The gates of Beacon were an imposing, oddly welcome sight for Colonel Gross as he glanced up at the murder holes and arrow slits in the passage through the gatehouse. Stepping into the afternoon sunlight on the other side he relaxed still more, letting out a breath of relief.

“Steve, I’m glad to see you made it!” The exclamation almost made the Colonel jump, as the voice was only barely familiar, and he quickly turned to see a one-eyed man approaching, a dusk elf at his side.

“So am I, Slaid. I almost didn’t recognize your voice,” Colonel Gross replied, relaxing and offering his hand, which Slaid shook, grinning as Steve nodded at his companion. “Who’s your friend?”

“I’m not surprised, it has been nearly a decade, though I imagine my eyepatch makes me a bit distinctive,” Slaid replied with a chuckle, smiling as he nodded at his companion, introducing her. “Steve, this is Captain Vendis Cascade, my partner in crime for the last few weeks, and fellow headache for Kelvanis. Vendis, this is Colonel Steve Gross, I think I mentioned what he’s been up to before.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Captain Cascade,” Colonel Gross replied, smiling at the woman as she offered her hand and he shook it.

“And you, Colonel. Please, just call me Vendis,” the woman replied with a smile. “It looks like you had a bit of excitement out there.”

“That’s a mild way to put it,” the Colonel replied, his smile fading. “We came damn close to disaster out there.”

“What happened, anyway? I heard that you and a couple of short companies from Sifaren were escorting another group of slaves. That seemed to be a rather big group of pursuers to come after you.” Slaid asked, nodding at the soldiers, a frown on his face as he added, “It looks like you lost a fair number of people, too.”

“I did. Somehow the scouts missed that Kelvanis dispatched a large contingent of Westgate’s garrison and their reserves toward Beacon,” Colonel Gross replied, his voice grim. “I ran headlong into their scouts. I don’t know where they pulled the full numbers from, Slaid, but there’s about twenty thousand of the bastards on their way here. I lost a good hundred men and women that I know of on the way, and I would’ve lost more if it hadn’t been for the timely assistance from the city. A lot more, in fact. What the hell even was that thing?”

“Gods damn it, they sent that many people here? That’s going to make the next few days interesting,” Slaid muttered, frowning and nodding at a man off to the side. “As for that attack, it was an experiment by the head of the Adventuring Guild. Albert! What the hell was that attack you used?”

“It was an experimental weapon that promptly melted after a single shot. I think I can salvage most of the materials, but I just lost close to two weeks’ worth of labor and might’ve lost about fifty gold worth of materials,” Albert replied sharply, glowering. “I’m not sure I have the metals on hand to rebuild it, even if I wanted to, so don’t even think about trying to steal it.”

“That wasn’t what we wanted to ask about, Guildmaster. We were more curious about what it was, and I think Colonel Gross wanted to thank you for the timely support,” Vendis interjected, looking amused at the man’s grumbling.

“Oh, right. Sorry about that, I just… I’ve had a few too many pointed comments so far,” the Guildmaster apologized, and smiled at Steve. “Hello, Colonel, and I’m glad I could help.”

“It’s good to meet you, Guildmaster. You have my deepest thanks, as they were gaining on us far more quickly than I’m comfortable thinking about,” Colonel Gross told the taller man. “I’m glad you had your weapon working at the time.”

“You’re lucky, honestly. I’d just finished setting it up for a test-firing when you all burst out of the forest, and I just aimed at a big boulder and hoped it’d work,” Albert replied with a soft laugh. “We’re lucky it even fired, to be frank.”

“I can fully agree there,” Colonel Gross said fervently, shaking his head. He hadn’t realized that the weapon hadn’t been guaranteed to work, which made the intervention even more fortunate.

“Steve, what’s with the ladies over there? The ones under guard?” Slaid asked, nodding toward a cluster of soldiers gathered around a pair of women, and Steve’s smile faded.

“That would be Arise and Iris Ennarra, until recently of Galthor. According to the Baron, Arise was blackmailed into being a spy for Kelvanis with her sister’s safety. When I rebelled, I happened to rescue Iris in the process. Still, though Arise turned on her handlers, she was exiled and she requested to be sent here,” he explained, his voice growing grim as he continued. “She admitted to having reported the movements of Princess Phynis after Farren Galthor passed along the information to her, so I was asked to keep her under guard and to allow the Queen to decide what to do with her.”

“She’s the one behind that raid? I ought to kill her right now!” Vendis’ eyes flashed with sudden anger to Colonel Gross’ surprise, her hand going to her sword.

“Vendis, stop. If anyone is going to make a decision, it should be Phynis herself, not you,” Slaid interjected, taking a careful step between Vendis and Arise. His gaze was calm as he continued. “Some people are willing to do almost anything for family. Just look at what Lady Diane was willing to do. I’d say to let Her Majesty decide for herself.”

The tension between the two was palpable for a moment, until finally Vendis relaxed her grip and let out a slow breath. Her voice was still angry, but she nodded. “Fine. I just… do you have any idea what they did to Phynis’ guards?”

“No, I don’t,” Slaid replied calmly, nodding to Colonel Gross. Albert was also hovering nearby, seeming curious.

“They threw them to the orc garrison of Grayhold for three days. I’m not sure if they were fortunate that none of them were killed,” Vendis replied flatly, and at the explanation, all of the men present blanched, while she continued. “I didn’t see it, of course, but I heard a few descriptions, and my healers dealt with some of the aftereffects. Suffice to say that I bear a bit of a grudge toward anyone involved in that.”

“R-right. Why don’t we see about getting people quartered, then contact Her Majesty? I’d really rather not delay, when we have a situation like that ahead of us,” Colonel Gross asked, swallowing hard. He’d heard a few rumors about things like that, but he’d thought they were just rumors, not true. He found it hard to blame Vendis for her anger.

“Yes, we should. I want to see what Her Majesty decides. Though I suspect she’ll be far more forgiving than I’d be,” Vendis growled, and stalked off without another word.

Slaid smiled, then gestured for Steve to follow as he accompanied her.

* * *

“Welcome to Beacon, Colonel Gross. I’m sorry to hear about your losses, but I’m far happier that you managed to make the journey before that descended on us,” Phynis told the man, smiling thinly and nodding toward the army swarming around the city.

The enemy army was enormous, though it looked more like a swarm of ants from the distance they were watching from. Phynis couldn’t help but worry as she watched it approach. Twenty thousand soldiers were far more than she was comfortable with facing, even with fortifications. Beacon’s defenses could doubtlessly hold them off, but she only had about two hundred golems and five thousand defenders of her own. If it weren’t for the enchantments that Sistina had woven through the city’s structure, Phynis would have been even less confident about their ability to defend against Kelvanis’ siege.

“Thank you, Your Majesty. I’m glad we made it as well,” Colonel Gross said. The man had short brown hair and a beard which was well-trimmed, and was otherwise fairly average for a native of Kelvanis. He looked out on the scene unhappily for a moment before continuing. “I must say that I’m glad we didn’t leave a day later. If we had, we would’ve run headlong into them. That would have been unpleasant.”

“That’s one way to put it. I certainly wouldn’t have been pleased to hear about you getting yourself hammered by Kelvanis,” Slaid interjected, frowning and nodding at the forming siege. “What do we do about them, though?”

“There aren’t any targets worth using the beacon itself on, and most of the city’s enchantments are defensive in nature,” Farris murmured, seeming to consider, frowning. “I don’t see many options that wouldn’t risk catastrophic losses.”

Phynis’ lips pressed together tightly, but she sighed and shook her head, stepping away from the overlook unhappily. There was little enough she could do at the moment, and she looked at Sistina curiously. “Any ideas, Sistina?”

“Yes. They are… unworkable,” the dryad replied slowly, shrugging as she added, “Need mana for emergencies, like Tyria. Otherwise could help, but…”

“Well, that’s unfortunate. Still, worst case we have the inner walls. The farther we get up the mountain, the harder it’ll be for them,” Vendis replied, eying the attackers dubiously. “I don’t want to do that unless we have no other choice, though.”

“Absolutely. We’re going to do our best to tie them down and whittle away at their strength, hopefully giving Sifaren and Yisara a chance to gut Kelvanis’ armies,” Phynis told them, speaking with more confidence than she actually felt.

Murmurs of assent from the others made her feel better, and then the Colonel spoke up, somewhat nervously. “What about my men? I know that you have to assume that some of us could be infiltrators, so I don’t expect anything too important, but how do you want us to contribute?”

Rather than replying directly, Phynis looked at Slaid and raised an eyebrow at him. “Slaid? What would you prefer, since he’s part of your organization?”

“You’re right, Steve. We can’t assume that all your men are loyal, but I doubt many of them are agents of Kelvanis, since I can’t imagine they’d let you betray them like you did outside Galthor. I’d guess a few have had second thoughts, though,” Slaid told the man, pausing to look at the others before continuing. “I’d say we should give any of them who want to leave the chance to do so. If they do, let them go. For the others, until we’re sure of them let’s use them to guard the walls well away from the gates and the like, just to reduce any temptation they might have to do something foolish. What do you think?”

“Hmm… you’ve got a point. I don’t like to think that any of them might be considering going back to Kelvanis, but it’s possible, and your solution seems fair,” Colonel Gross admitted, looking at Phynis as he asked, “Does that seem fair to you, Your Majesty?”

“It does. I’m also gratified that you’re taking it as well as you are,” Phynis told him, smiling as he nodded in relief. After a moment, she moved on to her last question. “That being said… what was this about a spy?”

As she spoke, Sistina had moved to the window, looking out with a hint of speculation on her face. Colonel Gross coughed and spoke after a moment, looking uncertain. “Well, when we left Galthor with those who wished to come here, one of those we were entrusted with was a captive, a woman named Arise Ennarra. Supposedly she was blackmailed with the safety of her sister into passing information back and forth for Kelvanis, as well as spying in the city. She was Farren Galthor’s contact.”

“She’s the one who passed along the information on your route, Your Majesty.” Vendis’ voice was flat and angry. “You never would have been captured if it hadn’t been for her.”

“I see. Well, I’ll meet with her soon enough,” Phynis replied, trying to untangle her confused morass of emotions. Trying to set it aside, she continued. “I’ll meet with her in the throne room in an hour.”

“Are you certain? While I’m fairly certain she won’t have weapons, letting her into the same room as you seems like a bad idea,” Slaid asked, flushing as the others looked at him curiously. “What? There’ve been enough assassination attempts on both sides I think it’s a legitimate question.”

“It is, and I’m sure. I need to deal with this, one way or another,” Phynis told him, smiling thinly as she continued, looking at Sistina. “I’m trying to decide how I feel about her, to be honest.”

“What? Why is there any question?” Vendis asked, disbelief evident on her face.

“Look around us. Would we even be here if she hadn’t passed along the information? Would this city be here? Would I have met my beloved, let alone have her assistance now?” Phynis asked softly, reaching out and squeezing the dryad’s shoulder, and Sistina turned, smiling and setting a hand on Phynis’ own. “Oh, the dungeon would have been found when the first adventurers arrived, but we likely would never have met Sistina, and Topaz and the others wouldn’t have been freed by her.”

“She has a point,” Topaz murmured, stepping forward and bowing her head slightly to Phynis as she continued. “While I may have mixed opinions on many things, I don’t want to consider what would have happened if I hadn’t been captured by Sistina.”

“I… I suppose that’s fair. I don’t think she was right to do it, though,” Vendis finally admitted grudgingly.

“Oh, I entirely agree with you. That’s why I want an hour to think things over, and I’m not letting her off completely,” Phynis assured her, her eyes and mood darkening. “I’ve a pretty good idea of what the others went through, after all. Even if they’ve never told me.”

“Very well, Your Majesty. We should let you start thinking things over, then.” Slaid spoke quickly, looking at Colonel Gross as he asked, “Steve? Care to join me in the barracks and catch up for a bit?”

“After the last few days, that sounds wonderful,” the man replied fervently, and followed Slaid out, with Vendis in his wake.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Topaz asked once most of the others were gone, and Phynis smiled at her.

“Thank you, but no. I would like you to be there, though. You and Farris, at the least,” the Queen replied softly.

“Definitely,” Topaz promised, her eyes dancing as she grinned. “It’s enormously better than trying to get through Zenith’s stubborn skull.”

Sistina giggled softly at that, amused.

* * *

“Hello, Your Majesty,” Arise said, curtseying deeply. She looked nervous, as well she should.

Behind her was the woman’s sister, who also curtsied, and Phynis had to work to pull her gaze away from Iris’ mutilated ears and the faint marks of where she’d obviously been whipped and abused. Both women were wearing simple dresses, but finely made despite that. Phynis vaguely remembered meeting Arise in passing during her visit to Galthor, as the attractive woman was the type to stick in her memory.

“I’m told, Ms. Ennarra, that I have you to thank for my treatment by Kelvanis this past year. Is this true?” Phynis replied coolly, focusing on Arise’s expression. How the woman reacted would determine much.

“It is. While your route was passed to me by Farren, I’m the one who passed it on, Your Majesty,” Arise replied, maintaining her curtsey and hesitating before continuing. “I… I also wished to convey my apologies. While I know that what I did was horrible, I saw little choice at the time.”

“You want to apologize?” Phynis asked, incredulous. “I was kidnapped and branded by Kelvanis, along with my guard and maids! Dozens of others died at a minimum because of your actions! How can a mere apology make up for that?”

“No apology could, Your Majesty. That’s why I came here. I was given the opportunity to go into exile, via a border of my choice, but I asked to be brought here for my sister.” Arise’s voice trembled, and she swallowed as she glanced up at Phynis, then lowered her gaze again. “Iris did nothing. She didn’t deserve what happened to her, just like you didn’t. I did what I could, but it was a mistake. For that… I’m willing to pay the price for what I did. Anything you choose. Just please, let Iris find some modicum of freedom? Please?”

“Arise!” Iris exclaimed, her head jerking upright as she protested. “But you said that we’d open a shop together! That you wouldn’t leave me alone, not again!”

“Ms. Iris, I—” Phynis began, only to be interrupted by the woman as she stood up straight.

“Please, Your Majesty, I know that what she did was horrible, but… but she’s my only family!” Iris begged, her voice breaking.

“I wasn’t going to take her from you,” Phynis interjected firmly, her eyes narrowing at Iris. “I don’t suppose you’d prefer that I did?”

“What? But…” Iris looked stunned, and Phynis felt the faintest hint of amusement as Arise looked up, her confusion obvious.

“While what Arise did was horrible, she turned back before all was lost. Dozens have likely died because of her actions, and we may never know how much damage she did.” The Queen spoke softly now, sitting back in her throne. “By the same token, who knows how much damage would have been prevented without her? I have little doubt that if she hadn’t cooperated with Kelvanis, they would have found another to take her place. It’s also possible that that agent wouldn’t have turned at the point that you did. I have a letter from Baron Galthor, and he wasn’t certain either. While I could throw you into jail and throw away the key, Arise, I don’t believe that does anyone any good at all. You said you were willing to do anything, yes?”

“I… I did. What would you ask of me?” Arise said, almost collapsing to her knees, while her sister laid a hand on her shoulder.

“You’ll open your shop, and you’ll stay here in Beacon, for at least the next fifty years… assuming Beacon survives, at least.” Phynis gave a cold smile at the qualification. “I imagine we will. During that time, you’ll share your books with the Royal Treasury. Half of all profit you make must be spent on helping those who were hurt by the war, whether in clothing or coin. While it may not be the perfect solution, I cannot devise a better one.”

“That is far better than what I feared might have happened, Your Majesty. I gladly accept your offer.” Arise replied, glancing at her sister and licking her lips. “A-also, while I hesitate to say anything… Iris was branded. I was told she could be freed of Kelvanis. Might that be something that could be dealt with?”

Phynis relaxed and looked over at Sistina, raising her eyebrows. “Sistina? Care to answer that one?”

The dryad gave Phynis a droll look, then turned back to her guests before gesturing them forward, her voice calm. “Iris, come here. I can claim your brand.”

“And I can heal your injuries, should you so desire,” Farris spoke up, looking at Iris in obvious pity. “I must say that they look painful.”

“Not anymore, but if you would, I’d be eternally grateful.” Iris’ eyes brightened with unshed tears, and she stepped forward.

“Thank you, Your Majesty. I didn’t think…” Arise whispered, not rising from her knees.

Phynis smiled gently, shaking her head. “It is nothing to me, and a great deal for others. Don’t make me regret it.”

The other woman nodded vigorously, vowing, “I won’t. I promise it, on my life and soul.”