Gavin didn’t know where he had gotten the courage to volunteer to step away from Ruli, to rush into all this danger, but something in him felt like it did back when he had first started disobeying Ikegai’s orders, and that moment when he was freed from his grasp. With Kire providing cover, and Ed and Ysaryn herding the dolls as best they could, Gavin focused on instructing the [i]Wenches[/i] on how to lay down the fire. When the horn sounded, Gavin stayed, moving as fast as he could carving out sigils beside the homes, making sure the fire would go where it should. [i]Please gods, don’t fuck this up[/i]. “Move!” he heard Kire shouting, grabbing him by the collar, dragging him back, and yanking him down for cover, crouched over him to shield him. The explosion was deafening, and he felt the shockwave pass through his body. Gavin covered his head with his arms, face pressed down on the ground. He felt Kire grunt in pain over him, but she straightened up as soon as it was safe to do so. “You alright?” she asked, panting. Gavin nodded. Kire extended a hand. As soon as he took it, she helped him up to his feet. “Let’s finish this, then.” His last-minute preparations worked; it kept the flames mostly where they needed to be, and together with the others they worked to spread it along the line he had indicated. After making sure the coast was clear for the other homes, Kire used her strength to push some of the weakened structures enough for the fires to catch onto them. She could feel the intense heat each time, staying away from the flames just enough. “Can you still see the illusions?” she shouted. “They’re fading!” came one reply, assented to by others. [i]Finally.[/i] Kire raised the horn to her lips and blew out three blasts. “Now. Ysaryn! Can you take us to the bottom of the hill?” She turned to Gavin. “Didn’t Ruli say you can bind me to the wards so I can use my magic inside?” Gavin inhaled. “You’re not supposed to be anywhere in there until it’s safe.” “I don’t care. You weren’t supposed to leave Ruli’s side, either. But if there are any more surprises, I need to be able to pull them out of Palace. I don’t like that they’ve gone this long without the reinforcements they were supposed to have.” -- “Fuck it, they must’ve sheltered whoever was left in the Capital and their high-profile prisoners of war here,” Myka muttered, turning to Ruli when he asked about Gael. “He’s a bastard from the Gemini royal line. Not a blood mage himself. Used to be Kire’s spy in the Gemini territories, but their relationship soured around the time Ikegai became active,” she said. “Good fighter, shrewd fellow, chip on his shoulder the size of the Empire.” But when it became clear what Ruli was about to do, the pirate captain’s eyes widened. “Don’t you dare. We should—Ruli!” Myka hissed, then signaled to the [i]Wenches[/i] to provide cover, keeping their eyes on the archers in case they made any move against him. When Ruli drew near, Gael regarded him silently. He turned his head, as if listening to somebody speaking to him behind him, then nodded, disappearing from the balcony. “You’re him, aren’t you? The Empress’s sorcerer.” He was dressed like a warrior, his black hair swept back, though his face was rugged, bags under his eyes. He smirked, though the shadow remained in his eyes. “You might actually be the one we need.” The smirk disappeared. “We will free some of our captives, as a gesture of good faith. But you must come with us. Drop the sword. Inflict harm, and we will kill a captive for every hit and cut you land. That warning goes out to the rest of you, Countess Narda,” he said, raising his voice. Before he could continue with his terms however, a bright explosion rocked the Capital. All of them, even Gael, turned to see a slash of flame bisecting one of the streets, with cries and curses sounding from the Wyvern soldiers outside the Palace. Gael’s eyes widened. “You have a Gemini among you, don’t you?” he breathed, and he let out a mirthless laugh. He knew that, soon enough, the vast Wyvern army would overrun the city. The Gemini’s allies had failed them: crushed by the retaliating forces, surrendered, or abandoned them. Their attempts at using the Red Tower to gain more power and open another gate into several worlds had failed. There was always some element missing. Just their fate that this missing element would present itself at the moment of their annihilation. He barked out an order in Taakalon, and soon Gemini guards released two captives: a young man and woman who looked related to each other, bandages along their arms. They looked malnourished, and had been dressed in the tattered remains of what would have been their royal clothing. From where they stood, the Wyvern soldiers would have recognized the insignia of a noble house embroidered in what used to be more resplendent attire. Narda could recognize their faces. “Stay where you are,” Gael told Ruli as he stepped backward, his own hands raised, a good couple of yards away from the freed hostages. “Lady Narda, can you confirm the identity of our two hostages?” Gael called out. “Yes,” the giantess replied, the venom in her voice apparent. They would be related to at least two other noble families who had sent armies for today’s march. If they or any other houses found out they might have captives from their own kin in the Palace and that anything befell them, it may undo whatever bonds Kire and her family had to reforge and strengthen this past year, tainting their victory. She stepped forward, just at the gate, and extended her hands to the two captives. “Hurt them any further, and we attack.” “We won’t hurt them,” Gael assured. The lordling and his sister looked at one another, their bodies trembling from exhaustion, pain, and the obvious fear painted on their faces. They held their hands close to each other as their shoulders shook, as if afraid that the moment they relaxed, they would feel arrows pierce their chests. With tentative steps, they walked towards Ruli, but just as they were about to walk past him and towards the exit, the young man lunged at Ruli, yanking him down with whatever strength his frail body still had. The young woman did the same, only with her other hand she slashed at the exposed skin on Ruli’s face, grazing his cheek with the shard on his hand. “[i]I’m sorry![/i]” the young woman cried, as her brother pulled her away, towards Narda, who lunged through the Palace gates to grab them. Arrows bounced off her armor as she all but carried the two behind their lines outside. “Ilana, what did you do?” Narda yelled, grasping the poor girl by the shoulders. The young lady, tears streaming down her dirty face, was shaking her head as she spoke. “[i]Th-they said to pierce his skin, or they’ll kill us and everyone inside,[/i]” she sputtered. “[i]What was in the shard?[/i]” she demanded. “[i]P-poison.[/i]” -- Kire had directed Ysaryn to take her and Gavin to a blindspot on the hill. “There’s a sequence to it,” Gavin said immediately the moment they stepped out of the shadows. “We have to go as fast as we can if we don’t want them catching on.” He glanced at Ysaryn as he spoke. “Kay!” one of the Wenches whispered, spotting them. As soon as she approached, the pirate gave them a quick update on the situation on the other side. “[i]Shit[/i].” Kire could still sense Ruli’s signature, overlayed with her own, but it had weakened, the same way it did back at the mines when he had been drugged. Kire explained to the pirate what they were planning to do. “The rest of the army will be here soon. Keep them occupied. Negotiate with them. I need a rough estimate of the hostages.” She paused, then added, “I need eight of the fastest fighters. Gavin and Ysaryn, be ready to fight. Once I’m tied to the wards and I have my estimate for the hostages, be ready with those flash bombs. We’ll be Portalling into the Palace.” Gavin’s eyes widened for a moment, and he swallowed. But he nodded, already mentally preparing himself for the steps needed to bind her to the wards.