The estate was in organised chaos when Verdan returned, though order was slowly being established.

Elliot and a dozen locals had come to help clean up after the general destruction the thunder Sorcerer had caused. Verdan spared a moment to thank them for their help, forcing at least the hint of a smile onto his face as he did.

It meant a lot that the locals had come to help as quickly as they did. Verdan was sure that the Sorcerers would have seen bystanders as mere collateral damage, and they likely knew that as well.

The hunting group dispersed once they were safely inside the estate, and Verdan soon found himself outside the room where Barb was recovering from her wounds. He hesitated at the door for a moment before taking a steadying breath and pushing it open.

Barb lay on a bed, pale and unmoving, while Natalia sat at her side, watching over her with a worried look in her eyes.

“How is she?” Verdan asked, looking in on Natalia as she rubbed some sort of salve onto the nub on Barb’s left arm.

“In shock, hurt and overwhelmed. She woke up not long after you left, but I sedated her before she had a chance to really realise what was happening. Physically, she’ll be as fine as she can be in time,” Natalia said, pausing to look down at her patient with a concerned expression. “Mentally, though, I don’t know how she’ll cope. I’m no doctor, but I’ve seen my share of bad injuries and how people can react to them.

“She’s tough. She’ll get through it,” Verdan said with a mix of conviction and hope.

“I hope so,” Natalia said, turning to give Verdan an appraising look. “How are you holding up?”

“Physically, I’m fine,” Verdan said with a half-shrug. “Mentally, well, I’ve lost people before. It never gets easier, though.”

“I can’t even imagine how it must feel,” Natalia said softly, shaking her head as she walked over to Verdan and rested her hand on his arm. “It wasn’t your fault, you know.”

“I know, but it was my responsibility,” Verdan said as he walked over to cast a low-powered healing spell into Barb. She was already topped up with potions and divine healing, but he felt obligated to put some more in himself.

Natalia followed after him, her hand resting on his shoulder with a comforting squeeze. “Do you want me to take you to him?”

“Please,” Verdan said in barely more than a whisper, patting Barb on the shoulder before following Natalia out of the room.

As they walked through the workshop, Verdan had the belated realisation that Natalia wasn’t wearing her veil. That made sense, really, considering she’d taken it off in his room, and their exit had been somewhat abrupt.

It was good that she was coping this well without it; he knew all this must be tough on her as well.

“He’s in here,” Natalia said, drawing Verdan out of his thoughts as she led him into a hastily emptied storage room.

Declan was laid out on a cot in the centre of the room, looking no different than when Verdan had last seen him.

“Gward raf,” Verdan muttered, tapping the cot that Declan’s body had been laid on as he created a construct around slowing decay. He had only a small amount of Aether to spare, but it would keep the body in a good state for the time being.

“Had you known him long?” Natalia asked gently as she took his hand, her warm presence by his side helping to drive away the cold thoughts that lurked in the fringe of Verdan’s mind.

Verdan shook his head with a grimace. “Not really, but even that was enough to know that he was a good man.”

“I’ll leave you to pay your respects,” Natalia said after a few moments of silence, her hand slipping from his as she walked softly away, closing the door behind her as she left.

“I’m sorry,” Verdan whispered eventually, staring down into Declan’s lifeless eyes for what felt like an eternity before turning and heading off to find Ruan and see if Declan had any family that needed informing.

Once everything was taken care of, Verdan was able to find some sleep in Natalia’s guest bedroom; his own room being too damaged to use.

When morning arrived, Verdan gathered everyone together to pay their respects to Declan and take a few moments to grieve.

It was partway through this that Kai and the Witches returned from their trip, looking a little worse for wear but overall in good shape.

Kai’s gaze caught Verdan’s, and he gestured off to one side, walking over to join him before gesturing subtly to the gathering.

“I know that look. Who was it?” Kai asked softly, his eyes flicking over everyone who was present.

“Declan.”

“Damn,” Kai said under his breath, closing his eyes for a moment and letting out a long breath. “I liked the kid. How’d it happen?”

“Two Sorcerers, one thunder and one decay, they took Barb’s hand and put a knife in Declan’s chest.”

“Bastards,” Kai snarled, his face momentarily alive with a depth of hatred that surprised Verdan, but the Sorcerer quickly got himself under control. “Did you deal with them?”

“Both dead,” Verdan said with more than a touch of satisfaction.

“Good. It’s a high price to pay, but it’ll make them think twice before trying again. Now, tell me everything.”

Verdan gave Kai much the same rundown as he’d given Commander Griffon, though he also included what the Commander had revealed about the uniforms at the end.

“That’s concerning, but ultimately, we always knew that they had someone in the city,” Kai said with a pointed look. “We already know that someone was using Tobias’s warehouse.”

“True. Do you still think Tobias is involved?”

“I’m suspicious of all of it, and he’s done nothing to clear himself in my eyes,” Kai said flatly. “We hardly know him. You shouldn’t trust him implicitly.”

“It’s not implicit; I simply don’t think he’s involved,” Verdan said, raising a hand to stop Kai from continuing. “Either way, we’ll keep our wits about us. Alright?”

“Alright,” Kai said begrudgingly.

“Now, what happened to you? Why were you delayed this long?”

“An ambush on the way back slowed us down,” Kai said, his lips curling in derision. “It was poorly conceived and poorly carried out. The hamster spotted it with plenty of time, enough that we were able to turn the tables on them. Just the one Sorcerer, but she won’t be a problem anymore. After that, we took an alternative route back, making sure to avoid any other problems.”

Verdan glanced over at Feli, the green Witch, and her hamster familiar, Shiela. He remembered Shiela being the first to detect the Vespa as well.

It wasn’t unusual for familiars to be more than they seemed, making Verdan wonder just how strong the hamster would be once Feli had finished mastering her power.

“The attack on you feels rushed as well,” Kai said thoughtfully, bringing Verdan’s attention back to him.

“How so?”

“The uniforms were clearly planned ahead of time, but you said there were more people in that safehouse than who attacked you, which means they didn’t come with everything they had. They know who works here, who lives alongside you. The Weeping Death are arrogant, but they’re not complete idiots. They would have come with much more if it was a true attempt on your life.”

“They almost succeeded as it was,” Verdan pointed out, thinking of how the Sorcerers had broken through his door.

“Yes, but what if I’d been at the gate, or Tom, or even Blane. Anyone with enhanced reflexes or abilities would have made their plan incredibly difficult. No, this feels like something they threw together because there was an opportunity.”

“An opportunity like you leaving the city,” Verdan said, his eyes widening as he caught onto what Kai was saying. “You think whoever they have in the city has people watching us?”

“I do,” Kai said, a small smile touching the corners of his mouth. “Leave it with me; I’ll speak to Samuel and get some of the locals involved. They’ll know who belongs round here, and they know we’re on their side.”

“Alright, just let me know if you need anything from me.”

“I will, but I should have everything I need,” Kai said, his eyes a little distant for a moment before he focused back on Verdan. “When are we doing the testing on the guards?”

“We’ll go today. As much as I’d like to put things on hold, Declan isn’t going to be the last to die in this fight. We need to get as ready as we can be.”

Verdan’s words seemed to linger in the air between the two of them as they stood in silence, both lost in their own thoughts.