Damon only had a few monts of solitude after closing his status screen before a soft knock ca from his bedroom door.
He opened the door to find Hana on the other side, her notebook clutched against her chest with both hands, her expression carrying the particular tension of soone who had found sothing they weren’t sure they wanted to have found.
"I think I have sothing," she said quietly.
Damon imdiately stepped aside to let her in.
She entered with the slightly cautious energy she always carried in his space. Aware of him, not quite uncomfortable and not quite willing to leave, just cautious.
"Soone’s thoughts," she began, keeping her voice low out of habit even though the corridor was empty. "I wasn’t targeting anyone specifically. It just surfaced while I was passing through the eastern wing." She paused for a mont, as if making sure to recall the words correctly. "They were thinking about a eting. People who want new leadership."
Damon said nothing.
"It’s tonight," she continued. "They are eting at midnight. There’s a forest north of the castle. Apparently, that’s their gathering place."
The information landed quietly between them.
He’d suspected the traitor to be at least capable. Giving the enemy citadel detailed information about him required so type of strength. After all, moving information through the ruined city was far from easy for ordinary people.
A group rather than a single person made more sense. People didn’t usually betray alone. They found others who felt the sa way first.
"How many?" he asked.
"I don’t know. The thought wasn’t specific enough." She looked at her notebook, then back at him. "But it sounded like it wasn’t the first ti they’d t."
Damon nodded once.
"Don’t tell anyone," he said. "Not Ivy. Not anyone."
She tilted her head slightly. "You’re going alone?"
"Yes. We don’t know who is a part of it. It’s best to catch them by surprise."
Hana lingered for a mont before asking. "And what will you do to those who are there?"
Her gaze t his, and as soon as she looked into his eyes, she didn’t have to read his mind to understand exactly what he would do.
"I’ll do what needs to be done."
She accepted the answer with a quiet nod.
Instead of leaving as soon as her matter was over, Hana lingered behind for a while, standing in the middle of the room with the particular stillness of soone who had a reason to stay and hadn’t quite worked out how to justify it yet.
"Is there anything else?" Damon asked.
"N-No," she replied with slight hesitation, her knees shifting closely together, and her finger circled the strand of her golden hair.
"Midnight is less than thirty minutes from now. I’ll head straight to the forest to see what it’s all about," he said, walking toward the door and pausing at the threshold. "You should get so rest," he added before leaving the girl behind in his room and moving toward the north of the castle.
***
Damon moved between the shadows not to raise any suspicion to himself. He had no idea who was part of those etings, so he decided it was best for no one to see him leave the premises.
He arrived early, watching a small campfire from behind the cover of the trees as three people already sat there, awaiting the others, who soon began to arrive.
With pinpoint accuracy, as the hour struck twelve and midnight arrived, there were nine figures standing around the small fire.
"That’s everyone," one of the people present, supposedly a leader of this small group, judging by how easily he took control of the situation, spoke.
"What about—" another person began to ask, but was quickly cut off.
"He’s unavailable." A mont of pause passed before the leader continued. "We can’t keep living under this rule..."
The man continued with so speech, at which Damon almost rolled his eyes a couple of tis. It sounded like sothing out of a kids’ storybook rather than sothing an actual person would say, ntioning things like breaking out of the chains and revolting against the rulers.
Still, wanting to get as much information out of this circus as he could, Damon lingered behind the tree as long as he could, listening to their speeches until the conversation turned toward the enemy citadel.
"...We can’t allow these savages to rule over us—
That was enough.
Damon stepped out of the treeline.
The fire caught him imdiately, nine faces turning toward the sudden presence at the clearing’s edge with the particular expression of people whose worst fear had just walked out of the dark, wearing a completely calm expression.
Nobody spoke for a mont before soone broke into a sprint.
It was a helpless attempt, as what followed took less than two seconds, and eight people were left on the ground without any of them having managed to summon even a single weapon, scream, or anything that would carry back to the castle.
Only one person was left alive, the leader.
He hadn’t run. Either too proud to be seen as weak or too frightened to move, and judging by the pale look on his previously confident face, it was the latter.
The man’s eyes moved across the clearing, capturing the eight figures on the ground, the shadows that seed to close in on him and Damon, who was standing between him and every exit.
There was no escape.
"Who else is a part of these etings?" Damon asked.
The man’s mouth opened and held there, fighting against his fears before he forced his lips shut.
"I won’t ask twice."
The na ca out slowly, one person, soone who collected the information and passed it out, a contact the group had never t in person but communicated through dropped notes in specific locations near the teleportation gate.
Damon’s expression darkened.
Although the man before him hadn’t seen the face of that person, Damon knew who it was quite well. What made it worse, however, was his Verdict ability, which made it clear that the man was telling the truth.
"Any last words?" Damon finally asked.
The man didn’t speak, instead, his gaze dropped to the ground before Damon’s sword flashed through the air, ending the eting early.
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