It was the dead of night when something roused Louis out of sleep. His heart began to race as he padded out into the kitchen armed with a broom and was surprised to find Nathan panting by the door.

“What’s going on?” Louis asked. It had almost been a month since Winston had returned, and the mob had up until that moment been a distant memory, but one that was roaring back to the fore of his mind.

Nathan swallowed and took a moment to catch his breath before replying, “It seems we’ve screwed up again.”

“What does that mean?”

Louis turned around to see Steph standing in the doorway. Her face was taut, and there wasn’t an ounce of sleep in her voice.

“You came downstairs very quietly indeed,” Nathan remarked, sounding impressed. “Your talents are wasted as a barmaid.”

“What’s going on?” she demanded.

“They’re back,” Nathan replied. “And in far larger numbers than we had anticipated. My men are falling back here, but we will have to find a defensible position.”

“Are they here for a fight?” Steph gasped. “Why?”

Nathan smiled wryly. “It appears that some may have escaped from our net and informed their fellows. Now they’ve gotten it into their head that killing our friend is going to bring their Goddess back.”

“And how did they get that idea?” Steph asked suspiciously.

“We might have alluded to it in order to draw them here, so we could apprehend them,” Nathan admitted sheepishly.

“Then you should have told me,” Winston said as he strode into the room.

“You would never have agreed to it,” Nathan pointed out.

Winston sighed with exasperation. “We can discuss this later. Where are they now?”

“Coming up the mountain,” Nathan replied. “My boys are fighting a delaying action, but we need to evacuate the town.”

“To where?” Louis protested. “There’s only one way down the mountain.”

“To somewhere defensible,” Nathan replied. “Perhaps you can think of somewhere suitable up in the mountain.”

Winston shook his head. “No, the mine would be an excellent redoubt, but I need to know how long we will be holding out for.”

“Until help arrives,” Nathan said evenly.

“Is it coming, and how long before it does?” Winston asked.

“And if it isn’t, what will you do then?” Nathan asked. “Take up your sword again?”

Winston pressed his lips into a thin line. “Is help coming?”

“Yes, I think so,” Nathan conceded. “As to when it will arrive, that’s anyone’s guess. It could be days or weeks.”

Winston nodded and began barking orders. “Steph, tell Mayor Ogden to get everyone to the mines. Louis, help me move what stores we can over.”

Steph nodded, and Louis saw her take a knife and hide it in her clothes before slipping out of the door. Nothing wrong with arming oneself now, he thought grimly to himself.

“Then I’ll direct my men there,” Nathan announced.

“Mister Weaver, don’t you think you should bring your sword and shield?” Louis ventured.

Winston looked at Nathan, who had slipped out the kitchen door and was moving swiftly and silently down the dark street outside. He frowned before his shoulders eventually slumped. “Yes, perhaps that would be prudent.”

“Wait right here,” Louis gasped before sprinting upstairs. His heart thumped in his chest as he quickly found the weapons and gathered them up. He glanced at Winston’s strongbox and hesitated. Should he bring that along as well? No, he decided quickly. Lives were more important.

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He returned to the kitchen and was surprised to see that Winston had already brought two large sacks of flour up from the cellar and piled them onto their small handcart.

“This will have to do for now,” the landlord said. “I think the miners keep water and a small pantry stocked at the mine.”

Louis nodded and together, they carefully guided the overladen handcart out of the door where they were met by Ogden, who was armed with a pickaxe and wore a concerned look on his face. “It seems that your friends have returned,” he remarked grimly.

“Yes, it seems that they took offence to the terms in which we parted,” Winston replied feebly.

“I hope that when all this is over, you’ll tell us what’s really going on,” the mayor said, giving the sword and shield across Louis’ back a concerned look.

Winston’s face fell and he nodded. “Yes, I owe you… all of you at least that much.”

The handcart wobbled under its load and Ogden moved quickly to steady it. “Let’s get everyone to safety.”

Ogden left the pair to push the handcart down the street, joining the stream of townspeople that were heading towards the mine that had been dug into the side of the mountain. By the time they arrived, most of the town had assembled in the yard outside the mine where a small forge was built. Both the town’s Northmen were hard at work moving barrels of food and water down into the mine while the others looked down the street worriedly.

“You look remarkably well organized,” Winston remarked in wonder as Calvin Danson picked each of the full sacks of grain with a giant hand.

“The mayor has always been a worrywart,” the giant Northman said with a slight smile. “It seems that this time, it’s paid off.”

“Your friends can’t seem to get enough of you, eh, Winston?” Greg said, nudging the landlord on the arm.

“None of you were convinced by my story, were you?” Winston, looking a little sheepish.

Greg shook his head. “You are a man of many talents, Winston, but lying isn’t one of them.”

“I would have expected people to be more upset,” Winston remarked.

“Everyone’s done things they’re not proud of,” Greg mused. “But we know you for who you are today. We’re here for you, Winston.”

Soon, they heard the sounds of shouting coming from down the street. Ogden soon arrived with the Parsons family, who were the oldest inhabitants of the town. “Get them inside quickly,” he ordered Terrance Iron, who was standing nearby, looking down the road nervously.

“You’d better give those to me,” Winston said, taking his sword and shield from Louis.

“Do you still know how to use those things?” Ogden ventured.

“I should if it comes to it,” Winston said. “Though of course I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

“You and me both,” Ogden breathed. “Come on, let’s get everyone into the mine.”

Winston nodded absently and turned to Louis. “Do what you can to help here. I want to see what we’re up against.”

Louis looked around frantically and gasped. “Where’s Steph?”

Winston frowned and grabbed Ogden by the arm as the mayor was about to set off towards the mine. “Have you seen Steph?”

The mayor frowned and shook his head. “We went our separate ways almost at once.”

“I’ll go look for her!” Louis gasped and tore off down the street before anyone could object. He was suddenly afraid that she was about to do something reckless.

Louis moved quickly, wondering where she could be. He didn’t think she would be with Nathan’s men. Perhaps she had a score to settle with her old boss, but from what Nathan had said, it sounded as though he was dead. Then why?

As the sounds of fighting drew nearer, Louis spotted movement in the corner of his eye, coming from one of the side streets that ran parallel to the main one. He ran down it and slowed his pace, cautiously making his way down towards the edge of town. Then, he noticed the door to the Parson house was ajar, and that the doorframe was splintered, as though someone had kicked the door in.

His pulse began to quicken. There could be an attacker inside, but Louis decided to take his chances. Carefully, he stepped into the house and spotted a figure clad in black staring out the window. He inadvertently knocked into a teacup, and it shattered on the floor with a crash. The figure turned around, and Louis’ eye was drawn to the flash of metal in its hand and was consciously aware that he was unarmed.

“What are you doing here?” Louis went limp with relief when he heard Steph’s voice.

“Looking for you. What are you doing here?” he paused when he noticed that she was wearing his black trousers. “Wearing my clothes?”

“I’ll be of more use picking them off out here than huddled down in the mine,” Steph sniffed. “Why don’t you get back to the others while there’s still time?”

“I’m not going back without you,” Louis insisted as he crouched next to her by the window.

“You’re just going to get in my way,” Steph snorted.

“It sounds as though the fighting has reached town,” Louis remarked as the sounds of fighting grew louder. “Have you seen any of Nathan’s men?”

Steph’s lips curled into a sneer. “No, but I did see him running into the woods to the north.”

That struck Louis as strange. Why there if his intent was to flee? The road came in from the west, and it would make more sense to hide out close to it and try to slip past the attackers. He then recalled the last time he went to the woods to the north. It was last winter when Carla left with her strange friend.

“Fall back!” he heard someone shout from the next street over. “Fall back to the mine.”

“It won’t be easy to storm the mine,” Steph remarked. “But how long can they hold out down there?”

“Who knows,” Louis said worriedly and looked out the door. “There’s still time to join the others if we hurry.”

“Then you’d better get going,” Steph said.

Louis looked at her and then towards the door. “I’m going back with you or not at all.”

“Suit yourself,” she said, sounding distant.

Soon, the sounds of fighting faded as Nathan’s men retreated to the mine, and someone shouted, “Surrender the Goddess’ Chosen to us and you will be spared!”

Steph pressed her lips into a thin line and began to walk towards the door. Louis was half a step behind her, wondering what he could do to help, when a high pitched shriek came from high overhead.