Marie smiled as the sunlight warmed her against the chill of the early morning air. Beside her, Vorn, in his typical dark tunic and pants, walked with his arm linked with hers. A large, wide brimmed straw hat sat atop his head, hiding his white hair, which was bundled underneath it. Its shade covered his entire face, shielding him from the still rising sun.

A lazy breeze blew against Marie, sending a small shiver up her back. Vorn had urged her to wear something over her typical white collared tunic, but she had ignored him. Her travel skirt and the warmth of the morning would be enough, so long as the wind didn’t blow.

All in all, it was a pleasant day to be out and about in the Side district. Or, it would have been, had Jack and Brielle not been bickering the moment they had all stepped out of Marie’s Inn.

They had all left the place ten minutes ago, and the pair of guards had refused to stop arguing the entire time. Both were dressed in their leather armor and grey tunic and pants, though Jack looked more put together than Brielle did. His tunic had been pressed and his smooth face had been washed thoroughly, his short hair combed expertly. Brielle looked as though she’d just woken up, long brown hair thrown into a messy ponytail, face scrunched as though she were half asleep. Side by side, the pair looked almost like siblings.

And just like siblings, they had irritated Marie to no end. They walked a few feet in front of Marie and Vorn, close together, and spoke in some kind of code – a language that sounded similar to Common but made absolutely no sense if one listened carefully. Marie knew it to be the coded language that Mirabar’s guards used regularly, but why the pair had decided to speak in it now, she hadn’t a clue.

“Jack’s repeating that spears offer too much length to not be the standard weapon in any military.” Vorn said out the side of his mouth; evidently, he had picked up on the language. “Seems he really likes his spears.”

“I bet he does.” Marie mumbled.

“Brielle’s asking what happens in a close quarters situation.”

“Then swords win.”

“Well, sure. But Jack says that any master trained in a spear would know how to handle that situation.”

“Ah.”

“Brielle asked if Jack was one such master and Jack –” Jack said something harsh and gestured rudely at Brielle. “I’m not repeating that.”

“Would you two knock it off?!” Marie snapped; her two guards flinched, like guilty children. “Gods, I’ve half a mind to cut your damn rations in half.”

“Sorry ma’am.” Brielle said sheepishly.

“Y-yeah, sorry.” Jack echoed.

“No apologizes.” Marie said. “Just act like the guards you’re supposed to be.”

Jack nodded, though Brielle muttered something under her breath. Regardless, the two straightened up, stepped apart from each other, and fell into a decent marching pace, paying proper attention this time as they escorted Marie and Vorn down the street.

Marie sighed; truly, they didn’t need an escort. Having Vorn with her would have been protection enough, but her four newly hired guards insisted that two of them accompany her. After all, Joel had argued, the streets had been getting rougher these past days, and it wouldn’t hurt to have an accompaniment.

Marie grimaced. She wasn’t worried about her safety in the city, but Joel had made a good point.

They street they were on, cutting through a small neighborhood, looked completely abandoned. The houses, built in Mirabar’s signature compact style – an ugly practicality of grey stone bricks present in every district – had all been boarded up, cheap wood hammered over windows and doors. A few remained untouched, and Marie knew that each were packed to the brim with families and friends of families and friends of friends and so on. Desperation drove many to band together under one roof, and Marie couldn’t blame them. The more people in one household, the more food they could get from her Inn each morning and evening. And when everyone pooled their food together, it was almost as though the shortage never existed.

Despite the crammed houses, no one seemed to go out anymore. Marie couldn’t understand why, but that did leave the streets empty enough for them to walk down the middle of the road. Occasionally, someone would peek out of an open window at their group, only to dart away as Marie waved at them.

She sighed and shook her head as they continued down the empty street. A part of her had hoped that seeing her would give everyone else the courage to come out of their holes, but she knew better than to believe that. And why would they? With all of Mirabar looking utterly abandoned, Marie wouldn’t have wanted to come out either.

“Do you think everyone will be there?” Vorn asked, pulling Marie from her thoughts. When she glanced at him, he too wore a sad look in his red eyes.

“What else do they have to do?” Marie asked. “I think the only exciting thing to do these days is head over to the Inn for their free meal.”

“Yes, but with the current situation, I foresee very few believing that a plan such as ours would work.”

“Then we’ll convince them otherwise.”

“Perhaps.” And Vorn left it at that, squinting his eyes as he glared up towards the sky.

Marie smiled and patted him on the arm. Despite having been on the surface for so long, Vorn still hadn’t developed a tolerance towards that giant burning orb he hated so much.

Jack and Brielle – mercifully silent – took the right at the incoming T-section and turned directly into what used to be an incredibly busy market square, now reduced to the same boarded up mess behind them. The square itself was built upon now dirty stone brick, its walls made up of numerous shops and stores, all of which stood as abandoned as the homes. In the center of the square, a decrepit circular fountain stood, grey stone bleached white from the unrelenting sun. And around that fountain stood the crowd that Marie was hoping for.

A group of men – mostly men, with a few woman – stood with an anxious air about them. Roughly around thirty people, many wore dirty clothes and haggard looks, backs hunched from the uncertainty that seemed to cling to Mirabar these days. Not a soul seemed to have any extra pounds on their frame, and quite a few seemed thinner than they should have been. Marie’s heart broke at the sight, and not for the first time did she realize just how lucky she and Vorn were to afford their current amenities.

She quickly recognized all of them from the food lines that were now the norm outside her Inn, each person hailing from some part of Mirabar’s working class – or at least, they did before all the jobs had vanished from the city. One stood with his back turned to Marie and her group, speaking to the crowd, though she knew the man to be Gath; she could recognize his frame even from behind. And as they approached, their footsteps echoing oddly off the closed shops, Gath turned around and smiled at them.

“Marie.” He said, meeting Marie’s group halfway; his face was weathered, though the man’s hair and beard were still neatly trimmed. His physique, however, seemed to be fading. “Good to see you!” He turned back towards the crowd. “I told you all she’d come.”

Murmurs swept through those in the crowd, everyone moving away from the fountain and closer to Marie’s group. They fanned out behind Gath and quickly surrounded them in a half circle, each person eagerly awaiting what Marie could only assume was an explanation. From the looks on their faces, Gath hadn’t provided a proper one.

Jack and Brielle stepped back and moved to the sides of Marie and Vorn, perking up; her dutiful husband tugged her closer to him, his dark hand drifting towards the dagger strapped to his belt. Marie smiled; there wasn’t anything to worry about with these people, considering that Marie was their only source of food these past days, but Vorn remained paranoid.

At least they had gotten that right.

“Of course, I’d come.” Marie said. “I wouldn’t have Gath fetch you all for no reason.”

“Well,” Gath said. “some had their doubts.”

“Within reason!” A voice shouted from the back of the crowd. As if on cue, at the front, a thin man in loose-fitting clothes stepped forward.

“I don’t think any of us doubted you Marie,” Jamieson was his name. “it’s just…well…”

“From what Gath told us,” A squat woman, Alma, said from the edge of the crowd. “it all sounded like hogwash. No offense.”

“None taken.” Marie smiled.

“Is it true?” A voice she knew to be Harold’s asked from the middle of the crowd, though she couldn’t see him. “You sent someone down there?”

“She did no such thing!” The first voice from the back – Gerald’s, she realized – barked again. “Ain’t no way someone went down there.”

“She’s helped us this much and you still doubt her?!” Gath whirled around as many voiced their agreement with Gerald. “Marie speaks the truth! She told me so!”

“Oh, and we should trust you, huh?” Another voice from the edge – Vae? – shouted over everyone. His voice carried through the empty marketplace, sending ripples of unease through the crowd. “What, after your little failed message?!”

Marie simply smiled as the crowd began to turn on itself, Gath trying, and failing, to keep the order. Voices continued to rise until shouting echoed through the marketplace, many beginning to get into each other’s faces, fingers pointing this way and that. A brawl was certain to erupt at any moment, though Marie had seen much worse.

She slipped out of Vorn’s arm and took a single step forward; Vorn stiffened but remained where he was as Jack and Brielle stepped closer, flanking either side of Marie.

“Vae.” Marie said calmly, holding up one finger.

“Vae!” Jack barked. The arguing continued.

“Alma.” Marie stuck up a second finger.

“Alama!” Jack repeated.

“Gerald.” Marie stuck up a third finger and raised an eyebrow as the older man shook a fist at someone else in the crowd.

“Gerald!” Brielle yelled this time.

On her third name, many in the crowd began to glance over at her. On the fourth name – Jaimeson – the fighting had almost stopped, many shushing each other loudly. On the fifth name – Gath, unfortunately – the crowd had fallen dead silent, those who had had their name called looking away in resignation. Everyone else waited in rapt attention, pointedly ignoring those around them, as they waited for Marie to speak.

Marie dropped her hand and glanced at Brielle, who looked up and muttered the names to herself. She’d remember those who’d lost their evening meal that night, despite still looking as though she were half asleep.

Satisfied, Marie took another step forward, and crossed her arms.

“First, let me say that I do appreciate all of you coming.” She said, raising her voice for everyone to hear. “I’d prefer we’d have representatives from every neighborhood around here, but I also understand the difficulty of such a task. It will be up to all of you, then, to get the word out to everyone else once we’re done here today.

“Now, to make this short so we aren’t late. After multiple trips to City Hall and quite a bit of pleading, we convinced the Council to let in an envoy for negotiations to mend the fractures between the Upper and Undercity.” She raised her hands as murmurs rippled through the crowd. “I know, I know. Now, the man we sent in is a friend of ours, and you’ve may have seen him helping in the food lines. His name is Bishop, and he’s the one who always has the best room booked upstairs for him and his family, the bastard.” A few in the crowd chuckled. “Anyways, he volunteered to go down to speak with the Council after I managed to convince them. He’s seen the situation up here and has a level head, so I trust him with the job. We sent him in about a week ago, and today’s the day we scheduled for him to meet back with us in the Hall. The reason that I called all of you here, then, is because the information we receive today will more than likely affect the entire city, and if that’s the case, then citizens such as yourselves,” Marie gestured to the crowd. “should hear it. In addition, once we figure out what Bishop says, you all can weigh into the discussion as well. That way, everyone has some sort of say.”

She paused and watched as many in the crowd nodded; some wore hopeful expressions, pleased by her words, while others frowned in thought.

“We tried to reach out to the other districts as well, but they wouldn’t hear of it.” Marie continued. “I honestly believe Mercutio has gotten to them already, but then again, when has the other half of the city ever held any love for us? If they miss out on the negotiations, then so be it.”

Quiet, angry murmurs rippled through the crowd, fury flashing in the eyes of every single person; Marie had been to quite a few cities in her youth, but no other city ever came close to the class divide that plagued Mirabar.

“That’s all we have currently. The hope is that once Bishop informs us of the Councils stance on the issue, we can react accordingly, rather than sit and speculate about what we could or couldn’t do. After all, the easiest solution is to bring the two halves back together again. So…is this something that you’d all like to be a part of?”

Everyone immediately nodded, not an ounce of hesitation among the crowd. Marie fought back a smile.

“Fantastic!” Marie clapped her hands together. “Glad we’re all on the same page. Now, before we go, I must ask…Gath,” Marie jerked her chin towards the crowd behind him. “would you like to speak for everyone here? We can’t have everyone all talking at once, so if you understand everyone’s issues here, then I ask that you and I be the only ones to speak with Bishop. That way we don’t have everyone talking all at once and confusing our poor messenger.”

“Oh!” Gath’s eyes went wide. “I uh – I’m flattered, but I don’t think –”

“Ah, let Gath do it!” Vae called from the back. “He’s the one that bothered all us in the first place.”

“You make it sound like a punishment!” Gath flipped back around towards the crowd, as everyone shied away from the older man.

“Well, no,” Alma said, smoothing out her dirty dress. “but you seem to know more than we do.”

“I hate to say it, but I trust you to know what we want.” Jaimeson grumbled.

Gath’s ears turned red as the crowd descended into another, though thankfully peaceful, argument. As they did, Vorn stepped up and leaned towards Marie’s ear, forcing her to duck her head under the brim of his hat.

“Fantastic work, as always dear.” Vorn whispered. “But I must say, I’m somewhat surprised that they all seem amicable to Gath speaking for them. I had figured they’d all want a say in the matter.”

“Thank you. And typically, they would.” Marie whispered back. “But everyone knows Gath to be a good man. I can’t imagine anyone saying no. Besides, many of them just lost a meal. I assumed that they just want to go with the flow of everything.”

“To think how much sway a bowl of soup has over the people of the Uppercity.”

Marie smirked. “Desperate times.”

“Have I ever told you that you’re far too clever for your own good?”

“Not clever enough, if I’m still stuck with you.”

Vorn chuckled and shook his head, slipping his arm back through Marie’s; she let him, and pulled herself a bit closer.

Gath finally turned back around, his face beet red, and beamed at Marie.

“I uh, looks like everyone’s fine with that!” He half sputtered, the crowd laughing behind him. “Didn’t uh, didn’t expect that!”

“We never do Gath.” Marie nodded down the street. “Well, shall we head over? Jack, Brielle, would you lead the way?”

The pair of guards saluted her; they wove their way around the crowd and began to make their way towards the street at the other end of the marketplace. Marie and Vorn quickly followed them, Gath and his crowd waiting a moment before trailing behind them, everyone beginning to talk up a storm. A part of Marie was surprised that they hadn’t said anything about Jack and Brielle, but she supposed they had other issues to worry about.

The walk to the City Hall was a long one and took their procession through the remaining part of the Side district. The scenery hadn’t changed despite how far they walked; houses remained boarded up, shops remained closed, and the despair that clung to the city clashed with the warm sunlight that washed over it. Marie wondered just how many people she was feeding through her Inn; though the lines wrapped around the building on a good day, the sheer size of the Side district left her wondering just how many weren’t receiving anything to eat.

As they exited the Side district and made their way into the Middle district, Jack and Brielle purposely took the backroads that ran away from the center. The Middle was much richer than the Side district, and thus was doing somewhat better than they were. Not every home had been abandoned, and many of the markets remained open, much in part due to the support that Mercutio had given to the district.

It was disheartening, and not a sight that any of them needed to see.

By the time the procession broke out of the backroads and onto the main road, the sun had almost reached its zenith. Vorn muttered angrily and adjusted his hat as Jack and Brielle turned onto the polished stone road, the crowd behind them still talking excitedly.

Marie glanced back at them, only for Vorn to nudge her and gesture towards the end of the road, some hundred yards away.

“It never gets old, does it?” Vorn asked.

“No, it definitely does.” Marie replied.

At the very end of the road stood the crowning jewel of Mirabar, the seat of its former government, and an eyesore that bothered Marie the moment she’d set foot in the city; City Hall, or better know as just The Hall.

The Hall marked the entrance to the Undercity and stood in stark contrast to the entirety of the Uppercity. It had the opulence of a castle, better suited to the fairy tales Marie used to read to Serena. Beautiful marble made up the walls that hugged the mountain behind it, with narrow spires towering far above the city, their roofs crafted with a fine red brick, an exotic material for the city. The Hall itself extended out in either direction, making it the longest building in the Uppercity, stretching all the way across the small lake that pooled at the base of the mountain. Behind the entire building, a waterfall cascaded from far up the mountainside, casting a fine mist across the structure, adding to its illustrious appearance. Rumor had it that the entire structure was protected by a thin magical veil that prevented water damage. Marie always scoffed at the idea, but she wouldn’t have been surprised if it was true.

A marble bridge extended from the front of the Hall all the way across the lake, meeting the main road at the shore. Before the separation, the road itself would have been guarded by a score of dwarves, heavily armored with Mithril plate and weapons, but now, no dwarf would be caught dead in the Uppercity. In their place then, dressed in worn but polished plate, stood the Captain of the Mirabar City Guard, and his remaining men – all five of them.

The Captain was an older man, defined by the dust in his wrinkles and the shine of his silver hair. His blue eyes remained sharp, however, even into his gilded years, and his posture had never slackened, nor had his days of service. He remained one of the oldest living residents in Mirabar and was by far the second most dangerous man of the Uppercity.

Behind Vorn, of course.

Jack and Brielle halted at the edge of the marble road, a few feet away from the Captain and his men. The procession slowly came to a halt behind them, the crowd falling quiet.

Marie’s two guards saluted their former Captain, then stepped to the side; he paid them no heed, however, as he marched over to Marie.

“Captain,” Marie began; she had never learned the man’s name, and no one else seemed to know what it was. “I’m so glad you could make –”

“I only came to keep the peace.” The Captain spat, voice like swallowed gravel. “I ain’t interested in your words, Marie. I know what you’re doing here.”

“Oh? Do tell.”

“I ain’t need to spell it out for you.” His eyes smoldered. “If it ain’t you it’s the other fucking foreigner, coming in and stealing everything.”

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t refer to my husband like that.” Marie smiled as Vorn chuckled.

The Captain curled his lip; he stepped closer, inches away from Marie, hate radiating from him like waves of heat. Jack and Brielle stepped closer behind him, hands on their swords, the Captain’s guards behind them mimicking their movements. Vorn visibly stiffened, eyes narrowed.

“Don’t play games with me Marie.” The Captain hissed. “I’m not blind, and I’m far from the stupid that trails after you. Any idiot can see the struggle between you and that bastard. Couple of months, one of you is going to have this city in a vice grip and there isn’t shit I can do about that. You know what it’s like, having the city you’ve sworn to protect be ripped away from you, and there ain’t nothing you can do about it?”

“I do.” Marie replied instantly. “Perhaps not with a city, but you’d be a fool if you thought otherwise.”

“Losing your kid ain’t the same as losing the city you love.”

“Watch your tongue.” Vorn growled.

The Captain shot a look at her husband.

“I’d say the same to you, Drow.” He spat. “Should have kicked you out ages ago, you fucking –”

“We did not come here to exchange insults, Captain.” Marie said, grabbing Vorn’s arm in a vice grip. “We came here to discuss matters with the Council. Nothing more, nothing less. We’ve done nothing to you, and yet you stand here and antagonize me, and insult my husband. Have you no shame?”

The older man stared daggers at her; Vorn’s hand drifted back to his belt, Jack and Brielle fidgeted nervously, the guards behind them beginning to draw their swords, and Marie wondered if blood would once again be spilled for some ridiculous reason.

After a moment, however, the Captain’s eyes softened; he looked away and bit his lip, refusing to meet her gaze. When he spoke, it was as though a hand were wrapped around his throat.

“I’m sorry Marie, I just…what am I to do?” He asked, eyes misting over. “I’m old, my men are decimated, and the city’s going to shit. Politics ain’t what they used to be, and with the Council abandoning us, I…I’m a fucking soldier, not a thinker damnit. I haven’t the faintest idea what to do.”

“You could stand with me.” Marie whispered, leaning in. “You know me Captain, I’m not doing this for gain or reputation or whatever the hell Mercutio wants. I’m doing this because it’s right. They,” she jerked her head behind herself. “need a solid leader, one who they know has their best interests at heart. I feed them, shelter them, pay them, lead them, because it’s what they deserve. Not because of what I might gain. And you know that.”

“I do know that, but…” The old man sighed and shook his head. “I can’t take a side Marie. I can’t. What would I be if I sided with either of the people hellbent on taking over this city? It’s against everything I pledged myself to.”

“Sometimes, pledges have to die.” Marie said flatly. “And I hope you realize that before it comes back to bite you.” She pulled Vorn and began to walk around the old man. “We’ll behave ourselves in there. You have my word.”

She did not wait for a response as she and Vorn walked around him and down the marble bridge. Jack and Brielle quickly fell in line beside her, and as Marie glanced backwards, she was relieved that the Captain did not stop the crowd from following them. He looked too tired even if he wanted to.

The walk to the Hall was a short and quiet one; Vorn remained tense beside her, while her two guards held their silence, faces twisted. Even the crowd behind them remained silent. The Captain was a popular figure before everything had turned for the worse, so to see him so against what they felt was the right thing to do must have shaken everyone.

The stone doors of the Hall were easily three times taller than any man, and as they halted before them, Marie had to crane her neck to take in their entire height. The building itself seemed to loom over them, and even in the light of day, its white walls casted an ominous presence over them. A stark reminder of those who had abandoned them.

Without waiting, Marie pulled herself apart from Vorn, placed her hands against one of the doors, and began to shove it open. She had to strain to open it by half an inch, through once Jack and Brielle began to help her, they were able to get the door open the rest of the way. Typically, the gates would have never been opened like this, but when no one was on the other side, they had to make do.

Marie stepped to the side, panting slightly, Jack and Brielle following her lead; she gestured for Gath and the rest of the crowd to walk in.

“Stop in the entry way please!” She raised her voice as the crowd filtered in. “Don’t touch anything, don’t go anywhere, just stay in one place! Last thing we want to do is anger the Council.”

“You speak to them as if they were children.” Vorn said, resuming his place beside her.

“Well, individually no. When they’re altogether though?” Marie grimaced. “You can’t be too certain.”

“What, don’t want to clean any more blood off the floor?”

Marie shot him a look. “Don’t you joke about Godwin; we lost our best customer because everyone panicked.”

“If you say so.” Vorn shrugged.

“Not really a loss, honestly.” Brielle mumbled. She laughed as Jack elbowed her in the ribs.

Marie and Vorn followed the last of the crowd into the Hall, her guards on her heels; she waved away Jack’s question about closing the doors. She didn’t think the negotiations would go south, but it didn’t hurt to have an escape route if they did.

The interior of the Hall was just as grand as its exterior, made of the same white marble as its walls. The entryway was built in a half circle, with a large pair of stone doors built into the wall across the way. Multiple teller windows had been cut into the marble wall, spanning out from the stone doors, with various chairs and tables placed around them. Each of the windows served a different function for the government of the city, but now, they all had their metal shutters closed tightly. It must have been months since they’d last seen use.

Marie shoved her way through the crowd, Vorn at her heels, Jack and Brielle struggling to follow. When she made her way to the front, Gath was waiting for her, a worried look painted across the creases of his face.

“So uhm…” he began, wringing his hands. “How exactly –”

Marie shushed him but beckoned him forward as she and Vorn continued towards the doors. Gath followed, slightly behind, along with Jack and Brielle. When she halted in front of the doors, they formed a small triangle behind her.

She twisted around and gestured for the crowd to come forward, having them halt a few feet back from the doors. She wanted them close so everyone could hear Bishop, but not close enough to intimidate the man. Gods only knew what he had to put up with in the Undercity.

With everyone in place, Marie turned back towards the doors, her heart now pounding. She sucked in a deep breath, and despite herself, glanced at Vorn. He smiled and gave Marie a tiny nod.

She smiled back, then rapped her fist against the door.

At first, nothing seemed to happen, the rap of her fist echoing through the empty hall. As Marie raised her hand again, however, the telltale sound of a stone bar being lifted out of place sounded from behind the door; a dull thunk sounded as someone placed it sideways against the wall.

Slowly, the stone door was pulled inward, opening about a foot into the inky blackness of the tunnel behind it. A dwarf stepped out, his work tunic still stained with soot and other disgusting residue, his long beard braided messily. Behind him, two other dwarves, dressed in grimy iron plate, stood just beyond the threshold of the door, spears leaned against their shoulders, short swords strapped to their belts. One coughed and quickly threw something behind him, a faint bit of smoke curling up from his lips.

“Ya must be Marie.” The first dwarf grumbled; he peaked around her and shook his head. “Didn think you’d bring the whole damn city with ya.”

“I figured it would be for the best.” Marie crossed her arms. “But you’re not Bishop. Where is he?”

“Not coming.” The dwarf scratched his beard, eyes glazing over.

Silence. Marie cocked her head.

“Why not?”

The dwarf sighed, tried, and failed to hide an eye roll.

“By the order of the Council,” he grumbled, displeased that Marie had asked. “I’m ta inform ya that the man know as Bishop is dead. We’ll get his body back ta ya as soon as possible.”

Marie’s heart leapt into her throat, though she hid it with a scowl. Gath, however, gasped, his eyes going wide.

“He’s dead?!” He shouted. A second, collective gasp ripped through the crowd behind them, stunned murmurs quickly following. Marie fought back her irritation towards the older man.

“Aye, ya heard me.” The dwarf said. “No need to repeat myself.”

The dwarf crossed his arms and barely glanced at Marie and Gath, completely uninterested in conversing further. The two guards behind him put aside their spears and laid their hands on the swords strapped to their belts as the crowd increasingly became more panicked.

Marie cocked her jaw and glanced away as Gath began to panic next to her. That wasn’t news that she was expecting. Bishop wasn’t much of a fighter, sure, but Marie didn’t think the man dull enough to get himself into a situation like that. Unless the Council had decided that his death was the best course of action for them. Hells, did they murder him as soon as the doors closed behind him?

Marie shook her head; it didn’t matter how it happened. Though it was unfortunate, now she knew what she was dealing with. And if this was how the Council was playing, then they’d only respond to something similar.

With a sideways glanced, Marie caught Vorn’s eye, and made a gesture against her thigh. He nodded and shot a similar gesture to Jack and Brielle. The pair immediately stepped out of the door’s line of sight and edged closer to the walls.

“How did he die?” Marie asked, taking a step towards the dwarf. He glared at her.

“Suicide. Unfortune circumstance.” He said, voice devoid of emotion.

“Bishop never once expressed anything that made me think he was suicidal, and now he’s suddenly dead by his own hand?” Marie crossed her arms. “You expect me to believe that?”

“I expect ya to leave!” The dwarf spat; his voice carried throughout the hall, startling the crowd into silence. “He’s gone, and there ain’t nothing for ya here anymore. So, get!”

“And what about the conversation he had with the Council? What became of that?”

“I dunno ya damn hag!” The dwarf threw up his hands; Jack and Brielle had flattened themselves against the wall, eyes glued to Marie. “He spoke with them for a week and then we found him hanging in his room! Nothing else to say.”

“So, they send you to explain the situation, and you haven’t the faintest idea of what happened beyond his death?” Marie probed. “Seems the Council is slipping, picking someone as shit as you.”

The dwarf almost vibrated with fury.

“Listen, ya fucking –” he sputtered, then pointed a finger at her. “The Council ain’t slipping! They don’t concern ya! Stones, I got half a mind ta come over there and kick ya all out myself! Who gave ya the fucking right to even be in this place, huh?!”

“The Council did, after we talked extensively.” Marie jerked her chin up. “A detail that you should have known.”

“It was rhetorical ya fucking –” The dwarf began.

Before he could finish, Jack and Brielle leapt forward; they each planted a foot against the dwarf’s back and kicked with all their might. Marie and Vorn leapt out of the way as the dwarf, screaming in surprise, skidded across the floor, coming to a halt in front of the stunned crowd.

The two dwarf guards behind the doors yelled and began to rush forward, only for Vorn to step in front of them, a wicked, curved dagger suddenly appearing in his hand. They both jumped and shied back, awkwardly pulling out their swords.

“I find it hard to believe,” Marie’s voice echoed throughout the Hall. “that we send one man in and he just happens to commit suicide.”

“I don fucking care what ya believe!” The dwarf said, shooting up. “Don ya fucking lay yar god damn hands on me ya –”

“Then don’t you lie to my face!” Marie yelled over him, stepping forward to tower over the dwarf.

“Lie?!” He spat. “I’m many things, but a liar ain’t one of them!”

“And another.” Marie looked up at the stunned crowd beyond the dwarf. “Do any of you truly believe this man? Are any of you dull enough? Doesn’t it seem obvious to you all?

“The Undercity has already demonstrated that they want nothing to do with us. From the moment they cut us off, they’ve shown that we are nothing to them. Many of you, for good reason, doubted me then when I said that we had sent an envoy in to negotiate with them. But we did. We begged and pleaded with them. We wanted to play their game, wanted to mend something between the two cities so that we didn’t starve! To! Death!” The dwarf flinched at her words. “And they listened! They let a single one of us down there, and we hoped, we prayed, that Bishop was the man to smooth out these issues between us. And they killed him.”

Marie looked away and bit her lip. The dwarf began to speak up, only for the crowd to shout him down. When Marie looked back, his lip was curled, but worry filled his eyes.

“Bishop sacrificed his life for Mirabar. He sacrificed himself in hopes that we could mend the rifts between us. I have no doubts that they spat on his corpse before it even grew cold. Gods know they’ve already hurled him down some decrepit mineshaft, never to see the light of day again. All because he dared – we dared – to try and fix the tensions between us. He died a hero, and nothing any of these men say,” she gestured towards the dwarves. “will change that.”

She paused, catching her breath. Slowly, her words had begun to take hold over the crowd. No longer did they stand confused and terrified, as now, an anger began to boil within them, rising to the surface in each and every person. Marie shook her head, and the crowd exploded into a cacophony of enraged voices, all swirling about into a deafening storm of outrage. Of pent-up anger towards those who had abandoned them to starve.

The dwarf, the target of their anger, flinched again, and began to shake, the whites of his eyes now clearly visible.

Before the crescendo could be reached, Marie threw up a single hand; the entire crowd fell quiet immediately, though the anger was still visible on their faces, and in the way that they stood, hands clenching and unclenching, faces twisted, eyes narrowed, veins bulging.

They were a tide that could not – would not – be contained.

“They dare poke their heads out of their holes and feed us lies, because they feel safe.” Marie hissed. “As though nothing could touch them. That belief, that false believe, sent one of our own to an early grave. Because they feel as though they could do anything to us and get away with it. And I believe there’s but a single recourse for that.”

She looked down at the dwarf, now sweating through his clothes. He sputtered and fell to his knees, the fight within him vanishing.

“I’m just the messenger!” He wailed. “I swear it! I’m only tellin ya what they told me to say! Nothing more!”

“So was Bishop.” Marie said quietly. “What protection did that offer him?”

“B-but it wasn’t me!” The dwarf pleaded. “Mercy ma’am, I-I have a family! D-don’t take me away from them!”

“Bishop had a family too.” Marie said. “And because of the rash decisions of your leaders, two families will have an empty chair at the dinner table tonight.”

She nodded toward the crowd. They needed no second urging to descend upon the now screaming dwarf.

Marie flipped on her heels and walked back towards the door, ignoring the horrific sounds of the screaming dwarf being torn apart by an angry mob – of a long-waited revenge finally being enacted upon those who they viewed deserved it.

In front of her, Jack and Brielle grimaced and looked away, Jack looking as though he was on the verge of being sick. Vorn simply remained where he was, his face blank, as he watched the horror playing out behind Marie.

The two other dwarven guards had turned pale, their eyes wide, and when Marie stepped into the threshold of the door, they leapt back; though they raised their swords at her, their hands shook violently.

She rolled her eyes and reached into the pocket of her long skirt. Pulling out a small coin purse, she counted out ten gold pieces – a fortune for a guard – and placed them on the ground by her feet. Without a word, she turned back, grabbed the stone door, and pulled it closed behind her.

Marie gestured towards Vorn as the screams of the dwarf turned to gurgles, the crowd beginning to cheer. Jack finally turned and lost his lunch.

“We’ll need to seal the door from this side.” Marie said, mouth pressed to Vorn’s long ear; the crowd was loud in the empty hall. “Soon, probably.”

Vorn nodded, then jerked a thumb over his shoulder. The only sounds now came from the crowd. “And what about them?”

“Considering they’ll be riding a high for a bit, I say a little feast is in order. That will keep everyone busy.”

“Will we have enough?”

“We’ll manage.”

Vorn nodded and turned back towards the crowd; the corpse of the dwarf had been hoisted above them, looking nothing like he once was a minute ago. His entire face had been reduced to a purple mush, his chest had been caved in, and his head seemed more deflated than it should have been.

Marie grimaced and looked away; she had seen worse, but she never did like looking at it.

The crowd, still cheering, began to make their way out of the City Hall, as though they planned on parading the dwarf about the city. Marie gestured to them, and Vorn took off in pursuit, slipping through the door after them.

Jack remained hunched over, coughing. Brielle patted him on the shoulder and refused to look at the mess in front of him.

“Sorry Jack,” Marie said, strolling over to him. “That wasn’t really pleasant, huh? Should have warned you.”

“Warn him?” Brielle asked. “What, did you know this was going to happen?”

Marie smiled and shrugged.

Jack looked up, a horrified look in his eyes, spittle hanging from his mouth. Behind him, Brielle scoffed quietly and shook her head.

“Well, regardless of what I may or may not have known, I’d reckon that this little stunt brought more people together than anything else we could have done. And, with that little bit of savagery on display, I’m sure Mercutio will think twice about trying to steal my clientele away from me now. I’d say that’s a success, wouldn’t you two?”

“You’re a ruthless bitch Marie.” Jack coughed, wiping his mouth. “And I say that with respect.”

“Of course, of course. Now, not to be rude Jack, but get yourself together. We’ve got a feast to prepare for.”