“So, what now?” Tim asked, gesturing to the wolves that were still loitering nearby. “And what about them?”

“The fraktiri generally disperse once the Hunt is over,” Sylvie said, nodding to where the wolves were starting to gather once more and head on their way.

“Yeah, but what about those?” Tim pointed to the two dogs that had joined them. They were both mongrels and were thin enough to be borderline starved. Neither seemed to be intent on leaving at the moment, however.

“I will look after them,” Blane announced. He and the rest of the Airta had resumed their human forms once more, which did make the conversation a lot easier.

Verdan watched with disbelief as the hardened warrior pulled out some jerky that had been wrapped in his pocket and coaxed over the two dogs. With the dead man a short distance away, it made for a surreal scene. “Why did the wolves leave him so intact?”

Zhalia’s lips twitched into a smile as she nodded in the direction the Laethir had gone. “They know better than to hang around when they see a creature that powerful, and they know better than to claim a kill in its presence. Hunger is preferable to death.”

“Nothing about that reassures me,” Verdan muttered, rubbing his face as he considered their next moves. The Weeping Death allying with the Defiant Flame did not bode well for their upcoming defence of the city.

The additional Sorcerers they could call on were bad enough, but this strategy that Kai had alluded to was as concerning as it was infuriating.

It was almost as though the Weeping Death were determined to embody everything Verdan stood against. Casually throwing non-magical humans at a magical creature to wear it down spoke of a level of disinterest in human life that was staggering.

“Do you know where these villages are, where these people are moving?” Verdan asked, looking over to Zhalia questioningly.

“North of here is all I know. I got flashes of insight rather than detailed maps.” Zhalia shook her head regretfully, unable to assist. “I would know the places if I saw them again, though.”

“Tim, Tom, any ideas?” Verdan turned to the two brothers, hoping their time in the area might prove useful.

“I know where some are,” Tim said somewhat hesitantly. “I don’t know precisely how to get to them from here, though. We’d have to head north until I see a landmark I recognise.”

Verdan remembered doing the same with the two brothers when he first awoke. So much had changed. It was almost frightening how far things had come since that day. “That will have to do. I want to make contact with these people if we can.”

“We’re not in a position to fight off a war party by ourselves,” Kai said in a warning tone. “Only you and Tom can cast protective magics to shield us from their attacks.”

“I don’t intend to stand them off, merely to interfere as best we can.”

“The gods care not for intentions,” Kai said, shaking his head before shrugging slightly. “It will come to pass eventually, regardless of what we do. We may as well start things now.”

“Very well, it’s agreed then, though we will need someone to carry word back to the city,” Verdan said, glancing around at the surrounding group. He didn’t believe things were as likely to turn to bloodshed as Kai seemed to think, but neither was he going to ignore the possibility.

“I will go,” Davin said, looking to Sylvie and Delia for permission before nodding and reaffirming his choice. “I will warn them of what is coming and see that they start to prepare.”

“Good, we’re relying on you,” Verdan said, nodding to the Airta before turning to the rest of them. “Unless anyone had a better idea, I think we rest nearby for a short time and then head north.”

There were a few grateful expressions amongst the rest of the group as they moved away from the dead body and found a space to rest.

Running with the Pack was far less tiring than it should have been, all things considered, but Verdan still felt the effects, which meant that the others likely felt worse.

Davin didn’t wait with them, however, instead choosing to shift back to his wolf form and lope off into the woods at a steady pace.

“If we’re going to do this, we have to be ready to seize any opportunities we find,” Kai said softly as he took up position leaning against a nearby tree. “I want to avoid any large confrontations with the enemy, but if we have the chance to kill any of them, we should take it. They won’t be expecting us there, which means they won’t be prepared.”

“I hear you,” Verdan said, seating himself on a convenient rock. “We have a second problem, though.”

“We do?”

“The Laethir,” Verdan said, keeping his voice quiet as he scanned the area for any trace of the large creature. “Where I’m from, the Hounds of Gwyll have a reputation, one that I find at odds with today’s events.”

“How so?” Kai cocked his head to one side questioningly. “They are known for their vindictiveness here as well, but it responded to the magic of the Airta, no?”

“Perhaps, but it was quick to provide the information we needed and even quicker to leave,” Verdan shook his head, one hand tapping idly against his knee. “No, there is something else going on here.”

“Are you not reading too much into this?” Kai frowned, unconvinced. “The Laethir are powerful, yes, but they are still beasts.”

“I may be reading too much into it, but you should not underestimate them. I’ve never met one before, but I know..” Verdan grimaced, breaking off mid-sentence before taking a steadying breath and continuing. “I knew people, Wizards like me, who were far more military-minded than myself, and they spoke of the Laethir with fear.”

“I have little knowledge of them myself beyond what I’ve heard in stories,” Kai said thoughtfully. “I will remain vigilant. I think that is all we can do at this point.”

“True enough,” Verdan nodded, his gaze falling on the fallen body in the distance. The Sorcerer had been a spy at best and a traitor at worst, but it felt wrong to just leave him there like that.

Two minor spells were enough to shift enough dirt to bury the dead Sorcerer. It was perhaps a waste of time and energy, but it was enough to set Verdan’s mind at ease.

-**-

The group set off at a good pace, but one far from the blistering speed they’d travelled at earlier.

It was mid-afternoon by this point, and though the mountains towered above them when looked to the north, they had no real way of knowing how close they were.

“Cristian, head up there and get the lay of the land,” Delia ordered as they passed through a particularly craggy ravine between two hills.

Cristian looked up at the towering hill with a reluctant expression but didn’t complain. One thing that Verdan had to admire about the Airta was their teamwork. They all chipped in, and no one slacked off.

“Try and look for a ruined tower. There should be one around here,” Tim called out, Cristian reluctantly nodding before setting off up the steep incline.

The rest of them carried on through the ravine, with a puffing Cristian rejoining them as they left it.

“There is a ruined tower set into the side of a hill in that direction,” Cristian said, pointing slightly to the left of their current route.

“Collapsed top and only just shorter than the hill itself?” Tim asked, nodding sagely as Cristian confirmed it was the case. “Then we need to head further left. We’re maybe an hour or two from a village.”

“Good, if we make good pace, we can reach them before it gets too dark,” Verdan said, waving for Tim to lead the way.

-**-

Verdan wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting for the ruined tower that Tim had mentioned, but the reality was a huge stone structure built into the side of a hill.

The top third of the structure was almost totally ruined, but the remainder varied in how well it had stood the test of time, with the base looking the most preserved.

The bottom section of the structure was close to the size of the workshop that Verdan had back in Hobson’s Point, while the rounded tower emerging from it was a mere third of its size.

Verdan fought off the urge to investigate as they passed it by, reminding himself that they had more urgent matters to resolve at the moment.

Once this was all done, though, he’d be back.

-**-

“There it is. The village is called Braysford, if I remember right, that or Huffsford. They’re both around here,” Tim said, trailing off as he lost confidence in what he was saying.

It had taken slightly longer than Tim had anticipated, but they’d finally crested the final rise between them and their destination.

Braysford, or potentially Huffsford, was a fairly large village built in what Verdan assumed was an old abandoned quarry. Stepped walls of bare stone bordered the village on three of its four sides, reminding Verdan of how the ruined tower had been nestled into the hill.

A short palisade covered the fourth side of the village, though, from their vantage point, Verdan could see clearly over it.

Looking at the interior, Verdan noted how flat the ground seemed. Flat enough that his thoughts of this being a quarry were reaffirmed, though any signs of it being in use were long gone.

Interestingly, Verdan could see small channels that had been carved into the rock the village was built on, channels that came together to funnel into an open space off to one side.

It had rained a little bit on their way here, and Verdan could see a small pool of water below where the channels ended. An interesting solution, to be sure.

“Odd,” Zhalia said, eyeing the village warily, her gaze flicking from building to building.

“What is it?” Verdan asked, following her gaze as best he could.

The night was coming in, and while the village was still illuminated, it was difficult to make out too many details from where they were.

“Nothing,” Zhalia said eventually, shaking her head before looking over to Verdan. “I thought I recognised this place for a moment, but I’ve definitely not been here before.”

“Something that the Laethir sent you, perhaps?”

“Perhaps,” Zhalia said, falling silent as she considered the sight before them before shaking her head. “Something seems familiar, but not at the same time. Perhaps Dassdarth is trying to tell me something.”

“Hmm,” Verdan made a noncommittal noise, not wanting to get into an argument with her about the extent of how the gods could influence the world.

Then again, she was the first cleric he’d met since he’d awoken, and so much else had changed. Why not this as well?

Somewhat unsettled by the thought, Verdan led the way towards the village, hoping they had answers as to what was going on.