---

Smoke still curled from the broken ground behind them, a black smear across the horizon. Morning broke slow and gray, the air sharp with ash and silence. The camp was little more than a hastily thrown circle: half-collapsed tents, field stretchers, and scattered rations.

Richard Seliek crouched beside one of his men, a Greyback whose arm was bandaged tight with strips of his own coat. The soldier grimaced but nodded his thanks. Others weren’t so lucky. Four lay beneath tarps, lined in a quiet row. One still wore his helmet, the dent in the side telling the whole story.

Dorrin Ybarra stood by the fire, rubbing his jaw. Inez Martinez had made coffee that tasted like burned roots and carbon, but no one complained. Michael Garland was unconscious on a bedroll nearby, still pale, but he seemed to be breathing easier. They’d packed his wound with strips of gauze, some moss, and a prayer.

Joseph Tharnen sat apart with Rose and their children, quiet and unreadable. Mac’s head rested against his mother’s shoulder, fast asleep. Mercedes stared into the fire like it owed her an explanation. Joe cleaned his crossbow slowly, like muscle memory was the only thing keeping him anchored. Uscoshi Stormpetal and Kitamar Dawnstrider were nowhere to be seen.

They were together. And they were still alive.

Beyond the firelight, figures moved with practiced quiet. Not Greybacks. Men and women in mottled green and brown armor, weapons worn but clean, forming loose rings without being told. They didn’t cluster. They covered ground.

Seliek rose, dusting his hands. His voice carried across the camp, cold and clear. “Where are the elves?”

Dorrin rose. “To quote the Book, ‘I am not my brother‘s keeper.’ Sisters in this case. And their whereabouts are not really your concern, are they? Shouldn’t you be worried about any stray Thorn followers?”

Seliek strode over to Dorrin, eyes blazing. He was spoiling for a confrontation. “I am concerned about everything that is a potential threat to my men. We’ve already secured the facility perimeter. The half of my platoon that remained up top while I had to follow you into that hellhole made sure that no one has emerged other than us. Which leaves your elves unaccounted for.”

“All those men, and you’re worried about two elves?”

“Half a platoon. Twenty men. That’s what I brought into that complex. Half. And we lost ten men. Ten men, paladin. Because you people dragged us into someone else’s war.”

Dorrin didn’t flinch. “I certainly didn’t ask for you to come. You chose to follow.”

“I was ordered to contain a threat. Not walk into a slaughterhouse.”

“So, you invade a foreign country, break into a facility with no knowledge of what’s inside, attack people who pose no threat that you are aware of, and are surprised when they hit back, and hit back hard? No wonder you Greybacks are so disliked.”

Seliek stepped closer, jaw clenched. “Do not use that pejorative name around me, churchman. I am not a ‘Greyback.’ I am a senior field agent of the Granblue Royal Security Service, and you will treat me with the respect my rank and position demands. You don’t get to make speeches, Prelate. You don’t get to hide traitors behind your collar. I’m taking the deserters Elias Ward and Rose Tharnen. And Commander Marigold Rowan, who is a deserter as well. And you, if necessary. You can argue it when we get you back to Durleigh.”

“Lieutenant,” Rose said quietly, her voice like cooled steel, “I led troops before you ever laced a boot. But I have never seen a man mistake pride for authority so thoroughly. If you want to test your thirty against our family, you go right ahead. But know this: I will not let you take my family.”

Seliek sneered. “You think this is about family? About honor? This is about law. Order. Your duty to the crown you swore an oath to. You broke it. You all did. You don’t get to choose when the law applies and when it doesn’t. And someone has to answer for that.”

“I’m afraid I can’t allow that,” Dorrin said calmly. “They’re under Church protection. And you’re out of your jurisdiction.”

“Jurisdiction be damned. You think you can stop me? Check your numbers. You have ten exhausted people. I’ve got ten who made it out with me. And twenty more who never had to go in. That’s thirty of my agents to your ten. Those numbers give me all the authority I need.”

Dorrin stood with arms crossed. “I think our survival speaks for itself. We neutralized the threat that you allowed to grow unchecked in Morgan’s Landing. Your men showed up late and got bloodied. Do you really want to lose more men proving to yourself that you don’t have what it takes—morally or logistically?”

Seliek’s jaw clenched. “You arrogant—”

A third voice cut in.

“Lieutenant.” Commander Harlan Dree stepped into the open, helmet under one arm. He didn’t posture. He didn’t shout.

Seliek turned his head just enough to register the new presence.

“You can take them,” Dree said evenly. “Or rather, you can try.” The Forty did not move, but every Greyback in the clearing knew exactly who they were ranged against. Bar fights were one thing, but this wasn’t that.

For the first time, Seliek’s eyes sharpened. “I’ve crossed harder lines than this,” he said. “And I’m not the one who paid for poor judgment.”

Dree went on. “Either way, it won’t stay quiet. You know that.”

Seliek’s gaze drifted briefly, deliberately, across the gathered fighters. “Your people aren’t the first irregulars I’ve had to put down.”

One of the Greybacks shifted. Just slightly. A gloved hand brushed the seal of a compact case at his belt.

Dree noticed. His jaw tightened a fraction. Seliek was too calm for a man facing the Forty. Beyond Seliek, he saw Kessler and Miro signaling. They were ready and waiting.

Dorrin felt the tension rise. He regretted leaving his tialborium armor back at the Landing. Fight the battle you’re given, not the one you wish for, he thought. And trust the Light with the rest.

No one drew a weapon. Everyone knew how this would end. The only question was who would fall first.

Thirty men. Ten criminals, as Seliek saw it. And the Forty. Killers who no longer cared about sides. It would be fast and brutal. And it would not end cleanly.

But whatever each had planned didn’t matter.

Because the woods had their own opinion.

Everyone heard boots. Many of them. A rhythmic advance from every direction.

The perimeter guards shouted warnings, but it was too late. Dozens of soldiers emerged from the trees. They were armed. Organized. Gleaming silver pauldrons over dark-blue coats. And on every coat, the sunburst insignia of the Sunward Sentinels, Dunhaven’s elite army corps.

And behind them, a smaller unit in white-trimmed coats: The Order of Light. An even more elite unit of Church soldiers. Their rivalry with the Order of Truth was a barroom staple. At their head rode two paladins: A tall woman in gilded leather with a hammer at her back, and a grizzled man with a two-headed axe and a face like cracked stone. With them rode the Stormpetal and the Dawnstrider.

Dorrin blinked in disbelief. Seliek cursed under his breath. Dree said a silent prayer of gratitude.

Inez spoke up, “Excuse me, prelate. I need to confess my sins.”

Dorrin looked puzzled. “Now, Inez? I’m not someone you confess to. What’s going on?”

Inez stood, brushing off her coat. “I may have sent a message or two from Morgan’s Landing, Prelate. Using your signet.”

Dorrin turned to her slowly. “You what?”

“Backup seemed like a good idea.” She nodded toward the flanking Paladins. “Since I already had access to the wireless, I called friends.” She pointed at the elves, “And the Stormpetal and Dawnstrider offered to help them find the way here.”

Dorrin studied Inez for a moment. There was a reason she’d risen through the ranks the hard way. When the path twisted, Inez always walked it straighter than most men rode. He gave a low grunt that might’ve been approval. Or maybe just the sound of a man realizing he wasn’t needed to lead, not today.

The hammer-wielding woman stepped forward. “Where is Lieutenant Seliek, of the Granblue Security Service?”

Seliek didn’t move. “Yes. I’m here.”

“You and your men are trespassing in Dunhaven territory. I believe the Sentinels’ commander has a few words for you.” She waved to a tall man in the sentinel’s blue coat.

“Thank you, Paladin Baker. I have a few words indeed.” Turning to Seliek, his face was as hard as stone. “Sir, my name is Colonel Hiram Grant. You and your men are hereby detained pending inquiry into the unauthorized invasion of our sovereign country by foreign militias, in violation of the Treaty of the Blue Ridges. Not to mention possible charges of espionage, attempted kidnapping, proscribed technology, and failure to enter the border of Dunhaven through authorized access entry points.”

“You’ve got no authority over us,” Seliek snapped.

Colonel Grant stepped forward and gestured behind him. “I have two hundred men. You have what, thirty? I believe the numbers give me all the authority I need, Greyback.”

One of the GSS soldiers made the mistake of moving his hand toward a compact case at his belt. Leather creaked as a dozen bowstrings drew back.

Dorrin raised an eyebrow. “You were saying something about jurisdiction, Lieutenant?”

Before Seliek could answer, Inez stood straighter, voice calm. “You’re not the only one with authority, Lieutenant.”

Seliek pointed to Dree, “And what about these men, Colonel? I assume you’re arresting them too?”

Colonel Grant looked over at Dree. “I will be damned. Commander Dree, I specifically told you to meet me at Rendezvous Point Baker for our joint exercises. That’s six miles south of here. How did you wind up here, sir?”

Dree donned a chagrinned smile on his face. “Field navigation exercises, Colonel. They ran longer than we expected. I apologize for the inconvenience, sir.”

Grant smiled broadly. “No apologies needed, commander. You Forty always seem to take the scenic route.”

Joseph stepped beside Dorrin and watched it all unfold. He didn’t speak. He didn’t need to. Seliek’s type: tight-jawed, proud, used to barking orders, always thought muscle made the man. But Joseph had dealt with men like him all his life. He could see how this would play out three steps ahead. And it was already over.

Marigold came up on the other side, arms crossed, grinning like a cat. “That’s more like it,” she murmured. “I believe Paladin Martinez has earned some lemon custard of her own, Dorrin.”

Seliek’s nostrils flared. He surveyed the circle of soldiers, the bowstrings taut as judgment, and weighed his options.

Then he exhaled. He didn’t lower his head, but his shoulders dropped a fraction.

“Fine. Take us in.” His eyes returned to Dorrin. To Dree. To Joseph. “But you haven’t heard the last of this.”

“Oh, I’m counting on it,” Inez said. Seliek tried to fix her with a stare, but the Sentinels took him away.

Behind her, Mac let out a low whistle. “And that’s why you don’t pick fights with paladins.”

Mercedes elbowed him. “Or bureaucrats with initiative. Lucky for us Inez is both.”

“And yet the first time you met a prelate, you whacked him with your breaker rod?” Joe asked.

Mac grinned. “He picked the fight. I was just finishing it.” He looked closer at Joe. The rag Joe was using to polish the crossbow looked suspiciously like one of Mac’s shirts. Formerly, anyway.

Bryce walked over to Inez. “Well done, paladin.”

“Thanks, rookie.” Inez gave a tight frown. “Still… it would’ve been more satisfying if the prelate had decided we needed to crack a few Greyback skulls.”

“Cheer up,” Bryce said, tone dry and familiar. “We’re heading back to Durleigh now, I’d wager. And there’s no shortage of Greybacks there who could use a lesson in manners.”

Inez brightened visibly at that.

Uscoshi and Kitamar slipped in beside Mac and Mercedes, dust and leaves still clinging to their cloaks.

“Sorry we didn’t get to say anything earlier,” the Dawnstrider said, brushing back a stray braid. “Inez grabbed us right out of the stairwell. She said Dunhaven troops might be in the region and probably needed help to find us. Looks like she was right.”

Joseph nodded. “Well done, Dawnstrider. I think you and your sister saved more than a few lives today.”

Marigold tilted her head, eyes still fixed on Dorrin. “You certainly saved his temper. I swear, paladins must have a hard limit on how many times they can invoke their righteous fury before they pop something from all the jaw-clenching.”

The Dawnstrider grinned broadly. Bright and utterly unapologetic.

The Dunhaven commander gave a sharp signal. Seliek and his men were disarmed and placed under guard.

Dorrin said nothing. But he didn’t stop smiling for a long time. I should not be enjoying this, he thought. But it’s like the Book says. ‘Sow the wind, and reap the whirlwind.’ It’s not my fault if the Light decides to reap where I can enjoy it, is it?

---

The makeshift camp was beginning to settle. Dunhaven medics moved among the injured, distributing supplies and wrapping wounds with a practiced calm. Someone had rigged a canvas over Garland to give him shade. His breathing was steadier now, but he hadn’t stirred.

Dorrin sat on a low log near the fire, cradling a dented mug. Inez crouched beside him, sketching glyph wards into a strip of parchment, her tongue poking slightly from the corner of her mouth. The scent of something boiling in a nearby pot drifted across the clearing. Not bark broth or trail salt this time, but real stew, thick with beans and dried meat.

Joseph sat cross-legged near the edge of the camp, sharpening his blade with long, even strokes. His children sat nearby, quiet. Mercedes was rubbing Mac’s shoulders. Joe whittled absently with his belt knife.

Uscoshi knelt beside Garland. She watched him for a time. Studying. After a moment, Kitamar joined her, and the two elves spoke softly to one another for a while.

Colonel Grant approached from the tree line, flanked by the two paladins who had arrived with him. The hammer-wielding woman, Baker, looked fresh from the barracks, her presence both imposing and warm. The older male Paladin’s axe was strapped across his back, but his eyes took in every detail with the vigilance of a wolfhound.

Grant removed his gloves and tucked them into his belt, nodding to Dorrin, Dree, and Joseph.

“We’ll hold the Greybacks here, Prelate,” he said. “It’s not the first time we’ve had to chase them out of the Dunhavens. But it is the first time that we’ve caught them so brazenly violating our sovereignty. You can rest assured people are going to want to make an example out of them. This is a major escalation. We’ll let the diplomats sort it out, but don’t expect it to be quick.”

Joseph nodded. “The longer they’re off our trail, the better.”

“Agreed,” Dorrin added. “But we can’t stay here. We need to go back to Durleigh. Not only does Cardinal Strahn and the Curia need to know about the Thorns, we also have to see what we can do to keep the Greybacks from hunting down Joseph and Rose. I was thinking some Church indulgences covering their unexpected departure from the army and requiring them to stay hidden might be just what’s needed here.”

“I thought as much,” said Grant. “Green Hills is three days west, if you travel light and keep to the high road. From there, you can catch the express line back to Durleigh.”

Baker spoke next. “We’ll escort you part of the way. Fewer eyes that way, and fewer questions.”

The older Paladin, whose name was Laurey, nodded. “And if any stragglers from the Thorns come looking… we’ll handle them.” He inclined his head to Dree, “At least give your people a chance to rest, Commander.”

Dree smiled. “We appreciate the support. We came here in quite a hurry. We’d appreciate the chance to go home at a more measured pace.”

Dorrin looked to Joseph, who gave a single nod.

“We’ll leave at first light.”

“What about the elves?” Grant asked. “Are they staying behind or joining you?”

“No,” Inez said, rising. “They’re coming with us. Uscoshi already scrubbed our records once. She’ll make sure everything matches. And the Dawnstrider’s curious, so that means we’re stuck with her.”

Kitamar arched an eyebrow. “I heard that.”

Inez smirked. “You were meant to.”

Colonel Grant gave a tight smile. “Then may the Light walk with all of you.”

He turned and walked away, the two paladins falling into step behind him like shadows.

Dorrin gave Inez a sidelong glance. God above, he thought. Inez is wasted as an NCO. Give her a battalion and a cause, and she’d outshine half the brass in Durleigh.

He exhaled slowly. “So that’s it, then.”

Marigold sat down beside him, her tone soft. “Not quite. You still have to ride a train with all of us and survive the emotional fallout.”

Dorrin looked over at Joseph sharpening his blade.

“That,” he muttered, “may be the hardest part yet.”