Three days before Sigrid's invasion.
The shipment was processed earlier than expected.
They were in the town where they usually do business.
Lucas glanced at the two men who had chosen to remain in the village after the trade route was established. What had begun as temporary work had somehow become permanent employment.
That suited Lucas just fine.
"We still have time."
He reached into a crate and handed a small pouch to Jake.
"Give this to your brother."
Jake opened it.
Granite berries.
His eyes widened slightly.
"From the village chief," Lucas said. "She's excited to meet him."
Jake closed the pouch carefully.
For some reason, that simple gesture made him smile.
The village chief had never even met his brother, yet she somehow remembered he existed.
That was the sort of person she was.
A little strange.
A little overwhelming.
But kind.
Jake made his way toward the house where his younger brother lived.
Technically, they were stepbrothers.
Their parents had both been criminals.
Their executions had happened years ago.
Now only the two of them remained.
His brother was eight years old and currently lived with Jake's aunt.
The house came into view.
Something felt wrong immediately.
Too quiet.
Jake's smile vanished.
His instincts sharpened.
Slowly, he approached.
Then entered.
The pouch slipped from his fingers.
Granite berries scattered across the floor.
A woman sat calmly inside.
Her hair was the color of red roses streaked with silver.
Elegant.
Beautiful.
Terrifying.
His brother sat tied to a chair nearby, gagged and crying.
His aunt lay unconscious on the floor.
Jake's hand moved toward his weapon.
The woman raised a shotgun.
The barrel settled against the side of his brother's head.
Jake froze.
His brother's terrified eyes met his.
"Sigrid Valen-Hyde."
Every mercenary knew that name.
The former Queen of the Underworld.
A legend.
A nightmare.
A woman who had survived long enough to become both.
"What do you want?"
Sigrid smiled.
"Jake Luxor."
Her voice was pleasant.
"A thief turned mercenary. A mercenary turned merchant."
She tilted her head.
"You switch professions with admirable enthusiasm."
Jake remained silent.
Sigrid's smile widened.
"Fortunately, I have a job for you."
The shotgun remained pressed against his brother's head.
"Do it well, and your remaining family survives."
Jake looked down.
The granite berries lay scattered across the floor.
Crushed beneath boots.
Purple stain spread across the wooden planks.
Slowly, he raised his head.
"What do you want me to do?"
Sigrid lifted her chin.
One of her men stepped forward and tossed a pouch toward him.
Jake caught it.
Opened it.
Small purple crystals glittered inside.
They looked disturbingly similar to the crushed berries on the floor.
"Scatter those around the village."
Jake felt his stomach drop.
He didn't know what the crystals were.
But he knew who had given them to him.
And that was ominous enough.
"THAT DAMNED YSILVERN!"
Jemina's voice echoed across half the village.
She had just received a telepathic report from the mudwolves.
Strange men were surrounding Milena.
Immediately, she spun toward the others.
"Raisa! Rosaline! Lucas! Get to the orchard!"
The three looked up.
"Where are you going?" Raisa asked.
Jemina pointed dramatically toward the forest.
"I promised him a parade."
Her smile became dangerous.
"He is getting a parade."
Then she climbed onto the spider-deer's back and disappeared.
Raisa and Lucas just sighed at her ambiguity, but as usual, they followed. After all, Jemina talking to herself and suddenly screaming is not an uncommon occurrence.
Several minutes later, she regretted everything.
The problem wasn't gathering monsters.
The problem was controlling them.
Jemina had spent months building connections.
Months taming creatures.
Months collecting familiars.
What she had not spent months doing was organizing them.
Now, hundreds of monsters occupied the same area.
Everyone wanted something.
No one agreed.
Jemina felt her consciousness stretching across dozens of bonds simultaneously.
Voices flooded her thoughts.
Instincts.
Emotions.
Fear.
Excitement.
Hunger.
Territorial aggression.
Her head throbbed.
Every command created three new problems.
Every correction required another correction.
Her brain felt like it was melting.
Then a telepathic signal arrived.
Ysilvern's location.
Jemina immediately abandoned all attempts at strategy.
"Oh, screw it."
She pointed forward.
"Let's go!"
The parade surged ahead.
In the process, Jemina completely missed another warning.
A second group was approaching the village.
Ysilvern was still clutching his stomach when he reached the edge of the Null Forest.
The teleportation had only worsened the injury.
He didn't care.
A few days earlier, he had attempted to stop his mother from leaving her estate.
Sigrid Valen-Hyde had responded by shooting him.
Directly in the stomach.
Fortunately, she hadn't aimed to kill.
Only to delay.
A mother's love.
Underworld style.
His men supported him as he walked.
"Sir," one of them said nervously, "at this rate, the wound will become fatal."
"If that's true," Ysilvern replied, "my mother will be deeply disappointed that her only son couldn't survive a single gunshot."
The aide decided not to point out that most people would already be dead.
Then the ground began to tremble.
Everyone froze.
A distant rumbling rolled across the forest.
Sweat appeared on several foreheads.
Something enormous was approaching.
Then they heard a voice.
"YSILVERN!"
Ysilvern looked up.
Jemina appeared atop the spider-deer.
Behind her marched what could only be described as a disaster.
Several monsters that probably shouldn't exist.
And absolutely no organization whatsoever.
The parade had arrived.
"I applaud your audacity," Jemina called down. "But you look... uh... like you're dying. What's wrong with you? I haven't even done anything yet."
"Milena."
The word came out strained.
"Oh."
Jemina folded her arms.
"You failed to kidnap her. My people and my mudwolves already stopped you."
"No."
Ysilvern winced.
"It wasn't me."
"AS IF."
Ysilvern looked moments away from collapsing.
One of his men finally lost patience.
"It was Madam Sigrid Valen-Hyde!"
The shout echoed through the clearing.
"The boss's mother!"
He pointed dramatically.
"SHE WANTS TO GET RID OF LADY MILENA!"
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Back in the village, Jake stood quietly with the pouch clenched tightly in his hand.
His heart felt heavier with every passing second.
"Jake? Are you all right?" Ayine asked.
"Yes. I'm fine."
Ayine frowned.
"You look pale. Do you want to sit down for a while?"
Jake shook his head.
A forced smile appeared on Jake's face.
"I'll be fine."
Ayine gave him a reassuring pat on the back before heading off to join the other lamias.
The moment she left, the smile disappeared.
Jake lowered his gaze to the pouch.
His mind was filled with memories.
The villagers welcomed him despite his past.
Lucas is trusting him with work.
The meals they shared.
The laughter.
The kindness.
Then another image surfaced.
His little brother.
Bound to a chair.
Terrified.
A shotgun pressed against his head.
"Do it well, and your remaining family survives."
Sigrid's voice echoed through his mind.
Cold.
Calm.
Unforgiving.
Jake closed his eyes.
For several long moments, he stood completely still.
Then he finally made his choice.
With a sharp motion, he threw the pouch into the air.
His dagger flashed.
The blade pierced through the fabric.
The pouch burst apart.
Purple crystals scattered in every direction, raining down across the village square.
Some landed on the ground.
Some fell onto nearby rooftops.
Several struck Jake himself.
He lowered his arm.
Then lifted his face toward the sky and closed his eyes.