Nela wasn't sure which was better.

  Yesterday the streets of Kelshir had been mostly empty. Whether it was that witch breaking into the gaol, or their own entrance through the south gates, people had hidden away as word spread. Nela didn't blame them for getting their arses to safety. If she'd been in their position, she'd have thought someone was attacking the city.

  Today, it seemed that life as usual had resumed, with the streets filled with people. A few wagons rolled by as street vendors cried out their wares. Men and women moved about, some hurrying on whatever urgent business they had, while others were more relaxed. It was bustling with activity, in a way that Hallowscroft never had.

  At least, until the people here saw the group of armed folk walking through, bringing everything to a halt.

  She wondered if Ronny had expected this. He'd pointed out that without any distractions, they were sure to draw at least some attention. Which was fair, but nearly every person stopping to stare? Not a great position to be in.

  The others weren't taking it all that well either. Hamond in particular seemed on edge, looking back and forth like he was searching for someone. Nela had no clue who or what he hoped to see...or rather, not see. Maybe Hamond thought there might be more knights somewhere.

  Anthyla came to a sudden halt, stopping right in the middle of the street. This all might be getting to her too. Still, Nela thought with a touch of bitter humor, she could've at least warned them. Shit, Edeline hadn't even noticed and was moving ahead.

  "What's wrong?" Claris asked, raising her voice to be heard. This finally got Edeline's attention, who stopped and turned.

  "It just occurred to me that we have not seen any of the city guard," Anthyla said, "There should have been a patrol here. This is one of the busiest streets in Kelshir."

  If the people nearby weren't suspicious of them already, now they definitely would be. "Not the place for this," Nela hissed, gesturing for them to keep moving.

  Ronny took the hint. "They're probably busy dealing with the aftermath of yesterday. We'll worry about that later."

  Anthyla looked like she wanted to protest, but a pleading look from Claris put a stop to that. Nela was getting the feeling Claris didn't like to see anyone arguing. Good thing she and Ronny had worked out their little problem with Anthyla earlier.

  "So you're from Hallowscroft, right?" Claris asked as they walked on, trying to make small talk. "What's it like there?"

  "It's a town," Nela said, not sure what kind of answer she'd even be able to give. There wasn't anything particularly special about Hallowscroft, compared to the countless number of other towns around Hyarch. That is, if you didn't count the whole matter of the Stormsage statue in those tunnels underneath it.

  "There's no Aetheric Order presence there, if that's your question." Hamond's voice was low, making it hard to hear him. "No priests or priestesses. I don't even think there's a shrine."

  "There was one," Myronel added, "But I had not been in years. It's probably fallen into ruin."

  "It's much the same elsewhere," Claris admitted, "The Episkopiate doesn't like to speak of it, but the Order's reach has grown thin. So much is changing, so quickly. For me, a foundling brought up by the Order, it's hard to not be worried about what comes next. For the Order...and for Hyarch."

  "So you never knew your mother and father?" Edeline asked.

  "No. The Order has always been my family." Claris's words were sad and bitter. Nela had to wonder if any of them would've been better off if they did not know of theirs. Regardless of what the truth would be, Nela had the feeling that Edeline and Hamond would rather not. Better not to mention that, or that there were worse fates.

  "Just don't forget she's your family too," Nela told Claris, glancing over at Anthyla. The best advice she could offer the pair.

  "I will," Claris answered with a smile, reaching over and taking Anthyla's hand. "So...Anthyla told me about you two last night. How did you meet?"

  "It's a long story," Ronny said, "We were-"

  He stopped speaking at the sound of someone shouting further down the street. Raising herself up on her toes, Nela could see the crowd stepping back away from something coming in their direction, similar to how the people of Kelshir had kept away from their own little group.

  And now the two were about to meet. Aether's blood, what kind of shit were they in for now?

  "Clear a path!" a man was yelling. The curse of being short, Nela thought to herself, was having to deal with moments like this. At least Ronny could probably tell what was happening.

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  "Someone's hurt," Edeline said. Knowing even she could see it didn't exactly make Nela feel better.

  The crowd finally parted to reveal a group of Kelshir's guards. One of them was carrying an injured man on his back, while the other three held weapons at the ready. All of them looked like they'd seen better days.

  "Get out of the way!" The guard waved his spear in their direction.

  "Wait a moment...it's those elves!" Another of the guards, one who looked familiar pointed at them. Staring back, Nela realized why. He was the same guard they'd run into yesterday. So that was the kind of shit they were in for.

  "What elves?" The first guard answered, giving a surprised look to his fellow.

  "I ran into them yesterday with Captain Sophos. He said he would deal with them. They must have slipped away somehow." The guard waved his sword in their direction. "They won't get away now."

  "We don't have the time for a fight," the guard carrying the man spoke up, looking irritated. "We have to get the captain to a healer."

  Well, that was a sign Nela wasn't about to ignore. "You need one? I'm right here."

  The first two pair of guards both broke into bitter laughter. "That's a pretty lie. There's no elf healers any more. Or you saying you elves defied Lord Kelshir's decree?"

  That was so stupid, Nela didn't know what to say. Did they really think Kelshir was the only place with elves in all of Hyarch? One thing was sure: when Anthyla took her father's mantle for her own, she was going to have to find some smarter men.

  "Is that...Captain Sophos?" Anthyla said.

  "How would you...wait a moment. You priestesses are supposed to be locked up!" The guard stepped towards Anthyla and Claris. Edeline and Ronny moved between them, their swords held up and gleaming with reflected sunlight. It was looking more and more like a fight.

  "But I'm not a-" Anthyla broke off as one of the man thrust his spear at Edeline.

  Edeline sidestepped with ease. "So be it," she said, face hardening as she settled into a fighting stance. "Corpus volt." The familiar glow of Edeline's spell surrounded her, the faint crackling noise a warning these men were not prepared for. With a swift step inside his reach, Edeline quickly cut the attacking guard down.

  "Shit! Another witch!" As the crowd began to panic and flee, the two armed guards hesitated. Then the uncertainty on their faces changed to determined anger, and they charged forward towards Edeline.

  "No! Stop!" Anthyla called out, only to be ignored.

  Edeline stabbed forward, body blurring with sheer speed as she ran another of the guards through. Ronny, meanwhile, stepped in to intercept the other charging guard, deflecting the man's sword wide with his own. Spinning with the momentum, he slashed across as he came to face the astonished guard, felling him with the single strike.

  "Aether's blood...I'm sorry." The one remaining guard took a fearful step back. Now that Nela could get a clear look, she was horrified. The captain's leg, previously concealed behind where that other guard had been standing, had been cut off at the knee. It was not the first time she'd seen a wound like that, and she knew just how bad it would be.

  Even if he lived through this, Captain Sophos would never walk again.

  And that if was carrying far too much weight for Nela's liking.

  Nela made a decision then and there. "Here," she said, turning to Claris and forcing the crossbow into the priestess's hands. "Hold this."

  "Uh...right."

  Nela nodded, then turned back to the guard. "Look, I know you probably don't trust us, but I really am a healer. He'll die if you have to go halfway across the city to find another one. So just lay him down so I can heal his leg, and we won't hurt you."

  The guard let out a low sigh, and lowered Sophos to the ground. Nela hurried over, wasting no time in pulling away what was left of the man's trousers off the injured leg. The captain's shallow breathing and pale face told her she didn't have any time to waste.

  "Panakeia logos." The wound closed up fairly easily. While it did bring some color to Sophos's face, he was still far from safe with how much blood he'd lost. Even so, Nela figured she'd given him at least a decent chance of making it. Whether he lived or not was now out of her hands.

  "I've done what I could," she said, wiping her face with the back of her hand. "He needs a safe place to rest and recover. Make sure he gets some food and drink in him too."

  The guard nodded, his relief clear.

  "Before you go," Ronny said, "What was that about another witch?"

  "Some woman with one arm showed up at the lord's manor and started throwing spells around," the guard explained. "The other men that tried to stop her...they were all slain. It's a miracle we were able to get away...before..."

  It was that Witch of Wrath then. Nela supposed this was better than being a stupid arse towards the elves of Faehaven. It made what they were doing a bit more complicated yet again though. What exactly would happen if Lord Kelshir ended up dead before they got there?

  "And, uh, Lord Kelshir?" Anthyla spoke up.

  "Don't know where he is now, and don't know why you even care," the man said, "I'll just tell you to stay away from there. And with that, I'm gone. Hopefully for both our sakes, we won't meet again."

  Nela was tempted to tell him it was more likely than he thought, but she held her tongue. The matter of the guards and their loyalty was not their problem to solve. Assuming there would even be a city guard left after this. Aether and ancestors and everyone else, Anthyla was going to have so much of a mess to clean up.

  The guard lifted Sophos up, and began to walk slowly down a now much emptier street. A few people remained, staring with a mix of fear and curiosity. No doubt if Ronny or Edeline took so much as a step in their direction, it would likely send the rest all running.

  "Now what do we do?" Anthyla asked quietly.

  "We don't have much choice but to keep going," Ronny answered, "I wouldn't doubt Kelshir will be in chaos soon. All the more important to put a stop to all of this."

  Anthyla took a deep breath, straightening her back. "Very well. You can probably already see the roof of his house - it's one more street over." Indeed, Nela could just make out the top of a large building in that direction, with a pair of stout stone chimneys rising towards the sky.

  "Are you really ready for this?" Edeline spoke up, "If you want, you could head back to the temple. We can handle it, if-"

  "No," Anthyla said with determination, fixing her gaze on Edeline. "There is no turning back now. My choice is made."

  "Then let's shut up and get moving," Nela said, taking her crossbow back from Claris. The sooner they got done with this, the better.