"And you are sure the rat will get the message there?" Siegfried asked, his face scrunched up in a sceptical grimace.

"His name is Ferdinand, and he always gets the job done," Torwynd snarled and turned on his heel. "Boss, if there's nothing else, I'll make myself scarce, gotta get some work done if we wanna eat." He slammed the door behind him.

"Don't mind him, dear. He's just a bit touchy when it comes to his little friends, but his ability never failed us. Bolverk should already be on the way." Eurydike assured Siegfried. With Penelope and Tyler having left earlier, only the two of them were left in the house.

"Now, while we wait for your friend, we should continue exploring your ability. You have hardly scratched the surface of it— that I am sure of. But if you want to survive, it will be necessary that you learn as quickly as possible. And we will need you in the coming years." Eurydike threw him a glance that he could only interpret as hopefulness.

But hopeful in which way? That was the reason he never let anything happen between Svana and himself. From the way the mature shapeshifter had carried herself in her advances on him, he had thought it would be no more than a basic indulging on a carnal level after what they went through. But maybe he had read her wrong.

"Ahm, Eurydike, about what happened in the bath between the two of us," he collected himself, searching for the right words, "I hope I didn't create the impression of searching for a serious, long-lasting relationship or something." His tone was so sober that in the first moment, Eurydike just gaped at him. Alas, before he could continue to apologise, she broke down in a fit of laughter, hardly able to look him in the eyes anymore.

"Oh no—" she brought forth between her giggles, "—I'm sorry it's just— you're so cute when you are both serious and flustered at the same time." As she fully caught her breath again, Eurydike continued with an almost motherly inflexion. "If that's what keeps you awake at night, you need not worry, dear. I know well that you hardly ever take a girl home after the night, and it was never my intention to seek more than your and my own enjoyment in the act. I hope this has dispersed your 'worries'." She still grinned at him.

Sieg let out a deep sigh of defeat, mourning the ultimate loss of their mutual respect as equals.

Eurydike giggled again with amusement, "don't look so down now, young man." Her grin turned into a sympathetic smile. "You know, Siegfried, whatever it is that keeps you from accepting any deeper romantic feelings will not heal if you never work on it. You will have to let someone close sooner or later. Someone you can truly love, even if it could potentially hurt you."

Sieg shook his head. The woman was really too perceptive for her own good. "You're only partly right with your assumption, though. It's not that I'm afraid to get hurt—" Sieg stopped the sentence as the front door opened and Haylee bounced in, followed by both Bolverk and Eirik.

Now that he saw Bolverk before him, Siegfried was at a loss for words. It struck him that he had been far more anxious than he realised when a wave of relief hit him, seeing Bolverk well and true standing in the doorframe. The older guard regained his composure quickly and took the younger man into a wordless embrace.

Neither spoke a word, neither knew words that could express what they felt like their embrace did.

Haylee bounced on her feet, grinning broadly at the touching moment.

When they let up again, Siegfried turned to the younger shapeshifter. "Haylee, I didn't have a chance yet but thank you for helping out when I came here and especially for bringing Bolverk and Rik' here so quickly." He went to shake her hand, but the energetic girl jumped him so swiftly that he returned her fierce hug out of reflex. Bolverk and Eurydike laughed at his perplexed face, and even Eirik snickered at the display.

"You're welcome, Siegfried," Haylee grinned at him, having to look straight up as she still only reached up to his chin. Suddenly being so close to her face, Sieg noted for the first time how utterly beautiful her slightly exotic features were. The first time he saw her, he was half dead after all.

Her big, emerald green eyes that sparkled with cheerful excitement, the elegant, small nose, fine cheekbones and soft-looking lips were putting together a perfect ensemble of almost inhuman delicacy. It was enough to rob the young guard of his breath and just stare at her for a moment. Ultimately the spell broke, and he remembered to let her out of his embrace.

Bolverk laughed from the bottom of his heart this time, slapping a hand on Siegfried's broad shoulder. "In all the years I know this boy here," Bolverk wheezed, "never once I have seen him stunned like this!"

"Oh, knock it off, old man!" Sieg retorted with mirth while playfully slapping his arm away. To guide the topic away from his embarrassing moment, he introduced Bolverk and Eirik to Eurydike.

"Ya have my sincere gratitude for taking care of the boy when I couldn't," the old guardsman bowed to Eurydike.

"It was no issue. Actually, it was quite the pleasure to take care of the young man here," she answered while smirking at Sieg, who was hoping he didn't turn red in the face. "And fortunately, it seems like no one saw us on the way here, so everything should be well for the time being."

"Well, 'bout that," Bolverk grimaced, "Rik' and I got a visit from the Red Brigade. We don't know how but they know that Sieg killed the enforcer."

Eurydike tensed, her eyes widening. Siegfried froze, a deep chasm of dread opening in his stomach as his mind raced to calculate the implications of this knowledge. If the Red Brigade knew, then there was no way for him to permanently hide in the city. And even worse was the prospect that they could, and would, use his friends and loved ones as leverage, should he not turn himself over. He consciously tried to stir away from that train of thought as he knew where it would lead him, and that would help no one.

"If they already had you, how did you manage to get out?" There was a hint of distrust in Eurydike's voice, but mostly it was all business. "Normally, they would have imprisoned and tortured you to get the information they need." There was no emotion to her tone, just an urgency to get all the facts she needed to strategise.

"After the news of a dead enforcer spread, and Sieg didn't come to the barracks, I put two and two together and planned for the eventuality. I had several divisions of the guard meet in our barracks under false pretence. They all know me, and if the Red Brigade had just bagged me then and there, without any evidence, they'd have a riot on their hands."

"It won't stop them from snatching you the next time you're alone," Sieg growled in frustration. "And what about Hall and Svana? Both of them could be used against me. As long as they are searching for me, none of you is safe." He was pacing now, his body tense as a bowstring.

Eurydike held up a hand to signal them to listen. "This is a worst-case scenario but not one I didn't anticipate. We just have to bring my plans into motion far earlier than I hoped."

"And exactly what would those 'plans' of yours entail?" Eirik interrupted for the first time. There was a modicum of mistrust and suspicion swinging with his comment.

The intelligent shapeshifter ignored Eirik entirely and focused on Siegfried instead. "As I already told you, we need help from outside. I was planning to help you with your ability and widen its limitations for at least a few years. But even without my guidance, you and Haylee are still our best chance. You will leave the City of Nemeah in a manner that allows the Red Brigade to notice your escape."

"Are ya out of yer mind, woman?" Bolverk roared. "No one except for the gifted survives out there, and ya even want to let the hounds know? They will hunt him down even if he somehow evades the evil that lurks out there!" His face was beet red from shouting, and Sieg imposed himself between them.

"Tone it down, Bol'. These walls aren't soundproof," he tried to reason with Bolverk. "And I don’t see any better solution."

Before the concerned guardsman could respond, Eurydike intermitted again. "It is not as hopeless as you think. And there is at least one person who actually did survive out there and managed to sneak back in." To everyone's surprise, she turned to the lithe, young girl who just smiled at them and waved, completely unfaced by the dire situation.

The moment was almost comical as all three men lost their voice and stared. "You're kidding me," Eirik finally broke the silence.

"Haylee is a fully capable shapeshifter with a feline form that is tuned to stealth and speed. A perfect hunter that can outrun almost anything out there. Siegfried might not be able to survive alone in The Wilds right now. But his potential is far more significant than you realise. Haylee will teach him in my stead and keep him alive.

"The evil that lurks out there, as you pictured it, is actually nothing else than older, more experienced, evolved humans, shaped by the harsh environment and the rule of the strongest. They are dangerous but not evil. They can be reasoned with, provided one is strong enough to make them listen."

Eurydike explained everything she thought necessary to Bolverk and Eirik, who gradually came to understand where she was coming from and how this could be the only chance for change.

"I still don't like it," Bolverk grumbled when they were finished.

"You don't have to like it, old man, but it's the best shot we have. And I can do it." Siegfried said with conviction.

Bolverk said nothing for a while, his face buried in his hand. When he came to a conclusion, his gaze was laden with resignation. "Alright. We'll build up a resistance movement in the shadows and try to stay hidden until ya come back with the needed muscles," Bolverk agreed. "We'll hold out as long as possible, but ya have to find a way to send word before a year is gone, promise me!"

"Done. I'll find a way. You stay alive and away from the Brigade until then." Siegfried took Bolverk' forearm with his own. Their eyes said what they didn't speak aloud. "We can take the way through the sewers together, break up at the border to the northern districts."

Sieg led the way to the basement's entrance to the sewers, unaware of their hidden observer.