"Arthur's right about the roads being dangerous," the Village Head agreed. "But we can't just sit here and wait for them to pick us off one by one either."
"What about we move to offence?" one of the younger guards suggested. "If we know where they are—Henrik's shop—why don't we attack first?"
"Because we don't know what we're dealing with," Alaric replied grimly. "Necromancers can have any number of undead servants, magical traps, defensive spells. A direct assault without proper preparation could be suicide."
Arthur nodded eagerly. "Exactly. We need to be smart about this. Gather intelligence, understand what we're facing, then act with overwhelming force."
"Intelligence gathering," Kael repeated, a cold certainty settling in his chest. Arthur was volunteering to lead the intelligence gathering, which would give him perfect cover to coordinate with his necromancer allies and identify the most valuable targets.
Aren, who had been quietly listening while his mother fussed over him, suddenly spoke up. "What if... what if we can't trust anyone?"
The question hung in the air like a poisoned blade.
"What do you mean?" Tanya asked, her voice sharp with worry.
Aren looked around the gathering, his traumatized state making his words carry an eerie weight. "If they've been planning this, watching us... how do we know they don't have help? Someone on the inside, telling them our plans?"
A ripple of unease passed through the crowd. Neighbors began looking at each other with new suspicion. Who could be trusted? Who might have been compromised?
Arthur's face remained perfectly composed, but Kael noticed the slight tension in his shoulders.
"That's... that's a serious accusation," Arthur said carefully. "Are you saying you think there's a traitor among us?"
"I'm not accusing anyone specifically," Aren replied, his voice stronger now. "I'm just saying... if I were planning an attack on this village, I'd want someone on the inside to help me. Someone who knows our routines, our defenses, our people."
The Village Head looked troubled. "It's possible, I suppose. But who would do such a thing? Everyone here has family, friends, roots in this community."
"Someone desperate enough," Alaric said grimly. "Someone offered power, wealth, or perhaps threatened with something worse than death."
As the adults continued to debate security measures and possible traitors, Kael caught Aren's eye and gave him a subtle nod of approval. His friend was being clever—raising the possibility of betrayal without making specific accusations, planting seeds of doubt that might protect them later.
But Kael also noticed Arthur watching both of them with increasing intensity. The young chief was clearly reassessing how much of a threat they posed, calculating whether they knew more than they were letting on.
And in that calculating stare, Kael saw his own death warrant being written.
They were running out of time. Soon, Arthur would decide that the risk of leaving them alive was too great. And when that happened, two more "accidents" would befall the village.
Unless they could find a way to expose the truth first.
The Village Head broke the silence. "For tonight, let's all stay together at my house. It's big enough to accommodate quite a few of you, and there are plenty of other houses nearby for the rest. Safety in numbers."
Everyone nodded in agreement. Parents gathered their children closer, and the villagers began organizing themselves for the short walk to the Village Head's residence—one of the largest buildings in the community, befitting his status.
As the group began moving through the village streets, staying close together and vigilant, Kael walked toward Aren and placed a hand on his shoulder.
Aren caught off guard, jumped nearly a foot in the air. "Holy fuck!" he shouted, his nerves still completely shot from their ordeal.
Tanya immediately spun around, her motherly instincts kicking in even amid the crisis. "Aren! No curses!" she scolded, though her voice carried more worry than real anger.
"Sorry, Mom," Aren said, his face flushing red even in the dim lantern light.
"Dude, you scared me," Aren whispered to Kael once Tanya had turned her attention back to watching the shadows around them.
Kael smiled briefly at his friend's reaction, but then his expression turned serious. He leaned in close, speaking barely above a whisper so that none of the other villagers could overhear.
"Let's not provoke Arthur any more tonight," he murmured, his eyes briefly flicking toward the young chief who was walking near the front of the group, helping to organize the defensive formation. "We don't know how deep he has fallen into this... arrangement. Or how desperate he might become if he thinks we're a threat to his plans."
Aren nodded, understanding immediately. His earlier trauma-induced boldness in suggesting there might be a traitor had been necessary, but they needed to be more careful now. Arthur was clearly watching them, evaluating them, and they couldn't afford to push him into taking drastic action.