pulling out her sword of what looked like a servant. The person didn’t look like someone who could posses problems for them. Then again, she understood why the action was taken. No witnesses were the preferable outcome.

Andrew, on the other hand, let his thoughts known. He started to argue with Helly about pointless killing, backed up by the wolf growling at the woman. Not that Helly cared about it. She picked her ear while cleaning off the blood from her sword.

Meanwhile, Mila studied the office of Mortimer’s late father. What was his name? Zemny? That was it, she recalled.

The room was covered in a golden sheen. Most of the furniture had at least some golden accents. The ceiling was even covered with the stuff. And surprisingly, this place looked used. Perhaps the current owner of the mansion liked to be surrounded by gaudy resplendence. Judging by the stack of papers and volumes of books on one of the shelves, this place had some importance.

“Shiny,” Viola noted while stepping past Mila to enter the place. The Iron Swords didn’t follow.

Isabel frowned, seeing Helly’s work. It was a good reminder the woman was a criminal. Which again circled back to the issue of Andrew being willing to work with her, even now.

“Map, Mortimer.” Mila hurried the man, who seemed to be overtaken by emotions.

“Yes… The map.” Mortimer cleared a tear. “I visited my father so many times here. He spent hours here, going over his documents. Nothing seems to have changed.” He walked towards one of the walls, where a large painting of a man resembling a proud eagle was depicted. He put his hand on the portrait. “As proud as ever, father.”

Mila watched the portrait with interest. The resemblance between the father and son was easy to spot. Mortimer had much softer features when compared to his father - likely inherited from the mother, but the nose, eyes, and eyebrows were the same.

But it wasn’t where the map was hidden.

After saying a quiet prayer, Mortimer moved to the table. “As I thought… No one has moved it. Can someone help?”

Helly used far too much strength to push the heavy table to the side, making it crash against the wall. “Here.”

“Ah…” Mortimer let out a mournful cry before looking down. “Here.” He bent down, and a short search later found a cut in the thick carpet. He folded the cover and revealed a wooden floor. “It’s well hidden.” His fingers slid over the seemingly smooth surface.

Mila watched the man work. Silence settled over the group, and the fierce sounds of fighting outside grew more prominent again. Mortimer pulled out a thin metal sheet, which he then used to insert an unnoticeable gap. He then pulled up the cover, revealing a hole.

“Still here.” Mortimer sighed in releaf. He pulled out a small bundle. After untying it, he revealed a folded piece of paper. “Father said it is my duty to know how to find that place.” He noted. “Not much else.”

After giving Mortimer a moment to hold the memorabilia, Mila extended her hand. The man looked at her and then passed the map into her hands.

“Keep it safe. Please.”

“That won’t be an issue.” Mila unfolded the map and took a look. It wasn’t the most detailed thing. But the largest cities were marked, and so were landmarks. She wouldn’t have trouble finding the hidden village.

“It feels like I have betrayed my father's trust,” Mortimer admitted. “I-”

“Let's go.” Helly didn’t care about Mortimer’s morose feelings. She grabbed Andrew and moved out of the room. “I assume you are still going to follow, right?”

Now that their goal was achieved, Mila hesitated once more. What made her rethink the situation had been Helly’s words. The woman feared almost nothing. She was materialistic and goal-oriented. And yet, she feared to anger that group of seven.

“Tell me,” Mila spoke. “Can we win against that group? Better yet, their name?”

“Win?” Helly looked at her as if she was stupid. “Not a chance. And I won’t name them. That would compromise me more than necessary.”

“Can you keep Andrew safe?” Mila asked the next question and ignored the hateful, glum feeling inside her. Helly judged them too weak. It hurt.

“I can,” Helly stated with confidence. “But we must move.”

Helly once more led the group. While following, Mila touched Isabel’s hand. “What do you think?” She asked.

“My vote is still on the bonk,” Isabel admitted. “Are you second-guessing our decision?”

“I am.” Mila nodded. They walked down the stairs. The constant fighting outside grew ever more insistent. The clash of weapons and screams was almost completely drowned out by what seemed noises of magical origin.

Isabel ruminated about the issue. “There is no good solution.”

“We don’t have much time either.” Mila reminded.

“I hate this.”

“So do I, Isabel.” Mila leaned on her girl. “Helly seems confident in keeping him safe.”

“If something would happen to him…” Isabel left part of the sentence hanging in the air.

“Nothing will,” Helly added. “Okay. Basement it is. What’s down there anyway?” She addressed Mortimer.

“I think passage to…” Mortimer paused. “To the noble district.”

These words alarmed Mila. Her head whipped towards the window. She spread her senses but didn’t find anything. “Agata. Do you read anything suspicious?”

The scout paused, then started to study the surroundings. “Not at the moment.” She walked towards the window and looked out. “Everything seems clear.”

Mila peered down the stairway leading to the basement. There were a lot of corpses. “What are the chances of the Military learning of this passage?” She dreaded to hear the answer. “Would they come and check what had happened here?”

Everyone seemed to freeze. The intruders had pushed into the passage and likely had reached the Noble district. The mansion’s guards had put down their lives to protect the path, and the fighting had been fierce enough for the rest of the city to notice.

Someone will come to check and find the path of death. The Military was close enough to see what had happened here.

“Shit.” Helly cursed. “We have to move.”

“We have to retreat,” Mila declared at the same time.

But it was too late. The whole building seemed to tremble. Outside, Mila heard distant footsteps and orders.

“What now?” Mortimer squeaked.

And THAT was a very good question. Mila did not know.