The Captain barked a hushed order and the platoon advanced. The nervous tension mounted with every step further into the darkened tunnels. Ilanna's nerves felt strained, ready to snap at any moment. The outer branches of the Guild passageways had no light—a safety precaution in case anyone stumbled upon the tunnel entrances. In a few minutes, they'd reach the alchemical lanterns that illuminated the way toward the Guild's innermost corridors.
Suddenly, four men strode around the corner—two wearing Fox orange and two in the dull clothing of the Bloody Hand. They halted, shocked, and gaped at the sight of the Praamian Guard and Arbitors. Before they could turn to flee, five crossbows twanged. Ilanna could almost feel the two thunks as the missiles punched into the Foxes. The force of impact hurled the small men backward.
Two bolts slammed into one Bloody Hand thug, dropping him in his tracks. The final Voramian managed a half-turn when the metal-tipped bolt tore through his abdomen. He lay on the ground, groaning, blood seeping onto the hard-packed earth. One of the Praamian Guards silenced him with a sword thrust.
"Reload!" Captain Rodar hissed.
Ilanna whirled on him. "You bastard! You killed those Foxes without warning, without a chance to surrender."
Captain Rodar met her glare without hesitation. "And risk them raising the alarm? You heard the Duke; he won't risk the lives of my men, and neither will I. If that means killing a few of your ilk to guarantee the element of surprise, I'll damn well do it."
Ilanna tightened her grip on her daggers, but the tip of a crossbow bolt against the base of her skull stopped her.
Wardell stood behind her. "Go ahead," he urged. "Try it, see what happens."
Ilanna drew in a deep breath and raised her hands. "No more, Captain Rodar," she growled. "No more of mine die without a chance to surrender."
The Captain snarled. "You're not in command here, girl. I have my orders from the Duke."
"And the Duke said to give the Guild a chance to surrender." She thrust a finger at the two smaller corpses. "You work for the Chief Justiciar, not a butcher. Remember that."
Captain Rodar's scowl deepened. "Back in line, thief." He turned his back on her and gave the order to advance.
Ilanna ached to drive her dagger into his unarmored back. But killing Captain Rodar wouldn't save her friends. She had to go along, for now. She would do what she could to save her fellow Guild members.
She tried not to look at the two bodies, but couldn't help it. It seemed their wide, sightless eyes followed her down the tunnel. She swallowed the acidic bite of guilt and forced herself to continue.
Thirty paces farther, they reached the alchemical lanterns. Ilanna's gut clenched. No turning back now.
She led them right at the next intersection. This particular tunnel led directly to House Bloodbear. She had no idea where to find the Bloody Hand, but she knew the Night Guild's strong-arms represented the greatest threat to the invading force.
Doubt nagged at the back of her mind. House Fox and House Grubber encouraged a very practical sense of morality; the Journeymen and apprentices would do whatever it took to survive, honor or nobility be damned. But had Errik convinced the remaining Serpents, Hawks, and Scorpions to surrender? She had to believe he'd kept his word. It was the only way the Duke's men would let them live. Perhaps even a few Hounds would heed Allon's advice and throw down their weapons.
The Bloodbears wouldn't surrender without a fight. They prided themselves on their martial prowess. It didn't matter that they were all strength and fists with little skill; their number and size made them confident. No doubt the thuggish Voramians would find kindred spirits among the Bloodbears. House Bloodbear had to be cleared before the Duke's men moved on to the rest of the Guild.
Around the corner came a trio of Grubber Journeymen, followed by a gaggle of their apprentices. Their eyes flew wide at the sight of the Praamian Guards and Arbitors.
"Wait!" Ilanna called out. "Don't run!" It didn't matter that the Grubbers were filthy and malnourished—the Duke's men would cut them down without hesitation.
The foremost Grubber squinted at her. "Journeyman Ilanna?"
Ilanna recognized him as Pawel, one of the Grubbers who had helped Jarl dig the tunnel beneath Lord Auslan's mansion.
"Don't run!" Ilanna shoved her way through the ranks of crossbowmen and spearmen. "Don't fight, and they won't harm you."
Pawel's eyes darted to the Arbitors and Praamian Guards then back to her. He seemed at a loss for words, but his accusatory expression spoke volumes.
She gritted her teeth against the surge of guilt. "Surrender and live, Pawel. There's nothing else to be done."
A tense moment passed before Pawel nodded. "Aye." He raised his hands, nodding for his fellows to do likewise. "Ye'll get no fight from us."
The shield ranks opened, and the spearmen surrounded the Grubbers. Within minutes, the Journeymen and apprentices lay gagged and hog-tied. "Wardell, keep an eye on them," Captain Rodar ordered. "We'll be back when this is all done."
The Arbitor nodded and trained his crossbow on the captives.
Ilanna turned away from Pawel. The hatred and betrayal burning in his eyes made her want to vomit. She'd done what she must—not only for her sake, but for the Guild’s. She could bear the burden of their enmity if it meant she and her friends survived.
They advanced more slowly now, their formation tight, every man in the platoon tense. They'd gone fewer than twenty steps when a large band of men came striding down a long, straight section of corridor. Ilanna recognized a few Foxes, Hounds, and even one Scorpion, but most wore the robes of the Bloody Hand. A five-man company, or fist, of Bloodbears brought up the rear.
The oncoming men stopped as they caught sight of the foremost soldiers. The Guild members hesitated, but the Bloody Hand thugs drew swords and charged, roaring at the top of their lungs. The Foxes and Hounds followed a few steps behind, but with far less enthusiasm.
"Kneel!" Captain Rodar's voice cut through the din. In unison, the shield-bearers knelt and rested their shields on the ground.
"Aim!" Ten crossbowmen raised bows to their shoulders, aiming over the rims of the lowered shields.
"Fire!" Bowstrings twanged, and ten bolts sped toward the charging thugs.
Four Voramians dropped without a sound, the bolts punching through their tunics, jerkins, and leather armor with the force of a kicking mule. Two more stumbled backward, shrieking in pain. A tall, bearded thug collapsed atop a smaller Fox, bearing him to the ground. The Voramian didn't rise—blood gushed from his chest, staining the struggling man beneath him.
The remaining Bloody Hand thugs and Bloodbears rushed on without pause, but the Scorpion, Hounds, and Foxes hesitated.
"Night Guild, throw down your weapons and surrender!" Ilanna shouted as loud as she could. "No Praamian need die today."
The Bloody Hand and Bloodbears howled with glee, as if they expected the offer to accept surrender meant the Duke's men had come for prisoners.
"Stand! Hold the wall!" The Praamian Guard moved with precision attained through years of training. The charging thugs hadn't taken four steps before the front ranks stood, raised their shields, and braced for impact.
Close to twenty thugs—Praamian and Voramian—slammed into the shield wall. The foremost rank of Praamian Guards were pushed back a step, but the next rank held fast. The olive-clad guardsman ducked behind their shields as the Bloody Hand and Bloodbears attacked with clubs, short swords, and axes.
The shield wall had teeth. Long-bladed spears darted forward, piercing arms, eyes, and throats. The foremost Praamian Guards drove their short swords between gaps in the shield wall. The blades spilled guts, severed tendons, and shredded muscle. Within a few hammering heartbeats, more than a dozen thugs lay dead or bleeding.
"Back!" Captain Rodar shouted.
With military precision, the shield ranks took a single step back, opening a gap. The Bloodbears and Bloody Hand thugs stumbled forward, straight onto the blades of the stabbi
ng spears. The crossbowmen fired at any heads, faces, and limbs that appeared over the shield wall. More Voramians and Bloodbears fell screaming. The foremost ranks of Praamian Guards struggled to maintain their footing as the ground grew slick with blood.
Ilanna's eyes sought out the Foxes, Hounds, and the single Scorpion at the rear of the battle. She read the hesitation in their eyes; they were thieves, trackers, and poisoners, not warriors.
"Surrender!" she cried again. "Throw down your weapons and live!"
Please! she begged in her mind. She had no problem seeing the Bloodbears die—the gods knew House Bloodbear had inflicted more than its share of torments on her, on the rest of the Guild, and on Praamis. Though none of the other Guild Houses could be called "innocent", they didn't deserve to die like this.
The Scorpion threw down his short sword and raised his hands. "I surr—"
"Traitor!" one of the Hounds snarled. His sword flashed up and down in a vicious chop, cleaving through the back of the Scorpion's neck, silencing him forever.
The Foxes watched the Scorpion fall with terror in their wide eyes. They shrank back from the Hounds. Ilanna read the uncertainty staining their faces. They wanted to surrender, but feared being murdered by their own. She could only watch, helpless, as the Foxes drew their own daggers and charged into the fray.
"No!" Horror writhed in Ilanna's gut. The Praamian Guards and Arbitors chopped through the Bloody Hand and Bloodbears with ruthless efficiency. When the first rank of shield-bearers caved, the second rank stepped forward to plug the gap. The foremost line of crossbowmen drew swords and reinforced the spearmen.
A feeling of hopelessness washed over Ilanna as the guards tore through the unarmored thugs, then moved on to the Hounds and Foxes. The screams and cries of the wounded and dying men on both sides pierced her to the core.
She had done this.
Within a minute, all but two had died. The survivors, both wearing the orange-trimmed robes of House Fox, hurled their daggers away and fell to their knees, weeping and begging for mercy. They showed no sign of resisting as the Praamian Guards restrained and bound them.
Ilanna stared wide-eyed at the Scorpion's corpse. Even through the mask of blood staining his pale features, she recognized him—Skeld, a Journeyman only a few years older than she. He had completed his Undertaking the same year as Prynn. And now he lay dead, butchered by his comrades.
"Surprised?" Disdain twisted Captain Rodar's face. "You expected more from a bunch of criminals?"
Ilanna wanted to hurl an insult in his face, but couldn't summon the anger. Gone was the morbid sense of satisfaction she'd felt at the Bloodbears' deaths. Only sorrow and regret remained as she stared at the corpses of the Foxes and Hounds.
How many Journeymen and apprentices had died because of her? How many more would fall before it was done? Once, not long ago, Bryden had accused her of "bringing nothing more than turmoil and misery" to the Night Guild. Those angry words had proven true.
Chapter Twenty-Four
"Hold the line, damn it!" Captain Rodar steadied a stumbling Arbitor and shoved him back into the melee. "Don't let them through!"
Ilanna darted into the press of men and lashed out with her dagger. The blade pierced the throat of a Bloody Hand thug, sending blood gushing over the Praamian Guard at his feet. Before she could help the fallen guard up, two Bloodbears leapt on top of him and drove long, wicked daggers into his unarmored chest twice, thrice, over and over. Ilanna barely managed to backpedal before the Bloody Hand and Bloodbears surged through the ragged gap in the ranks.
The skirmish—how many have we survived now?—raged fewer than twenty paces from the massive double doors of House Bloodbear. The fighting had taken its toll on the Duke's men. The first row of shields had fallen, brought down by a surge of thugs and buried beneath stomping feet. Two of the spearmen lay dead, a third bleeding. The crossbowmen had resorted to stabbing and hacking with their short swords. All of the Praamian Guards in the front rank bore wounds, many grievous, and none of the Arbitors had escaped injury.
Even as she caught her breath, a Fox leapt over the front row of shields to crash atop a crossbowman. The thief's blade laid open the man's throat. He leapt to his feet and charged her, hatred in his gaze and a cry of "Traitor!" echoing from his lips.
Fear, mixed with a generous helping of guilt, slowed Ilanna's reaction. Even as she tried to raise her dagger, she knew it would be too late.
Captain Rodar's sword hacked the Fox's legs out from beneath him. Another vicious chop buried the blade in the thief's head. Ilanna winced as blood splattered, staining her dark Hawk robes. The Fox fell on his back, staring up at her as life fled his eyes.
Ilanna turned away. The burden of her actions grew heavier with every Guild death. She had saved more than a few Scorpions, Serpents, Grubbers, and even a few Foxes and Hounds. House Bloodbear seemed determined to fight to the death. None had surrendered; only those bludgeoned to senselessness had been taken captive. For the first time since the attack on the Night Guild, she felt relief that so few Hawks had survived. She couldn't stand to see her comrades killed.
She knelt and retrieved the fallen Arbitor's sword. Captain Rodar glared at her, but he had no time to protest. A fresh wave of Bloodbears slammed against the remaining shield wall. The Praamian Guards held fast, chopping and stabbing with their short blades, but even Ilanna's inexperienced eye could see they were a heartbeat from buckling.
"We have to fall back, Captain!" she shouted.
"No!" Captain Rodar snarled and hacked down another Voramian. "We hold our ground. Reinforcements will—"
"You won't live long enough to be reinforced!" Ilanna deflected a Hound dagger and sent her own hurtling back. The left-handed throw bounced off the Journeyman's forehead, staggering him but not bringing him down. In that instant, a Praamian Guard buried his spear in the Hound's gut. The man—she recognized him as Journeyman Idrian—fell screaming.
"She ain't wrong, Captain!" one of the Arbitors shouted over the din of battle. "Without Wardell and Tarlen, we can't hold much longer."
Captain Rodar gritted his teeth. After a moment of hesitation, he shouted. "Back!"
To their credit, the Praamian Guard didn't break their line. They took one smooth step back, over the bodies of their fallen comrades, but the wall of shields remained intact. The Bloody Hand and Bloodbears stumbled forward, then leapt back to evade the follow-up thrust of spears and swords they'd learned to fear. They tensed for a charge, but the Praamian Guards kept retreating, one slow step at a time, their wary eyes never leaving their foes.
Shouts of triumph and mocking jeers followed them through the tunnels. Captain Rodar's face tightened with every step. "Swordsman take it!" He growled in his throat.
"Better to step back than die where you stand, Captain," Ilanna said.
"Spoken like a thief," Captain Rodar spat.
Ilanna didn't rise to the insult. She welcomed the respite from killing her comrades. She could chop down Bloodbears and the Keeper-accursed Bloody Hand all day long, but every Fox, Hound, and Grubber death drove another spike into her chest. The burden of guilt grew every time another Praamian fell.
The sound of booted feet echoed through the tunnels. It came from behind them.
"Rear attack!"
Ice flooded Ilanna's veins as she whirled and raised her sword to defend herself. The short blade weighed more than her rapier, the balance completely wrong. But she had no time to find another weapon. She could only pray she remembered Errik's lessons.
Instinct screamed at her to stop. "Wait!" She leapt between the onrushing foes and Captain Rodar's men.
Captain Rodar raised his sword, but Ilanna spread her arms wide. "These are our allies."
Ten Journeymen—eight men and two women—wearing the green-trimmed robes of House Serpent fixed her with venomous, hate-filled glares.
"What have you done, Ilanna?" the foremost, a Journeyman she recognized as Verum, demanded. "Bringing the Watcher-damned Praa
mian Guard and Arbitors? When Errik told us what you said—"
"What would you have done, Verum?" She met his furious glare with icy resolve. She wouldn’t let them see how she truly felt. They needed to believe that she believed she was doing the right thing. "I couldn't very well drive the Bloody Hand out by myself. Not with the Bloodbears, Hounds, and Foxes working with them."
"Not all," Verum corrected. "Half the Foxes have barricaded themselves in the Den, refusing to fight. The Bloodbears have been beating at the doors for over an hour. Were they not so distracted here…"
"And the Grubbers?" she asked.
"Spineless as expected." Verum shook his head. "Fighting when they must, surrendering when they can, hiding in their holes to avoid the fight."
Ilanna nodded. Better than I could hope. Without the Foxes and Grubbers, the Bloody Hand and their allies in House Hound and Bloodbear numbered only a few dozen more than the combined Arbitors and Praamian Guards. Given how many had fallen in the last hours, her hopes of cleansing the Guild could still be realized.
She glanced over Verum's shoulder. "Is this all of you?"
The Serpent winced. "A few more holding House Hawk and House Scorpion."
Captain Rodar shouldered her aside. "Throw down your weapons and surrender to the King's justice."
"Not gonna happen." Verum tightened his grip on his twin swords and studied the Duke's men. "Eighteen of you and ten of us. I'd take those odds any day. More so, given you've an army of Bloodbears and Bloody Hand not twenty paces down that tunnel."
Captain Rodar's face paled a shade, but he stepped forward.
"They're on our side, Captain." Ilanna slithered around the bulky Arbitor to stand between him and the Serpents.
"They're thieves," Captain Rodar sneered, "just like you. Not a chance I'll accept any of you are on our side."
"We’re assassins, actually." Verum bared his teeth in a vicious grin.
Ilanna shot a glare at Verum before turning back to Captain Rodar. "They want the Bloody Hand out of these tunnels as much as you do. For now, that means we're working toward a common goal." Captain Rodar opened his mouth to retort, but she cut him off. "Try to arrest them and I guarantee they'll cut you down where you stand. You might take a few with you, but there's no way your wounded, tired men can defeat ten Serpents."
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