When Ariandel died and the city was breached, all hell broke loose. Those who had been in hiding came out now, rushing from their homes with packs and beasts of burden as they tried to escape the sinking city.

  Those left of Lorthil still tried to put up a resistance, but the invaders quickly flattened it. What defenders remained were only able to close off certain streets to limit the flow into the city.

  The top gate was the main entrance but not the only one, so when people heard the gate fall, they began making their way out.

  This was exactly what Emily was leading the Wandering Fangs to.

  The particular gate they were heading toward was also on the top level, parallel to the ground. Emily had done her research while she was in the city.

  This exit was not a popular one, as it led out into the plains behind the city. Luckily, this was the exact direction they needed to go. Unfortunately, as they approached, it looked like it was not as quiet as she had hoped.

  Throngs of people gathered nearby, streaming toward the gate and bumping shoulders with their group.

  There were a lot of nasty looks and scowls, but overall, everyone was just scared.

  Emily had heard that attacks had happened before, but it was nothing on this scale.

  To make matters worse, Sam’eth had come with far larger armies before but had never managed to breach the veil.

  This was, however, its own silver lining. Because the invaders had so few people and so much ground to cover, occupying the city was much harder.

  Kael now cut through the crowd as they pushed to the front of the queue ahead of them.

  The people that had been in line shot them dirty glares but parted in the wake of their mounts.

  As they got to a guardhouse of sorts, Emily saw a younger man in his early twenties trying to keep people civil.

  “Everyone needs to remain in line. You will all get out. Don’t push,” he said.

  When he saw them advancing, Kael lowered his sights on the man.

  “Sir, please. You need to wait your turn. We all want to leave, but there is a procedure to follow,” the younger man tried to reason.

  Kael shook his head.

  “At this point, it is up to all these people if they would rather take their chances with the dangers outside this settlement. You need to open the gates and let us all out before the enemy arrives,” Kael said loudly.

  This triggered murmurs of agreement to ripple throughout the already terrified crowd.

  The young guard shot Kael a glare and lowered his voice.

  “What are you doing? Do you want to start a riot?” he hissed.

  Kael held his gaze long enough for a flicker of recognition to ignite in the guard’s eyes. The fact that Kael was more than willing to start a scene here was enough for the guard’s face to twist into a grimace.

  He seemed to glance back at the few men behind him and make a decision.

  “Fine. We were going to be heading out soon anyway. Do what you like.”

  The young man made a looping motion at the guardhouse, and there was a groaning of gears within the walls.

  The large set of gates opened, and Emily felt a gust of heated air washing over her skin.

  Just before they were completely open, Kael tugged the guard in close and began to whisper something to him.

  The two were locked in discussion, but Emily was more interested in the people around them.

  Most people wore traveling cloaks to protect them from the elements, but on the whole, Emily could make out merchants and their employees, along with large groups of grizzled men. There was a group of noble ladies bundled up tightly with personal guards around them, but Emily realized they were probably a group of Mages fleeing the city.

  Once she made them out, she saw a decent number of men and women that were trying to go unnoticed. They all looked either annoyed or scared, but that didn’t stop them from moving to the exit the moment the doors fully opened.

  Emily searched the crowds for Genevieve, as she knew that Juest’s tower had fallen. Emily found herself hoping that the woman had gotten out on account of the fact that she would have been the best person to maintain the death trap now lodged in her neck.

  Unfortunately, even as Kael finished up, she never managed to spot the woman.

  Emily reached behind her neck to feel the relic there. It had been throbbing with pain ever since she’d drawn all that source, and now a headache was spreading up her neck and pounding behind her eyes.

  When Kael finally concluded his business, Emily was only too happy to usher her mount forward.

  Surprisingly, the guards for the wall locked the gate in the open position, grabbed a couple of mounts of their own, and followed the Wandering Fangs.

  Emily frowned at this, but neither Kael nor Alex seemed too bothered, so she wrote off the idea.

  As a group, they headed out of the gates, and the hot wind outside the wall immediately blasted them. Looking around, Emily saw the crags of orange sandstone reaching out ahead of them. There was still some minor plant life in the area, but it was nothing taller than Emily’s waist as the winds tried to batter down the odd angles on the plain.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Kael took out their map and began plotting a route to the meet-up point. Luckily, they were only an hour out from the specified location.

  As they approached, Emily felt Cupcakes pull in her chest as the beast sent an excited yip through their connection. Emily didn’t try to stop the grin that spread across her face.

  Minutes later, they saw the happy Rime wolf bounding toward them, and shortly after that, Emily could make out a little collection of tents set up in the recess of one of the crags.

  The wind died down the moment they entered the sanctuary, but she also noticed that there were far more people here than just the Wandering Fangs. By the looks of things, they had brought others with them. Everyone from families to business owners was collecting here.

  Emily frowned but shrugged when she saw Seclia and Ashe were currently organizing everyone.

  They joined the little encampment with minimal fanfare, but for the first time in a while, the Wandering Fangs cheered as they took stock and rested.

  POV Cosmo

  Inside the city Emily had just fled, the rest of Sam’eth’s forces were beginning to get things under control. The people were resistant to change, but Connor knew that given enough time, they would adjust. His white cloak had been destroyed in the fight, but that had hardly been his fault. The city's resistance was far stronger than he had expected. Those metal machines had been incredibly tough. Luckily, there had been a ledge he could throw them over.

  Looking at the tatters of cloth on his body, Connor groaned and ripped the remaining scraps off to reveal a dark swath of black hair.

  “Shit, The White Cardinal is going to be disappointed,” Connor muttered. He had been given the cloak as a gift to represent his status amongst the Pillars, but honestly, Connor was still grappling with all his memories. The ones from another world and another time made thinking through problems difficult. Wherever they came from, the people's values were entirely screwed up. They completely ignored duty in favor of donning spandex and fighting crime.

  Connor’s brow twitched as the headaches started again, but luckily The Red Cardinal arrived to distract him.

  The man swept into the area looking drained but triumphant. With him were his devout followers, dressed in their brilliant crimson garb. They looked no less tired.

  As they should be. Their joined efforts had given rise to the shield's collapse. When the man came forward, he wore an approving look.

  “Sir Wilhime, you did an admirable job out there. I’m impressed we took the city so quickly.”

  Connor sighed.

  “Nesis, my friend, I told you to call me Connor. Don't make me repeat myself.”

  Nesis grimaced.

  “Of course, my Chosen, so it shall be. I heard your request for a report and thought I’d come personally. The city will take some time to remove all the resistance. The leadership has fled like cowards. But more than that, I’m interested in investigating the prison they used in this city. It was one of their crowning achievements, and it seems to have failed them. Honestly, I’m surprised it lasted so long in this godless place.”

  Connor waved his hand at the devout man.

  “I understand. I will leave the investigation to you. What of the two fighters we saw on the battlefield?” Connor asked.

  Nesis nodded.

  “Thank you, my Chosen. The woman was killed by The Black Cardinal, but I managed to catch the other unawares. I decided to spare him as he was a rare duel-blessed.”

  Connor waved his hand dismissively.

  “Enough. Where is Oressa?”

  The Red Cardinal's face dropped.

  “My Chosen, I’m not sure of your interest in a lowly Priestess, but I caution you against showing favoritism.”

  Connor’s temper flared, but a calming presence pushed to the surface, bringing with it the throbbing pain of memories. Connor could not help as the hiss escaped his lips.

  ‘This is my body. You will not control me,’ he thought.

  With an intake of breath, Connor refocused on his surroundings.

  Nesis wore a look of concern but didn’t say anything.

  “I wish to talk to her because she has some information I need. Bring her here.”

  Connor scowled as he thought of the battle in the camp. Could it really be her? The chances were too good to be true.

  The cardinal lowered his head and snapped his fingers, sending his men off. They returned a few minutes later with the woman in question, her black robes dragging through the dirt. She currently wore manacles, and they threw her at Connor's feet.

  The Priestess leaned on her upper arms but kept her head lowered.

  “My Chosen! What can this servant do for you?” she said, her voice trembling.

  “I only have one question. During the initial escape, there was a blood user with striking red hair. You called out to her. The name you used… At the time, my duties called for me, but you will answer now. What name did you call her?”

  Oressa swallowed.

  “My venerable Chosen, I chased after a Blood Mage by the name of Emily. She caused great deaths amongst our ranks, and I believe she was instrumental to the distraction before the battle. Luckily, we have you to lead the way. They didn’t know what righteous retribution awaited them—”

  Oressa quieted when Connor held up a finger.

  His pulse quickened, and a sense of excitement rose in his chest. Alien memories drifted to the surface, trying to overwhelm him, and for a moment, they did.

  Connor's posture shifted. His eyes grew kinder as he stared at the disheveled woman.

  “If you saw her again, miss, could you identify her?”

  Oressa blinked at the sudden change but nodded rapidly.

  Connor smiled warmly.

  “Okay, then we will search for this woman together. If she has left the city, we will follow her. She is important. For now—”

  Nesis interrupted at this point.

  “My Chosen, remember your significance cannot be understated. If I may ask, what is so important about this woman?”

  Connor pressed his lips together.

  “She is just like me—lost and struggling. I have been told to find her.”

  Nesis frowned.

  “If the gods told you to find her, then I can’t argue. But perhaps we send a unit after them. There is still much to do, and the priestess here can head up the search team,” he said.

  Oressa sat up straighter.

  “Yes, my Cardinal, I can do that. No, please let me do that. I can be of use.”

  Connor wanted to say he should go after her, but his duty wrestled to the surface, and he shook his head to clear away the memories.

  “Fine. Send a unit after her, but make sure they are well prepared. She managed to get away from me. And if you see a man traveling with her, kill him. I don’t like the look of him.”

  Nesis balked but lowered his head.

  “It will be done, Chosen,” he said, as everyone lowered their heads.

  Connor turned his back on them to oversee the rest of the preparations. His duty was to take this place in the name of their gods, and attractions aside, he would fulfill his mission.