Julianne rubbed her head, watching the ever-moving coin glitter in the firelight. "I'm sure you had a point in there somewhere, Danil, but if you did I missed it."
Danil sighed. "If you saw a woman standing on the side of the road with no home and no money and no help and she had a horrible disease, you would feel compelled to help her, right?"
"Yes," Julianne said dubiously, wondering where his train of thought was leading.
"You’d give her some money, find her a doctor, and make sure she found a place to stay." Danil flipped the coin at Julianne and she caught it. "But that doesn't make it your job to heal every illness that ever existed, does it? Or to spend the rest of your life going from city to city to make sure every single person has a home?"
Julianne's brows knitted together as she contemplated his words, but after a minute she slowly nodded. "It's my job to defeat the monsters in front of me and to try my best to save the people that I can...and as long as I'm doing my best to save them, I'm fulfilling my duty. Is that what you're saying?"
Danil grinned happily. "And may I say that you're doing a damn fine job of it?"
Still dissatisfied with her inability to rid the world of remnant, Julianne slumped. Danil leaned closer and slipped an arm around her shoulders. "Cheer up, Jules. I know it's hard, but you need to remember… There are so many people alive today because of you; so many people safe and happy back in Tahn and Muir. Not to mention the people you helped back in Arcadia."
Polly sauntered over and sat down on Julianne's other side. "What's got you down?" she asked gently.
"She's pissed that bad stuff happens and sad that she can't stop it all," Danil explained.
"Then let's change that. Tomorrow we’ll march out and punch the bad stuff in the face. Really fuck it up, maybe knock a few teeth out. Yeah?" Polly slipped her arm through Julianne’s and beamed a smile at the mystic. "I mean, look at all the bad guys we’ve kicked in the teeth just in the last couple of months. I'm sure we can handle a few more!"
That brought a smile to Julianne's lips. "You're damn right."
By morning Julianne's spirits had lifted. The sun dawned bright and clear, and despite the flies that had come with summer’s warmth, she rolled out of bed feeling a sliver of hope.
Danil's words had helped, and so had Polly's. Maybe she couldn’t save everyone—but she would damn well try, and she wouldn't go down without one hell of a fight. Not only that, she had her friends beside her every step of the way.
The camp was already beginning to mobilize. Everyone was on their feet, shoving blankets into bags, chewing on old bread, or milling about the edges of the group. All were eager to get moving on the last day of their journey toward Anrock and safety.
Julianne pulled the map out, wincing at the smudges and creases that covered it. "Now that we're back on the main road, we should be able to reach Anrock in half a day."
“Anrock?" a voice behind her asked. Julianne turned to see Tilda, a woman from Kells, behind her. “You're not taking us there, are you?"
"Yes," Julianne said carefully. "Is there a reason we shouldn't?"
Tilda snorted. "You can take us there, but they won't let us in. Everyone knows Anrock is closed to outsiders."
Julianne narrowed her eyes. Her opinion of the town's leader was already low, thanks to rumors she had heard back in Tahn. "You mean they wouldn't even let in refugees?" she asked in an edgy voice.
"Not a chance." Tilda laughed. “That bastard Coates wouldn't even let his own mother in if she was stupid enough to set foot outside the town walls.”
“What?” Julianne asked in shock. “Why?”
“Bastard takes it as a personal affront if anyone leaves, no matter that they've got no food or supplies and no room left behind those tall stone walls." Tilda shrugged. "Well, they might have a little more room now. Last I heard, a bunch of people left to start a settlement of their own. Haven't heard back from them, though."
Julianne wondered if the group she referred to was Patrick's or if more people had tried to leave. Shaking off the stray thought, Julianne set her shoulders. "We’re going to Anrock and we will be welcomed there if it's the last thing I do."
The exhausted group made it to Anrock unscathed under the dusky tones of twilight, and Julianne pushed them on until they were directly under its heavily-fortified walls.
Julianne approached the barricaded gates and looked for a brass ring or pull rope to signal their arrival, but found nothing. Frowning, she wondered if this was a deliberate tactic. She rapped loudly on the thick oaken doors.
Nobody answered. Julianne knocked again, though she knew they had been heard; her magic wasn’t fooled. The two men on the other side of the gate were doing their best to pretend they hadn't noticed her brisk knock.
Julianne could tell their reluctance was born of fear rather than an aversion to helping innocent people who might be caught outside unprotected. The men quivered, logic saying remnant didn’t knock but paranoia insisting it was a subterfuge to let the monsters in to ravage the town.
“Hello? My name is Julianne. Please open the door.”
Biting her lip, Julianne considered whether a mental nudge would be required. Despite her earlier refusal to use magic, she understood that in this case she might be well justified in tweaking some emotions to keep the terrified people of Kells out of harm’s way.
Danil remarked quietly from beside her, "You know, they've cleared a significant area around the town. If we camp here overnight we should be safe. As long as we've got someone on guard, we’ll see anything coming with plenty of time to react."
“Danil, what the hell kind of remnant would introduce themselves by name and use manners to request entry?" she asked, still distracted by the mental gymnastics of the men who barred their entry to Anrock.
They were picturing a horde at the gates, one with the intelligence to use such tricks to gain entry to the fortified stronghold.
“Everything sounds scarier in the dark,” Danil reminded her. “We know we can force our way in if we need to, but why push it?”
Julianne eyed the sky, which was speckled with stars from one horizon to the other. There wasn't a single cloud in sight, and Danil was right—the city walls were in the middle of the clearing. It would be enough to give them a degree of safety. Julianne's eyes glowed again and she quickly touched on the minds of the men inside to confirm that they would be on guard until morning. They also lacked any mental barriers that might prevent her from forcing them to open the gates in an emergency.
Julianne turned to the sea of crestfallen faces that had followed her from their tiny, unprotected town.
"It seems Anrock is closed for the night," Julianne said calmly. "We will be safe outside until dawn.”
"What if they don't let us in in the morning?" Jackson asked. "Will we have to turn around and go back?"
"The leader of this city has a responsibility to provide refuge if at all possible." Julianne placed her hands on her hips, her expression growing dark. "Bitch help him if he decides to shirk that responsibility."
Her emotional words seemed to instill hope in those around her. Anxiety faded as one by one her audience turned away to begin the task of setting up camp for the night.
"So," Marcus began as he sauntered over. "How are those ethics of yours going?"
Julianne scowled. "Are you questioning my judgment?"
Marcus shook his head. "I think you're doing the right thing. I always do. And I know you're prepared to follow through with that threat. I just hope you're prepared to deal with the fallout."
"What fallout?" Julianne asked, a seed of doubt sprouting.
Marcus’s gaze softened. "Most of the time, the thing you have to do is the thing you want to do. When the thing you have to do is something you’re trying to avoid... Well, I know how much that eats you up."
Julianne sighed and dropped her shoulders. "You're right. I'd really like to get out of this without having to warp anybody's mind or having to force pe
ople to do the right thing, but in this case I don't think that's going to happen."
"What did ye see when yer eyes were glowin’?" Garrett asked. "Are they plannin’ ta feed us ta the wolves?"
"No, that's just it." Julianne glanced around to make sure no one else was close enough to overhear. "The men at the gates wanted to open it. Or at least, a part of them did, but their minds were so clouded with fear they couldn’t see reason.”
“Whaddaya mean?” Garret asked.
“They heard me knocking,” Julianne explained, “but they were terrified. Of remnant, of Skrima; even of their leader. Even though the logical part of their minds was screaming that it was fine, that we were just people, they couldn’t get past that fear.”
“So they left us to die,” Marcus spat, resting his hands on his hips as his mouth twisted with disgust. “Knowing we’re out here as remnant bait.”
Julianne shook her head. “Their minds are so torn up it’s created cognitive dissonance. They’re scared of what we might be, and equally scared of what might happen to us if they let us in. They actually managed to convince themselves that the sound of my fist bashing on their gate was just the wind."
"That’s some pretty serious self-delusion," Danil commented. "Do you think this Coates guy has been scaring them with false stories? Has he made threats about people coming inside?"
Julianne shrugged. "The guards weren’t really thinking of specifics, and I didn't want to push. Not just yet, anyway. If morning comes and they still won't let us in, we will find out more."
"I'll take first watch," Garrett said. "Polly can take the second, and Marcus the third. That way ye and yer glowy-eyed bastard of a friend can get a good night’s sleep. I think yer goin’ ta need it." Garrett gave a nod to indicate his decision was final and stomped off to tell Polly the good news.
"Glowy-eyed bastard?" Danil said, a grin pulling at the corners of his lips. "That's the nicest thing he’s said to me all week!"
"I do believe you're right," Julianne said. "But if you're willing to forego some of that beauty sleep that was just offered, how about we go do some reconnaissance?"
A grin lit Danil's face. "I'm always down for some subterfuge. Just point me in the right direction."
Julianne sent Marcus a flurry of thoughts, explaining that she and Danil were going to go for a short walk. She didn't want the others to notice her absence. Pulling Danil away from the crowded camp, Julianne led the way around Anrock’s walls, one hand trailing on the smooth stone that separated the city from the rest of the world.
They walked together in silence, breathing quietly, then slowed, eyes flaring like bright stars in the deepening night. Julianne felt Danil’s magic beside hers as they each sent a tendril of magic into the town to reach nearby minds and scan them for information.
Coates is dead? Danil sent to Julianne, startled.
She nodded, having confirmed the information from a second person. This wife of his, the one that has taken his place as the town leader… Julianne's thoughts trailed off as she touched the next mind and resumed once she had released it after finding nothing new. There's something odd about this situation, Danil. I think we did the right thing by waiting until morning. I don't want to go in there blind.
I don't exactly get a choice there, Jules, Danil sent, tone light if a little snarky.
Julianne rolled her eyes. You know what I mean. I want to be as prepared as possible before meeting this woman.
I can sense their fear, Danil commented. But that’s not unusual, given what’s gone on in this neck of the woods lately. What’s bothering you?
That's exactly it, Julianne said sent. Danil, I just read half a dozen minds and they’re all just scared. There’s no anger, no grief…just gut-twisting anxiety, vague fears of the remnant, yes, and the Skrima—but also of the dark. They’re afraid—they’re all afraid—of being alone and of…
Bees? Danil’s eyes met Julianne’s, confusion etched on his features even in the moonlight. Why would everyone be afraid of bees? I don’t see an event that caused this...
Narrowing his eyes, Danil reached out to another person. The mind he brushed was that of a young woman, and he felt the rush of flavor as soup touched her tongue.
Tammy sat at the table with her husband, gently sipping the soup she had just prepared. The bland taste barely registered in the woman’s mind as her heart raced with unsettling discomfort.
Tammy briefly wondered if she were about to have a heart attack, then considered that might be for the best. It wasn’t like she was happy, and she guessed that dying that way would be infinitely better than being torn to shreds by one of those monsters outside. Her heart thumped even harder at that thought.
Yes, perhaps it would be easier this way, she thought idly as she took another mouthful of soup, swallowing hard to force it past the lump in her throat.
Danil carefully withdrew, slipping into the head of Tammy’s husband.
Gordon absently noted that his wife was wearing the same dress she had worn yesterday, and her face was still marked by a smudge from when she had cleaned the fireplace earlier that morning.
It’s shaped like a bird, Gordon thought, the idea quickly consuming his mind. Perhaps it’s a sign…a sign of the end. We’re doomed. The remnant, the monsters, the bees… We’re cursed, just like Catherine told us.
Danil teased that tiny thread of information, delicately pulling it out to examine it.
Catherine, the young, frightened girl who stood next to Coates on his wedding day, looked more like a terrified child than a beautiful bride. Strangely, her anxiety was mirrored by a pit of worry in Gordon’s gut. Later the same girl, pale and drawn at her husband’s funeral, shivered into her thick furs as Gordon watched with the other townspeople, whispering about curses and warnings of doom.
Gordon shifted uncomfortably in his chair and put down his spoon, appetite suddenly gone.
Dammit, Danil thought. I wasn't careful enough.
He let the vague thought float back into Gordon’s subconscious.
Something—or someone—is fucking with this guy's feelings, Danil said to Julianne.
She nodded grimly. Not just him. It's like the whole town is suffocating under a blanket of terror. On the surface the city looks peaceful and well run, but living like this? Danil, this isn’t living.
Do we think Catherine is behind this? Danil asked carefully.
Julianne hesitated and bit her lip. As much as she wanted to blame the strange woman who seemed to have taken over the town, there wasn't enough evidence yet—and Julianne was aware that she was biased. The memories of Donna's role in Rogan's cult were still fresh in her memory, as raw as the day Julianne had killed her.
"Let's go back," Julianne said quietly. "Polly will be missing you, and if our new friends notice we have been gone for any length of time they may start to worry."
Danil nodded pensively and turned on his heel to walk back.
They had only been gone for ten minutes, but in that time the campsite had been organized. Polly strode over holding a stack of blankets and bedrolls, smoke slowly winding into the air behind her as two men leaned over a small firepit.
"Did you find anything?" Polly asked quietly. She darted a glance over her shoulder to make sure no one had followed her.
"When morning comes I'll go in alone," Julianne told them.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Danil exclaimed. "Alone? You admitted you don't know what you're up against!"
Julianne shrugged. "If I can't take care of this alone, you're better off losing only me. I don't want these people left unprotected. I don't think smuggling them into a hostile city and leaving them to fend for themselves while I hunt down Catherine is going to do anyone any favors."
"Let Danil and me go," Polly said. She glanced from one mystic to the other, completely ignorant of the threat that lay inside but willing to go up against it regardless. "From what little you've said it sounds like some mindfuckery will be needed in there. Danil c
an take care of that while I act as his eyes—and his blade."
“You know I love it when you talk tough,” Danil said, leaning toward her for a kiss. Polly rolled her eyes and stepped back, causing him to stumble and almost fall on the dirt.
"That might not be such a bad idea," Julianne mused. "But what if you fall under some kind of mystic spell? Danil won't be able to fight our enemy and keep you safe too."
Polly shrugged. "We both know that sometimes sacrifices have to be made. I have no doubt that Danil would make the right decision."
Danil paled. "I'm glad you're confident. Because I can't see myself leaving you in danger while I save the world."
"She’s right," Julianne said. “I've known you long enough to know you’ll do the right thing.”
Danil didn’t look convinced but he didn’t argue.
“Right,” Julianne said. “It’s settled then. At dawn, you two make your way into the city. Stay in contact the whole time." Julianne jangled her bracelet to remind him that distance no longer created a barrier to their communication.
"I suppose if this goes well Polly will get all the credit, and if we fuck up it'll be my fault." Danil heaved a sigh.
Polly clapped him on the shoulder. "You're learning! I knew my lessons were starting to sink in."
Danil couldn't smother the chuckle that bubbled out. "You're such a smartass."
"You two go and get some sleep. You'll need to be alert and ready for action tomorrow," Julianne said.
Polly and Danil nodded and made their way to the meager supply of rations. Julianne watched as Danil quickly counted the small parcels that were left, mostly loaves of bread and strips of dried meat carefully packaged in oiled cloth. She pursed her lips when both turned without taking anything for themselves.
She would have done the same. There had been so little food left in Kells when they had arrived that they hadn't been able to adequately supply for the journey.
Using a thin sliver of mental magic to quell the grumbling of her stomach, Julianne wandered off to find Marcus. She intended to crawl into her bedroll once she had informed him of their plan and sleep until dawn. She had no doubt there would be no rest after that until this spell suffocating Anrock had been lifted and everyone was safe inside the fortified walls.
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