The tension was palpable, and although she couldn’t see anything but the overcast sky as she lay in the stretcher, Sarah could tell from the look on Andrew’s face and the frequency with which he was looking over his shoulder that the orcs were close. Very close.

“I think it’s time you got up,” Andrew suggested.

They came to a stop to allow Sarah off the stretcher. She was still tired but did feel that she had gained some energy. She looked over her shoulder and saw them. The orcs clad in bloodstained armour marched in disciplined ranks. They were less than a mile away now, close enough for her to feel the ground tremble underfoot with each step they took. Twelve riders mounted on wolves walked in the fields on either side, keeping pace with the soldiers on foot.

Sarah took a deep breath and turned to the others and chanted a prayer. She paused when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Are you sure you want to antagonize them?” John asked worriedly.

Sarah bit her lip. The outriders were cause for concern and she didn’t know if there were any more wizards among them, who could also prove tricky to deal with.

“No,” she breathed, “not yet.”

They set off at a quick pace that Sarah struggled to keep up with. John took her hand and had to drag her along to keep up. They soon caught up with other stragglers from the main group, who looked at them with fearful eyes.

On an unspoken agreement, Andrew and John kept pace with them. Andrew put his arm around an old woman to help her along. Sarah looked over her shoulder. They were closer now. Four of the wolf riders had separated themselves from the main body and had fanned out into the fields. Her pulse quickened, and then, she became aware of the presence, lurking in the corner of her mind, ready to pounce.

After another hour, the orcs were less than half a mile away and made no sign of making a move. The shadows were growing long, but they would catch up to them well before dark.

“Perhaps we should get off the road,” Andrew suggested, “Maybe they won’t slow down to deal with us.”

“They will,” John said. Sarah knew he was right. They were after her. That was why they sent orcs with the soul gems after them that morning. Demonstrating her power in the night had backfired spectacularly.

“How far are we from Corrington?” Sarah asked.

“Too far,” came Andrew’s grim reply.

“You two run ahead,” Sarah said as she came to a stop.

“No,” John asserted.

Sarah turned around and looked him in the eye. “I’m going to try using that spell while they’re all bunched up. I can’t risk all of you being caught up in it.”

“But…” he began to object.

“You know it won’t harm me,” Sarah said.

It was a spell she learned from a book Roldo had found for her back in Woodhop. She had used it on a lake deep in the wilderness while Grimald, Stanley and Tom watched from what they thought was a safe distance. After she had cast the spell, the lake had vanished, and half the forest had been reduced to ash. Only dumb luck and Grimald’s quick thinking had saved the spectator’s lives.

John hesitated and Sarah looked him in the eye. “And you know we’re out of options.”

They looked into one another’s eyes and Sarah was fearful that he might see through her. She looked away. “Go, there isn’t time.”

At length, John walked away. Andrew paused to give Sarah a nod of acknowledgement before doing the same.

Sarah took a deep breath as she watched the orcs approach. There was one thing she had kept secret from John. Casting that spell had left her so weak that the presence had almost taken over. Only John’s swift arrival at her side had warded it off. The presence had harboured animosity towards John since that incident. That was another secret she was keeping from him.

“He’s well and far away,” Sarah said to herself, “Do not hurt him if you take over, or I’ll take control right back.”

The presence did not respond, but she could feel it quiver with anticipation. The orcs were still marching in tight formation as they advanced. It was probably the only way the wizards could defend against her attacks. Sarah smiled grimly. “Good, stay that way.”

Still, they drew nearer. The outriders moved closer to the main body. Sarah knew they were waiting for her to cast the first spell before springing into action. That meant the first spell had to count. That suited her. She didn’t have the energy to cast anything but her trump card. If that failed, well, either way, they’d have to deal with the other guy. The important thing was that whatever happened next, the orcs would be wiped out and John would be safe.

She pictured John in her mind as she began chanting, thinking, hoping that it would be enough to ward off the other presence when it was done. She felt the power well up in her arms and raised them both to the sky. She continued chanting and the power grew.

Sweat streamed down her face as she struggled to contain it. Then, to her amazement, the orcs came to a halt. She looked up and saw the massive ball of fire between her hands. If she stopped channelling the spell now, she probably wouldn’t have the energy to start it again.

Up ahead, the orcs began to withdraw quickly. If she ended her spell now, she would be helpless if they turned back around. However… She made her decision and ended the spell. As the flames evaporated into the ether, she swayed on her feet. It took everything she had to stay standing and watch the orcs beat a hasty retreat.

Then, she felt a presence invade her thoughts. It was different from the usual one. “Now is not the time. I will see you in Corrington.” It spoke with a high pitched man’s voice. It was playful, like a child appraising a new toy, and sinister.

A voice calling her name snapped her out of her funk. She saw John running toward her and the strength in her legs gave out.

“Sarah!” he cried, “You did it, you scared them off!”

“No,” her voice was hoarse. “It was something… someone else.”

John frowned. “What?”

Sarah didn’t reply as she watched the departing orcs, looking for a sign of the one who spoke to her. Somehow, she didn’t think it was an orc, nor did she think he was among them.

“Well, it doesn’t matter how,” John said, “but they’re withdrawing. Come on, let’s go before they change their mind.”

Andrew showed up a moment later with the stretcher. The orcs, meanwhile, were content to hold their position further up the road. She could feel their eyes on her as Andrew and John swiftly bore her away.

“Are we safe?” breathed one of the old women when they caught up to the stragglers again.

“It would appear that we are, for now,” Andrew breathed, “But I wouldn’t slow down until we’re safe inside Corrington’s walls.”

“What does this mean for the rest of the Expansion?” Beth wondered, her face taut, “Is everyone there dead?”

“I don’t know,” Vincent replied, “I have a lot of family down here.”

“We left everything behind to start new lives down here,” another added worriedly, “What do we do now?”

“There’s nothing we can do for the time being,” Andrew said, “All we can do is get to safety at Corrington.”

Sarah turned her head and saw that John was holding his tongue. These strangers had been a great help to her, and she felt awful about what they were going through. The whisper in her head gave her the sinking feeling that Grimald and the others had not resolved the situation in Corrington either.

“I’m worried about the others,” she said.

“Well, it appears as though we’re going back,” John sighed, “We might as well look them up while we’re there.”

“I’d half expected you to suggest we walk straight through the city and out the North Gate,” Sarah remarked.

“Is that what you want?” John asked softly.

Sarah bit her lip. The voice still lingered like a stubborn stain in the corner of her mind. She suppressed a shudder, feeling that she could not put off a showdown with its owner.

“No,” she said at length. “We have unfinished business there.”

She paused before adding, “You feel that way too, don’t you?”

John nodded. “I can’t help but think we owe these people something too.”

“Is something happening in Corrington that we ought to know about?” Andrew asked worriedly.

“You remember the orcs that are living outside the North Gate?” John asked.

Andrew nodded. “Do you think they might attack the city?”

“I don’t know,” John said, “But they do make me think twice about leaving through there.”

“I see where you’re coming from,” Andrew agreed, “As for me, I think I’ll stay safe inside the walls until they’re gone. I’ve heard an army is on its way. Perhaps they’ll deal with the orcish problem once and for all.”

“I regret ever coming down here,” Vincent sighed.

Sarah soon felt well enough to walk. They carried on, keeping a careful eye on the orcs who seemed happy to maintain their distance from them. Eventually, the cathedral’s spires appeared over the horizon. It heartened the spirits of their companions but filled Sarah with worry. Was Udoriol safe, or had he been led like a lamb to slaughter? What about Grimald and Hicham?

“You’re worried about them, aren’t you?” John asked as he looked where Sarah was looking.

“Yes.”

“And what about him?” John asked.

Sarah turned to look at him. “Who?”

“You know… him…” John said, looking flustered, “the… White Cloak.”

A knowing smile spread across her face, and she leaned against his shoulder. “Yes,” she said at length and felt John’s arm tighten.

“I’m worried about all of them,” she continued after she’d let him stew for a little while.

John opened his mouth to speak and then bit his lip. Sarah watched the turmoil in his face in amusement. Eventually, he could take it no longer. “Do you like him?” he asked, trying to sound casual.

Sarah smiled as she buried her head into John’s shoulder. “No, he’s not my type.”

“What is your type?” John asked.

Sarah lifted her head and smiled. “You.”

Andrew made a face. “Awww that’s so sweet that I think I might be sick.”

“What are you, a child?” Beth fumed as she swatted him on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry about it, we get that reaction a lot,” Sarah laughed.

“Look,” Sarah said, pointing ahead, “riders coming from the city.”

“Treto be praised,” Beth sighed, “We’re safe now.”

The riders spotted the orcs and quickly formed a protective screen between them and the refugees. It was just after dusk when Sarah and John passed under the South Gate.

“Here we are again,” Sarah said.

“Where should we go?” John asked, “To the cathedral and ask around?”

Sarah nodded. That seemed as good a place as any to start. They said farewell to their companions on their short-lived trip through the Southward Expansion and made their way through the crowded streets of the Lower City to the cathedral.

“Oh, what now?” John sighed as he spotted a commotion at the cathedral’s doors.

A group of men and women in red robes and their followers were at the entrance haranguing the white cloaks who barred their entry. John walked up to one of the onlookers and asked, “What’s going on?”

“For some reason, the people from the Temple of Agni got it into their heads that the Inquisition has Agni’s Chosen locked up in the cathedral,” he replied, eager to spread the gossip, “the Inquisition said that they have no such person there, but the Red Priests aren’t having it.”

“What makes them think Agni’s Chosen is in there?” Sarah asked, having the sinking feeling she knew the answer.

“Well, they captured that excommunicated elf they’d been hunting the other day and the rumour was that he was travelling with Agni’s Chosen,” the man replied. One of the priests began screaming at the white cloaks and the man grinned. “Ooh, look, it looks like things are going to get heated.”

“This city is going to the pits,” a nearby woman complained, “orcs at the door and now the reds going at the white cloaks. What’s this city coming to?”

Sarah dragged John away and hissed, “We have to help them.”

“How?” John asked.

Sarah searched the crowd and spotted a familiar face shouting at the white cloaks from the top of a stack of boxes. John followed her gaze. “No,” he breathed, “you can’t be serious.”

“We don’t have much of a choice,” Sarah said as she pushed her way through the crowd.

“What are you going to ask him to do?” John demanded, “Declare war on the Treton Church?”

Sarah paused and quickly formulated a plan. “No,” she said at length, “but we will need their cooperation.”

Together, they walked up to the boxes and Sarah tugged on the edge of the dwarf’s red robe. “Brother Marcus,” she called, “Brother Marcus, it’s me.”

The dwarf looked down and his eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“Wait,” she said when she saw that he was about to call to his companions, “I just want a quiet word with your leaders. We don’t need the whole city to know I’m here.”

The dwarf eyed her suspiciously. “I suppose you have a point,” he conceded at length.

He hopped down from the pile of boxes and grabbed one of their followers by the shoulder. “Fetch Brothers Matthieu and James, would you? Tell them it’s urgent.”

“We’ll meet you at the Grand Library,” Sarah said as the man rushed off.

James looked at her and frowned.

“Look, I approached you, didn’t I?” Sarah pointed out, seeing through his doubts, “Why would I do that and then run?”

“Fine,” the dwarf said at length.

“What are you plotting?” John asked as they left the cathedral.

“I’m not sure yet,” Sarah replied, “all I know is that we need more people on our side for what is to come.”

“But…” John began.

“We’ll worry about what comes after later, alright?” Sarah said.

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” John breathed.