-13-

The woman emerged from her house at dawn. She stood watching as Kath clambered onto Elle's beast. Elle tried not to let her gaze disconcert her, tightening saddlebag straps and checking nothing had been disbanded in their hurry to get away. Gripping the beast's mane, Elle swung a leg over the animal until she perched in front of Kath.

Tristan leant down from his own beast, speaking to the woman. "Lorel is this way?"

Gesturing with a sweep of her hand, "the land will open up, and you will be guided by the lights. It is at least a two day ride." Tristan bowed his head, "how can we repay you for your...hospitality?"

His voice was clipped with politeness, with only a slight edge of impatience and unease. Jax clicked his horse onwards, having heard the directions. Leo followed him, grinning. Elle too, egged her beast on, glancing back at the pair only to see the witch's eyes glazing over as a vacant look passed her features, eyes flicking to Ravaryn.

"The debt has already been paid. Khala samen, young travellers."

Confusion flickered, then Tristan straightened. Before he had even begun to move the witch had melted away into Orioch's land as if she had never been there at all, reduced to mere wisps of smoke and a blooming flower on the forest floor. A pure white, too perfect to be real. Tristan didn't pick up the white bulb, facing forwards and nudging his beast on.

They rode without many breaks, careful to keep direction during the night to make up for the time that they had lost. Exactly two and a half days of hard riding, the trees grew less dense and light began to shine through the open roof of evergreen. Leo cracked a loud whoop as they broke through the trees.

Lorel was so close. With winter creeping ever-closer, the nights had become bitingly cold—a warm bed sounded like a dream. Thundering hooves slowed as they surveyed their next hurdle, beyond them lay sprawling hills, long grass dipped in frost. A gust of wind played with her horse's mane as they trotted to the crest of the first hill.

Leo's celebrations echoed across the rolling plains, as he rode his animal of the edge of the steep slant at the edge of Orioch. His beast's hooves scrambled as the pair attempted to keep their balance, sliding down the hill.

"Is there any other way down?" Kath peered over the edge. It probably wasn't as steep as it looked from their position in reality.

"Nope." Elle grimaced, thumping the horse's side to spur it forwards. The animal tried to find footing but skid a good few feet, sliding down—albeit less gracefully—than Leo. But they had survived, with two people on the back of their horse without sustaining any injuries between the three of them.

Tristan and Jax didn't waste any time descending the hill, joining them at the base. "Come on!" Leo had already worked his beast into a gallop up and down the hills.

By nightfall, Elle could spy lights glittering in the distance, their lustre mimicking those of the stars speckled in the sky above. Lorel lay nestled in a hill in the distance, surrounded by the walls it was famous for. It was that glow that beckoned them to race faster across the plains despite the discomfort.

Giant oak gates towered above them, decorated with intricate gold leaves and twining branches crowned their arrival. The Enforcers groggily blinked sleep from their eyes, sitting upright from their positions by the entrance to the city. Even being a primarily residential city, Lorel's leader: an ex-Enforcer general made sure order was upheld. Paranoid bastard.

As the guards' raised their brows, Elle's eyes slid over her grim companions. They looked quite the sight, with Jax's poet missing a sleeve altogether and the rest of them muddied, scratched and stinking of hard riding. The assassins didn't dare smile, even after a rudimentary search and confiscation of Tristan's pouch of money as they entered the city.

At some more snipes from the bored guards, Tristan muttered, dragging Jax away roughly as if he were a powder keg about to explode. Elle stiffened on her horse, eyes darting for anyone noticing their arrival. She hadn't set foot in the city for a good few years. Lorel was DETRA's territory, and something about the place shot ice right through her veins.

Broken into four sectors, they needed to find lodgings in a place where no one would ask questions; the Western Region. The horses jumped at the slightest noise skittishly, tension practically radiated off the whole group of them. Kath pressed herself closer to Elle as they wove through one of the side markets.

To her surprise, more people remained awake than she had anticipated. In darkness, they dismounted, approaching a stablehand who gladly took the gold they tossed at him to watch their horses. The ratty boy nodded solemnly and took the reins. Jax grabbed his grubby wrist, "be careful." He practically growled in the boy's face, "I want these horses here when we return." The boy shook off his hold and nodded again, jaw set.

They knew they had entered the Western Region by the sudden deterioration of the buildings. Lazier than the Eastern sector, the roofs of inns and thin houses were lopsided, leaning forward to listen to the dark stories wayfarers brought with their arrival. Back streets wrapped around the houses making the city a maze not easily navigated. Alleys grew claustrophobic, not wide enough for the horses that they had handed over minutes prior.

The main roads out of the Western Region were sure to be monitored and they couldn't risk rousing suspicion. "What is that stench?" Leo spoke through his hand, muffling his mouth. Kath's bright hair had been subdued by a tan scarf she had found, pulling it down to shadow her brown eyes.

Eventually they reached the destination Kade had recommended. A low profile inn in the middle of a haphazard labyrinth of streets. Elle peered up at the remains of a hanging sign, half of which had been stolen, her eyes noting the smashed windows on the second floor.

Raucous laughter sounded from inside. Climbing the steps up to a small porch, Jax pushed open the door, hands brushing against the peeling paintwork. Old hinges squealed in protest. Tables and chairs littered the room, some occupied by various drunkards hollering for more ale.

At the bar a woman stood cleaning mugs. When she saw the newcomers she wiped her hands on her filthy skirt, leaning against the wood. Curling black hair thrown over her shoulder, she raised her eyebrows at the ragtag group, who all donned hoods of some kind.

Growing closer, Elle noticed the permanent dark circles beneath sunken eyes, but still the woman withheld a sharp gleam in them. "This the Green Star?" Jax enquired quietly, but not meekly.

"You want a room?" Came her coarse reply. Resting on her elbows, she abandoned the dirty mugs and focused her full attention on them. Elle stayed back and merely watched as Leo interjected, "—yes." His teeth flashed as he smirked under the hood. "Are there any available, love?"

Suddenly Elle could see how the mischievous brute had won girls' hearts in the past. She drew the hood of her cape lower, covering the majority of her scar.

The barmaid tittered and waved him away, but a playful smile tugged on her features. Leo turned when she bent to find some keys, Elle found it hard to miss the small grimace he made, nor the flash of—well she didn't know what, across his face. Flirting with her wasn't that bad.

Kath took the keys, Elle following her as she ascended the creaking stairs as the boys handed over the coin. The rooms, she discovered, were small. Mattresses paper thin, with rusted springs. Elle picked up the blanket between her thumb and forefinger, holding it away from her body to examine the unknown stains. Kade had recommended this place? Did he not know her at all?

No wonder the place was cheap.

From the general thumps and swearing from next door, the boys' room was no bigger yet they had to squeeze three of them in there. Kath knelt by the hearth, trying to coax a fire into warming them. Meanwhile, Elle dumped the saddlebags onto the beds then leant against the flimsy wall.

She knocked on the hollow walls, hearing the echo reverberate from inside. Soon enough, through the squabbling of the boys' side there was an answering knock. Sinking down onto the only other piece of furniture in the room, a small chair, Elle wiggled around in it, checking to see if it would collapse under her weight. Much to Kath's amusement.

Out of the window there wasn't much to see other than the neighbouring dark alleyway and perhaps, a tiled rooftop. No sight of the Enforcer's dome—a grand glass building in the centre of the city in which the soldiers resided. No one was sure of its actual purpose but as the city was being run by the old general himself no one could argue otherwise.

She had only seen it in passing once, with Mikel. On his annual trip to collect intel from his spies within DETRA under the guise of collecting spices with his niece. He had promised her he would take her inside one day. How he would have coerced the general to permit him inside was another matter; knowing Mikel, it was more like threatening the man to within an inch of his life.

Even now, the assassin wasn't certain of the grounds of the relationship between the Enforcers and the Order. Not too keen on organisations rivalling the government, they couldn't do much against an entire underground network even if they wanted to. Mikel and the High Council had seen to precautions like that. Besides, DETRA was the common enemy.

"I'm going to wash this filth off my body." Elle spoke aloud, then ducked out of the cramped room to the tiny copper bath just through a curtain. Two buckets had been filled and the water looked relatively clean. She didn't think twice before stripping down and scrubbing her skin raw.

Feeling refreshed and cleaner than ever, the assassin dressed in the cleanest oversized shirt she could find, rubbing the dirt off of her travelling clothes and left them to dry. Kath glanced up when she emerged, jerking her head to the bathroom. "There's a bucket in there you can use," Elle said. A quick smile and Kath too, took her turn.

From the boys' room she could already hear the squabbles of there being only two buckets and three of them. Straining her ears, the assassin just about caught Leo's suggestion, "if you two don't want to use half a bucket then just bathe together!" He cackled. The answering thump of a pillow hitting something—or one, was answer enough for him.

Elle sank into her own thin pillow, not caring whether her hair dampened the material.

The Order had decided to strike in a fleetingly precious moment, somehow they had discovered the location of DETRA's guild and when they would be accepting new agents. Mikel's spies were good. Despite their rivalry, the Order couldn't take down DETRA yet: it would be a colossal waste of life and of resources. No, they had been sent to gather information...without backup from one of the Order's many agencies around Saryn.

Whatever mission the High Council ordered would be completed. Always with strings attached. That was the way. No one would ever be completely free of the Order, she mused. Not even in death.