Night settled over Refuge, casting long shadows over walls and watchposts. Grizzley, Mara, and Ezra huddled together in the corner of the main supply tent, pouring over a hand-drawn map of the settlement, where new weak points and recent incidents of sabotage were marked in red. Sam and his daughter Lila lingered nearby, standing guard in case anyone approached, each of them alert as whispers of an impending attack stirred through Refuge.

“The pattern’s too obvious,” Grizzley muttered, tracing a line from the slashed water barrels by the storage tent to the broken gates near the west side. “Whoever’s doing this isn’t just taking supplies—they’re sabotaging our defenses. This is someone working inside.”

Mara nodded, her expression tight. “And whoever it is, they’re smart. They know Refuge inside and out.”

Ezra’s face was tense as he exchanged a look with Sam, who was fidgeting with a knife, his fingers tightening around the handle. “I don’t like it,” Sam said in a low voice, glancing at Lila, who watched quietly from the corner. “We’ve put trust in people here, and someone’s playing with all of us. You think it’s Marcus?”

Grizzley met his gaze, and the tension in the room grew thick. “It has to be. Marcus has shut down every attempt I’ve made to address the sabotage. His position gives him the influence he’d need, and there’s nobody else close enough to sabotage things this precisely.”

They all looked at each other, and finally, Mara broke the silence. “If he’s working with Magnus, then we need to be prepared. We need answers tonight.”

Grizzley nodded. “Let’s pay Marcus a visit.”

Under the cover of darkness, the group made their way to the council hall. Sam and Lila stayed by the door, keeping watch as Grizzley, Mara, and Ezra crept through the corridors until they reached Marcus’s office. They paused just outside the door, where muffled voices could be heard. Grizzley leaned in, picking up the conversation inside.

Marcus was speaking in a low, urgent tone, pacing across the room. “I did what you asked… No, I don’t care what Magnus said. This isn’t what I signed up for. Refuge was supposed to be protected.”

Grizzley shot Mara and Ezra a look, his suspicions confirmed. Without hesitation, he pushed open the door and stepped inside, with Mara and Ezra close behind. Marcus froze mid-step, his eyes widening with alarm as he spotted them. He quickly dropped the small, blackened token he’d been holding—a symbol of the Sanctified.

“Marcus,” Grizzley said, his voice cold as steel. “I think it’s time you tell us why you’re working with Magnus.”

Marcus’s face went pale, and his gaze darted between the three of them, searching for an escape. “This isn’t… you don’t understand. I didn’t have a choice.”

Grizzley’s jaw tightened, his anger simmering just beneath the surface. “No choice? Is that supposed to excuse you sabotaging our water, our supplies? We have people here—families—depending on you, and you’re selling them out.”

Marcus backed up, his hands raised defensively. “Listen to me,” he stammered. “Magnus—he made it clear. He said Refuge was doomed. That the Sanctified would take over and that resistance was… was hopeless.”

Stolen novel; please report.

Mara scoffed, her eyes narrowing. “So you thought you’d make things easier for him, is that it? Play the double agent and buy yourself a nice place at his side?”

“No!” Marcus shouted, desperation twisting his voice. “I was trying to save what I could! Magnus offered me… a deal. If I helped weaken Refuge, he said he’d spare the people I cared about. I had to think of my family.”

Grizzley shook his head, disgust filling his expression. “And what about the rest of us, Marcus? All the other families you’re betraying just to save yourself?”

Marcus opened his mouth to respond, but Sam entered the room with Lila by his side, their faces reflecting a mix of anger and hurt. Lila looked up at Marcus, her voice quiet but steady. “How could you? People trusted you, and you’re just… handing them over?”

Marcus’s shoulders sagged, and he looked away, unable to meet her gaze. “It wasn’t supposed to go this far,” he whispered. “I thought… if I kept Magnus satisfied, maybe Refuge would be spared.”

Grizzley took a step closer, his voice low and cold. “If we didn’t catch you tonight, how far would you have let this go? Until he tore down the walls? Or until the Sanctified stormed in and finished what you started?”

Marcus’s face fell, the weight of his betrayal finally settling on him. He slumped into a chair, rubbing his hands over his face as he looked down. “I never wanted this. But Magnus has too many people, too much power. I was trying to buy us time.”

“You were helping him destroy us, one weak point at a time,” Mara said. “And you’re the reason we’re struggling now.”

Ezra clenched his fists, his voice trembling with anger. “We should turn you over to the council and let them decide what to do with you.”

But Grizzley raised a hand, his eyes fixed on Marcus. “No. Magnus’s attack is coming, and we don’t have time to wait for the council’s bureaucracy. We need information, Marcus—and you’re going to give it to us.”

Marcus looked up, desperation filling his eyes. “If I help you… if I tell you what I know… can I at least try to make it right?”

Grizzley nodded, his face hard. “Start talking. How many are coming, and when?”

Marcus swallowed, the last bit of resistance crumbling as he realized he had no other choice. “Magnus has a small scouting force camped out a day’s travel to the east. They’re just waiting for a signal—a sign that Refuge is weak enough to strike. He plans to hit us at dawn in two days.”

The group exchanged a tense look, knowing the gravity of what was coming.

“What else?” Sam pressed, his voice sharp. “What’s he expecting from you?”

Marcus hesitated. “He wanted me to open the east gate and let a few of his men inside. They’d sneak in before dawn and disable the alarms, make it easier for his main force to break through. I was supposed to… signal them when it was time.”

Mara shook her head in disbelief, her voice thick with anger. “So that’s it. You were going to let them walk right in.”

Marcus hung his head, shame filling his expression. “I was trying to survive. But I’ll do whatever you need to help stop them. Just… let me make this right.”

Grizzley regarded him, his face unreadable. Finally, he spoke, his voice cold. “You’re going to stay under watch, and when it’s time, you’ll signal Magnus exactly as you would have. But instead of welcoming them in, we’ll be waiting.”

The group shared a glance, each of them steeling themselves for the battle to come. They knew the risks, but now, they had a plan—and the determination to defend Refuge, no matter the cost.

As they left Marcus under guard, Grizzley caught Sam’s eye, his voice low. “We have two days to prepare. I’ll take the east side and get things in place.”

Sam nodded, a fierce determination in his eyes as he looked down at Lila, who was watching him with a mix of fear and pride. “We’ll be ready.”

Together, they moved through Refuge in the darkness, rallying the residents, fortifying the walls, and preparing for the dawn that would bring either survival—or the end of everything they had left to fight for.