When Liam reached the top of the stairs, he saw Nora and Iloryn walking toward Kael, who was only a few steps ahead of him. The expression on Iloryn’s face gave both the men pause. With the two women still out of earshot, at least for the elf, Kael leaned toward Liam and whispered, “I wonder what kind of conclusion she came to while we were gone.”

Shrugging, Liam quietly replied, “Couldn’t say, but at least she didn’t kill herself. That would certainly be bad for business.”

Kael’s lip briefly curled upward, though he quickly forced himself not to grin and said, “Not sure now is the best time to be cracking jokes.”

“Wasn’t joking.”

“Oh…” Kael’s face went blank as his gaze darted around awkwardly.

As soon as the four of them regrouped, Iloryn glanced at all the stuff in the guys’ hands, raised a brow, and asked, “What’s all that?”

“Was hoping you could tell us. We found it all in a hidden basement,” Kael replied.

Furrowing her brows, Iloryn asked, “Where was it?”

“Uh…” Kael pointed toward the rectangular opening in the floor with his head since his hands were full. “Right there.”

A puzzled expression worked its way onto Iloryn’s face. Then, with mixed emotions swimming in her gaze, she quietly said, “I never knew such a thing existed…”

“Well, we found some interesting stuff,” Liam said, stepping forward with the Everyew bow held out toward her. Instantly, her eyes widened. Nora did the same.

“Is this what I think it is?” Nora asked.

Kael nodded. “Most likely.”

“I had no idea my family owned such a thing…” Iloryn muttered, slowly reaching out to receive it from Liam.

Once the weapon settled into her grasp, Liam furrowed his brows. He could have sworn the handle morphed slightly once it left his possession. Despite his mild curiosity, he proceeded to hand over the quiver and bowstring as well. While she gawked at it, Liam mentioned, “We also found a lot of strange artifacts and poisons.”

“Poisons?” Iloryn’s brows furrowed deeply enough for wrinkles to form on her forehead. “What kinds?”

Unable to recall the names, Liam glanced at Kael. Immediately, he answered, “Viper Needle and Hell’s Pit Grass for starters, though there were others that were unfamiliar to me.”

Iloryn lowered her gaze as her face darkened in concern. On the other hand, Nora tilted her head in confusion, apparently as unaware of the two toxic herbs as Liam.

“I don’t understand why such things would be here…” Iloryn mumbled, “Every generation of my family lived as merchants even as far back as the Deity War…”

“Whoa. That’s an impressive amount of bloodline records,” Kael noted.

Liam’s eyes narrowed. Based on his conversation with Cici’s dad, he assumed all families kept good track of their family history. Briefly, he considered mentioning it, but in the back of his mind, he could feel the imaginary red flags popping up. So, he maintained observatory silence on the issue.

Suddenly, Nora’s ears twitched and she warned, “There are horses nearby.”

Immediately, Liam whipped out Bloodeater. Kael also unsheathed his sword after setting down the box. Each of them, along with Nora, hid behind rubble. Iloryn, albeit unaccustomed to such things, followed their lead and knocked an arrow on the new bow. Honestly, the deft movement took Liam by surprise. Perhaps she actually knew how to use it in spite of her profession.

A minute later, a covered wagon led by two black stallions rushed up the path toward the estate. At first, they all warily glanced around the rubble. However, Iloryn stood up and said, “It’s your companion. He’s got one of the city guards with him.”

“You can see that far?” Liam asked, glancing toward the approaching wagon. He could barely see the people sitting on the driver seat.

“You must not know much about Elves, Liam,” Iloryn replied.

“Can’t deny that.”

Eventually, the wagon pulled up to the front of the estate. Cairnech hopped down from the driver seat and sauntered toward the group, though there was a sense of urgency in his long strides.

“Something wrong, old man?” Kael asked while hoisting the box onto his shoulder.

“Yes, very much so. The longer we stay here, the more soldiers die. Now, get in.”

Furrowing his brows, Kael asked, “How is that?”

“No time to explain until you get in, kid.”

“Just because I’m half your age…” Kael mumbled while sliding the box into the back of the wagon. Then, he hopped in, followed by the other three. Once all four of them situated themselves on the benches, the wagon lurched forward and sped back toward the main road. Kael scooched toward the front and asked, “So, old man, you gonna explain now?”

“Aye. This guard here, Filip,” the soldier waved awkwardly as Cairnech spoke, “he’s supposed to signal the retreat for the soldiers, but that Magistrate sent ‘im with me.”

“You could have said that in the time it took us to get on this thing.”

“Sure, but not with all the details. They plan to place an illusion over the entire city, so they need all the friendlies out before they can retreat.”

“Ah, makes sense.”

From there, the horses trotted along through the empty streets, the wagon rattling behind them. On top of the horseshoes clacking on stone and wooden wheels rolling below them, the distant sounds of battle raged. Screams of men calling out warcries or falling to sword and magic echoed throughout the skies.

Eventually, they reached the gate. After identifying themselves again, Stefan allowed their passage. The soldier, Filip, drove the horses a little further outside the city before stopping. He then hopped down from the wagon and took a handful of steps away. The others watched him place both hands in front of his chest as though holding an invisible balloon. A spark flashed between them, quickly igniting into a ball of scarlet flame. Placing one foot further back to brace himself, he rose his arms until they were aimed straight toward the sky. In a flash of brilliance, he opened his fingers outward, and the ball fired into the sky, screeching like a firework. Seconds into its flight, it nearly vanished from sight until it exploded into an enormous red-colored mushroom cloud. Liam wondered how dangerous it would be to fire such a thing at a human.

Once his job was done, Filip returned to the driver seat of the wagon and immediately tore off his steel helm. Several droplets of perspiration dripped from his forehead. “Now, let’s go meet up with your troupe, yeah?” he said, voice heavy.

Atop Anders Hill, the group reunited with the other mercenaries and, to their surprise, the magistrate and his fellow nobles. Even before the wagon stopped, the plump magistrate waddled over, looked Filip in the eye, and asked, “Is Lady Iloryn safe?”

The soldier nodded.

In response, the magistrate retrieved a handkerchief from his breast pocket and dabbed his forehead while saying, “Good, good. You did well. Remind me later to speak to your superior on your behalf another time, unless you prefer another reward.”

“No need, sir. Just doing my job,” Filip replied.

“I see… Very well. If ever you change your mind, please feel free to let me know.” With that, the plump man waddled to the back where Iloryn just hopped down. When their eyes met, he smiled in a friendly manner and said, “Iloryn, my friend. You aren’t injured, are you?”

“No, Cecil, I’m fine,” she replied, smiling just enough to be polite. “It’s good to see you, too, though.”

Upon seeing Liam, Nora, and Kael hopping down from the wagon as well, Cecil Ramsbottom bowed politely toward them and said, “Thank you for taking care of her.”

Kael immediately bowed in return, albeit awkwardly, and said, “We could say the same as that soldier of yours. It’s our job.”

“Nevertheless, thank you.”

Before the plump man could say anything else, Ekram strolled up from behind him, briefly startling the poor man. Ignoring it, Ekram approached Cairnech and asked, “How’d it go? No issues?”

“Not really, but you should ask Kael for details. I split off from the group to get this wagon early on.”

“Ah, I see. Well then…” Ekram nodded and walked over to Kael. “So, how’d it go?”

“Well, could’ve been worse, that’s for sure,” Kael answered, glancing at Iloryn.

Following his subordinate’s gaze, Ekram nodded and said, “As expected, then.”

“Yes, though we did find interesting things at her estate.”

“About that,” Iloryn interrupted, stepping toward them. “I have a proposition for you.”

“What kind?” Ekram asked, raising a brow.

“Aside from the bow and its accessories, you can keep it all. In exchange, I’d like to ask you to be my personal escort temporarily.”

Cecil Ramsbottom waddled over with face scrunched into a worried expression and asked, “Iloryn? Aren’t you coming to the capital with us?”

“No,” she instantly answered, “I have business I need to attend to in Crey.”

“How unfortunate…” the magistrate muttered, hanging his head in a way that wrinkled the folds of his neck. “Will you at least wait for Stefan and Luna to see you off?”

“Luna is here?”

“Of course. Didn’t you hear about the retreat plan? Who else could pull off such a powerful illusion spell?”

“Right…” Iloryn returned her attention to Ekram. “So, what do you say?”

“I guess it’s not a problem, especially if the items are worth a lot,” the man answered, nodding slightly.

“Then do you mind waiting for the retreating soldiers before leaving?”

“No problem. Mind if I take a look at the items?”

“They’re yours now. Should be in the wagon.”

Ekram raised his brows and looked at Kael. The man nodded in response and pulled the box to the edge at the back of the wagon. While Kael opened the latches, Ekram whispered, “What happened to her? She feels like a different person.”

Kael shrugged. “Her entire family died in that house, most of ‘em probably still in their beds. Pretty sure that would change anyone’s outlook on life, ‘specially someone unaccustomed to battles and death like her.”

“I suppose working for a few items sounds better after hearing that…”

“I figured she triggered your soft spot when you agreed after so little discussion,” Kael muttered while throwing open the lid. “However, if I’m right, these are worth way more than some basic protection.”

“Holy Sanguis…” Ekram mumbled upon seeing the contents. Before anything else, he picked up the gaseous orb and said, “I never thought I would ever see another one of these in my life…”

“What about this other stuff?”

“Some of these are ancient. I’d be willing to bet some of these are from before the Deity War…”

Kael raised his brows and stared wide-eyed at the items in the box.

“Well, I guess we’ll be getting enough for you slobs to gamble your lives away for a fortnight.”

An hour or so later, the defending army filed out of the city. At first, they headed straight toward the capital, though another flare skill, smaller than the last, signaled for them to stop by Anders Hill first. Liam’s brows furrowed when he saw the two people leading the army. Although one of them was the young soldier who met them at the wall, the other was a woman draped in scarlet robes. Her similarly red hair flowed in the wind behind her as her horse trotted uphill. The attire definitely contrasted with her supposed position.

“I assume that’s the Lady Luna that fatass politician guy was talking about…” Liam muttered.

Nora, sitting against the same tree trunk as him, grinned and said, “Not that I’m one to say anything, but it’s probably not the wisest thing to call those people names.”

“If you’re not one to say anything, then don’t say anything.”

“It’s no fun to not say anything.”

“I’m pretty sure I’ll never find it fun no matter how much I change…” Liam muttered. After all, they're just words.

The red-haired woman suddenly spurred her horse ahead of the pack and sped right toward Iloryn. She stopped dangerously close to a soldier, who handled it surprisingly well by taking the horse’s reins, and gracefully spun off the beast’s back, landing on the ground directly in front of Iloryn. Without any exchange of words, she embraced her. Finally, after several seconds, the woman released Iloryn and solemnly said, “My brother told me you came through.”

“Yes, but… uh… isn’t this a bit much of a greeting since you saw me a week ago?” Iloryn asked, eyeing the quiet and uncomfortable stares of almost everyone around them.

“Well, last week wasn’t… well… like this.”

Another horse trotted up to them carrying the young soldier from the gate. He also hopped off, though he grabbed the reins of his own horse before a soldier could. Just based on the young soldier’s attire and his place at the front of the army, Liam assumed the young man held a higher position than he initially thought, though he carried himself like a foot soldier.

“Hello again,” he said, smiling. However, his expression carried the grimness of losing his city and home. Although Iloryn said hello in return, he quickly turned his attention to the chubby magistrate, who happened to be resting rather close to Liam and Nora on an annoyingly comfortable-looking lounge chair one of the guards retrieved from his carriage earlier. In a quiet voice, Stefan asked the man, “Did my mother make it out alright?”

“She did. One of the guards gave me the news early on during the evacuation.”

“Good. Thanks.”

“Anything for a friend,” Cecil Ramsbottom replied, grinning proudly.

With that, Stefan stepped back over to Iloryn. She looked rather pleased to speak with the two of them, though Liam still saw a similar grimness in her eyes to what he once saw in the eyes of a squadmate many years earlier. He grimaced as the thought reminded him of the strange dream he experienced a few nights ago. Then, he looked at Iloryn and hoped she wouldn’t end up suffering the same fate as his compatriot, though he ended up wondering why he even cared in the first place.

Once the three friends finished exchanging pleasantries and worries, Luna said, “If you don’t mind, I’d like to travel with you back to Crey.”

“I’m sure that would be fine,” Iloryn replied. “Ekram’s men probably won’t mind having someone like you around.”

“What about heading to the capital?” Stefan asked.

“You can handle it,” Luna answered. “Also, don’t go flying off your hat again while I’m not around.”

Sighing, Stefan conceded with a nod.

Shortly after, the two parties headed their separate ways, whether toward Crey or the capital. Luna joined Iloryn in her carriage. Liam, Nora, and Kael rejoined Conor in the rear wagon. The big guy practically forced them to tell him about all the stuff they found.

On the other side of things, Stefan led the men under his command toward the capital. A dark expression settled on his face as he anticipated the Emperor’s reaction to them losing a city in only a few hours. Not only did they lose, but he was also the first commander in over a hundred years to lose men under his command in battle, even though his sister temporarily took over his role. As usual, he wished he had never been forced into the position by his heritage. Once again, he opened the locket that once belonged to the infiltrator he killed. Although he knew he did the right thing for his people, he regretted exacting an execution on the spot. Even so, his eyes rose toward the horizon. Never once did he look back.