The city streets were packed with warriors as Priscilla and Gunnar tried to make their way to the gate. It was still early morning, but already the day had grown hot as choking dust was kicked up by tramping feet. Disappearing into crowds was something that Priscilla could handle, but going along with them was not her usual method of dealing with a problem. She was jostled on all sides by larger warriors, doing her best to keep clear of their swords and axes as everyone ran toward the gate in a panic. Gunnar did his best to shove them away from her whenever she stumbled or was pushed, but his attention was focused on the commotion rising over the buildings with the sun.
Priscilla did her best to focus on the situation at hand, but her mind kept going back to the manor and the bed she had shared with Gunnar that night. She had let her guard down and made a fool of herself, but the true consequences of her schemes now waited just on the other side of the city walls. Her heart raced in a panic as she wondered when Gunnar would finally learn the truth of what she had done. There was no way she could hide her plan from him for much longer.
She was meant to be dedicated to the mission, but now all she could think about was keeping Gunnar safe.
"Come on," Gunnar said as they ran, and the blackened gatehouse finally came into view, "the gate is just up ahead."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a great plume of fire and smoke erupted around the gatehouse right before their eyes. The startled crowd stumbled to a halt. Many dropped to the ground, crying out the name 'Surtr!' as the bright fire shot to the sky. Charred debris, still alight with flame, soon clattered down among them, spooking the cowering Northmen like a herd of cattle with nowhere to run.
"Surtr and Freyr..! What was that?" gasped Gunnar, ducking beside Priscilla and gazing at the burning tower.
Her heart sank at the sight of the rising flames, but she forced herself to remain calm and look for a way out of the frozen crowd. Spotting a set of stairs leading up to the ramparts, she grabbed Gunnar's arm and pulled him along behind her. "This way!"
Making it to the stairs, she dashed her way up as Gunnar took them two at a time. Her heart was thundering in her chest at the sound of shouted orders and drumming cadences echoing on the plain. She knew what was there on the other side of the walls, knew the doom that awaited them once they made it to the top of the steps, but the sight still took her breath away once she saw it with her own eyes.
"Let me through!" Gunnar snapped as he charged up the rampart and pushed his way past the archers to gaze over the plain beyond, squinting through the dust as the sun blinded him on its slow ascent into the sky. Priscilla stepped up next to him, her stomach twisting into knots. The gatehouse burned bright further along the wall, a great beacon of destruction looming above the city, but all eyes were on the army amassed outside the Walled City, ready to attack. Gunnar braced himself on the wall as he looked to see row upon row of steel caps and shining spears marching on the city beneath flowing banners.
"The Æsir have abandoned us," he groaned, hanging his head before the mighty host that stood before them. "After all we have done, we have been betrayed to death and ruin... We have been betrayed by the gods!"
His shout echoed over the city, and Priscilla could only flinch to hear the anguish tearing at his voice. Fear gripped her heart, but she could not bring herself to shout or rage as he did. After all, the trap was one of her own making. All she could do was pray.
"Heavenly Father," she whispered to herself, "please forgive me."
Dawn had finally risen over Mount Ignis, shining above the Walled City and the Viking horde sequestered within. A new day arrived to the sound of blasting trumpets, and the legions of Ashfeld had come with it.
The Knights of Ashfeld came to a halt on the ridge where the Vikings had once stood, neatly ordered columns of shining armor and spears glinting in the morning light. Riders spurred their horses between formations, taking messages and orders between legion commanders and their soldiers as the city was once again surrounded. Each legion was flying their banners for the Northmen to see, and Priscilla noted the ones she was familiar with. The Iron Legion, who had led the rebellion against Apollyon and her Blackstones only to lose control of the Council in recent years. The Regal Legion, with its striped banner and white lion, was a long-standing rival to the Lion Flame that always seemed to find more prestige keeping to the halls of Beaufort stronghold rather than fighting on the border against their enemies. With them were a dozen smaller legions, militias, and mercenary bands, all called to battle by oaths sworn to the Legion Council against the Viking horde.
Her focus, though, was on the legion that took the center position in the army. It was there that golden armor glinted among so much steel and silver, and a blue banner decorated with a yellow crown and sword blew in the wind. It seemed the Samurai to the east would have to wait to continue their border dispute if there had ever been a dispute at all. The Lord-Warden had brought his Royal Legion secretly north after the Divine Pyre had been dealt with to land a hammer blow against the Vikings that there would be no coming back from.
Such was the plan since the very beginning.
"Gunnar, we need to move," Priscilla said.
Still glaring out at the gathered legions, Gunnar's shoulders rose and fell as he panted with a simmering rage. He nodded, then turned on his heel to shoulder his way across the crowded ramparts back to the stairs. "We need to find Herleif and find out what in Hel's accursed realm is going on."
Priscilla didn't argue as she followed him back down the stairs, but once they got to the street, she grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the burning gatehouse against the crowd.
"What are you doing?" Gunnar asked, having more than enough strength to stop her in her tracks with a tug.
She kept a hold of him and started pulling him along again. "There is no time to explain, just trust me."
Gunnar grabbed her by the arm and hauled her to the side of the street to get away from the current of bodies moving toward the gate. "Can I?" he hissed, still gripping her arm tight. "You told me in Eitrivatnen you had a blood-feud against your brother, and now you struggle to even remember his name. What else have you told me that may have changed since last night?"
Pulling off her hood, Priscilla removed her helmet and threw it to the ground so she could look at Gunnar eye-to-eye. She reached up to cup his face and pulled him closer, determination written across her face despite the fear welling in her chest. "Gunnar, please. I promise to explain everything in due time, but for now you must come with me. We do not have time to argue."
The look in Gunnar's eye told her that he absolutely wanted to argue, but as he opened his mouth to speak, someone in the crowd began calling their names. Looking over her shoulder, she spotted Coal pushing his way to them, half-dressed in his armor and cradling his shield and flail in one arm. Relief washed over her to see him, happy to no longer be handling the situation alone. There was so much to do and dwindling time to do it.
Coal shouldered his way closer, ignoring the glare of an angry Highlander as he approached. "Is it on? What's the plan?" he asked quickly.
"What plan?" growled Gunnar.
Priscilla put a hand on Gunnar's chest to try and calm him. "Coal, take him to the spot. Make sure no one is watching and I will join you as soon as I can."
"Where are you going?" Coal asked.
"To get our legion. Wait for us, then we will leave together."
"Leave?" Gunnar repeated. "What are you talking about?"
Coal pressed his lips together and looked grim. "Well then," he said and held his open hand out to her to take, "I wish you luck. Truly, I hope everything goes how you want it, and we'll see you all soon."
Priscilla glanced at his hand, then knocked it away to throw her arms around Coal and hugged him tight. "Thank you," she whispered. "If I am not there in an hour, take Gunnar and go. Promise me that you will go."
Coal tensed for a moment as she squeezed her arms around him, then he nodded and hugged her back. "Promise. Just don't be late. You know all my plans are shit without you."
Her entire body buzzed with the threat of failure that all of their hard work would be for nothing, but she put on a brave face and smiled back at him before turning to Gunnar. "Go with Coal and I will be with you soon," she said, then picked up her helmet and made for the street. She didn't even make it one step before Gunnar grabbed her by the arm again and pulled her back.
"Priscilla, what is going on?" he demanded. His face was fixed into a dark scowl, and the grip on her arm was iron-clad. "This is madness. We need to go and find Herleif and regroup to defend the city. Whatever you are planning, he can fix this. I know he can."
Priscilla didn't have any faith left to put in Herleif or any other Viking besides Gunnar. Her focus was on seeing her goal completed and nothing else. Prying loose his fingers from her arm, she took Gunnar's hand and kissed it. Such tactics had worked on him before, and so they did now. Gunnar relaxed. His face softened, and he made no move to stop her as she turned to slip into the crowd. She had to trust that Gunnar would listen to her and follow after Coal. She believed he would, even if he had no reason to trust her in return.
Priscilla took off running the moment she made it to the other side of the street. Ducking down alleyways and through abandoned homes, she fell back on her training to move through the city unseen. Whatever had happened at the gate seemed to have kept the attackers from flooding the city with Knights, but there was still an anxious buzz in the air as warriors shouted angrily at each other about what to do. Stepping carefully, Priscilla made sure to keep out of sight of any Headhunter, Sea Eagle, and even Bilrost warriors to avoid raising any suspicions until she finally arrived at the Valiant Defender Inn.
The inn was a commotion of soldiers and Knights all donning their armor and readying their weapons as she walked in. Her heart was thundering in her chest, and the long dash through the city was not the only reason she panted for breath. A few legion members stopped to ask her if she had any news about the attack, but she ignored them. Making her way into the dining room, she found Marcelo sitting at a table and strapping greaves around his tall boots.
"Where is the commander?" Priscilla asked as she approached him.
Marcelo looked up at her in surprise, and she couldn't help but notice the bright pink bite marks decorating his neck where his gambeson had yet to be tied. "She is upstairs. Where have you been?" he said. Priscilla didn't answer, turning about and heading for the stairs as he called after her. "Wait! What happened at the gate? Who set the fire?"
Rushing up the stairs, her ears were filled with the rush of blood as her mounting fear reached new heights. She had faced dozens of battles, secret meetings, and assassinations before in her life, but she had never known such fear as she did now. Right away, she could hear Judith giving orders from her room down the hall, and each step Priscilla took felt like damnation was waiting for her behind every door she passed. When she finally reached Judith's room, she stopped and took a breath, willing herself to complete her mission once and for all. Not just for herself but for the family she had found in Lion Flame so long ago. There was no turning back now.
Stepping inside, she found Judith being dressed in her armor and shouting orders at the soldiers moving in and out of the room. "I want everyone prepared before we move to the gate! Going out in a trickle will only cause confusion and get us lost among the Northmen," Judith snapped as two soldiers worked quickly to secure her mail and pauldrons in place and make sure any straps did not catch her tabard. "We will join with Jarl Herleif and his warriors. If any of Erik or Ivar's men try to give us orders, tell them to go hurl themselves off the wall..."
"Commander Judith, I need to speak with you urgently," Priscilla interrupted. She presented herself to the commander with her customary salute, but the withering look Judith gave her when she turned around instantly sapped any sense of confidence that Priscilla had left.
"You-!" Judith hissed. Crossing the room in two steps with one of her pauldrons hanging half-tied to her shoulder, Judith grabbed Priscilla by the collar and slammed her up against the nearby wall. "What have you done, Priscilla? I know you have been lying to Herleif! Lying to all of us! Tell me what you have done!"
Pain flashed behind Priscilla's eyes as the back of her head hit the wall. She reached for her knife on instinct, but Judith grabbed her wrist and squeezed until she let out a gasp of pain. "Please, commander... Whatever you heard, I-"
"No more lies!" Judith shouted, slamming her back again. "Do you think I am a fool? I saw the Royal Legion advancing with my own eyes! What sort of scheme have you and Elise conjured up together? Tell me everything right now!"
"I..." Priscilla choked against the gauntlet pressed under her chin, craning her neck even as she stood on tip-toes shoved against the wall as panic gripped her. It was just like Coal had said. She believed herself the only one who could see the way out of their self-imposed exile, acting alone, hoping that everyone else would simply follow without question. There had been no other choice at the time, but perhaps it had only seemed that way because she couldn't lose any more control of her life than she already had. "I... made a mistake..."
"A mistake!?"
"Y-yes..." Priscilla gasped, and she stopped resisting Judith's hold as her walls finally broke, and the truth spilled forth like an ocean to drown under. "I told them everything, Judith. I told the Council everything. The moment you decided to go north to Valkenheim, I sent word to Elise because I thought you were about to ruin all of our lives. Elise gave me a way out, a way to fix the mess you were creating, and I took it. But it was a mistake... Please, you have to understand, it was all a mistake!"
Blue fire blazed in Judith's eyes the more Priscilla talked until her hands shook and her jaw clenched tight. "You faithless bitch!" Whirling around, she yanked Priscilla away from the wall and threw her into the middle of the room. "You have doomed us all! What did the Lord-Warden offer you to turn against us? Another chance to finally stand by his side? We gave you a home when no one else wanted you, and this is the thanks you give?"
Priscilla rolled onto her knees and drew her dagger as she stood. The moment she did, swords were drawn by everyone in the room, the sharp blades surrounding her in an instant."You chose to abandon our home! You may have forsaken your oath to Ashfeld, but I have not! We had a life here, and you just threw it all away!"
Judith stepped to the bed where her sword lay and snatched it up, giving no care for the small dagger in Priscilla's hand as she turned the long blade against her. "I give no shit for your pathetic sense of fealty! The time for regrets is long past, and an oath is not a slave-collar meant to keep us bound to unfit rulers! I did not start this war, but by God I will see it finished!"
Taking a breath, Priscilla looked about the room at the swords around her and considered her options. Her chance to run was growing slim, but she couldn't bring herself to abandon her legion just yet. Pounding footsteps in the hall caught her attention, and she glanced over her shoulder to see Marcelo appear outside the door with more soldiers.
"What is going on?" Marcelo demanded, his face pale as he took in the sight of so many weapons drawn in the room.
"Fetch a Lawbringer, Marcelo," Judith ordered. "Priscilla has betrayed us. We will keep her here in chains until the situation at the gate is dealt with. Then the Northmen can decide what to do with her."
"Now hold on," Priscilla snapped while Marcelo blinked worriedly between them. "I know there is no way I can take back what I did, but that does not mean we have to stay in this city and die! My deal will bring us back to the Council without consequence. This might be our only chance to escape before all is lost. Our legion will be restored and we can return to Sow Mesa, but only if you all come with me right now." She looked around the room, hoping that someone would realize the gift she was offering, but no one lowered their sword. "Do you hear me?" she pleaded. "We can finally go home!"
"And what of the Vikings?" Judith asked, looking at Priscilla like a mother realizing their child's mistakes made them beyond saving. "Is there a way out of this deception you have caused for them?
"You care for the likes of Erik and Ivar?" Priscilla spat, but the glare Judith gave her left no room for doubt as to who she was referring to. "I wish that there was a way to help Herleif and his warriors, but he chose to raid our homeland just like the rest of them. Perhaps we can speak on his behalf once the city has fallen, and it will fall, but I have a plan to save us, not the enemy we have spent years fighting!"
The floorboards creaked as someone stepped behind her, and Priscilla turned over her shoulder to see Marcelo in the room. "And what about Gunnar?" he asked.
Priscilla felt her face go hot. Her grip tightened around her dagger, wishing that Marcelo had asked her anything but that. "Gunnar," she said quietly, willing herself to believe her own words despite how ridiculous they sounded to finally say out loud, "is coming with me."
Marcelo's brows furrowed in surprise. He looked her up and down as if seeing her in a new light and lifted a hand to gently rub at his neck. Then, strangely, his gaze softened, and his lips turned up with a small, sad smile.
Judith, on the other hand, gave a harsh laugh that could not be ignored. "You are delusional," she said bitterly. "Of all the ways for our tale to end, this makes me pity you most of all." She shook her head, then glanced at the others filling the room. "Arrest her."
The soldiers all took a step forward with their swords, and Priscilla tensed to meet them, putting a hand to her short sword when a pair of hands grabbed her from behind. She gave a cry and elbowed whoever it was in the side, but Marcelo held on tight as he grunted through the pain. Before she knew it, he was turning her around, wrestling past the soldiers standing in the doorway, and shoving her out into the hall.
"Go!" he shouted as she stumbled on her feet. "Just run! Run!" He threw himself at the soldiers, trying to get out of the room, planting himself firmly in the doorway to give her time to escape.
"What are you doing!?" Judith screamed. "Somebody grab her, now!"
Priscilla was already moving, dodging between the few remaining soldiers in the hall and tripping one close to the steps. Marcelo would surely be fine in the end, if not a bit worse for the harsh scolding Judith would surely give him, but her plan to save them all was ultimately in tatters. As she hit the bottom of the stairs and bolted for the door with all that was left of her legion giving chase, the despair of knowing she had failed threatened to bring her down more than any set of hands grabbing for her.
She rushed through the door of the inn, knocking over chairs and tables in her wake to slow down her pursuers. The sunlight stung her wet eyes as she took off running down the nearest street, only half sure that she was heading in the right direction to meet up with Gunnar and Coal. The Knights giving chase shouted for her to halt, but she pressed on without looking back. Her chest ached, and her legs burned as she ran, but she did not stop.
Rattling armor echoed off building walls, and disgruntled Vikings shouted after the Knights rushing through the crowded streets, running after the traitorous Peacekeeper wherever she led.
Priscilla watched them run past from the alcove she hid in, slipping back out to the street just as quickly as she had ducked out of sight. A few Northmen nearby watched her suspiciously, then began to approach, shouting in their native tongue with weapons drawn. She did not wait to find out what they wanted, taking off again through a side alley and heading into the maze of the Walled City. The narrow path rose up around her, pressing in and keeping her trapped. She ran as long as she could before she began to pant for breath, stumbling on her feet before coming to a stop, until finally, she fell to her knees.
"Dammit..." she hissed, knowing for certain that there was no one around to care. Balling up her fists, she slammed them against the ground and shrieked in a broken voice that echoed to the heavens, "Dammit!"
She pulled at her hood in anger and despair, screaming at herself, cursing herself for hoping she would ever find a family that would last. The world was too cruel for such idyllic dreams as that. Kneeling in the middle of the alley, she cried. There was no holding back the pain anymore. It all came pouring out of her in a flood of tears. She didn't have the strength left to bury it. She had gone as far as she could and failed. No one was coming to save her now. Not her parents, not Elise, and certainly not her legion.
All she had left now was Gunnar and Coal, the only ones still waiting for her on the way out. In the end, it was for them alone that she was able to pick herself up and keep moving.
Dark smoke blew over the rooftops as she traversed the city. The gatehouse still burned like a giant bonfire, making the hot day even hotter. Shouts and cries of anger filled the air, mingled with prayers both heathen and Christian, as the city fell to fear. Groups of Vikings called out orders and made dark oaths to their gods as they headed for the wall, and the forgotten cultists left behind cried for protection from their barbaric conquerors. However, one thing that seemed to be absent from the growing clamor was the sound of fighting.
That gave Priscilla a small sense of relief. She had time to get to the tower with the crane, the one she and Coal had found for their escape. It had been meant to help their whole legion escape back to where they belonged, but none of that mattered now. She only hoped that when she made it, the days of smiling with Gunnar and laughing at Coal's jokes were not yet resigned to the past.
But soon, the sound of clashing weapons ringing in the air quickly reminded her that hope was never something she should trust in.
Fear that their meeting spot had been compromised gave her the energy to run again, and she took off at a sprint to find out what had happened. Her mind raced to think of what she would do, whether the Vikings had found Coal and accused him of working with the legions outside the walls or the Knights had somehow made it inside the city and were on the attack with Gunnar caught alone in their midst. She hardly felt prepared to face either possibility as she finally spotted the tower and crane nearby on the wall. Rounding a corner, she drew her blades, knowing that the only options left to her were to fight or die.
She stopped in her tracks, frozen by the sight of Coal and Gunnar fighting each other before the wall and trading weapon blows with violent intent.
"No..." she gasped, almost dropping her sword and dagger before she sheathed them and dashed toward her friends. "No, no, no! Stop! Please stop!"
Gunnar either didn't hear her or didn't care. He gave a great roar as he swung his axe for Coal's head, but Coal ducked beneath the curved blade with his shield and swung his flail around the axe's haft to catch it.
"Don't do this, big man! There's no point to it!" Coal yelled, pulling the chain of his weapon taut to yank the axe out of Gunnar's hands. Gunnar only growled in anger and fought back, jerking his weapon to pull Coal closer instead before striking with the barbed end of the haft.
Priscilla watched in horror as Coal fell to the ground on top of his shield, and Gunnar shook off the flail from his axe before he raised it high above his head. With another war cry, Gunnar appeared ready to sever Coal's head from his shoulders until Priscilla threw herself in front of him with her arms spread. "Gunnar, stop!"
Gunnar checked himself just before his axe fell, blinking down at her and snorting like a bull. Priscilla wasn't sure she could survive her heart racing so fast again that day, but she was all out of tears to shed since the alley. "What are you doing?" she demanded. "How could you-" She yelped as Gunnar suddenly shoved her away with his axe, snarling savagely in her face as she stumbled back. Luckily, Coal was there to catch her, and he put himself between her and Gunnar with his shield raised.
"Get back," Coal hissed, keeping a steady hand on Priscilla and forcing her to step back even as she fought against him.
"What is going on?" she asked in a rising panic.
"You lied to me!" Gunnar shouted in answer, his harsh voice echoing to mingle with the far-off sounds of the burning gatehouse.
Priscilla's breath caught in her throat as she clutched at Coal's arm. "What... What did you tell him?" she whispered frantically. "What did you say while I was gone?"
"Do not hide behind him!" Gunnar exclaimed. "You have been plotting against us since the beginning! First the armor, now this! All you have done is scheme and lie! No more! You would have me choose between you and my brother, and for what? I would never go anywhere with you if it meant leaving my people behind to die like sheep for the slaughter!"
Priscilla was mistaken yet again. It seemed she did have tears left to shed after all.
"Please, Gunnar... None of this was part of my plan-"
"Did you do it?" he snapped, pointing up over the wall. "Did you bring them here!? Tell me you did not!"
There was no anger left in Priscilla. No more strength to fight like there might have if anyone else had accused her so openly. Only one person had ever disarmed her so completely before in her life, and she had stabbed her in the gut as a result. She wondered briefly if Gunnar might try the same now if given the chance.
"Yes," she said in defeat. "I did it."
Gunnar lifted his axe and slammed it into the ground with a soul-crushing yell. The axe split the tightly packed dirt and stuck as he tore off his helmet and threw it in anger. It clattered away like a piece of discarded trash, not the piece of prized war gear it was. For once, Gunnar did not seem to have the stomach for war, or for boasting, or the great reward of meeting his ancestors in the battle-hall of his gods. Instead, he squatted down where he stood and hung his head, pulling at his hair and muttering hateful curses under his breath.
Pulling off her hood and helmet, Priscilla ducked past Coal despite his protest and ran to Gunnar. She fell to her knees before him, desperate for forgiveness, for his love. So much had been lost that day already, and she was not sure she could endure anymore. "Gunnar, please..." she whimpered as she reached for him. "Come with me. It is not too late... We have a way over the wall. We... we need to run. Just you, me, and-"
He sprang on her before she could react, before she could even scream. Those large hands she had found so safe and strong grabbed her and threw her bodily away. The world spun, and she hit the ground hard, hissing in pain before Coal was there to help her.
"Do you see this?" Gunnar shouted as he held up a small, iron hammer that hung around his neck, the same sort of medallion that so many other Vikings wore. "This was an oath! An oath that I broke for you! For nothing!"
With Coal's help, Priscilla tried to get to her feet but nearly fell again as her legs gave out from under her. Gunnar's anger seemed to weaken at the sight, but he made no move to help. He dropped the medallion back on his chest and yanked his great axe out of the ground before pointing at the nearby stairs. "Leave, then, if that was your plan all along. There is nothing left for you here. I will stay and fight, and soon walk proudly into Valhǫll alongside my brother. Finally, I will meet my glorious fate because of you."
"No, Gunnar... Please come with us!" Priscilla pleaded as Coal held her steady.
Gunnar only shook his head. "I thought you were a warrior of worth. I thought we could have had..." He took a breath and steeled himself, covering his growing sadness with anger that was familiar to him. "It is as you always said. I was a fool."
The pain Priscilla felt in her body was nothing next to the feeling of her heart shattering. She wanted to call out to him again and beg him to stay, but there was nothing more to say. All she could do was plead with tear-filled eyes, and even that did not stop Gunnar from turning away. He stayed just long enough to retrieve his helmet, and without so much as a glance over his shoulder, he left. No more parting words, no more curses. All was as silent as the tunnel where she had nearly lost him before.
"Are you alright?" Coal asked quietly once they were alone.
Her body prickled with the need to vomit. She choked on the rising sob threatening to escape her throat and pulled herself from his arms, stumbling on shaking legs. She was hot, a cold sweat breaking out across her face as she covered it with her hands. Somehow, it felt like she had never left that narrow alley where she cried out her long-held sorrow after all.
She took another step, breathed out a shuddering sigh, and straightened herself toward the tower that was her escape. "We need to go."
Her love was gone. Her emotions were buried. It was what she had been trained to do.
Being a Peacekeeper was all she knew.
"Priscilla..." Coal called after her, not moving from where he stood. "Where is everyone? Aren't we waiting for them?"
"Come with me or stay, Coal," she answered in a shaking voice, "make your choice. I doubt you will get the chance to run again."
"You can't be serious... Priscilla, wait, this can't be how it all ends?"
Priscilla took up her helmet without another word and made her way to the top of the wall. She didn't look back, but eventually heard Coal following behind. Slowing her pace, she silently hoped to hear Gunnar come running back as well, calling out in his booming voice that he wanted to be with them after all, but hope had never been her friend.
They ascended the wall to the crane in silence, determined to escape this city of misery and doom. It hurt every step of the way.