The sun was hanging somewhere over the west; at this hour, it scorched the forests of the Southern Province and the villages lying on the far bank of the Ilvion, while dusk was already settling over the Eastern Province, and light barely filtered through the web of clouds. When Rita woke them, lunch was already cooking over a small campfire, and the smell of millet porridge drifted over the pond.

  There was silence, broken only by distant rumbles of thunder from the north.

  "Storm’s coming," muttered Woody. He couldn’t eat a bite, sat hunched over, glancing sideways at the others.

  "That works in our favor," Kairu said grimly. "Everyone ready? Everyone remember the plan?"

  "Seems like it." Yuf scratched his head. "You’ve gone over it with us at almost every stop — hard to forget. I, for one, already feel sorry for the guard I’m supposed to knock out. And if necessary — silently knife. Can you believe that?"

  "Never felt worse in my life," Viggo expressed what everyone felt, and Kairu silently agreed.

  "You, by the way, have the easiest job," Rita pointed out.

  "Yeah. And the dirtiest. Want to trade?"

  "No one’s trading with anyone," Kairu growled. "We all approved the plan unanimously and we’re going through with it. And remember what to do if something suddenly prevents us from carrying it out?"

  "Try to get away as fast as possible," Norton drawled. "Though something tells me that even if we wanted to, the Citadel’s garrison wouldn’t let us…"

  "There’s no room for a large garrison, it’s just a solitary castle," said Atgard. "So let’s hope for the best."

  "And besides, we already pulled off something similar once," Joanna remarked. "We broke into Garamant’s mansion. This isn’t all that different."

  "Exactly," said Kairu, glancing at the sun. "Alright, let’s go. Time to try. We didn’t come here for nothing."

  Wrapped in his cloak, he was the first to head deeper into the southern thicket. The rest followed, putting out the fire, leaving most of their things and the Hellsteeds near the cave. They took only their weapons.

  Their feet sank into the soft, thick moss. Kairu was sweating quickly, the heat was stifling. Everything was covered in webs, and behind the trees, broad swampy clearings appeared, shrouded in drifting fog — to the north, Saelin’s tower was surrounded by marshes. The fortress walls loomed closer; their shadow hung over the forest like a threat.

  "He has detectors, though," Viggo remembered. "Atgard, are you still sure he won’t detect us with his magical surveillance?"

  "I told you already, his detectors are placed along the roads. Stretching an alarm network through the entire jungle isn’t possible. Still — stay alert, for Aktos’ sake!"

  The sun dipped and melted behind the forest. Twilight deepened, and darkness caught up with them near the castle gates. They reached the forest edge directly across from the road entrance and crouched in the thickets, from where they could see a broad, flat clearing in front of the black stone fortress wall, massive wooden doors, corner towers, and two tall buildings behind the wall. The arrow slits and embrasures were silent, only one light burned in a tower in the inner courtyard, but it felt as though watchful eyes lurked behind every one of those black windows, studying the outer grounds…

  "Some place," muttered an awed Viggo. "Old man Saelin really dug in here."

  "That’s for sure," Atgard nodded. "When I was here, the wall wasn’t even finished yet. At first, there was only the central building, where he lived and worked. But the wall won’t be much of an obstacle if Rita and Kairu do their part right. For now, all we can do is wait. If I remember right, goblin patrols head out around this time."

  ***

  And they began to wait.

  Minutes dragged on endlessly. The darkness seemed to mock them, every rustling bush felt like it would betray their position. Very soon, Kairu, whose throat had gone dry from fear, was almost sure the entire Citadel already knew about them. A sense of dread and unease consumed him; he felt like he was sitting on needles, and the sensation made him nauseous.

  Storm clouds gathered over Tepei-Kuon, ready to release days of tropical rain. Thunder rolled much closer now, just beyond the forest. A regiment of arachnids marched past the castle, then a small squad of spearmen in black armor… No patrols appeared.

  Lightning tore across the leaden sky, gray streaks sizzling as they hit the ground, and the plopping of raindrops turned into a continuous rustle. The giant fern leaves flapped, bending their stalks to the ground. Thunder boomed… Even the branches of the wide trees sheltering the travelers offered little protection from the rain, and all they could do was pull up their hoods and endure.

  The black shroud of the southern night descended on the castle, and in the rare flashes of lightning, it looked like a corpse. Not a single light was in the windows, as if life had long since abandoned this place, except for a single flickering flame in a tiny window at the top of the tower. Atgard rose, crossed himself widely, and drew his claymore. Kairu’s heart skipped a beat. He drew Alaskrit, gripping the damp hilt with a sweaty hand. Viggo pulled out his axe, and with Rita, stood up, ready.

  The rustle of the rain was suddenly broken by the deafening creak of opening gates. Kairu flinched, went cold, and gripped his sword tighter. Beyond the gates was total darkness, from which emerged a squad of swordsmen with visored helmets, stepping through the rain.

  "Not goblins," Atgard observed quietly. "All the better. Let’s wait until they’re closer… I think it’s time. Split up."

  Kairu rose and darted to the left, staying low and hiding behind a tree. From his cover, he could see the lanterns glinting in the hands of the patrol soldiers as they crossed the road, and how Atgard, Viggo, Rita, and Woody spread out and took their positions. He held his breath. It was quiet, apart from the crashing thunder above and the whisper of the rain…

  Kairu knew it had begun when sudden hoarse shouts rang out, and swords clashed in the bushes. It was over in seconds: Atgard, Viggo, Rita, and Woody were surrounded in a tight ring, sword tips nearly touching their faces. Voices were heard. Kairu clenched his teeth as he saw one soldier suddenly strike Woody to the ground, and in the same moment, the captives were forced to clasp their hands behind their heads. One of the soldiers angrily explained something to another, gesturing toward the forest; the other listened, gave him a few quiet words, and barked orders to the rest. The prisoners were pushed forward. Some of the guards led them through the thickets toward the castle, while about ten others slowly began moving through the forest, scanning the surroundings.

  Kairu crouched down, feeling his heart pounding wildly. A short, choking scream rang out; a soldier ran past him, yelling something and waving his rifle. At that moment, Kairu sprang from his hiding place and rushed to intercept the marksman. The man didn’t even have time to raise his rifle — Kairu lunged, and his razor-sharp sword pierced straight into the patrolman’s stomach. The man let out a brief groan and collapsed to his knees. Kairu stopped, breathing heavily.

  All doubt vanished.

  Kairu dropped his sword, hurriedly crouched, stripped the armor from his victim, and pulled on the cuirass and helmet. He looked around. Ten feet away, Yuf had already dispatched two enemies and was undressing one of them. Joanna and Norton were ready, and the remaining patrol had vanished deep into the forest — Remiz was keeping them occupied.

  Kairu sheathed Alaskrit, grabbed the rifle, and ran out of the bushes toward the closing gates. The entire battle had lasted only a moment. He was sure the gates were well guarded, and the last thing he wanted was to stand exposed in the open courtyard to find out if his disguise would hold. As he crossed those dreadful fifty feet where anyone could spot him, it became clear: the first part of the plan had gone more than successfully. He had made it inside.

  From here he could see the inner courtyard, a grim tower in the center, several outbuildings with dark windows, but he wasn’t interested in them. Just a few steps away stood the guardhouse, with a sentry motioning for him to come over. The prisoner convoy was already in the middle of the courtyard.

  "Why are you late?" the sentry barked. "And where’s the captain, what’s taking them so long?"

  "I’ll explain," Kairu muttered, walking closer. He glanced back — the gates had already shut, and the prisoners had moved so far away that they couldn’t hear anything over the roar of the rain. Then he made his move: he approached the impatiently waiting bearded Nocturn, quickly raised the musket, and pulled the trigger.

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  The shot thundered. The bearded man slammed against the guardhouse wall and slid down it, arms sprawled awkwardly, a gaping bullet hole in his forehead. Kairu burst into the guardhouse; a sleepy guard sprang up to face him, but Kairu had already tossed aside the musket and drawn his sword. Blood splattered across the floor, and the guard slumped back into his chair, dead before he could scream. Kairu was already racing forward, under a stone arch and up the spiral staircase inside the fortress wall.

  Slamming the door behind him, he bolted up, turned left at the first corridor toward the gate. Two guards by the embrasures whipped out their swords and charged him. He only smirked, whirling Alaskrit in fury, letting his rage loose, as he rushed between them, slashing one under the ribs mid-leap, spun with lightning speed and locked blades with the second. The second was strong, so Kairu didn’t bother testing his own strength, instead he just kicked the guard in the stomach, hurling him back against the embrasure. The man hit the stone and slid down, dropping his sword. The first one was still howling, high-pitched and shrill, his screams barely muffled by thunder, so Kairu rushed over and finished him off with a thrust to the chest. The whole deadly dance lasted only seconds, and he killed both guards quickly, coldly, with practiced cynicism.

  Kairu dashed to the entrance of the tower above the gate, climbed the stairs to the next floor, stopped by the gate mechanism, and looked out the window. All he could see was the forest behind a veil of rain.

  ***

  Viggo smirked, ducking his head and watching the guards from the corner of his eye. They were being pushed with swords toward the center of the courtyard. At the Citadel doors, a man in a black cloak and hood stopped them, asking the soldiers a brief question. The convoy halted. Looking past the broad shoulders of the guards, Rita saw the patrol leader and the hooded man arguing animatedly. She turned her head and spotted another building nearby, an annex to the Citadel, its door slightly ajar.

  "Now," she whispered, giving Viggo a light shove.

  He spun sharply, yanked a sword from one of the escorts, slashed him diagonally from shoulder to hip, stabbed another soldier, and bolted toward the wall. The guards shouted, rifles were raised, and gunshots rang out. Three men caught up to Viggo, pressed him against the wall with blades threatening to skewer him, then threw him face-first into the grass and tied his hands behind his back.

  In the chaos, no one noticed the number of prisoners had decreased.

  Rita closed the door behind her and ran up the spiral staircase. The tower was empty, the walls dimly lit by flickering torches. In their haste, the patrol hadn’t searched them, and her bow was safely hidden under the wet shirt clinging to her skin. She took the single arrow from her tall boot, its shaft wrapped in alcohol-soaked wadding, lit it from a torch, ran to the highest embrasure, drew the string with all her might, and fired into the sky.

  A fiery flare shot upward, pierced the clouds, and vanished beyond the fortress wall. The signal was seen. In the gate tower, Kairu exhaled deeply, grabbed the lever, strained to turn it, and immediately heard the groaning of the chain deep within the wall as the castle gates began to open.

  ***

  Darkness surrounded them. Viggo felt himself pushed into a dungeon. With his hands bound, he lost balance, hit the wall, and slid down, cursing furiously. Torches flared, casting flickering light across the prison walls. A guard sneered as he shut the door behind them and rasped, leaning on the bars:

  "The Master is asleep, best not disturb him… You’re lucky, bastards. Count the minutes till dawn. And hope the Master is in a good mood. He usually enjoys watching his executioner interrogate prisoners who dared approach the Castle too closely. Whoever sent you won’t be happy about losing their scouts."

  "Your Master won’t be happy about the fire in his lab either," Viggo growled, spitting out straw as he struggled to rise. The jailers had stripped them of armor and most of their clothes, searching them thoroughly. "Woody, come on, how long do we have to wait?!"

  "Now," Woody replied, crawling toward him with his back turned. "Do it!" Atgard reached behind him and began untying the rope binding Woody’s wrists. They’d practiced this trick many times at camps, and Atgard could undo any knot blindfolded… This time it took about five minutes, after which the thief jumped up, rubbed his wrists, and hurriedly helped free Atgard and Viggo.

  "Let’s go," Atgard muttered, nervously licking his lips and rubbing his rope-burned hands. "Kairu’s probably opened the gates for Norton, Remiz, and Joanna… We need to hurry."

  Woody grinned, tore open his shirt lining, and pulled out a small iron pick. He slid it into the lock, turned it, and opened the door with ease.

  "Piece of cake," he said, cautiously peeking into the prison corridor. "Saelin should’ve changed the locks… But I guess it never occurred to him someone might come down here with a pick on purpose..."

  "This is for later," Viggo added vengefully, snatching a torch from the wall and hurling it into the cell. The straw burst into flames instantly. Viggo grabbed another torch and threw it into the next cell, as red flames already danced along the walls of the first. The fire lit up the prison wing in the Citadel’s rear courtyard.

  "Move!" Atgard shouted, racing for the exit, tossing torches into cells as he went. Straw blazed, a dozen cells were already aflame, fire licking through bars, climbing walls and ceilings… The dungeon pulsed with deadly, scorching heat, the flames blinding, smoke choking their lungs. Atgard, the last to exit, staggered on the stairs, coughing, covering his face with his hands.

  They encountered only one jailer who had run to check the noise in the dungeons and the smell of burning. He only had time to let out a short, hoarse shout before Viggo struck him hard in the face and threw the stunned man to the ground. Atgard grabbed his sword and, getting to his feet, saw chaos erupting in the courtyard: bells were ringing in the corner watchtowers, Saelin’s servants and castle guards were running through the inner yard. In the center of it all, wagons and a small wooden house, formerly used by the guards, were ablaze, doused with flammable liquid from bottles gifted to the travelers by Ashley. Joanna was clearly seen galloping on the Hellsteed, furiously swinging her sword; Remiz was already fighting guards on the tower steps, Yuf and Kairu were pushing toward him, and Rita was shooting at the guards from an upper loophole in one of the wings. Atgard didn’t waste time, he rushed toward the Castle, and the others followed. The first part of the plan was nearing completion; now, they only needed to get into the laboratory.

  ***

  Everything that could burn was ablaze. Kairu and Yuf spared nothing as they forced their way through the flaming inner courtyard toward the massive doors of the Citadel. Sparks danced in the air, and everyone, defenders and attackers alike, choked on the smoke. Rita ran out of the tower and took cover around a corner. Yuf threw her a quiver of arrows, which she slung over her shoulder and began accurately shooting the approaching soldiers. Kairu, swirling into one of the guards, fought with the fury of a true berserker, and within seconds, the path to the tower was strewn with corpses.

  "The door is locked!" shouted Norton, desperately tugging at the handles. "We need to find another way!"

  "Wait here!" Kairu shouted and dashed toward one of the annexes; Joanna, riding with a bloodied blade in hand, sped past him. She raced across the yard, approached a wing of the building, rose in the stirrups, and smashed a window with her sword. She called out, glancing back:

  "Follow me, Kairu!"

  Kairu didn’t hesitate. He ran to the Hellsteed just as she climbed from the horse to the windowsill and pulled herself inside. Using the stirrups, he climbed onto the horse’s back, jumped just as the steed neighed and bolted away, and grabbed hold of the windowsill.

  "Joanna!.."

  She helped pull him inside, and they both collapsed, exhausted, into a small room with a door leading deeper into the building. The windowsill Kairu had just climbed through had bullet holes in several places. Outside, a true inferno unfolded, guns thundered, explosions boomed, and burning wagons crackled...

  For several seconds, they lay on the floor, gasping for breath. Then Joanna purred softly, freeing her hands:

  "Kairu, if we had even a little more time, I swear I’d rather stay in this position… but right now we don’t. We need to move. How do you feel about that?"

  "Let’s go," he replied hoarsely, abruptly letting go of her and getting to his feet. He dusted himself off, looked out the window, and froze: at the steps gathered Rita, Norton, Woody, Viggo, Atgard, and Yuf — and dozens of soldiers were running toward them with raised rifles; in the back of the courtyard, two arachnids appeared with riders on their shoulders. Joanna tugged his arm:

  "Run! We need to open the doors before the spiders reach them!"

  "I hope you know what you’re doing!" he shouted, following her.

  "I’ll explain later," she shouted back. "For now, just trust me and help!"

  They ran into the next room — a barracks. Along the walls stood neatly made two-tier bunks, with a chest beside each holding the soldiers’ simple belongings. The next door led to a narrow corridor. On the right, they passed a staircase going down to the basement, and they rushed forward, tossing torches onto the floor as they went. The carpets caught fire, then the floor, and soon flames engulfed most of the hallway, but Kairu and Joanna were already further ahead. They burst through a large room where swords, daggers, hunting machetes, new-model muskets, and boxes of ammunition were neatly laid out on a massive round table in the center. Weapon schematics hung on the walls, and nearby lockers were crammed with documents. Kairu only glanced at them: following Joanna’s lead, he grabbed one of the muskets, loaded it quickly, and dashed after her.

  Turning a corner, they burst out of a door hidden beneath a spiral staircase in a vast hall with dark red walls — the very entrance to Saelin’s domain. Shouts and crashing noises came from beyond the doors. Joanna pointed at the bolts and shouted:

  "Go faster and open the doors for them! I’ll try to get to the laboratory!"

  Kairu dashed across the hall to the doors, looking around in amazement. He lifted the bolt and threw the doors open — just in time: his friends were barely holding the last step before the tower entrance, with about a dozen bodies lying at their feet. They stumbled inside, and Kairu didn’t even have time to shut the doors before the Citadel guards burst in behind them, and the hall filled with the clash of steel.

  Without looking back, Rita rushed up one of the spiral staircases to a balcony that ran around the hall under the ceiling, and from there she opened fire, loosing arrows downward with incredible speed. Kairu glanced around, trying to spot Joanna, but she had vanished. The massive laboratory doors were tightly sealed from the inside.

  "We’ll hold them here!" shouted Atgard, taking a combat stance. Remiz, Viggo, and Norton stood beside him. "Kairu, find the laboratory!"

  Besides the outer doors, Kairu noticed only one open passage: beneath the other staircase, across from the corridor he and Joanna had come from. He ran that way. Woody Miles barely managed to fool his opponent with a feint and then slashed, cutting the artery in the guard’s neck. The man howled, dropped his sword, and collapsed, choking and spurting blood. The others were still fighting off the castle guardians when Woody turned and saw Kairu disappearing down a dark corridor.

  Woody ran after him, breathing hard, his head spinning from the blood and corpses all around.