Chapter Thirty-six

 

The four of them entered city hall, heading for the records department. A few people shied away from Stern, watching them with worried expressions. Stern ignored them all, making his way to the office he wanted. He was glad that all government buildings were identical, regardless of the city.

 

The receptionist behind the counter jerked in fear, but calmed when she saw the badge on his chest. “How can I help you?”

 

“I’m looking to find out what properties Kelick owns, please,” Stern said as he placed a small silver on the counter. “I need it expedited.”

 

The woman blinked, then quickly scooped the coin off the counter. “Of course, sir. Give me just a moment.”

 

Cammie whispered. “A silver?”

 

“A small bribe to get the information quickly,” Stern whispered back. “If she wasn’t receptive, she’d have given me change back and told me it would take her a few hours.”

 

“Does that mean she’ll tell Bloodcoin?”

 

“Doubtful. There’s nothing in her emotionally to say she knows me.”

 

They stood there for what felt like forever to Cammie. She was starting to shift in irritation when the clerk came back with a smile.

 

“Here you are, with a map to point them out to you,” the receptionist said. “Was there anything else?”

 

“If anyone asks about us, you didn’t deal with us until tomorrow, please.”

 

The receptionist blinked. “Unless it’s the guard.”

 

“Acceptable. Good day, miss.”

 

~*~*~

 

When they made it back to the inn, Stern stopped at the waiting stealther’s table. “I have this map— it shows six properties outside of the walls. I need them all checked carefully. Get the ones you know can manage it and let us know. We’ll be upstairs.” Stern placed a large silver on the table.

 

The elf nodded as she scooped up the coin and slipped out of the building.

 

“Four mugs and a kettle, please,” Cyra said, having gone to the bar.

 

“Progress?” the innkeeper asked.

 

“A hopeful lead,” Cyra replied.

 

“Should I send for another of her type?” the innkeeper asked, nodding to where the elf had been.

 

“Might as well. It might give us another lead, just in case,” Trish said.

 

“We’ll be upstairs,” Stern said.

 

~*~*~

 

They sipped tea, and Pawly helped keep Cammie occupied. All of them still felt the anxiety of waiting for the other shoe to drop. Midday came and went, and they double-checked their gear, just to give them something to focus on. Cammie went over Vulk’s gear for him, having Trish repair a small hole in one of the arms.

 

Dinner was approaching when a knock came on the door. Trish was the closest one, so she answered it. Sarah Kalma came into the room, thanking Trish.

 

“We have the house,” Sarah said to the others. “He didn’t come alone. Janet spotted at least ten armed men, all of whom look familiar with their weapons. She got close enough to hear… an interrogation, but not close enough to confirm it to be Vulk.”

 

“We’ll make it work,” Stern said. “How many stealth-based Walkers are willing to help?”

 

“The half-dozen we’ve been using,” Sarah said.

 

Stern rubbed at his chin, then nodded. “Okay. Gather those who are willing to get bloody. We’ll want them to be waiting just out of sight. The stealthers need to sneak up and remove the guards. We’ll go for non-lethal, as we don’t know if they’re aware or not. If things go sideways, though, we go hard.”

 

Sarah nodded. “Kidnapping is a crime. I’m sure the magistrates here will understand that we were just freeing a friend.”

 

“On that note, we might want someone to tip the guard in an hour,” Trish said. “Just a ‘check on such and such place’ note drop.”

 

“Okay,” Sarah said. “When do you want to do this?”

 

“You show us the house and we move,” Stern said. “We’ll give the stealthers a half-hour head start.”

 

Sarah nodded, pulling the map out and showing him the location, an hour from the city. “No one is near the farm. We can hit and fade before the guard shows.”

 

“Okay. Thirty minutes and we’ll head out.”

 

When Sarah left, Cammie turned to Stern. “Why are we waiting? We can be in the first part of this.”

 

“No,” Stern said softly. “We aren’t them. Even you aren’t. We let them work and then use the easier path.” He looked at Pawly. “You’re with us. If I need Zasha to help protect Vulk, though, I’ll bring him out.”

 

Pawly chuffed, floating off the sofa and stretching in midair.

 

They did one last check on their gear before they went downstairs.

 

~*~*~

 

It turned out that the farm was a massive place. The main house was more of a manor than a farmhouse. There were two massive barn structures, and a half-dozen lesser buildings scattered over the acreage. Stern snuck along with Cammie while Trish and Cyra followed them. They paused when they got to the edge of the tree line.

 

“I don’t see any patrols...” Stern murmured.

 

“Because they’ve been removed,” a soft whisper came from Stern’s left.

 

Stern gave the elf a smile. “Nice job.” He looked past her. “It’s okay, Pawly.”

 

The elf looked back, inhaling sharply when she saw the tiger-sized, floating, tentacled cat behind her. “Goddess...”

 

“You’d have known she was there with her last upgrade on,” Stern said before he added it.

 

Pawly meowed softly as electricity crackled over her fur.

 

“She must be impressive in a fight,” the elf whispered.

 

“She is. Now, what are we dealing with?”

 

“At least five guards are left inside. They might come out to change soon, which would ruin the surprise. The interrogation was in that room.” She pointed to a third-story window. “I can climb it and get inside, but you’d need to have someone who can take him from me.”

 

Stern removed Pawly’s electricity. “Pawly.”

 

A soft chuff was Pawly’s answer.

 

“If I can manage that, we might get him out without anyone knowing,” the elf said.

 

“Thank you…?”

 

“Janet,” the elf replied.

 

“Thank you, Janet, but they need to know,” Stern said. “You get him, and Pawly will help. We’re going to make a point while you do that.”

 

Janet nodded, then slipped toward the house, going in a crouch. Pawly went along behind her, floating an inch off the ground.

 

Stern looked at Trish and Cyra, then stood up. “Front door.”

 

“Damned right,” Cammie growled as she took off at a jog.

 

“Front door, it is,” Trish said, getting her shield onto her arm and jogging after the others.

 

Cammie got to the front door before them, and she didn’t slow down— she launched herself into it, shoulder first. The small lock wasn’t able to withstand the angry dwarf, and the door crashed open.

 

“Brother!” Cammie roared as she stumbled.

 

A shouted curse came from above them, along with booted feet.

 

“Go, go!” Stern shouted.

 

Cammie raced up the stairs. She was just making it to the second floor when she fired her first bolt. A gurgling scream came from her target as she went racing down the hall to the next stairway.

 

Stern didn’t spare the downed guard a glance as he rushed after Cammie. His attention was pulled to a door that was opening just short of the stairs. A fully-armored man with a heavy crossbow stepped out and fired at Cammie.

 

Cammie had seen him, and threw herself sideways as the trigger was pulled. She crashed into a door and into the room behind it. Stern was not as lucky— he twisted, but the thick bolt punched clean through his armor, missing the strike plates, and lodging into a lung. He crashed to the ground, coughing blood as the pain made him pass out.

 

~*~*~

 

A soft hand was touching his face when he came to. Cyra was kneeling beside him, her other hand covered in blood as she healed him. “I’m good,” Stern grunted.

 

“That was too close,” Cyra said, her voice shaky.

 

“Trish? Cammie?”

 

“Upstairs,” Cyra said, helping him up, then hugging him tightly.

 

“Later. We need to go,” Stern said softly.

 

“Yes.” Cyra let him go and raced off ahead of him.

 

Stern exhaled, as the hug had been painful. He had to walk instead of run— his side felt tender, as if it might rip open if he exerted himself. “Thank you, Goddess...” he whispered as he went.

 

Stern passed the dead crossbowman at the bottom of the stairs, his head caved in. There was another man with a broken arm and skull at the top of the stairs. On the third floor, he found the others outside an open doorway.

 

“If any of you come in here, he dies!” a hateful voice snapped.

 

Stern knew that voice— it was Victor Bloodcoin.

 

“Then kill me!” Vulk hissed. “If you do, they’ll tear you apart.”

 

“I don’t want you, you worthless dwarf. I want the blighted. Give him to me and you can have your trash back.”

 

Stern wondered what had happened to Janet or the fifth guard that was supposed to be inside. A startled male voice outside suddenly cut off and Stern exhaled, glad they weren’t about to be ambushed.

 

Cyra’s eyes flicked to Stern, who was limping their way. She started to speak, and he shook his head.

 

“Is that him? Give him to me and I’ll cut this one free.”

 

Stern made it to the doorway, and the women let him pass. “Your guards almost killed me, Victor.”

 

“Damn those fools! Useless trash,” Victor spat. Victor Bloodcoin was a shade of his former self. He was thin, his skin hanging off him like a coat, but his eyes were feverishly bright. “You cost me my son, my home, and my city! I want you to pay for that.”

 

“How?” Stern asked. He knew Victor was beyond sanity. His emotions were set on hatred, set hard, thick, and solid.

 

“The manacles beside the door: put them on. Take off your weapons, and then come into the room to my side. Once you are here, I’ll cut this trash free. Then they can leave and we’ll balance the scales.”

 

“Stern, no,” Cyra whispered.

 

Vulk spat. “No.”

 

Stern got a good look at Vulk. His beard had been shaved off, a hateful thing to a dwarf. He was strapped to the chair in just his underwear. From his head to his toes, he was covered in bruises, welts, and cuts.

 

“Vulk, I’m sorry,” Stern said as he started taking his weapons off. “This man is like this because I killed his son. You were captured to bring me to him. Isn’t that right, Victor?”

 

“Yes. Just a game piece. Only useful to be sacrificed.”

 

“Stern, no!” Cyra began to cry.

 

Trish shifted, hugging Cyra and pulling her out of the doorway.

 

Cammie watched Victor, her eyes gleaming with hatred. She wanted to charge in, but Victor was holding a knife to Vulk’s throat. Her hands shook at her own uselessness.

 

Stern turned to show himself unarmed, then picked up the manacles and locked one wrist closed, then put his hands behind his back. “Cammie, lock me.” As he said that, his fingers ran through a quick motion that Bloodcoin couldn’t see.

 

Cammie blinked before locking the manacle onto his other wrist. “What?”

 

Stern turned around, again showing his manacles to Victor. “Okay?”

 

“Yes,” Victor breathed like a junkie about to get a fix. “Come here.” His words started to go manic. “Come here! Come here now!”

 

Stern exhaled and locked eyes with Vulk for a second. “This is my duty, as your leader. Get your sister and go. Do not try to save me.”

 

Vulk glared at Stern, upset that his suffering was being thrown away. He had withstood the torture since his capture, refusing to tell this broken man anything at all. “I hate you,” Vulk hissed.

 

“Good,” Stern said sadly as he entered the room. “Let that lead you far away.”

 

Victor’s hands twitched, and a small trickle of blood came from Vulk’s neck.

 

“No!” Cammie shouted.

 

Victor snarled at her, then sliced down, cutting the rope knot holding Vulk to his chair. A solid kick sent Vulk and the chair spilling forward as Victor lunged, grabbing Stern by the neck and dragging him toward the far wall. “Get out! Get out, get out, get out!”

 

Cammie rushed forward, grabbing Vulk and pulling him to the door. “I got you, Brother! I got you.”

 

Trish looked into the room to see Stern and Victor by the window, and her eyes went wide as she caught a flash of light from just outside. That made Vulk stumble, pulling him and Cammie to the floor in a heap. Both of them looked at the window in shock.

 

That same flash caught Victor’s attention, and he looked to the side as the window flew up and an electric tentacle lashed into the room. Both men were locked in place as the current surged through Victor to Stern.

 

Trish rushed in, leaping clear over Vulk and Cammie, and slammed her shield into Victor. There was a snap of bone before Stern fell to the floor and Trish slammed into the window ledge, then tumbled back into the room.

 

Cyra rushed around the corner, throwing healing onto Stern, then Vulk. “What happened?”

 

Janet climbed into the room. “The bad guy just fell. Your cat is dangerous in many ways.”

 

Vulk groaned as he pushed himself up with Cammie’s help. “He’s dead?”

 

“Not many survive a broken neck and skull,” Janet said. “Sorry. I tried to do what we said, but when I got here, he wasn’t alone.”

 

Stern gasped as the shock wore off. “Pawly, I love you.”

 

A deep chuff came from outside the window where Pawly was floating.

 

“Can you walk?” Cammie asked Vulk.

 

“If we find my boots,” Vulk said. Turning, he grabbed Cammie and squeezed her tight. He sobbed as the moment passed. “I was afraid they’d get you next.”

 

Cammie began to cry, holding him right back. “We came as fast as we could...”

 

“We should go,” Trish said. “His clothing is right there.” She pointed to the corner. “So get dressed and let’s go. The guard will be here soon.”

 

“Sarah had a good idea about a Walker party,” Janet said. “See you all there.” With that, she slipped back out the window.

 

Trish helped Stern to his feet, hugging him tightly. “I knew you had a plan.”

 

Cyra rushed over, slamming into them both. “I thought…!”

 

“Sorry,” Stern whispered. “I couldn’t give you a hint.”

 

Vulk looked over his shoulder. “That was the guy whose son you killed?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Prick deserved it,” Vulk said, sniffling as he wiped his face. “Okay... dressing. What party?”

 

“A victory party,” Cammie sniffled, going back to Vulk to help him. “Emma will be there.”

 

Vulk paused as he got to his clothes, his fingers touching his hairless chin. “Shit...”

 

“She won’t care about the beard,” Stern said. “Vulk… she was just as worried for you as we were.”

 

Vulk looked at Stern, then swallowed hard as he nodded. “Really?”

 

“It’s love,” Stern said. “I know the feeling now.”

 

Cammie sniffled again. “I approve, Brother.”

 

Vulk exhaled noisily. “Come on, we need to go.”

 

~*~*~

 

The crew didn’t dally— they left the house as quickly as Vulk and Stern could move. The tough part for the injured was that they stayed off the road, not wanting to encounter the guards at all. They paralleled the road, following Pawly, who led the way by floating ahead of them.

 

The sun was starting to set when they came out of the tree line next to the river. The fast-moving river was churned by the large boulders, giving the city its name: Whitewater. A hundred yards from the bank of the river, a large bonfire was just starting to burn, tents were being set up, and people were chatting happily with each other.

 

Janet was talking to two people, and she noticed the group first. She smiled and motioned to them, causing Sarah and Emma to look their way. Sarah started to call out to them, but she was drowned out by a single word.

 

“Vulk!” Emma shouted, rushing toward him.

 

Vulk stopped, his eyes wide as he watched the half-dwarven woman charging him with her arms wide.

 

Trish stepped between him and Emma, holding up her hand. “Emma, easy. He’s still injured and needs more attention.”

 

Emma slowed, then looked past Trish to see Vulk. “Oh, Goddess... what did they do to you?” She never stopped moving, so she was to him in seconds. “Let me help you.”

 

Stern smiled softly as he felt the emotions coming from the pair. “It’s love,” he whispered.

 

Cyra took his hand. “Come on.”

 

Stern glanced at Cammie, who was watching her brother being taken away. Her emotions were a tangled mess, and she was wiping at her face. He motioned with his head so Cyra looked at Cammie, then stepped over to her. “They’ll make a good couple.”

 

Cammie jerked away from him, then exhaled slowly and scrubbed at her face. “Yeah, they will.”

 

“There’s no saying what they’ll decide,” Stern said softly. “It’s not over until it is, Cammie. Even if he settles down, like we said, we’ll be glad to have you with us.”

 

“I know, and I’m happy about that, but…” Cammie trailed off, swallowing. “I always thought we’d be together until we reached our goal.”

 

“And you might still be. Plenty of Walkers have a loved one waiting for them while they run,” Trish said, coming over to join them.

 

“I know,” Cammie said, then snorted. “I’m happy for him, and I want Emma to be good for him, but I also hate her a little right now.”

 

Cyra took Cammie’s hand in hers. “Because you think she’s taking him away from you?”

 

“No… yes,” Cammie objected, then changed her answer. “I know she isn’t any more than him stopping here would be him abandoning me. But…”

 

“But it still hurts,” Stern finished for her as he shifted to take Cammie’s other hand. “We’re here for you.”

 

She looked at Stern, then Cyra, and finally, Trish. Her emotions tangled further before she exhaled a long, slow breath, and happiness started to grow clearly in her. “Thank you.”

 

Sarah made it over to them, having been approaching slowly, not wanting to interrupt. “Come join the celebration?”

 

“A celebration of freedom?” Cammie asked.

 

“A celebration of Walkers doing what they should— sticking together,” Sarah replied. “Your crew is the guest of honor.”

 

“We should find the other few healers in the celebration and have them look at Vulk,” Cammie said.

 

“Then let’s go,” Sarah smiled.

 

As a group, Sarah led them to the gathering, where people cheered them.