Even with their reserves neutralized, the mer-beasts did not relent. If anything, their frenzy deepened—the monsters cwed over the corpses of their fallen brethren. Was this desperation?

  The main gate held thanks to Rocher's heroic effort, but the rest of the line was starting to colpse. I grimaced.

  "Miss Seraphine, please signal a retreat."

  "Understood. Spark and ignite—Fireball!"

  For a brief moment, the walls of the castle glowed orange. The soldiers responded, slowly drawing back the lines toward the improvised barricade.

  "I'm going to head out now and back them up, Miss Cire."

  The floor creaked as Seraphine moved towards the trapdoor, but it suddenly halted. I turned my head—the tch had clicked open on its own.

  I raised an eyebrow. A helmeted head popped out of the opening.

  "Soldier? Is there something to report?"

  Frowning, I watched the soldier wordlessly hoist himself up onto the ptform. He stood there fixed, eyes darting between me and Seraphine.

  Crack. His shoulder jerked unnaturally. I realized too te that something was wrong.

  With an ear-piercing screech, he lunged. My heel caught the edge of the ptform as I pushed her out of the way.

  And then it was gone. The floor beneath me gave way as his shoulder smmed into my gut, driving the air from my lungs.

  "Cire!"

  I heard Seraphine's desperate voice fading into the distance.

  I coughed hard, sucking air through my teeth, trying to steady myself. My ribs ached. It was unclear how long I'd been out.

  By the Goddess's grace, I'd fallen through a thatched roof, which softened my nding. The undead soldier wasn't so fortunate; his neck had folded beneath him like wet parchment. His broken body still twitched, groaning as he reached for me.

  The noise made me suddenly wary. I dragged myself behind him, just out of his reach, and pressed a hand to the monster's back.

  "Please rest now." Healing Touch.

  The monster's eyes shut forever. I nearly shut mine in turn, but spped my cheeks to force myself awake.

  My head swam, and I shivered uncontrolbly. A damp, cloying sensation clung to my body.

  Grunting, I searched the sack at my waist. Ouch. My fingers cut on shards of broken gss. But with any luck...

  There it was—still intact.

  I had supplied the hero party with one healing potion each. Luckily I had had the foresight to decant them into sturdier gssware, for exactly these occasions. I bit off the cork and drained it in one gulp.

  Ugh. I had added sweetener to make it go down easier, but the aftertaste was still bitter.

  After a short while, some crity returned to me. At least the bleeding had stopped. But the lingering pain made it clear other things remained broken. Injuries were technically status ailments—they would have to wait for a proper priest.

  I sighed. It was a huge oversight on my part—of course a demon necromancer would seize on a freshly killed soldier as the perfect vessel. And with our spells bzing, we'd practically painted targets on our backs.

  No. What mattered now was to get my bearings as soon as possible. Goddess forbid I'd fallen outside the barricade. In that case, running was my only option...

  Squish. The wet sp of flesh on stone froze my thoughts mid-breath. I froze and stared into the darkness.

  A pair of jaundiced eyes peered back.

  I hastily dragged my injured body under some nondescript furniture. The groans of the undead must have drawn the mer-beast's attention. The stench of rotting fish burned my nose and eyes, and it was getting stronger.

  Thinking fast, I tore open my bag, discreetly reviewing my options. My crossbow had split clean in two. Most of my potion bottles had shattered. I still had my emergency ration: a single bundle of jerky. My fingers closed around one of the intact vials.

  I read the bel and exhaled sharply—it might as well have said 'hope'.

  The mer-beast was almost on top of me. Even in the pitch dark I could see its every horrifying feature. Glistening, scaly skin that heaved with each bored breath. Its thick, corded neck bulged with sinews, like ropes coiled around a tree trunk. Beady yellow eyes set high on its head—predatory, unblinking. Its talons clicked on the stone as it drew closer.

  With all my might, I tossed the ced jerky somepce far away from me. The mer-beast snapped its jaws at the sound of the bundle nding, turning its entire body in an instant. My heart skipped a beat.

  Please, take the bait.

  The monster eventually found my little gift. It turned it over carefully, as if trying to resist its animalistic urges, but then relented. It swallowed the jerky in one bite, lips smacking. I held my breath.

  Its eyelids fluttered, sliding sideways. It stumbled for a bit, then dropped to its knees, before finally colpsing altogether. Nothing remained but the sounds of ragged breathing—the monster's, and mine.

  I took a moment to regather myself and confirm my remaining inventory, sans the sleeping draught I had just used.

  Tip-toeing past the fallen monsters, I headed in the direction of the great hall. It was so eerily quiet. My heart was still pounding in my chest, and I was afraid that at any moment it would give me away.

  Elsewhere in the fortress, a feline figure watched the night sky.

  Evelyn's ears flicked as unease gnawed at her.

  With her excellent night vision, she could make out Rocher's distant figure, pacing back and forth along the perimeter. 'Just patrolling,' he had said, but she knew he was worried sick and needed to be by himself.

  Cire hadn't come back all night. When Rocher heard the news, his jaw had clenched—he was gearing up to conduct a one-man manhunt. It had taken every ounce of Evelyn's strength to restrain him. There were still stragglers skulking about... they couldn't afford to leave the great hall undefended.

  Seraphine was beating herself up, apologizing over and over about what she should've done different. Evelyn had to step in and offer her reassurance—what's done was done, and they needed to focus on the present. As for Cire, they had to trust in her tenacity.

  She sighed. When did she become the voice of reason? Her words sounded like they could have come from Cire...

  Evelyn felt a lump in her throat. "Come back safely, Cire. Please—"

  A soft footfall from below cut through the night.

  Evelyn's ears twitched. She dropped from her perch, bdes fshing into her hands.

  "Who goes there?"

  A battered silhouette stepped out from the shadows. The flickering torchlight caught a face she knew too well.

  "Oh. Good morning, Miss Evelyn."

  She blinked, stunned. "Cire?"

  Evelyn half-led, half-carried me into the great hall. I must've looked a sight—mud-caked, bloodied, limping. Yet she moved with such quiet care that I almost forgot the pain. She matched my uneven pace without a word, steady and warm against my side.

  The hall was crowded to bursting. The Count and his guards sat pressed among the commonfolk, nobles and servants alike huddled shoulder to shoulder. Children whimpered; their mothers tried in vain to soothe them. The Count's lips were drawn thin—not from fear, but from wounded pride.

  I chuckled. So much for sacred traditions.

  "Cire!"

  "Miss Cire! I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry!"

  Two voices cried out from the doorway—but Seraphine reached me first. She threw her arms around me, face buried in my colr. Her ear tickled against my neck.

  "Miss Seraphine—wait, I'm filthy right now..."

  She lifted her head, and I nearly ughed. My blood had smeared across her cheeks, streaking down like crimson tears. I tried to wipe it off, only to smear it worse.

  "Look. Other than needing a change of clothes and a bath, I'm perfectly fine."

  I forced a smile, downpying the limp. She sniffled, and I brushed a thumb gently across her cheek.

  "So don't worry about me, okay? All's well that ends well."

  Reluctantly, she let go.

  Then, without warning, a strong pair of arms wrapped around me from behind. Rocher's breath was warm against my hair.

  "You're te," he whispered into my scalp.

  Heat rushed to my face. "Honestly! Were you even listening? You'll get my blood all over you!"

  I scowled and thoughtlessly stomped on his boot. Pain shot up my own leg.

  "Ow—!"

  Evelyn hurried to my side, slipping under my arm to steady me.

  "Easy there," she muttered, steadying me with that faint smirk of hers. She guided me to an empty seat.

  Rocher followed, dutifully kneeling beside me. His voice was low and rough.

  "After we fell back to the barricade—it was pandemonium. The mer-beasts swarmed the walls, hitting more angles than we could cover. Evie and I held as best we could, but we lost too many good men..."

  His jaw tightened. I reached up and cupped his cheek. His calloused hand found mine.

  He exhaled, his breath trembling against my palm. "We pulled everyone back here, so we only had to defend one spot. Now, we're just trying to hold out."

  The first rays of sunlight broke through the clouds, warming my blood-streaked face. I blinked, tilting my head.

  "Hold out?" I murmured.

  The others mirrored my action, confusion flickering across their faces.

  "I think..." A small smile tugged at my lips. "We might've already won."