“She's not Ivy,” Virian said, "and if she was, you still can't use people however you want."

“You’re the only one still whining, kid,” Armond said, seated behind the desk he had brought over from his place in the docks.

The man had set up his new base of operations in the manor Virian had requisitioned, looking more each day like the hardened leader that he was. From this forward position, much closer to the city walls than the Bloody Flag inn, Armond coordinated all of their defenses, Rose ever at his side, whispering in his ear.

And Virian? Well, he felt like he was back to being a useless figurehead. Sure, the guard obeyed him, but the rest of the city looked to Armond. Since Camellia had arrived, he had done little else than argue the very same point he was attempting this very moment.

“It’s not happening,” he said, “I won’t allow it.”

“Uh-huh.”

Armond wasn’t even looking at Virian and handed off a slip of parchment to one of his men, who in turn rushed out of the room with the order.

“I mean it.”

Finally, Armond looked up from his desk to regard Virian with a contemptuous glare in his eyes.

“She has agreed.”

“And I haven’t.”

“Oh?” Armond arched an eyebrow. “Is that what you are to her? A keeper? Jailor? No different than your brother sitting on his throne in the capitol?”

A throbbing pulsed in Virian’s temples. “It’s not the same, and you know it.”

“Will she see it that way?”

He almost drew his sword but knew better. “I don’t care how she sees it as long as she is alive!”

Just then, the door to Armond’s study opened behind him, and Virian turned to find Camellia entering with Rose on her heels. Great. Now it would be three against one.

“I want to help, Vivi,” Camellia said.

“I know,” Virian said, softening his voice, “and we’ll find a way. But not this.”

His sister pouted, making that face she always used to when they were younger when she wanted something. “But I’ve been practicing! Rose—”

“Rose is a master manipulator that knows exactly what to say because she can read your mind.”

“Uhm—”

“No. I won’t allow it.”

Rose circled him and leaned against the front of Armond’s desk.

“You think this is up to you?” she asked.

“You need me,” he said, “I can get us past the walls via the tunnels. And I still have the guard.”

She snorted and threw back her hair, revealing the nasty scar the church had given her.

“You think I need you?”

The air hung thick in the room, and no one dared speak a word. Everyone present knew exactly who held the most power here, and who was really in charge.

And yet…no. Virian had already resolved to stop letting himself be pushed aside.

“Yes,” he said, “I think you do. I don’t know exactly why, but you do want me on your side still. Maybe it’s the nobles, the guard, or even because of Ivy.”

Rose’s brow wrinkled at the mention of the younger witch’s name. Maybe that was it, then. What did Rose know that he didn’t? Did Ivy still feel something for him after their fight? A small hope rekindled deep in his heart but flickered out when Rose spoke.

“And?” she asked.

“And,” he turned to his sister, “Cammy, Rose herself won’t go out there. A woman who effortlessly slaughtered four of Anton’s assassins in the blink of an eye. Yet it’s safe for you?”

“I—”

Camellia was immediately cut off by Rose, “No one said it was safe.”

“Then why are we still talking about this? Cammy is not a soldier. Or an ancient witch.”

“The chances of success are greater—”

“I don’t care. Maybe her power helps, maybe it makes things worse. It’s untested and…odd to say the least. But I do know that I am certain that I can still cause you a lot of trouble. Trouble that isn’t part of your grand plan. For all I know Camellia is part of your schemes from the start, but no longer. Taking her out of this is far better than the hell I can raise if you decide to force this.”

Her face twisted into a grin, the scar on her cheek pulling the skin of her unmarked flesh.

“And if I just kill you now?”

Virian’s heart skipped a beat, but he did not back down.

“Do it, then.”

Rose’s wicked grin softened into a more genial smile, and then she laughed.

“I really am starting to like you,” she said.

He let out a breath he hadn’t been aware he had been holding.

“Okay…”

“You win, Virian. Your sister,” she glanced over at Camellia and nodded, “stays within the walls tonight. Her eyes returned to Virian and smiled again. “As do you.”

“What?”

“In what world do you think you are more of an asset outside the walls than within?”

“Uhm, well—” He realized he did not have an argument. Nor a desire to go outside the walls in any case. His only reason to go in the first place would be to protect Cammy, which he had already done.

Rose widened her smile.

“Good,” she said, “we all understand each other now.” She spun on her heel and faced the so far silent Armond. “Armond will lead the operation outside the gates.” She gestured a hand behind her back. “Virian, you will be on the south wall. Once you see the flames start, you give the order to fire on anything that remains.”

“And where will you be?”

She turned back and brushed past him on her way to the door but paused with her hand on the doorknob.

“You’ve inspired me, young prince,” she said, “I can’t wait to get out there and kill a paladin or two.”

“Torturing the one you let live not enough for you?” Virian asked.

Still, with her back to them, she opened the door and said, “Oh no. Not nearly.” She disappeared from sight past the threshold but called out one more time. “Come along, dear.”

At her final words, Armond stood from the desk and stomped over to where Virian stood. Looking down at him, Armond grunted.

“I wouldn’t push your luck too much further.”

And then he too exited the room, leaving Virian alone with his sister.

“W-what just happened?” Camellia asked, her voice small as if the other two might hear her.

Virian shook his head.

“I don’t know,” he said, eying Cammy, “are you as crazy as every other witch I know?”

“Uhh…”

“Never mind.”

“So, we’re not going outside the walls?”

“No.”

Camellia dropped her shoulders, letting out a long, deep breath.

“Thank you,” she said.

Virian threw his hands into the air. Where was this attitude before? “You said you wanted to help!”

“I did! I…do. But that doesn’t mean I’m not scared. And you must know how hard it is to say no to that woman.”

Of course he did. But he also could have used some help against Rose and Armond for the last few days.

“Why didn’t you say anything? I think she would have listened. If Rose is nothing else, she is protective of other witches. Ivy assured me of that.”

A smile blossomed on Cammy’s face.

“Oh, Ivy said so, did she?”

“…yeah.”

“Why don’t you ever talk about her?”

He moved to the door so that his back was facing his sister.

“It didn’t end well.” He exited the room and called out over his shoulder. “Come on.”

He heard soft footsteps follow behind him and kept a slow pace until Camellia caught up, walking in step with him at his side. They went through the hallway that led to Armond’s study and down the stairs to the first floor of the manor in silence. Commander Tamren and three other guardsmen saluted as they reached the foyer. The men fell into place behind them as they left the house into the courtyard and road beyond.

Atrican’s streets were empty. All who had decided to stay within the walls sheltering from the inevitable assault.

“How is everything, Cammy?” Virian asked to take his mind off of what he had led this city toward, “with Rose, and well…ya know.”

His sister wrung her hands together and looked at her feet, but spoke anyway, “I know you don’t trust her, but she’s taught me not to be so afraid of myself. You don’t know what it’s like, Vivi. My power. It’s terrifying.”

He could only imagine. When they had first told him what she could do, he didn’t really believe it. Though all witches possessed some type of insane power, Camellia’s defied reason.

“I don’t think she’s all bad,” he said, “but it’s just so hard to be around her knowing what she’s doing inside our heads all the time.”

Camellia said nothing, and they continued to walk through the empty city and market bazaar. They could have taken a carriage to the wall, of course, but Virian was glad to spend a little more time with his sister without Rose lingering nearby. It would be hours until Armond's attack began anyway.

Eventually, they began chatting again, this time about lighter topics. Cammy had taken it upon herself to revive their mother's gardens in the palace much to Anton's annoyance. But he had never stopped her so long as it kept her from causing any other disruptions to his rule. She had also started singing again for the first time since their mother had been killed. Virian told her about his life since being sent to Atrican and how he had been relegated to little more than a puppet ruler until Ivy came along. He even told her a bit about the enigmatic witch that had changed his life forever.

Before he knew it. They had reached the wall. The sun was low on the horizon, and their plan would begin soon. Virian and Camellia climbed the three alternating flights of stone stairs to the parapet and greeted the watch sergeant. Out along the grasslands beyond the city stood more than a dozen completed siege engines, projectiles piled at their sides. Many more were still being built. Even if their efforts tonight were successful, it would only delay the inevitable.

Still, as night fell, he waited. And waited. Hours passed into the darkness of the overcast, moonless sky. The tall grass and near zero visibility would make their approach impossible to see coming. It had to work. It would.

When things finally started, Camellia squealed at his side, yet he was ready. A series of earth-quaking booms rattled the stones of the wall. Several columns of flame shot high into the blackness of night, burning his night vision away. Rose had not been exaggerating the power of the witch hunters’ secret. Of course, she knew one of the most closely guarded mysteries of the modern world and already had a stockpile hidden away in the city.

"Hold!" He called out.

More explosions rocked the wall, and Camellia stumbled into Virian. At least ten more fires broke out amongst the church army. The flames illuminated a pair of undamaged trebuchets aimed at Atrican.

"There!" Virian pointed, looking up to the nearest tower that flanked the south gate. They had built their own siege weapons atop the highest points facing the army. Each tower had been equipped with a catapult loaded with barrels of thick oil.

Armond's man had already started aiming the device before Virian had shouted. A moment later, the thing went off, barrel of flammable tar disappearing into the night. The second catapult on the other tower fired a moment after. Virian couldn't be sure of the landing of either projectile, but it didn't matter much. He had to give the order anyway.

"Ready," he shouted at the guardsmen lining the top of the wall, each with a longbow and nocked arrow in hand. For every five bowmen, another guard walked between them wielding a torch, setting their arrows ablaze. The perimeter of the city lit up like a cloudless night. "Fire at will."

A hundred or more arrows pierced the pitch night, their fiery red-orange radiance untouched by the starless sky above, nor the unconstrained mayhem below. They seemed to hang in the air longer than should be possible before crossing the apex of their arc and raining down upon the church.

As soon as the first shot touched down, new flames roared to life. With each arrow hitting, it grew and grew, joining the others. The catapults fired a second time, joined by another volley of flaming arrows. Virian watched again and again as those around him repeated the process over and over. Before he knew it, the entire horizon had been engulfed in an uncontrollable, blinding inferno.

"I..." Camellia said grabbing onto Virian's arm, "I'm glad I didn't have to be down there."

"Me too."

The sun had just begun to add its light to the still raging fires by the time a blackened and oil-stained Armond came striding up the stairs of the south wall. Virian spotted him immediately but waited for the big man to join him at the parapet.

"Seems it went well," Virian said. Armond only grunted. "No?"

"It was a one-time victory," he said.

"They might be more vigilant going forward but surely we can still harass them. Did you lose many men?"

"Paladins harried our retreat. I told Rose not to come. They tracked us to the tunnels. I had to seal them."

"Oh." Their other means of attack also felt pretty effective, though. "But we will have the catapults."

Armond shook his head. "They'll build out of range. Move up all at once. We should also expect them to push our gates. Our oil supplies aren't unlimited. Their materials might as well be. We don't have much time left."

"How long?" Virian could feel his sister trembling up against his side.

"Two weeks maybe till we have breech on either a gate or a collapsed wall if we're lucky. Maybe another week of holding out after that."

"And then what?"

Armond shrugged.

"Flee, or die."