Elsyn urged to smack Corvus in the head at that moment. She even raised her hand to do so, but changed her mind at the last moment.

  Hitting him will likely hurt my hand only.

  "Miss Ravina can you take us to the Covenant, please?" Elsyn asked.

  Ravina extended her arm; Corvus helped her up.

  She brushed dust off her clothes, and replied, "Sure, why not. It's not like I can work with my injuries, so I'll have to go back anyway. You guys might as well tag along."

  "Thank you so much, Miss Ravina," Elsyn sincerely said.

  "It's... Alright. I feel bad about hurting you; I hope this makes us even, girl—I mean, Elsyn," Ravina said.

  Corvus's eyes twitched. "Even? You're lucky that I don't know the route to the Covenant mys..."

  Elsyn quickly covered his mouth with her palm.

  "He means well, I'm sure," Elsyn said with a half smile.

  Ravina stared at the duo and shrugged. "Whatever. Let's go, we're leaving."

  "We can't leave yet, I have to bring my sister first," Elsyn said.

  "He can bring her; we'll wait for at the Hearth's end," Ravina replied while pointing at Corvus.

  Corvus put a hand on Elsyn's shoulder. "She's right, El. You should go, I will bring Lea; you have my word."

  Elsyn thought about the proposal, and firmly said, "No. I'm not leaving my sister behind. I won't let her get separated from me ever again. No matter what."

  Her resolute words left no scope for further discussions.

  Corvus silently accepted her resolve. He looked at Ravina, and said, "We can't leave yet, Brineheart. We still haven't found El's friends."

  "Didn't you check the carriages? Do you want to scour the entire Bleakmoor now? Besides we can't stay here for long; the news of a Doomwarden strolling inside a Legionary stronghold won't go unnoticed. Frostbound's forces must be on their way—we have to go now," Ravina replied.

  "Just wait a little longer, Miss Ravina, we'll find them soon, please," Elsyn asked.

  "No. I don't have anything to gain by staying here. On the other hand, if anyone sees me here then my next visit to the Hearth will be far more unpleasant. I'm leaving, you guys take care." Ravina began to walk away.

  "Take her friends with you—and I'll owe you one; the Reavers will owe you," Corvus spoke.

  Ravina turned back, and said, "Reavers? I feel like I've heard the name somewhere."

  "From Shardmarch Sovereignty; I'm their Vice-Captain," Corvus answered.

  "Ah. Shardmarch, Reavers; it clicks. Your Captain... Elric, was it? He once visited Covenant of Eldara with the Shardmarch's king," Ravina realized, and continued, "Fine, if I get to have the infamous Reavers indebted to me then I can wait. But I'm fleeing at the first sight of trouble. You guys better hurry."

  Corvus nodded, and turned to Elsyn. "Your friends, if they are here, then they should be inside that building. I'm going in; count to thirty and walk in."

  "Yes, tha..." Elsyn's voice faltered. She swallowed her words and started afresh, "Fine."

  She wanted to thank Corvus for his help, but refrained at last second. She knew he was going out of his way to help her beyond what they had agreed. Yet a faint doubt lingered in her mind:

  Is he helping me because of his kindness? Or is it a way to repay me for saving his life?

  She could not decide.

  But she did not seek an answer. Even if she was wrong, Elsyn was content with her inference. She did not want something acrid marring her bond with Corvus.

  She watched him vanish into the dark as he dashed towards the red building. His prowess was truly astonishing, enough to inspire fear and respect in allies and foes alike.

  Yet, despite their brief time together, and the carnage left in his wake, she could not see him as anything other than a friend.

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  An anti-social, clumsy, and ignorant fool, but her friend.

  One she had come to rely on and trust, against her better caution. Elsyn did not want it all reduced to a simple exchange of kindness.

  She began the count. "One, two, three, four..."

  Inside the building, Corvus found rows of cells lined up across the walls. Each was crammed with a dozen children—mostly asleep.

  The air reeked of oil and candle. The light was poor and dull, barely enough to walk inside. But Corvus's vision sharpened by Unity clearly saw in the gloom.

  Normally, he would have mapped the area and planned his assault. But pressed for time, he would have to improvise.

  He sprinted across the ground floor in one breath. To his surprise no guard patrolled this floor.

  Odd.

  "... Seventeen, eighteen..."

  Corvus quickly climbed the second floor and scoured the area. Luckily, the edifice was circular in design, which did not impede his speed at the corners.

  Three guards were standing watch here. Emphasis on were. By the time they noticed him, they were already dead.

  "... Twenty-four, twenty-five..."

  One last floor, Corvus climbed the stairs.

  The dead bodies of the guards and Corvus's passage by the cells—like a flashing spectre—spooked the children. Many started to scream and shake the bars. The entire building came alive in chaos.

  "...Thirty." Elsyn stepped inside.

  It was mostly wooden inside, save for the metal cells. Together, the cells were packed with countless children. The place almost resembled a livestock stable, if not for the fact that even beasts were treated better.

  The ground floor was relatively quiet, but the first floor echoed with cries.

  Shifting her focus back to the cells of before her, Elsyn approached one of them. The children had awakened from the noise, but they all avoided her eyes.

  Suddenly, a voice boomed from behind her:

  "Who are you wench!"

  She turned. A tall, bulky man stood a few meters away from her. His eyes were red and face irritated from the lack of sleep.

  "Can't let a man rest in peace for a while, can you?" the bulky man barked. He grabbed a metal rod and moved towards Elsyn.

  Elsyn, however, did not flinch. Watching him advance, she thought, Looks like he missed him. He should've asked for a count of a minute, show-off.

  The man stopped before her, breathing hard. "I asked who're you wench!"

  He swung the rod at her head.

  Elsyn's steady gaze did not waver.

  The rod never landed—only a hot spray of blood splattered across Elsyn's face. The man's severed hands hit the floor with a dull slap.

  For a second, he just stared—stunned—at the stumps where his wrists had been. Then the pain caught up. He dropped to his knees, screaming in agony and disbelief.

  As he fell, a figure in white stepped forward from behind him—wielding a sabre gleaming red.

  Corvus.

  He moved past the writhing man, stopping beside Elsyn, and asked casually, "Was he hiding somewhere?"

  Elsyn wiped a drop of blood from her cheek. "More like sleeping somewhere."

  The bulky man looked up at them, horror and rage filled his mind. They spoke over him as if he didn’t exist.

  Tears welled in his eyes as the truth sank in—he was already dead in their eyes.

  "Who… who are you? This is the Frostbound Legion’s outpost! Do you know what’ll happen to you?"

  Spit flew from his mouth with every word.

  Elsyn looked at his pitiful state... and felt justice.

  Crouching down, she tied two pieces of strings on his bloody stumps to slow the bleeding.

  "I'll be the one asking questions. Answer, and I just might ease your suffering. Understand?" she said.

  The bulky man looked at her in disdain, but reluctantly nodded twice.

  "Where are the children the Iron Moorers brought some days ago?"

  After a thoughtful pause, the bulky man answered, "Third cell from the right on the first floor..."

  Just as Elsyn was about to walk away, the bulky man spoke in a weak, hoarse voice, "You can't take them. They've been promised."

  She turned back. "You mean sold."

  "No, only obedient ones are sold; we don't ruin our reputation with the rebellious ones. From what Darrow told me, those brats helped two of his slaves escape. So he sent them here to live as one of the loaned ones."

  "Loaned?"

  "They are not sold permanently, just rented out to customers for a time. Their masters loan them to us, and we send a portion of the earnings back as interest. It's a repetitive business, popular among those who can't afford a slave."

  Elsyn’s skin crawled as she imagined the sheer despair these children faced every day. Her face contorted in revulsion.

  She wanted to help them, but—

  Not now. Livia and the others are waiting.

  She forced herself to move.

  "Are you alright?" Corvus asked.

  "Yes, never mind me. Are you sure about what you said?"

  What did I say? Corvus thought.

  "I suppose I am... but could you be a little more specific."

  Did he really forget something that important? Or is he just messing with me? Elsyn thought, then replied,

  "Your group, the Reavers, will owe Ravina now. She doesn’t seem the type to make such a serious promise lightly."

  "Oh that! Don't worry, it's no big deal."

  "You mean, you were lying?"

  "No, no, I meant every word. The Reavers owe her, no matter; that's fixed. But there's a saying among the Reavers: we pay our dues at the place and time of our own choosing."

  Noticing, Elsyn's puzzled expression, he clarified:

  "You will understand from this story: a merchant once offered our Captain rations at an absurdly high price. Cap couldn't refuse because our men were starving; the merchant knew this. So he didn't budge an inch from his price. In the end, Cap had to promise the Reavers' service to him ten times, whenever the merchant chose."

  "The merchant got you guys good," Elsyn cut in.

  "You think." Corvus smirked. "The next week, two of his daughters were abducted by unknown villains. Then his shop was razed by thieves no one could identify. After that, a mysterious fire consumed his house. Every other week, another misfortunes struck the merchant—in total fifteen such incidents took place. Who do you think he called to handle the problems? Take a guess."

  Elsyn blinked. "The Reavers... You guys were behind all of it... But wasn't the promise for ten times only? What about the other five?"

  "We made the merchant pay an exorbitant fee for each extra job," Corvus said. "We aren't called the Reavers for nothing."

  Elsyn smiled.

  At last, she had her answer. The reason behind Corvus's help, now laid bare to her.

  It wasn't born of some obligation or repayment. It was simply because he wanted to.

  His supposed debt for saving his life was just a convenient cover—one he wove because he was too stubborn to admit his feelings.

  Or perhaps, he just did not know how to.