The rot-born were pushed back—at least for now.
The ceremonial square was littered with corpses, many still twitching. But Thorne's company—armed, disciplined, and relentless—was clearing the area. No magic, no chanting. Just swords, shields, and fire. They moved like a tide, cleaning up what the explosion had left behind.
"Secure the square!" Thorne shouted. "North and east posts—double guard. If anything twitches, burn it."
He turned to Cael's group approaching on foot. "You six—on the horses. There's a stable route to shelter two streets over. Move."
No one hesitated. Soldiers guided them toward the spare mounts. The six climbed up—Cael, Ravik, Fen, Reva, Torric, and Nyric—and followed Thorne through narrow backstreets until they reached a two-story stone house, still intact. A patrol had already swept it clean.
Thorne dismounted first and waved them in. Once they were inside, doors barred and windows watched, he finally spoke again.
"I didn't expect to see you all again so soon," he said, catching his breath.
Cael looked between Thorne and Ravik. "Do you two know each other?"
Ravik gave a small shrug. "Briefly. We spoke yesterday. Just before the ceremony. He had a feeling something was off."
Thorne nodded. "Didn't know what it was—still don't. But I knew if anything went wrong, you might be among the few to walk away from it."
Reva scoffed. "Bit of luck more than anything."
Cael stepped forward. "Thanks. If you hadn't come when you did... we wouldn't be standing."
Thorne gave a short nod. "Surviving's the first step. Don't thank me yet."
Cael studied him for a moment. "Didn't catch your name."
"Commander Thorne. Royal Guard. I was in charge of protecting the Grand High Priest during the Healing."
Cael's eyes narrowed. "So… what happened? Was it him?"
Ravik crossed his arms. "You rushed to the chamber, right? You weren't caught in the blast?"
Thorne's jaw tightened. "I wasn't. I was right outside. I saw the light. Heard the screams. When I got in... I—"
But before he could finish, Cael coughed hard. He dropped to one knee, blood on his palm. One of the nearby soldiers suddenly staggered too, gasping for air.
Another dropped completely, groaning in pain.
"Cael!" Ravik caught him before he fell. "Stay with me!"
The others rushed in, weapons half-drawn—not from fear of enemies, but of what this meant.
"I've seen this," Thorne muttered under his breath. "It's spreading… deeper than we thought."
Outside, the night wasn't still. Smoke and screams drifted across the rooftops. Somewhere far off, something howled—not beast nor man.
And inside the house, the firelight flickered across tense faces and growing dread.