Chapter 34. Choosing Sides

  Raven was roused before dawn by the sound of boots scuffing against the dirt floor. A guard loomed over him, rifle slung across his chest, expression unreadable in the dim light.

  "Get up," the guard ordered. "Leadership wants a word."

  Raven sat up, stretching his shoulders. Carlos stirred beside him but didn’t wake. Probably for the best—Carlos wouldn’t take kindly to being left behind, but he might say the wrong thing too.

  “Just me?” Raven asked.

  The guard nodded. “Just you.”

  Raven exhaled through his nose and got to his feet, rolling his shoulders to shake off the stiffness of a night spent on a wooden bench. The guards led him through the waking camp, past tired civilians rolling up their makeshift bedding and soldiers assembling for the day’s patrols. The morning air was cool, but the weight of being watched pressed down on him from all sides.

  Eventually, they reached a large tent set apart from the others, its canvas walls clean and reinforced with wooden beams. This wasn’t a makeshift shelter—it was a command post. The guard gestured him inside.

  A single table sat in the centre of the tent, a lantern casting a warm glow over a spread of maps and reports. Two figures sat waiting for him. A woman in a sharply cut navy suit, sleeves rolled to her elbows, hands neatly folded atop the table. Beside her, a man in military uniform, stiff-backed, his expression severe.

  Raven recognized them immediately.

  The woman was one of the people he’d eavesdropped on the night before. Which made the man beside her the one who had pushed for control above all else.

  "Sit," the woman said, her voice calm but firm.

  Raven took a seat, leaning back slightly, keeping his posture relaxed but alert.

  "You caused quite a stir last night," she said, watching him closely. "There were multiple reports of a man moving through the camp like a ghost, slipping between shadows, disappearing where no one should be able to. Would you care to explain?"

  Raven met her gaze, then glanced at the officer beside her. The man’s jaw was tight, his eyes narrowed with suspicion.

  "If I wanted to escape, I wouldn’t still be here," Raven said evenly.

  The woman tilted her head slightly. "Then why are you still here?"

  "Because I came to help," Raven said simply. "We came to introduce ourselves, to see if you needed support. I wasn’t expecting to be locked up."

  The officer scoffed. "And yet, instead of waiting for an audience, you spent the night sneaking through our camp. That doesn't exactly scream 'Good intentions'."

  Raven turned his gaze back to the woman. "I wanted to understand what was happening here. I wasn’t about to sit in a cell while decisions were being made about me."

  The woman studied him for a moment before nodding slowly. "Understandable. Risky, but understandable."

  “I’m Lisa Redwyn and this is Captain Mark Trenholm” Lisa stated.

  As in Mayor Redwyn?” Raven asked, receiving a nod of acknowledgement

  Trenholm folded his arms. "You’re lucky we’re talking instead of putting you in front of a firing squad."

  Raven smirked. "If you thought that was a real option, I wouldn’t be sitting here."

  Lisa held up a hand before the officer could snap back. "Enough. Let's focus on the present. You claim you're here to help. So, tell me, Raven—what exactly can you offer?"

  Raven paused, considering his words carefully. He needed to maintain an upper hand here, or at least the illusion of one. Finally, he leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table.

  "Information," he said simply.

  Lisa arched a brow, while Trenholm remained stony-faced. Neither spoke, waiting for him to elaborate.

  "You've got a lot of people here," Raven continued. "And I'm guessing food and water are becoming a huge problem. What if there was a way to fix that?"

  He saw the flicker of interest cross Lisa’s face before she schooled her expression back into neutrality. Trenholm, however, merely scoffed sweeping his arm in a dismissive motion. "You're telling me you have a solution for our biggest problems?" His tone was thick with disbelief.

  Raven nodded. "I do."

  Th Captain folded his arms, unimpressed. "Convenient. And let me guess—this solution of yours comes with a price?"

  "Not a price," Raven corrected, "A condition."

  The officer narrowed his eyes. The woman, however, seemed intrigued. "Go on."

  "Before I solve two of your biggest problems, I want my colleagues released from their cells."

  Trenholm exhaled sharply through his nose. "Your lunatic friend? The one who was practically shouting about breaking out last night? You expect us to just let him go?"

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  Raven tilted his head. "Considering I'm offering you the means to ensure this camp survives, yeah, I do."

  Lisa exchanged a glance with the captain, before leaning back in her chair. "Your other companion—he wasn’t locked up."

  That caught Raven off guard. He narrowed his eyes. "What?"

  Trenholm smirked. "The policeman with you Reynolds. He showed a little more respect. Explained himself properly, told us who he was, what his purpose was. We saw potential in him. He’s been posted to the garrison, working under our officers in the hopes of earning goodwill and securing your release."

  Raven frowned. That was… unexpected. Reynolds had clearly been more diplomatic than either himself or Carlos.

  "Then it's just Carlos left," Raven said after a beat.

  "Correct," Lisa replied.

  Raven drummed his fingers against the table, considering. "And what about my things? My bow, my dagger, my pack?"

  Trenholm smirked. "Confiscated. Standard protocol."

  Raven rolled his eyes. "Of course. Well, I assume you'll want proof that I can actually help you before you just hand my gear back, right?"

  Lisa nodded. "That would be wise."

  "Then let’s start there." Raven straightened. "I need to see your supply stores. Your food, your water. Then, I’ll tell you exactly how to fix both problems."

  The woman studied him for a moment, then turned to the captain. "Arrange it."

  The officer stiffened but nodded, clearly displeased. Raven smirked. He had their attention. Now, all he had to do was play this right.

  Lisa led Raven deeper into the storerooms, past weary guards and stacks of dwindling supplies. The air was thick with the scent of stale food and sweat, and flickering lanterns barely illuminated the space. She moved with a quiet authority, making sure no one was close enough to overhear before stopping in a dimly lit corner.

  She turned to face him; arms crossed. “Alright, we’re away from prying ears. Tell me what you know.”

  Raven glanced over his shoulder before speaking. “I wanted to make sure I was talking to the right person. You and the captain… you don’t see eye to eye, do you?”

  Lisa’s expression remained unreadable, but she didn’t deny it.

  “He’s focused on control,” Raven continued. “You? You want to keep these people alive.”

  Lisa exhaled slowly. “That’s an oversimplification.”

  “Maybe,” Raven admitted. “But it’s the truth, isn’t it?”

  She tilted her head, watching him. “And why do you care?”

  “Because I have something that could change everything,” Raven said. “And I need to make sure it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.”

  Lisa’s brow furrowed. “Go on.”

  Raven leaned in slightly. “There’s an Ether Sink near here.”

  "Yeah I have no idea what that means so you’re going to have to explain"

  Raven explained the basics of what a sink could offer, and Lisa's eyes grew wider with every bit of information.

  "Are you certain?"

  “I can feel it,” Raven confirmed. “I'm not sure where but it’s close by. If we can locate it, it could solve your biggest problems—water, food, security. But if the captain gets his hands on it first, he’s not going to use it for the good of the people, is he?”

  Lisa’s jaw tightened. “No. He’d use it to consolidate power.”

  “Then we need to move before he does,” Raven said. “If we find it and activate it ourselves, you’ll have leverage. You could secure food and water without relying on his soldiers.”

  Lisa fell silent, clearly weighing his words. Finally, she gave a slow nod. “If you’re right, this could be our best chance to take control of the situation. But I need proof.”

  Raven smirked. “Then let’s go find it.”

  Raven moved with a group of scouts, keeping his thoughts to himself as they navigated the crumbling streets. He hadn’t expected Lisa to have so many people working against Trenholm’s hold on the camp. It was clear now—this wasn’t just a temporary arrangement. There were two factions forming, and if things weren’t handled carefully, the city hall might not be a refuge for long.

  He pushed those thoughts aside as they scouted deeper into the city, relying on his instincts to guide them. The further they moved, the more certain he became—they were closing in on something.

  And then they turned a corner.

  The old tavern sat at the end of the street, squat and dark beneath the early morning gloom. But what caught Raven’s attention wasn’t the building itself—it was the fortifications around it.

  A wooden palisade, at least six feet high, had been constructed between the surrounding buildings, creating a crude but effective barrier. Long, sharpened spikes jutted outward in uneven lines, a deterrent to anything that might try to force its way in. Two lookout towers had been built, one on either side of the tavern, each manned by goblins holding actual weapons—rusted swords, scavenged crossbows, even makeshift spears.

  This wasn’t some loose gathering of monsters. This was a stronghold, they must have claimed the sink.

  “Shit,” the lead scout muttered under his breath.

  Raven narrowed his eyes, scanning the goblins moving around inside the perimeter. They weren’t the usual scattered bands he’d been dealing with before. These ones moved with purpose, standing guard in shifts, patrolling the barricades, maintaining the crude structures inside.

  “Since when do goblins fortify anything?” the scout asked, voice low.

  “They don’t,” Raven murmured. “Not like this.”

  The air around them felt thick with something. It was close—he could feel it beneath his skin.

  “The sink is here,” he confirmed. “Somewhere under that tavern.”

  The scout looked at him, then back to the goblins. “Well… this complicates things.”

  Raven smirked. “Yeah. Just a little.”

  Back at the town hall, the atmosphere was tense as Raven and the scouting party stepped into the main hall. The space had been cleared for meetings, with maps spread across makeshift tables and soldiers stationed near the entrances. Lisa and Trenholm stood at the head of the room, waiting for their report.

  Dillon, the lead scout, stepped forward, his face carefully neutral as he addressed the leadership. "We found a fortified position," he began, his tone professional but firm. "A wooden palisade built between buildings, with two lookout towers and a heavy goblin presence. They’re armed better than any group we’ve seen before—actual weapons, crossbows, spears."

  Trenholm frowned, arms crossed tightly over his chest. "A goblin stronghold?" He scoffed. "Since when do those things set up defences?"

  Lisa, however, was already watching Dillon carefully, taking in his measured words. Raven noted how the scout made no mention of the sink, clearly choosing his side in the growing divide between the two leaders. That level of trust meant Lisa was doing something right. It reaffirmed Raven’s decision to approach her over Trenholm.

  "How many?" the captain pressed. "Are we talking a small outpost or a full nest?"

  "Hard to say exactly," Dillon admitted. "But at least fifty, probably more."

  Trenholm let out a low curse. "That explains the raids," he muttered.

  Lisa nodded in agreement. "It makes sense. The attacks on our barricades weren’t random—they’ve been probing us, testing our defences. If that fort is a staging ground, then it’s the source of the pressure we’ve been feeling."

  Trenholm’s expression darkened. "Then we take it out. We can’t have an entrenched enemy sitting right outside our perimeter."

  Lisa turned to Raven. "You’ve got experience with these things. Do you think an assault is feasible?"

  Raven held her gaze for a moment before responding. "It won’t be easy," he admitted. "They’re dug in, and they know how to fight. We’ll need a solid plan if we don’t want to just throw people into the meat grinder."

  Trenholm looked impatient, but Lisa nodded thoughtfully. "Then that’s what we’ll do. We plan. Because one way or another, that stronghold has to go."

  Raven was about to add more when one of the soldiers moved up beside him. "You need to leave," the man said. "This is a leadership meeting now."

  Raven smirked but didn’t argue. He cast one last glance at Lisa, catching the slight nod she gave him, before turning and walking out of the hall.

  He had a feeling things were about to get interesting.