Silence. Silence was all that greeted Roland as he followed Korvin through the doors of Argus' office. The man's black locks were a mess, tangled and sticking out haphazardly in all directions, cheeks sunken and dark eyes made all the darker with the rings of exhaustion beneath them. Truly he had seen better days. As had the others. Both Louis and Horace seemed weary and drawn. Certainly, the mood of the room did not bode well.

“The news is true?” the wizard asked almost immediately, drawing a couple of wary glances from the small group of insurgents gathered there, “Does Garnier know?”

Argus nodded, the motion seeming slow and labored, his eyes never quite rising from some distant point behind Roland. The witch-hunter noted the conspicuous absence of the city councilman, not that the man's absence needed any explanation.

“What happened?” he asked, more to break the awkward silence than anything else.

“The witch- the witch-,” Argus said bitterly, “The bitch.”

A small, empty smile twitched at the corner of his mouth, granting Roland no hint as to where his thoughts lay.

“The one we brought on for the excavation-” Horace began, hesitating as he glanced at their leader in anticipation of his input.

Argus said nothing, not even deigning to give him a glance. It was enough indication for the young man to continue.

“The one you wanted to help,” he said pointedly to Korvin, “The one Petaine found. It must have been her.”

For perhaps the first time, Roland could see a flicker of discomfort cross the foreigner's face, followed by an awkwardly obvious glance in his direction by both Horace and Louis, as if they had just divulged information they weren't supposed to.

The Ruthenian frowned as he considered their words, “What happened?”

“We don't know- She must have turned on them- There was barely enough left of them to fill a teacup,” Louis said bitterly, “Just- Vaporized the lot of them. Only identified Garnier by the shoe, and Petaine said he was going to meet with her before he disappeared-”

Roland slit his eyes as he listened to the description provided, at once concerned by the power described as well as the fact that he had never been notified of these consortations.

"She must have been a plant," Horace said warily, "The Astanian garrison knows about us, and they know we're planning something."

"Garnier did say they were trying to intimidate him, with the vote coming so soon," Louis added, "He's one of the only people with the pull and influence to delay it, if not inhibit the process entirely."

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

If what Clara says is true. This whole thing is little more than formality. Roland thought to himself, although he did not voice those concerns.

"Where did it happen?" he asked suddenly.

"At the excavation, the one we have by the Serana Cathedral," Horace answered, "Petaine went in. Never came back."

"And the container, was it found?" Korvin suddenly interjected.

"Container?" Horace asked.

"It was gone," Argus hissed quietly, "Vanished. With the witch."

"It wouldn't happen to be a container from Ernheim, would it?" Roland asked cynically, drawing a look of surprise from the sorcerer.

"I had a little incident there, somebody very nearly killed some of the residents of that town. All to acquire something buried beneath an old farmer's barn," the witch-hunter explained.

"The container was mine, but I assure you," Korvin said, his tone soft and conciliatory, "Needed for our cause. An old relic. But I swear, none were harmed in its acquisition."

"It could have been this witch. If the power displayed were similar," the witch-hunter began, stroking his chin as he considered the possibility.

"She may have been after the container the whole time, you might have just beaten her to it," Louis mused, drawing a subtle nod from the Ruthenian wizard.

"It is certainly possible- But-," the man shook his head, as if flabbergasted by the news, "She was local. She's a citizen of this city. An alchemist, no? Why-"

"It is too late to think about why, she acted and four are dead for it," Argus frowned and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I need- We need that container. Whatever is inside it- It must be recovered, it is needed for the effort here, without it we can't proceed with the excavation," Korvin insisted.

"The vote is soon. We need to act before then," Louis said, voice bearing a clear hint of desperation.

Roland said nothing, hesitant to offer any insight. Neither Argus nor any of the others had made him aware of just how desperate the Frolingen resistance had become, and he didn't want to delve too deeply into the matter. Seeing the results was already deterrent enough.

"What is the purpose of this- excavation?" he asked warily, mentally cursing himself for the curiosity that overrode common sense.

"There are- weapons. Old weapons of great power, buried- well, supposedly buried beneath the city," Argus explained, "Korvin thinks he found the key. Well. Thought we had it."

The old man let out a rattling sight, shutting his eyes and trying to shake his head clear.

"Now that damn sorceress has it."

"We could try to force a breach," Louis suggested, "Even without her-"

"What if the Astanians are aware now? For all we know- they might be moving to shut the whole thing down," Horace cautioned.

"They still haven't done it," the youngest revolutionary snorted, "So why now?"

"We can't risk bringing the whole damn city down on ourselves in the process," Argus shook his head, "Then the whole effort is for nothing."

"What about you? Could you hunt her down?" Louis asked Roland, the question as blunt and to the point as it could be.

The witch-hunter blinked, squinting as he considered his response.

"In theory- yes," he agreed, "I might be able to. If I-"

"I can lead you down there," the young man insisted, "This is our best hope."

"So it is," Korvin agreed, "I will also accompany you. We need this manner resolved. Even if this witch isn't working for the Astanians, we cannot risk her getting her hands on whatever artifacts may be down there."

"And what might be down there?" Roland inquired cautiously.

"Well, we're not entirely sure. It's all speculation based on old documents. Rumors, really," the Ruthenian sighed, "But it's the best we have at the moment."

"Splendid, you're all murdering each other over rumors."

"And what would you have us do? Huh?" Horace asked, "Roll over and concede?"

"Peace- Peace," Argus said in a mollifying tone, "It is a tense time. For all of us." His palms were raised in a placating gesture, but Roland could see the resentment in the man's eyes as he looked at him, "If Roland does not wish to aid us. That is his- his right."

The room went silent, air heavy with expectation. For his part, the Malthorian said nothing, arms crossed as his eyes roamed across the small congregation. Louis leaned a little closer, the wizard alongside him, seeming lost in thought, his gaze distant as he no doubt considered the item lost.

What am I to do? Roland wondered.

And yet, if the witch was the one from Ernheim, if she had indeed slain Petaine, she presented a dreadful danger, and one he could not simply allow to escape unpunished. No, it was a matter in need of resolution. For a brief moment, he held Argus' gaze, contemplating the missive at hand. Something was amiss. Something he could not quite explain. And yet, what could be done, time was short.

"You are right," he said flatly, glancing to Louis, confirming the decision made, "You are right."

The young man hesitated, briefly standing as if dumbstruck.

"So lead the way. Let's get this unpleasant business resolved."