Holly's POV.
“Aaaaaaand she does it again, ladies and gentlemen!” Abby declared proudly, throwing her arms out like she was presenting a winner of a grand performance.
I still thought it would’ve been less a of risk if she didn’t, but, arguing feels pointless.
Footsteps approached, soft but confident, and Abby came up beside me. Her hand settled on my shoulder, paired with that familiar “it’s fine” smile she always used when she knew I was irritated. I was irritated, because for all we knew there could have been guards here. I didn’t say any of that, just looked away without another word.
She slipped past me, brushing my arm as she went, giving Brynlie an approving pat on the back before stepping through the opened passage first.
“Nice job there,” Kalaya chuckled as she brushed past Brynlie, her voice carrying that amused tone she used whenever chaos somehow worked in our favor.
I let out a long sigh of frustration before catching up with Abby and Kalaya, my boots scraping lightly against the stone floor.
“Maybe we should start calling you the Lever Master,” I teased, smirking as I passed Brynlie, who groaned dramatically in response.
“Sure thing. I’ll get right o-,” she said, sarcastically as her voice started to fade the further I got.
The moment I stepped through the doorway, a sudden bit of light hit me straight in the face. I blinked rapidly and was confused as I stood there for a second. Abby and Kalaya were right in front of me so where was the light coming from?
“Hey, get down!” a voice hissed from somewhere to my left.
My eyes adjusted just enough to make out that in front of me stretched a narrow alleyway, the same one that hid the secret door we’d just slipped out of which sat at the far end of it, disguised perfectly against the wall. A lamppost stood a few feet away in the open street, its light spilling across a large area.
I ducked low and crept slowly toward the left edge where Abby and Kalaya were already crouched behind a building. Kalaya leaned against the wall with Abby in front of her against the building, both staying in the darkest part as not to be noticeable.
“Great, just perfect.” I whispered to myself. “What else could go wrong?”
Just as I reached them, another set of footsteps echoed from above, each one followed by a metallic clank that made sweat drip from my forehead. Kalaya gave me a “you had to say something” look as Abby stood there frozen by the sound. All three of us snapped our heads upward.
A guard appeared, patrolling along the top of the wall we’d just emerged from, it’s armor glinting faintly in the lamplight. It marched steadily across the narrow walkway with heavy steps until it was nearly right above us at the edge. Then, with a tired grunt, they sat down onto a small wooden box that must’ve been placed there earlier. Leaning heavily on its spear, the guard’s posture sagged, and within seconds, unbelievably, drifted off to sleep.
Suddenly, Abby and Kalaya stared, eyes widened with a shocked expression. They weren’t looking at the guard anymore; they were looking at me.
“What are you looking at?” I whispered, but they were already pointing behind me.
I turned.
Brynlie had stepped out of the entrance, blinking hard as she shielded her eyes from the lamppost’s glare. She lowered her hands, squinting.
“Where did you gu—!?”
I swiftly darted behind her, cutting off her sentence as a startled gasp escaped her. My arm wrapped around her waist as I pulled both of us back against the shadowed corner of the wall. Brynlie squirmed in my hold, hands gripping my arm as her fingers dug onto my skin out of reflex as I pinned her close to keep her from making any further noise. She turned her head just enough to see Kalaya crouched beside us on the left and Abby directly in front of us.
Both of them had a finger pressed firmly to their lips, eyes wide, gesturing Brynlie to be quite. Then froze, seeing the urgency in their expressions. Abby lifted her hand and pointed upward. I loosened my grip, letting Brynlie shift just enough to tilt her head back, my hand still covering her mouth. Her eyes followed the gesture, landing on the guard slumped above us, still asleep, the spear wobbling lazily in his grasp, completely unaware of how close we were beneath him.
“Phewww.” Abby let out a sigh of relief, shoulders dropping as she peeked upward. “He’s still asleep.”
Brynlie’s head darted back at Abby, her hair almost whacking me in the face.
“What do we do now?!” She murmured, her voice muffled under my hand.
I glanced around the cramped area, the cold stones in the wall pressing into my back. Brynlie was still half‑sitting in my lap; her boots awkwardly tangled with mine. I finally removed my hand away from her mouth, a thin string of saliva clung to my glove.
“Eww, gross,” I gagged under my breath, wiping it off on the wall behind me.
“How many armories did you say were in the inner walls again?” Kalaya whispered, walking over to the other corner, leaning forward just enough to peek around the side of the building.
“Three. One in each corner,” I replied.
“Wait, why three and not four?” Brynlie questioned, blinking
“Because there’s a church in one of them.”
“Ohhhhhhhh. Ok. Makes sense.”
“However, something I forgot to mention back at camp… Some of my information about the center walls was hard to get and still might not be legit. The information and map have proven reliable about the outer and inner walls so far though.”
Kalaya drew her head back, eyebrows razed as she stared at me with a look that was half‑concern, half‑shocked.
“And why did you wait until now to tell us that?!”
“Probably because she forgot,” Abby teased, her head tilted toward Kalaya with a smug little grin as she snickered, leaning on the edge of the building.
I crossed my arms defensively. “If you must know, it’s because it wasn’t relevant at the time and would’ve probably distracted you guys.”
“Uh huh. Sure, it would’ve,” Kalaya replied, clearly unconvinced as she narrowed her eyes.
“You’re silly, Holly,” Brynlie joked chiming in, leaning sideways onto me, still half in my lap with her weight pressed into my leg,
“Now… can you get off me,” I hinted, nudging her gently.
“Oh sorry! Sure thing.” She scrambled up, rubbing the back of her head with a sheepish grin.
Then, out of nowhere, another pair of foot prints with the same clank each step, came from above once again. I shot to my feet the moment Brynlie moved, pressing myself flat against the wall. The others joined me seconds later, lining up on either side like dominoes.
Another guard appeared from the left walkway above.
“Hey! What are you doing?” he barked, marching toward the sleeping guard.
“Wake up!” He kicked the spear the sleeping guard was leaning on.
The guy toppled forward, hitting the ground face‑first with a loud “Ahhh!” The big thud vibrated through the stone beneath us.
“I’m awake! Hey, what’s the big deal?!”
“The big deal is you’re still on patrol!” the other snapped as the groggy guard scrambled upright with several stumbles.
“Come on, man, it’s not like someone’s going to get in!”
I clamped my lips together, trying not to laugh. I find that so contradictory, I thought, my expression twisting into an amused grin.
Abby was doing the same on my left, shoulders shaking as Kalaya stood next to her, trying to keep her quiet. Brynlie, on my right, was grinning so wide I thought her face might split.
“Well, we can’t be too sure,” the guard continued. “For all we know, they could be right under our noses.”
Seriously?! How is this guy so smart and so dumb at the same time?! I stared upward, utterly flabbergasted.
“Anyways, let’s get back to patrol. And no more sleeping!”
“Dude, that’s so not fair! It’s the middle of the night, I’ve gotta get some sleep!” the sleepy guard whined as they walked off, their voices fading into the distance.
“That… was close. Too close,” Kalaya breathed, pressing a hand to her forehead.
“It was pretty funny though,” Brynlie pointed out, still grinning.
“Agreed. Mostly because of how ironic it was,” I added.
Soft giggling drifted from Abby’s direction. It started as a tiny hiccup of laughter, then grew into full‑on shaking.
“Uhh, Abby… you ok?” I asked, unsure.
“Yeah…hahaha…just give me a second…hahahaha.” She doubled over, clutching her stomach as she tried not to fall onto the ground herself.
“Haaaaa… ok,” she wheezed eventually, wiping her eyes. “Now… which armory should we check out first?
“The closest one, obviously, I said walking over to Kalaya. “If anything, though, it’s probably near the church. I mean, it’s a church. Who wouldn’t feel safe near one?”
“Me!” Brynlie shot back immediately, raising her hand like she was answering a question in class.
“And me… sadly,” Abby added with a grimace. “Remember the first, and last, time we went to a church?”
“Oh. Right.” I winced. “Not exactly the highlight of our lives.”
“Yeahhh, let’s just get going,” Kalaya cut in, eager to change the subject. She leaned forward, peeking around the corner once again, her hair brushing her shoulder as she shifted. A faint breeze carried the smell of damp stone and old wood from the alleyway as the others walked up behind me.
“Okay. It looks clear. Let’s go.”
Here we go again.
Obviously, my name is Holly. Hi. Unlike the others, there’s not a whole epic tale behind me. Nothing like a rare magical affinity or dramatic apprenticeship. Just that I was looking into something when I literally bumped into Abby, Kalaya, and some other girl behind a tavern in Daewynn on the night Brynlie was dumb enough to get herself kidnapped.
And don’t even get me started on the annoying bandit hired for the job. What was his name again? Something with a G? Or maybe an R? Whatever. He wasn’t important enough to stick in my memory. The real issue was the rumors. Students from the academy in the area had been disappearing, one or two at first, then more each night.
People whispered about shadows moving through the streets, and about strange figures near the outskirts. Brynlie was one of the missing, and she and Abby had been investigating before everything went sideways. They’re both ridiculously talented with magic, but me? My strengths are a dagger, quick hands, and knowing how to get out of trouble quickly.
Abby asked me to join them in their search for the missing students. I wasn’t exactly thrilled about the idea. Stuff like dangerous missions with a group aren’t usually on my to‑do list, but somehow I ended up traveling with them all the way to the Dhel Mountains. The hired bandit confessed that the mountains were the drop‑off point, but beyond that, his information just… evaporated, along with him somehow escaping. Figures.
The journey there was anything but smooth. Weather, monsters, traps, questionable decisions, take your pick. And what happened after… well, that’s a story for another time so you’ll have to be content with this.
We slipped out from behind the other alleyway which had more cover and crossed the street. My boots silently scraping over loose gravel as the four of us sneaked behind the other buildings in the area. The air felt colder here, not to mention the lanterns that flickered near, casting a weak glow that luckily didn’t reach far enough to make us noticeable.
Kalaya led the way, her steps light as she stayed alert. Abby stayed close behind her, fingers twitching like she was ready to cast at the slightest provocation. Brynlie walked beside me, her hand holding onto my left sleeve so as to not bump into me.
After tracking down the first armory behind a slightly big building, we searched through every dusty corner of it. The crates, racks, even between the support beams, but still found no sign of a safe room. Just cobwebs, and stale air as dust flew everywhere.
The second armory was farther out, tucked deep in one of the other corners and harder to find, too. It didn’t help that sunrise was a little over five hours away so we couldn’t waste any time. We kept low as we approached, slipping between abandoned carts and leaning fences until we reached a cracked side window half-hidden behind a stack of old barrels.
Kalaya tested the frame, then eased it open with barely a sound. We climbed through one by one, careful not to knock anything over. Above us, the guards paced along the rooftop that was connected to the wall, their boots thudding in a slow, steady rhythm. None of them noticed.
Inside, the place was almost a mirror of the first armory. Rows of swords lined up the walls, their blades slightly dull. Sets of armor slumped in corners, buried under layers of dust thick enough to write your name in. A few helmets lay scattered on the floor, tipped on their sides.
And yet, still nothing. No hidden door and no trace of a hidden safe room.
“Well, that just leaves one more,” Abby sighed, brushing dust off her hands.
“Yep. Guess we’re going to a church after all,” Kalaya groaned, already dreading it.
“Whyyyyy,” Brynlie whined, dragging the word out like it physically hurt her.
Yeah… it wasn’t too great, I thought as I peeked back out the window. The street outside was empty, the shadows stretching long and thin across the cobblestones. The church roof loomed in the far distance, dark against the night sky.
But like it or not, it was our last option.
and then Add to home screen.