The sounds of Roland’s muffled screams were ignored as he was tied up and tossed in a pile with the rest. The fight, if one could call it that had been short. If Emily had not taken the time to set a trap things would have been very different. Hell, most of their side didn’t even have weapons, but what they did have was numbers. The wandering fang had twice their man-power and this had allowed them to get a sufficient sneak attack.

  Kael had to help restrain Roland because the blood only held for a few seconds, but luckily, it was enough.

  Selia now went around binding their skills one by one. In the meantime, they tried to figure out how to ride the ravens.

  Unfortunately, the cleaver beasts seemed skittish, and the only thing that stopped them from fleeing was a screen of blood Emily had set up.

  “This isn’t going to work. They are not bound like Rime wolves, but they are smart enough to know we are the enemy,” Alex growled as he tried to approach one of the creatures for the third time.

  Emily saw Kael trying to wake up Gerade, but the man only gave them the smallest of glances before he looked down at his trembling hands.

  They were running out of time and Emily didn’t know much about these creatures but they needed answers. And she knew exactly where she could get them.

  Searching the Wandering fangs she spotted Loch watching the ravens with concern and interest.

  Moving over to him she saw the guy was lost in thought his body wracked by the odd tremour. From what Emily had heard the Redeemers left no physical wounds, but the mental ones couldn’t be healed so easily.

  “Hey, you look horrible. You gonna live?” Emily asked as she moved to stand next to the man.

  Loch, always the quiet type, managed a half-hearted smile.

  “I’ll be fine as soon as we’re far away from this blasted place.”

  Emily nodded.

  “Well, we’re trying. Got any knowledge about these creatures?”

  Loch pursed his lips, his eyes flickering back toward the Ravens.

  “From their looks, they’re Dusk Ravens. They eat fruits, nuts, insects, carrion—pretty much anything. They’re usually found at high altitudes and have a strong resistance to cold but not heat. Their mating season is—”

  Emily held up a hand to stop the torrent of information.

  “Enough! I don’t need to know their love life, Loch. Just how to fly them.”

  Loch fell silent and his eyes went over to Gerade.

  “He would have known how to talk to them.”

  Emily knew that Loch and Gerade had been close but right now he wasn’t around to help.

  “And you don’t? You have a way with the wolves, just like he does, why can’t you?”

  Loch furrowed his brow but refused to look at Emily.

  “Well I’m not like Gerade, I don’t have his titles.”

  Emily shook her head.

  “So? Excuse my French, but who gives a shit. Let me ask you this. How did Gerade get his title?”

  Loch looked confused but then he focused on the second half of her sentence.

  “Um, he built up a relationship with his animals to a high degree by taking care of them. Only then was he offered his title.”

  Emily shrugged.

  “I get that, but building a relationship with an animal is more than just looking after it right? It taking a chance on them and trying to actively build a connection. Something that we desperately need right now.” Emily said as she thumbed at the nearest raven.

  Loch saw what Emily meant and immediately began to shake his head.

  “I can’t control these creatures. They are completely unknown to me, they’re dangerous.”

  Emily held up her hand again.

  “Yeah, maybe if they were in the wild I’d agree, but these are domesticated. We need a lift across and these things are our ticket, so unless you can say with certainty that you can’t do this. I think you should give it a try.”

  Loch froze as his eyes moved to the ravens. At first, he looked like he’d chickened out, but then he turned his body toward the birds and began to approach them.

  Emily’s attention wavered and she looked down at her nails, wondering if they had time for her to grab a nail file or something similar when they got into the city.

  Kael came up next to her and snorted.

  “Maybe next time you can warn me if you’re going to try and have one of my men try something dangerous. Even if you were just encouraging him”

  Emily shrugged.

  “I’m watching him, and apparently, so are you. He’ll be fine, but we need him right now.”Emily shrugged.

  “As I should,” Kael said evenly.

  “Regardless of your antics, I want you to know that I owe you guys one.”

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  Emily perked up.

  “So our trip is free right?” Emily asked a sly smile appearing on her face.

  However, unexpectedly Kael didn’t flinch.

  “If that’s what you want it to be, sure.”

  Emily squinted at the man.

  “...No, Alex is the one footing the bill. I’m gonna save it for something I might need later.”

  Kael let the air out of his nose slowly.

  “Smart, seeing as the only reason you were here was to play back another debt.”

  Emily grimaced.

  “He told you? He should let me look all altruistic and shit. That kid needs to learn to keep his mouth shut.”

  Kael shook his head.

  “Doesn’t matter why you came, just that you did. I wasn’t joking about the favor either, so take your time.”

  Emily locked eyes with Kael, offering him a look of understanding before a commotion erupted from the direction where Loch had disappeared.

  Emily looked over in time to see him mounting the beast comfortably and smiling while he did so.

  He shot her a thumbs up which she returned. After that, it was not long before he got them all under control. Riding the birds turned out to be similar to riding Rimewolves, only with an entirely new dimension to manage. Luckily, everyone here was a good rider. Getting across the chasm was child’s play with the ravens, even if most of them had to triple stack on one bird.

  When they were leaving Emily could not help but send one final wave to a furious Roland, but all too soon he was a distance blip on the wall.

  Emily flew alone on a bird with Cupcake dangling below, much to her disgust. As they swept upwards Emily caught sight of the ongoing battle on the bridge.

  Lorthil had far superior numbers and units with the golems providing a good buffer to their defenses, not to mention the air support. They’d even managed to catch them unawares –courtesy of their escape– but something didn’t feel right. From here it looked like Lorethil was on the defensive.

  Sam’eth’s numbers didn’t look nearly as depleted as they should at this stage. Emily wondered if they had gotten some last-minute reinforcements but that didn’t look right either, and they were worryingly far down the bridge.

  All too quickly their view of the battle dipped as their flight came to an end. They landed near one of the abandoned outcroppings where there was no one in sight. No sooner than they gathered Kael began calling out to everyone.

  “Listen, half of us are going to stay here with the beasts, and the other half will enter the city to find what we need. If you are in danger don’t hesitate to flee. The meet-up point will be outside Lorthil on the open plains.” he said.

  Even going so far as to make the exact point on their maps.

  Kael then separated them into two groups and headed towards the streets.

  Emily looked up and saw the shimmering pane of force keeping the war outside. Holes were starting to creep in near the top, but nothing too noticeable yet.

  Emily glanced beside her and saw Alex and Ashe talking. They seemed to be looking for the best route past the guards but eventually decided that the best possible option would be to move down the main streets.

  A group of their size would draw attention no matter how they approached the situation, so instead of sneaking through the shadows, they chose the most direct route.

  If Emily had to guess, it was around one in the morning. Despite the usual nightlife, the number of people out and about was unusually high.

  Granted their city was under attack and it seemed like they weren't the only ones planning on buying supplies, because a good few Merchants and storefronts were still open.

  Slipping from the main streets into the populated marketplaces was easy. Their full orange light inviting them forward.

  Emily had been to the lower markets a couple of times during the week, but never this late and in this condition. An uneasy energy drifted from person to person. Driving paranoia through the roof. People shot one another wary glances as they searched for supplies. It added a sense of desperation to the normally busy streets.

  Kael broke them into groups to search for supplies.

  “Nox you’re with Selia and Svent. The three of you along with some of our muscle will get food, weapons, and shelter. Emily, myself, and the rest of the team will find modes of transportation. Galendmares if we can find them. Don’t be stingy. I’d rather pay a little more than be caught here for too long.”

  Their fifteen-man group split in half again, and Emily saw Ashe going with her sister. One group broke off in search of the basics, while Emily led the rest of them deeper into the market.

  When they arrived at the first place that sold beast of burden they found them to be completely sold out of stock.

  They began searching through the place and found two other stables, both of which were sold out.

  Eventually, Kael turned to Emily.

  “Are there any other markets in the city?”

  Emily nodded.

  “Plenty, but if they are sold out here, then my bet would be that they are sold out everywhere. The only place that might have them is the market just below the outer campus district. That one was far larger than these, but we’ll have to travel quite a ways up the city.”

  Kael ground his molars.

  “Without a mode of transport, our journey will be far harsher. We need to find mounts.”

  Emily nodded and began to lead them along the streets. Guards were normally in most market squares, but at this point, it was rare to even see one on their way to the frontlines.

  By the time they got to market, the number of people in the streets had grown to the point that even navigating the roads was difficult. Bodies pressed in from all sides brushing again Emily as she led the way. She grabbed hold of Alex’s wrist as the voice of the crowds drowned out all conversation. Emily had the shout to be heard over the chaos.

  “It’s just down there, I think”

  Kael parted people out of his way so that they could get to the large stables.

  As they got in they saw a Merchant talking to a group of customers. From the looks of things, there were still animals left. Over two dozen beasts if her count was correct. Kael made a beeline for the man to begin haggling. Emily could see there were a lot of other buyers here and she was glad she had Cupcake.

  They had left the Rime wolf with the ravens as a blood-red wolf padding through the streets was too conspicuous right now.

  While this unfolded, Emily watched the Galendmares. The creatures bore a striking resemblance to horses from Earth, with one significant difference: their thick, rhinoceros-like hide. The only exception to their rugged appearance was the vibrant mane that peaked along the back of their necks.

  They came in a range of tones, from brown to black to white.

  Emily thought Kael’s finances would allow him to outbid everyone here, but judging by the desperate looks on the other bidders’ faces, even he was struggling. While they bartered, Emily stepped back out into the street. Her eyes wandered to the flickering barrier struggling to hold its form over the city. Beyond it, she caught sight of the elevator leading up to the towers.

  From her vantage point, she could see every tower in the city. Something she hadn’t noticed earlier was how each one emitted streams of energy—Source—feeding directly into the protective barrier.

  Emily frowned, her expression hardening. Ariandel’s betrayal still weighed heavily on her mind, but confronting him was no easy feat with him holed up in one of those towers. Crossing her arms, she leaned back against the stable, her gaze fixed on the shimmering dome.

  She was still staring at it when the first rays of morning light arrived. Somewhere in the distance, cheers rang out—quickly followed by screams of shock and horror.

  Pushing off the building, Emily tensed. Alex emerged from the stable at that moment, catching the trepidation in her eyes. Without a word, he readied himself as well.

  Then, all at once, the world ignited.

  The "rays of first light" were no such thing. Instead, they rose from below the horizon, burning with a ferocity that defied nature. The ground trembled as flames erupted from deep below, sweeping toward the city like a tidal wave of destruction.

  Emily had never witnessed such overwhelming power. It was as though the gates of hell had opened beneath them, and the city stood directly in the line of fire.

  Blood points: 311