Vas sat quietly, letting Selene sew the slashes on his right leg together. At first he’d insisted that they simply bandage him, but stitching up the wound had been elected the as the better option.

The cut on his right arm had already been taken care of.

It had been a day and a half since the encounter with Hades, and they were just inside one of the outer houses of the city. The Scouts had made good progress ever since escaping from the ambush, and had been able to stay between two huge waves of Risen.

“You know,” Selene began, “Unless we are able to get in front of them, we won’t get to the Wall in time.”

“I know,” Vas grunted. He was trying to think of a way to outrun the Risen, but had yet to think of something that wouldn’t get them all killed.

Alex held up the joker card of her deck.

“Do you hold that card up because you actually want to attack, or because you like holding up a joker card?”

“It makes me feel cool and mysterious.”

“It makes you look like a goober.”

“Hey!”

The rest of the group sat together, listening but not really joining in on the conversation. Everyone was exhausted. Tapo might have fallen asleep sitting up. The big islander had recovered well from being pelted by shattered glass, and was mostly healed.

Fem sat beside Tapo, leaning on the man. Fem’s sword still looked to be in good shape, as he constantly took care of it. However, his shield was battered and the color of dry blood. Vas supposed it symbolized how they all felt.

When Vas glanced at Zy, the Native American man caught his gaze with his eye. He still wore a bandage over the eye he’d lost.

“You should wear an eyepatch when we get home. We’ll call you the pirate.”

Zy snorted. “Way I see it, I’m halfway to becoming a Risen now. When I die, all I have to do is pluck out one eye.”

Azul, who was sitting next to Zy, laughed.

That reminded Vas, he’d been wondering about something. “Why do you suppose the Risen around Hades collapsed when I beheaded him?” Azul scratched his chin for a few moments.

Everyone leaned in, including Tapo who had apparently not been sleeping.

The group had grown interested in their research on the Risen during their time in the south, and that made them hungry for questions and answers.

“I suppose,” Azul finally said, “there may be some kind of hierarchy within the Risen.”

“LIKE I’D SAID!” Alex said loudly. It was almost shouting. But not quite.

Azul sighed, “Sort of. But what you postulated was a social hierarchy. I believe what we witnessed supports the idea that there is an actual physical hierarchy. Somehow, the Brawlers were reliant on Hades. And also obedient. When he was defeated, they all shut down. It was like Hades acted as a generator.” Tapo nodded at this. “Perhaps this is what makes the Sleepers into Brawlers.”

“Indeed,” Fem interjected, “It is a possibility. But remember that we had never before seen any kind of hierarchy. Perhaps this is an anomaly.”

“I think we now have the basis on which to build our theoretical hierarchy.”

Joust walked in from the other room. He’d been on watch duty.

“I can hear you all clear as day out there. Especially Alex.”

“Hey!”

“See?”

“Alex. Shh.”

“Well EXCUUUSE—”

“AS I WAS SAYING,” Azul broke in, annoyed at being interrupted, “I think we can now safely assume the Risen work something like a kingdom. The Sleepers are commoners, the Brawlers are commoners who are drafted into the army. The Wanderers are nobles, and whatever Hades is, is an army commander.”

Vas nodded slowly. He always had trouble following Azul’s logic, but this time it seemed simple. And somewhat frightening. “By that logic, isn’t there a king?” Azul nodded.

“Yes, and although we have no evidence for making that statement, I believe it is natural to assume there is a king. Or queen. What have you. Something that started this all and oversees it.”

“By this logic,” Zy began, “shouldn’t some of us stay in the south and search for this king? To slay it?”

“No, splitting up our group further would be unwise. It is likely none of us would survive.”

“It is already likely that none of us will survive. I support this mission.”

“They will need us all at the Wall,” Vas said. He intended the statement to be final.

Everyone knew it, and bowed in submission. Even Tapo.

Fem stood up. “Vas.”

Vas met eyes with Fem. He knew if Fem supported the idea, he would have to listen to them. He couldn’t even imagine sending half his group away for such a long shot. Vas shook his head and sighed. “Speak your mind.”

Fem nodded. “I have always followed your orders without question, even when I was unsure whether you commanded the correct course of action. However, I believe with this decision we will be throwing away a chance we will never get again.”

“You expect me to send four people north and four people south? Four to the south on a mission that is based on speculation? That doesn’t even leave us with enough people to get the message north.”

“We need—”

Vas was angry. Why was Fem questioning him now? Now, when they needed each other?

“We need to survive, Fem!”

“We cannot defend forever! You need to attack to win a fight!”

Vas rubbed his head.

“You can’t win a fight if you’re dead.”

“Fem,” Alex said quietly.

Everyone turned, taken aback by Alex’s serious tone.

“Do you remember the first time you faced terror?”

“Terror?”

“Did you freeze, or did you run?”

Fem stared at Alex for a few moments, and then his eyes glazed over. Then he snarled, regretting the words he was about to say from the bottom of his heart.

“I ran.”

The words hit Vas like a hammer. He knew he had to listen, now.

“Sometimes you just can’t run any longer, can you?”

Fem met Vas’s eyes again, and Vas nodded again.

“Who is going south, then?”

Tapo raised his hand. As did Zy. Azul sighed. “Count me in, as well.”

“Vas—”

Vas clasped Fem on the shoulder. “We’re still friends. Do what you have to, to be a man.”

“To be a human, Jade would say.” Vas snorted. “Yes, she would.”

Fem held his hand out as a salute, and began gathering his things off the floor.

“We’ll leave at dawn. We can draw the Risen behind off of your backs, give you more time. If you cut west then north you might be able to outrun the groups ahead of us. They’ll be slowed down by the lakes.”

“We’ll see each other again in time. How much time is the only question.”

Alex grabbed her joker card and handed it to Fem. “This is your job now.”

The next morning, Fem and his group left. Vas, Alex, Selene and Joust headed out just after them, to the west.

Altogether, the remaining Scouts marching north numbered four.