Chapter 28

“That’s a fucking Caravel!” Barney gaped.

“Yeah, so,” Jack asked, snapping her eyes open from the light doze she’d been in since they’d made it to the inlet. On the other side of the lagoon, the ships lanterns and cookfires from shore lit up the Kestrel in a way that might have been majestic if not for the gaping hole in her hull.

“How the hell did you get a full sized fucking Caravel through that inlet? In the dark! In a storm! With a breach!” Barney kept rowing, but gestured with his head so emphatically that Jack thought he might hurt himself.

“You’ll have to ask the Captain,” Jack shrugged. “I’m not a sailor.”

“Who the hell’s your Captain?” Barney asked, still gaping at the Kestrel as they got closer.

“Her name’s Vex,” Jack said.

Barney snorted. “Funny.”

“What?” Jack asked.

“I might be a rube, but I can read. Good enough for that, at any rate.” Barney said derisively. “Captain Vex ain’t real.”

“What?” Jack asked, even more confused.

“Belita Vex?” Barney asked pointedly.

“Yes,” Jack said suspiciously.

“The Siren of Casterly? The Cathouse Captain?” Barney continued. Jack’s expression got more and more confused. “Her ship’s a floating brothel, and her crew’s a bunch of-” the oarsman cut himself off, a bit embarrassed when he remembered he was speaking to a lady. “Uh, anyway, there’s a whole stack of her books back at the Red Door. In the privy.”

Jack leaned forward, amusement dancing in her eyes. “Oh no, please go on.”

On shore, Bella sprang to her feet in a burst of colored skirts, causing Friday to cut herself off mid-sentence.

“What is it?’ the doctor asked as Bella tried to listen to something in the distance.

There it was. Another distinct peal of laughter. A relieved grin spread across Bella’s face. “Jack’s back!”

Caine grumbled as he started unlocking the door. “Why the hell doesn’t Will have a peephole?”

“What are you doing!?” Janie asked fearfully.

“I’m gonna get rid of them,” he said. “Stay here.”

Hector stood up angrily and looked to the sisters, but before they could reply, Caine shook his head. “No. We just went over this. You three can’t get involved.”

“They’re here for Miss Castilian. We just swore to protect her,” Sister Victoria disagreed.

“If they get inside, cut loose. Until then, let me handle it,” Caine said as he struggled with a particularly stubborn deadbolt.

Janie crossed the room is a few quick steps and put her shoulder into the door. “It sticks. You have to push or it won’t move.”

The deadbolt snapped open easily. “Thanks,” Caine grunted.”

“You’re really going to take on a mob of pirates alone,” Hector scoffed.

“I don’t think it counts as a mob unless they have torches,” Caine said. He gently pulled Janie behind him, then opened the door a crack to look outside. The crack of a pistol rang out and the heavy door shook. Caine shut the door. “Nope, still just a group.”

“Caine!” Janie snapped. He was down on one knee with her hands over her ears, still recovering from the shock of sudden gunfire. “They’re shooting at us!”

“Well, one of them is,” Caine agreed. “So I guess they’re a posse?”

“You can’t go out there!” Janie pleaded.

“I’m not, yet,” Caine said thoughtfully. His eyes flicked around in thought like he was seeing things no one else could. I don’t think one gun in ten is enough for a real posse, so we still have some time.”

“Time?!” Janie said aghast. “You’re waiting for more of them to shoot at us?”

“They’re just wasting bullets,” Caine said dismissively. “He’s showing off and trying to spook us.”

“It’s working!” Janie said angrily.

“At least take my pistol with you,” Victoria suggested.

“Oh, right.” Caine grabbed the inquisitor’s weapon off the shelf with none of the respect such a holy relic was due, and casually tossed it to her. “Too distinctive. There’s only one way to get a gun like that. Besides, I don’t want them to run away too soon.”

Sister Mercy looked at him with new depths of confusion and horror. “Your plan is to go out there unarmed?”

“I’ll get a weapon from them,” Caine shrugged. Another shot rang out and the door rattled. Everyone else in the room dropped low. Hector lit up his shield of light again and started dragging the broken table towards the door for cover. Caine scratched his stubble. “A gang!” he said with a snap of his fingers.

“What is wrong with you?” Sister Mercy demanded.

“Either of you trained for scouting?” Caine asked the Sisters.

“I am,” Victoria said, giving up on trying to understand this infuriating man. “Why?”

Caine pointed towards the office. “You can go out the window. Head to the docks. Get your ship to cast off and wait below the Fort. Send a smallboat to shore underneath the lighthouse.”

Sister Victoria nodded for a moment, glad to have any kind of plan to latch onto. “Most of our crew is at the fort. I’ll go there, rouse them and give them orders, then come back here. It sounds like you have an escape route?”

“Maybe,” Caine said. “Do you know how to make siege Wards?”

“Yes?” Sister Mercy said, a bit confused. She looked up at the faint sigils carved around the perimeter of the ceiling. “I suppose we could use the framework of the Library Wards you have already set up. They’re expended but-”

“Not here,” Caine said, giving Janie a pointed look. “In the basement,”

Janie’s confused eyes brightened in revelation. “Brilliant!”

Another bullet slammed into the door, jarring everyone except Caine.

“They’re lighting torches!” Tonya called from upstairs.

“Alright fine, they’re a mob now,” Caine said in exasperation. “Sister, wait until I drag the ruckus further away, then head out the window.”

“Even if I ignore the part of this where you are going to get yourself killed, I’d really like to know more about this plan before I leave my team and go skulking about,” Sister Victoria said skeptically.

“Janie knows what to do,” Caine said. “She’ll explain.”

“Don’t be long,” Janie said firmly. At some point she’d given up on the idea of talking him out of confronting the mob. She’d learned not to doubt him. Her heart was in her chest, but she had faith. If he said he would be back, she believed him.

“Make sure Tonya’s ready,” he said with a subtle smirk that made Janie blush instantly.

Caine sat motionless like coiled spring with his hand on the door. The air felt thick with anticipation.

“What are you waiting-” Victoria started. Another gunshot rang out. Before the door had finished rattling, Caine yanked it open and rushed outside.

Janie started throwing locks as quickly as she could.

“You lead a very exciting life, Miss Castillian,” Sister Victoria said dryly.

“Unfortunately yes,” Janie said tersely. Locks clicked one by one. Shouting started outside.

“A drop bar seems faster, and just as secure,” Hector said flatly.

“They were here when Will bought the place,” Janie said, holding back feelings of frustration and helplessness. “Until recently, we only used one.”

“Who needs that many locks?” Sister Mercy asked.

“A smuggler,” Janie said. “Come with me.”

The Sisters glanced at each other in surprise and followed.

“Tonya, come down here!” Janie called up the stairs.

Janie was a bit surprised as the young witch came running down the steps. She was wearing a pair of Will’s pants, now cut much shorter and held around her waist with a rope, and an old shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Her hair was tucked inside a cap. She hadn’t reapplied her makeup after bathing. If Janie didn’t know her, it would have been easy to mistake her for an adolescent boy. She looked nervous, but eager to do whatever needed to be done.

“Tonya, this is Sister Victoria. She needs to know the moment the mob outside leaves,” Janie said quickly.

“Tom,” Tonya corrected.

“What?” Janie said, blinking in surprise.

“You know, like Chris at Mary’s. We talked about that earlier. Remember, when Kaduska said Genies could be boys or girls, and Caine said that Angels don’t have-”

“Yes, I remember,” Janie said quickly.

“So when I’m dressed like a boy I’m Tom,” Tonya said with a grin.

“Alright,” Janie said, not sure how to respond.

“You said we needed to be able to move around easy in case we needed to run, and all I could find were Will’s old stuff, and I thought a disguise might be a good idea, so it got me thinking,” Tonya said in a blur of words. “Just call me Tom when I’m being a boy. Hiya Sister,” Tonya said with an awkward wave and a smile that was clearly forced.

Victoria gave the boyish young woman a small nod, doing her best to hide her bewilderment. “Hello Tom.” The display of nervousness piqued the Witch Hunter’s training. It was normal for people to be scared of Inquisitors, and this was a tense situation, but Victoria knew the difference between general nerves and fear borne from guilt. Normally she’d want to investigate, but for the moment, Tom was a low priority.

“We’re headed to the basement,” Janie said. “As soon as the people outside clear, tell Sister Victoria and start bringing our stuff down. We’re leaving as soon as Caine gets back.”

“Wait, where’d he go?” Tonya asked, suddenly worried.

Muffled sounds of violence erupted from the streets. Thuds and crashes, roars and curses. Bellows of pain.

“Outside,” Janie said, biting back her worry.

Tonya grinned evilly. “Oh those poor assholes. I wanna watch!” She scampered back up the stairs.

“She is ... enthusiastic,” Sister Victoria said.

Janie was already onto the next task. “This is your exit,” she said as she crossed to the office window. It was small and squat, and arched at the top with heavy wooden covers held in place by vertical brass poles. “Help me with these.” Together, the two of them wrestled with the heavy brass rods off their mountings and set them aside. Almost immediately the wind off the ocean began rattling the shutters in the frame.

“Outside, the ground slopes, and the ledge is only a few paces away. There’s a sluice trench that is easy to miss in the dark. Be careful,” Janie cautioned Victoria.

“Thank you,” the Inquisitor said. “Mercy, can you help me?”

Mercy started helping Victoria remove her cloak and equipment harness. Outside, a pistol retort rang out, punctuating the sounds of violence. Janie’s heart clenched in her chest, but relaxed when the shouts and crunches resumed a moment later.

“This lighthouse is built like a fortress,” Hector said from the doorway. The big knight was apparently unconcerned with the violence outside. “That’s a canoneer’s window.”

“Is it?” Janie asked as they set the second brass pole aside. “I always wondered about the odd design. That makes sense. The island used to be a staging ground for the Barcolan wars. This lighthouse was originally a watchtower.”

“Strange that there’s only one gunport,” Hector continued.

“Oh, there’s two more,” Janie said gesturing to other areas along the rounded walls. “The poles don’t come loose anymore, so Will covered them with shelves.” She grabbed the corner of the rug and peeled it back to reveal the trapdoor in the floor.

“Powder storage,” Hector grunted, unsurprised at the reveal.

“Later turned Smuggler’s den,” Janie added.

Sister Victoria dropped her mantle on the desk, reached for the hem of her robe and unceremoniously hauled it over her head. Sir Hector turned around in the doorway. Janie was a bit shocked to suddenly be seeing the Inquisitor’s wiry body. She was lean and pale and covered with corded muscle. Her waist was narrower than Janie’s, but her thighs and buttocks were much thicker. Her white shift was silk and barely fell past her hips. Her breasts would have easily fit in Janie’s hands. They weren’t much larger than Tonya’s. Half a dozen impressive scars marked her skin. Janie turned away with red cheeks as she realized she’d been staring.

Sister Mercy gathered her partner’s robe and held it out. Victoria stuck her hands in and let the fabric drop over her form, inside out.

She shrugged back into her weapon harness, reversed her mantle and pulled it around her shoulders. She’d arrived in gleaming white from head to toe, and now was black as night. Janie shuddered. Black Inquisitor’s robes had a well deserved reputation, but to Janie it was more personal. The sight of them still made her skin crawl.

She shook off her bad memories and hauled on the trapdoor’s pull ring. “There’s a tunnel down there, but it’s blocked.” She led them down the steps. Sister Victoria stayed on the stairs so she could still hear if Tonya called from above. Janie pointed to the rotten wooden brace beams and the cracks in the stone. “With Siege Wards to reinforce this chamber, we should be able to clear the collapse.”

“With what? You have mining charges?” Hector asked.

“Witchcraft,” Janie said simply.

The Inquisitors visibly tensed and looked at each other. Victoria’s sharp instincts pulled her to only one conclusion. “The girl upstairs. Tonya. Tom,” she said. It wasn’t really a question. That girl had been trying to cover her nervousness by rambling, and now Victoria understood why.

“Yes,” Janie said with a nod. “She is a witch’s apprentice, sanctioned and registered.”

“And can channel so much energy that you need siege wards to contain it?” Sister Mercy said, obviously uncomfortable with the implications.

“Hopefully yes,” Janie said. “If not, we’re rather stuck.”

Sister Mercy was clearly concerned. “Even from a sanctioned witch, a ritual that powerful can have spiritual risks. Too often, the power comes from forces the practitioners do not fully understand.”

“That’s often how sanctioned witches fall from grace,” Sister Victoria said flatly. “We will need to observe the ritual.”

Janie turned towards the pile of rubble to hide her blush. “I’m sure Tonya won’t mind. Caine may need some convincing.

“Oomph” Jack grunted as her arms suddenly filled with soft flesh and black curls.

“Jack!” Bella squealed happily, lifting both feet off the ground as Jack instinctively braced herself. A moment later she set her feet back on the ground again and looked around. Her jubilant expression darkened. “Where’s Will?” she demanded.

Jack’s heart clenched in her throat as the implication in Bella’s words hit her. She shook her head. “It was his idea.”

Bella narrowed her eyes.

“We found a port,” Jack explained defensively. “He’s negotiating with the person in charge. Where’s the Captain?”

Bella’s mercurial mood shifted again. She smiled and took Jack’s hand excitedly. “She’s eating with the crew. Come on.”

Barney watched the whole exchange somewhat dumbfounded. The brunette looked like she was mostly made of tits and hair. She was barefoot in the sand and small charms jingled as she moved. It seemed like she was dancing a little with every step. He’d only ever seen a handful of women as attractive, but she was N’madi for sure. He knew all about them. He tucked his coin purse more securely into his belt and watched as she wrapped her hands around Jack’s arm and pulled her away with swinging hips. “Damn,” he muttered. Apparently there was at least a little truth to the stories of Captain Vex’s lusty crew.

Jack looked over her shoulder. “Try to keep up.”

Barney followed close, scanning the scene nervously. Eyes tracked him, but they were weary, not suspicious like he was used to in Shady’s Cove. His notions about Captain Vex’s crew were quickly disabused. There were more women than usual, sure, but they weren’t half-clad sirens. They looked like refugees. About half the people he saw were wounded. They’d clearly been through an ordeal to get here.

A soothing reed pipe played as they neared the makeshift mess area. Crew drank their soup from tankards and bowls and talked quietly amongst themselves. Their eyes turned to Jack as she approached and their eyes brightened. The cook clapped her on the shoulder and said something happy around a mouthful of food. He unceremoniously shoved a cup in her hands. She took it with a grateful smile. “Thank you, Mister Potts.”

Another jaw dropping beauty stood up from one of the fallen logs they were using as benches. She was blond, with skin that looked like bronze in the firelight. A dozen gold rings pierced her ears and a pair of braids hung from her temple. She looked worn at the edges, but brightened as Jack approached.

“Miss Hunter!” the blond said loudly in an unmistakable Casterly brogue. “Good news, a’hope?”

Jack stopped next to the bonfire with the busty N’madi refusing to let go of her arm. “We found a port.”

A cheer went up from the crew. Some leapt to their feet. Others clapped. Jack held up a hand and they quieted. “It’s Shady’s Cove.”

The crew looked at each other, some excited, others worried. The blond looked pained for a moment, and then rubbed her temples and started laughing. “O’ fuckin’ course it is.”

“That sounds bad,” the N’madi wench commented.

The blond nodded slowly for emphasis. “Pirate’s den. Biggest around.”

“Have you been here before?” Jack asked.

“Always managed tae avoid it,” the blond woman said. “Too many stories. I try not tae mix with pirates if I c’n help it. My reputation has enough problems already.”

“The woman who runs the place is named Shae. She’s ... formidable,” Jack continued.

“Aye, a’heard that too,” the blond nodded along.

“Will’s negotiating for you now. Shae wants to meet with you after the Kestrel comes into port,” Jack explained.

“Aye, good. What’s the catch?” the blond asked.

“I don’t know. Something’s off with her,” Jack said with a small shrug. “I can’t put my finger on it. I ... like her, but she worries me. She’s dangerous.”

“Pirates are like that,” the blond agreed. “They c’n be a fun lot, but ye’d be daft if ye dinnae notice somethin’ off.”

“I couldn’t stand her at first, but after some thinking on it I changed my mind. She’d be a useful ally,” Jack continued. “I think I could have gotten on her good side if I’d stayed, but Will was worried about his-” she cut herself off, remembering that she was in public. “He said he was worried about his luck, so he stayed and I came back.”

“Aye, good then,” the blond said. “We’ve had enough shite luck for a while. Best not tae tempt fate.”

“That’s what he said,” Jack begrudgingly agreed.

Barney jolted in surprise as the cook shoved a mug into his hands. “Uh, thanks,” Barney said.

“You come with crew, you’re crew,’’ the cook grinned. “Thanks for getting her home safe.”

“Is that ... the blond ... is she really...” Berney stammered.

The cook’s grin didn’t leave his face but his eyes grew suspicious. “The Captain? Sure is.”

“I didn’t think she was real,” Barney said, flicking his eyes between the trio of women as they stood at the bonfire and talked.

“You read the books, huh?” the cook asked pointedly.

Barney cleared his throat. “Uh. Yeah.”

“Me too. They’re why I joined up,” the cook said. His grin was friendly, but his tone was deadly serious. “You gotta know, the Captain from those books? That’s a character. She don’t exist. Our Captain there, she’s real. There’s some truth in the stories, but you don’t get to wander in ask first thing. You want to know the truth, you earn it. Here’s what any of us will tell you free though: She’s the best damn captain I’ve ever served with. All those books don’t do her justice by half. She just got us through hell and it took a toll on her. You want to meet her, great. You’ll have a story most won’t believe. You say anything to her about those godsdamned books, you might not make it home. We clear?”

Barney swallowed and nodded.

“Try the soup,” the cook grinned.

“Barney, this is Captain Belita Vex,” Jack said as the three women approached. “Captain, this is Barney. He was a big help to Will and I.”

Barney shakily removed his hat and tried to calm the pounding in his chest. “C- Captain. It’s an honor, ma’am.”

Captain Vex raised a blond eyebrow at him, then smiled and offered him her hand. He shook it nervously at first, then with gusto, before pulling it back quickly and hoping it wasn’t too much.

“Miss Hunter had nothing but good things t’ say about ye, Barney,” Captain Vex said.

Barney coughed. “I guess she left out the part where I got too friendly and she almost shot me?”

Captain Vex’s laughter echoed loud through the camp drawing smiles from her crew all around. “Aye no, she dinnae mention that.”

“It was worth it,” Barney said with a shy smile.

The Captain’s blond brows rose again and Jack gave Barney a shocked look that started to darken.

“The almost getting shot part, I mean! Not the ... other bit...” Barney stammered. “On account of getting to meet you, ma’am.”

Captain Vex looked at Jack’s expression and started laughing again. Jack looked pained. “Did ye get paid, Barney?” the Captain asked.

“Yes, ma’am. Well, half, ma’am. As agreed,” Barney said awkwardly.

“Mister North,” the Captain called over her shoulder. “Reimburse Miss Hunter, and double this man’s fee.”

“Aye Cap’n,” a grizzled bear of a man said as he stood up from his log.

“Barney, I have wounded that cannae be moved yet. We’ll need an oarsman who knows the reef tae help us ferry our crew as they get well. Can we hire ye again?” Captain Vex asked invitingly.

“Yes ma’am,” Barney said happily. “I have a repair to do on my boat tomorrow morning. After that, as long as you pay more than the salvagers, I’m yours.”

“Go with Mister North, he’ll get ye sorted and work out a price for later,” Captain Vex said. “Ye’ve done us a big help.”

“Thank you, Captain. My pleasure,” Barney said with a nod.

“We leave at first light!’ Captain Vex called to her crew. The cheer echoed far through the jungle.

Bella pulled Jack away and gave her another hug. “I was worried.”

“Even after your card reading?” Jack asked, thrilled to be holding Bella in her arms again.

“Of course!” Bella said. “Sure, I knew nothing catastrophic was going to happen, but there’s still a lot that can go wrong.”

Jack sighed. “You’re right about that.”

Bella eyed her with a mix of worry and suspicion. “What happened?”

“Come to my tent. We can pack and I’ll tell you everything,’ Jack said.

“They’re gone!” Tonya called down from the stairwell.

“Go. I can finish this,” Sister Mercy said, pausing for a moment as they anointed the holy sigils they’d painted onto the stones and beams.

The two witch hunters gave each other a quick embrace and Sister Victoria ran up the stairs out of the hidden basement. Janie was already unlatching the shutters. Victoria ducked through the opening and gave Janie a quick squeeze on her shoulder.

“I am glad we met you, Miss Castilian. As bizarre as it has been, this is the most fun I’ve had in weeks.” Then the black-clad inquisitor was away like a flitting shadow.

“Fun?” Janie muttered. “Why is everyone I meet mad?” She shook her head in exasperation and latched the shutters again.

Tonya, still dressed as Tom, came down the stairs carrying two rucksacks. “I found some of Will’s neat adventure bags. They have so many pockets! There’s another one upstairs that’s like a big tube, but after I got it packed I couldn’t carry it.”

“A tube?” Janie shook her head in confusion. “Put them on the table. I’ll help with the ... tube.”

“You shoulda seen Caine,” Tonya said excitedly as they went back up the stairs. “They had torches and knives and swords, and he just- Bam! Bam! Bam! I saw an angry bull go through a crowd once. It was like that!” Tonya gestured violently for emphasis. “I’m pretty sure I saw him hit a guy with another guy.”

“Dreadful,” Janie said with a frown.

“For a while he had a torch! He lit three people’s hair on fire before it broke. It was hilarious!” Tonya continued.

“All I want to know is whether he’s alright,” Janie said firmly. “I heard another gunshot.”

“Oh, yeah. I didn’t see that too well. I want to say it missed but with Caine I don’t know? If it hit him, it didn’t slow him down any. I don’ think the shooter got a chance to reload. That was sort of the end of the brawl though. Last I saw they were chasing him towards town,” Tonya grinned. She hefted one side of a large duffel bag. “Here. The tube.”

“What is that man doing?” Janie asked herself as she picked up the other side of the duffel. “Oof. What did you put in this?”

“Clothes mostly,” Tonya said with a shrug as they started lugging it down the stairs. “A lot of them were still wet.”

“We do not need this many clothes!” Janie said, a little irritated.

“Lies!” Tonya scoffed.

Janie rolled her eyes, too frazzled to argue. Just as they dropped the sack next to the desk, a shuddering boom echoed through the tower. Janie’s blood turned to ice.

Hector came rushing up the stairs as the second crash came. Something heavy was pounding on the door.

“What is that?” Janie said fearfully.

“Sounds like a ram,” the knight muttered darkly. His eyes watched the door as the third crash came. “The door is sturdy. It will hold a while. Get those shutter braces back up. You there. Boy. Show me the window.”

Janie was about to correct the knight out of sheer reflex, but Tonya was already leading the Centurion away. Janie swallowed back the lump in her throat and headed for the shutters as the next crash came.

Hector ran up the stairs after the youth and followed into the washroom. The lad pointed. “It’s not much of a window.”

“That’s because it’s an arrow slit,” Hector said.

“What’s that?” the boy asked.

“Watch,” Hector rumbled. “And cover your ears.” He drew his elaborately decorated rifle over his shoulder in one smooth motion and leaned against the wall for stability. His eyes focused below while his hands performed a practiced ritual, unloading the weapon and reloading it with something else. Down below, a handful of men had a makeshift ram made from a log and some ropes. Hector let the barrel of his gun rest against the bottom of the narrow window, slowed his breath, and waited until the next crash finished shaking the old tower. On their backswing, he fired.

The thundercrack echoed through the night and shook the small washroom. Scattershot rounds exploded from the gun and left golden streaks in the air that rained down like fire from heaven. Like the golden light that had sheathed his sword earlier, the blessing he’d invoked changed the nature of the weapon. The shot didn’t pierce flesh. Instead, each tiny pellet hit like a heavy mallet. Bones crunched and men screamed. The cobbles cracked where the streaks of light bounced off the stone. The hapless attackers flung their ram backwards as their formation collapsed. One poor sod who’d wrapped the rope around his hands got yanked away with it. Those that could run scattered. Those that couldn’t groaned and crawled.

“I’ll stay here,” Hector said.

“You couldn’t’ have done that earlier?!” the kid demanded, still wincing from the noise.

“I wanted to,” Hector said. “Your friend told me to stay out of it.”

“Yeah, that makes sense,” the boy muttered. “When he tells you not to do something, just do it anyway. That’s what I do.”

“That didn’t work out so well for me,” Hector said as he reloaded.

“I guess you’re not cute enough,” the boy smirked.

Hector coughed and eyed the boy as he left the room. His loathing of Caine doubled as another layer of depravity revealed itself.

Sister Victoria slipped around the edge of the lighthouse, crouched in the shadow cast by the streetlights. In the distance she could see torches trailing away down the street and shouting men.

She stood and walked briskly to the street, just a traveler at night huddled against the cold and damp. She nearly tripped as the scene in front of the lighthouse was revealed.

The street was strewn with bodies. A dozen men at least, groaning. Writhing in pain. Cradling the hilts of weapons that pierced their flesh. Burned and smoking. Every one of them was cradling a crippling wound, but not a single one was dead.

“Warden’s tears,” the witch hunter muttered under her breath. Who were they dealing with? What had they gotten themselves into? As she walked, more men began showing up. They rushed to the sides of the wounded and stared at the horrifying scene. A couple just shook their heads and left. Caine wasn’t there, but he’d certainly left the stragglers a message, and given them a task that would take time to resolve.

She forced herself to keep going, and only glance over her shoulder every once in a while. The wounded cried out in agony as they were hauled across the street. By the time she neared the fort the mob had formed a second wave. She couldn’t count them, but their outlines were clear in the streetlights. As a group they yelled and charged, carrying something large to the lighthouse door. The crunch of their ram hitting the door echoed all the way to Fort Deliverance.