The Manor Under Siege

Meanwhile, back at the manor...

The first warning came at 3:17 in the morning.

Harold's voice sounded throughout the manor's security room, calm and professional, as though he were announcing a delivery rather than the possible beginning of their deaths.

“Perimeter alert. Multiple unidentified contacts approaching from the eastern tree line.”

Greta looked up from the sandwich she was eating.

“Define multiple.”

“Seven visible contacts. Additional movement detected beyond the tree line. Exact numbers remain undetermined.”

Greta slowly put down her sandwich.

“Wonderful.”

Across the room, Elias leaned over the tactical display. The screen showed the manor's grounds, the surrounding forest, and seven red markers moving through the trees.

“Seven,” he said thoughtfully. “That's an interesting number.”

Valerie, who was seated backward in a chair with her arms resting across its back, gave him a look.

“Why?”

“Because it is prime.”

“I'm going to throw you out a window.”

“That's not mathematically relevant.”

“Neither is your continued existence.”

Greta stood and grabbed the heavy weapon leaning against the wall.

“Can you two flirt after we deal with the people trying to kill us?”

Valerie looked offended.

“I'm not flirting with him.”

“Good,” Elias said. “I would have been confused by the interaction.”

Greta pointed the weapon at him.

“Keep talking, and you'll be confused by the bullet.”

Harold interrupted.

“Correction. The approaching contacts are not human.”

Greta sighed.

“Of course they aren't.”

The manor's external cameras flickered as the first figures emerged from the trees.

They were tall, lean creatures with gray-green scales and elongated limbs. Their armor was crude but functional, and each carried a weapon. Behind them moved something lower to the ground, its broad back covered in dark plates.

Valerie stood.

“Lizardmen.”

“Scouts, most likely,” Elias said.

Greta studied the display.

“Seven lizardmen, one armored beast, and whatever the hell is moving behind them.”

“Would you like me to magnify the image?” Harold asked.

“Yes.”

The image enlarged.

Something with too many legs crawled between the trees.

Greta stared at it.

“Nope.”

Elias glanced at her.

“Nope?”

“I'm establishing a boundary. That thing crosses my property line, and I'm shooting it.”

“That's your entire defensive strategy?”

“It's a good strategy.”

Valerie collected her weapons.

“She's not wrong.”

Harold's voice remained composed.

“The creatures have stopped approximately two hundred meters from the outer perimeter.”

Greta looked at the display.

“Why?”

“Unknown.”

“Are they setting up an attack?”

“Unknown.”

“Are they waiting for something?”

“Unknown.”

Greta turned toward the ceiling.

“Harold, I swear to every god that has ever existed, if you tell me one more thing is unknown—”

“They appear to be observing the manor.”

Greta paused.

Then she looked at Elias.

“See? He can learn.”

Elias shook his head.

“I believe that's called providing additional information.”

“Keep it up.”

Greta headed for the door.

“Get everyone awake. Nobody goes outside alone, nobody gets clever, and nobody touches anything that looks like it came out of a swamp.”

Valerie followed her.

“Does that include Elias?”

“Especially Elias.”

“I'm standing right here,” Elias protested.

“And yet the problem persists.”

For a few seconds, the familiar banter eased the tension.

Then another red marker appeared on Harold's display.

Then another.

Then three more.

The humor died.

Harold spoke again.

“Additional contacts detected. The current number of hostiles within observation range is nineteen.”

Greta stopped walking.

“Nineteen?”

“Yes.”

She slowly turned back toward the display.

“Harold?”

“Yes, Greta?”

“Wake everybody.”

By four in the morning, the manor was fully awake.

Taylor stood in the central security room, dressed in dark trousers and a loose shirt, her crimson wings folded away. Her expression was composed, but the tightness around her eyes betrayed her exhaustion.

She had barely slept since Malcolm returned injured.

The enormous mercenary remained unconscious in one of the manor's reinforced bedrooms, where his injuries were being monitored around the clock. His breathing had stabilized, but no improvements had been observed.

Greta had checked on him twice during the night.

She had told everyone she was checking his condition.

Nobody had been foolish enough to point out that she had stayed beside his bed for almost twenty minutes the second time.

Taylor looked at the security display.

“How close are they?”

“Two hundred meters from the outer perimeter,” Harold answered. “They have not advanced since their initial arrival.”

“Then why are we on alert?” Taylor asked.

Valerie tightened the straps on her bracers.

“Because the things out there aren't here to admire the landscaping.”

“Some people appreciate landscaping,” Elias said.

Greta looked at him.

“Elias.”

“Right. Serious.”

Taylor stepped closer to the display.

The creatures were still visible between the trees.

Some stood motionless.

Others moved in short, deliberate patterns, disappearing behind trunks and emerging somewhere else.

“They're watching our defenses,” Taylor said.

“That's my assessment,” Valerie replied. “They want to know what we do when we see them.”

Greta folded her arms.

“Then we don't do anything interesting.”

Elias pointed at the display.

“They've brought a siege creature.”

The armored beast was larger than a horse, with a plated head and a thick tail. Its front limbs were disproportionately heavy, built to smash through obstacles.

Greta studied it.

“That's not a siege creature.”

Elias looked at her.

“What would you call it?”

“An ugly bastard.”

“That's not a recognized tactical classification.”

“It is now.”

Taylor almost smiled.

Almost.

Then she noticed something.

One of the lizardmen had raised a long, narrow object. A faint red light appeared at its tip.

“Harold, what is that?”

“Energy signature detected. The object appears to be a magical signaling device.”

The creature held it aloft for several seconds.

Then the light vanished.

The lizardmen began withdrawing into the forest.

Valerie frowned.

“That's it?”

“Apparently,” Elias said.

Greta watched the display.

“No. That's not it.”

The creatures retreated in an orderly formation, taking the armored beast with them. The thing with too many legs disappeared last.

Within minutes, the eastern tree line was empty.

Taylor remained staring at the screen.

“They came here to see how quickly we'd respond.”

“And how many of us,” Valerie added.

Greta picked up her abandoned sandwich from the security desk.

It had gone cold.

She looked at it mournfully.

“I hate this war.”

Elias glanced at her.

“Because you're worried about the manor?”

“Because I can't eat one damn sandwich without something trying to murder me.”

She took a bite anyway.

“Put everyone on rotating watches. Double the patrols. And if anyone sees that many-legged thing again, I want it identified before someone decides to pet it.”

Valerie grinned.

“You think somebody would pet it?”

Greta stared at her.

“I know the people I work with.”

Elias raised a hand.

“For the record, I have no intention of petting it.”

“Good.”

“I would, however, be interested in studying its locomotion.”

Greta closed her eyes.

“Harold?”

“Yes?”

“Lock Elias in his room if he tries to go outside.”

“Understood.”

“That's not funny,” Elias said.

Valerie patted his shoulder.

“Neither is your locomotion.”

The first attack had been a warning.

The second came the following afternoon.

This time, the creatures didn't approach the eastern perimeter.

They came from the north.

Harold detected them before the outer wards registered their presence: three lizardmen moving through a shallow ravine, accompanied by two creatures that looked like enormous, hairless dogs.

Their heads were too broad, their jaws lined with uneven teeth. Bone-like ridges ran along their backs, and their eyes reflected the security cameras' infrared light.

Greta was in the kitchen when the alert sounded.

She was halfway through preparing a meal.

She stared at the ceiling.

“No.”

Harold replied immediately.

“North perimeter alert.”

“I heard you.”

“Five hostile contacts detected.”

“I heard that, too.”

“Would you like me to—”

“Harold, if you ask me whether I'd like you to display the cameras, I'm going to remove your speakers.”

“Displaying the cameras now.”

Greta put down her knife.

“Smart-ass.”

By the time she reached the security room, Valerie and Elias were already there.

Taylor stood beside the main display, watching the five figures move through the ravine.

“Different approach,” Taylor observed.

“Same objective,” Valerie replied.

Elias zoomed in on the lizardmen.

“They're carrying something.”

One creature held a metal cylinder. Another carried a bundle wrapped in dark cloth.

Taylor's expression hardened.

“Are those explosives?”

“Possibly,” Harold answered. “Their composition is unclear.”

Greta grabbed her weapon.

“I'm getting tired of possibly.”

She looked toward the display.

“Are they approaching the house?”

“No. They are moving parallel to the northern wall.”

Valerie frowned.

“Why would they do that?”

“To see if we follow,” Taylor said.

The room went quiet.

The five creatures continued moving along the perimeter, never approaching the wall directly. They paused occasionally, studying the defenses.

One of the dog-like beasts sniffed the air and turned toward the manor.

Its lips pulled back from its teeth.

Then it barked.

The sound was deep enough to vibrate through the camera's microphone.

Greta grimaced.

“Oh, I hate that.”

Valerie checked her weapons.

“Want me to take a team outside?”

“No.”

Greta's answer came immediately.

Valerie looked at her.

“They're testing the perimeter.”

“Exactly. So we don't give them the reaction they're looking for.”

The creatures reached the far end of the northern wall.

One of the lizardmen stopped and raised its weapon.

A green flash struck the outer ward.

The air shimmered.

The magical barrier absorbed the impact without breaking.

The creature watched the effect.

Then it fired again.

And again.

Three more flashes struck the ward.

The barrier held.

The lizardman lowered its weapon.

The five creatures withdrew into the trees.

Elias leaned back.

“They've confirmed the ward is active.”

“And that it can absorb repeated impacts,” Taylor added.

Greta looked at the display.

“They learned something.”

“Yes,” Elias said.

“And we learned something.”

Valerie glanced at her.

“What?”

Greta picked up her weapon.

“They're annoying.”

The third incident happened that night.

It wasn't an attack.

That was what made it worse.

At 11:42 p.m., Harold detected movement outside the southern perimeter.

A lone figure stood beyond the outermost wards.

It was humanoid, tall and thin, wrapped in a dark cloak.

It carried no visible weapon.

It simply stood there, facing the manor.

Taylor watched the camera feed.

“Can we identify it?”

“Negative.”

“Can we detect its magical signature?”

“Intermittent readings. The entity appears to be concealing its presence.”

Greta stood beside Taylor.

“That's new.”

Valerie folded her arms.

“Maybe it's a messenger.”

“Then it can send a message from somewhere else,” Greta replied.

The figure didn't move.

Minutes passed.

Then it lifted its head.

Even through the camera, Taylor felt an unpleasant sensation, as though something had looked directly through her.

The figure raised one hand.

A pale light appeared in its palm.

It touched the ground.

The outer ward flashed.

Harold's voice sharpened.

“Magical interference detected.”

The figure lowered its hand.

Then it walked backward into the darkness.

It didn't turn around.

It simply disappeared.

Elias stared at the empty screen.

“I don't like that.”

Greta looked at him.

“Congratulations. You have developed instincts.”

“No, I mean I genuinely dislike it. I would prefer something with claws. Claws are understandable.”

Valerie nodded.

“I agree. I can stab claws.”

Taylor didn't smile.

“What did it do to the ward?”

Harold displayed the readings.

“The outer perimeter remains intact. However, a brief disruption occurred in the detection field.”

Greta's expression changed.

“Could it have opened a path through the wards?”

“Not a physical opening. It may have temporarily obscured its own presence from the detection system.”

“So it can get close without us knowing.”

“Potentially.”

Greta stared at the screen.

“That's just wonderful.”

Taylor looked toward the southern windows.

“Leviathan knows we're here.”

Greta nodded.

“He knew that after Malcolm returned injured.”

“No,” Taylor said. “He knew someone attacked his outpost. Now he's trying to determine why.”

Valerie's expression grew serious.

“Because we didn't take anything.”

“We didn't capture anyone important,” Elias added. “We didn't occupy the outpost. We caused damage, withdrew, and left him wondering what the objective was.”

Greta looked at the display.

“And now he's trying to figure out whether we're preparing something bigger.”

Taylor's gaze remained fixed on the darkness beyond the windows.

“He's trying to make us reveal it.”

Nobody spoke for a moment.

Then Greta turned away.

“Double the watch rotations. Nobody goes outside alone. Harold, I want every ward checked, every camera cross-referenced, and every blind spot identified.”

“Understood.”

“And if that cloaked thing comes back, wake me immediately.”

Valerie raised an eyebrow.

“Even if it's four in the morning?”

Greta looked at her.

“Especially if it's four in the morning.”

By the third day, the pressure had become relentless.

There were no major assaults.

No attempt to batter down the gates.

No army charging across the grounds.

Instead, the manor endured a succession of small, carefully calculated intrusions.

A group of lizardmen appeared at the edge of the western forest, watched the guards for twenty minutes, then vanished.

Two enormous winged creatures circled above the property, remaining just outside the reach of the defensive weapons.

Something burrowed beneath the northern wall and triggered three buried detection wards before escaping.

A pack of armored hounds approached the eastern gate, snarled at the guards, and retreated when the manor's defenses activated.

Every incident forced them to respond.

Every response revealed something.

How quickly the wards activated.

Which weapons the defenders deployed first.

How many people appeared at each location.

How long it took to move personnel from one side of the manor to the other.

Leviathan was studying them.

And everyone knew it.

The worst part was that the attacks were never quite serious enough to justify committing all their forces.

They couldn't simply retreat from the manor and hope the problem went away. They couldn't ignore the creatures, either. One day, an apparently harmless probing attack might turn into something far more dangerous.

So they remained alert.

They checked doors twice.

They slept in shifts.

They ate meals that were frequently interrupted.

And every time Harold announced another perimeter alert, somebody swore.

Usually Greta.

Occasionally Valerie.

Once, memorably, Elias.

His profanity had been so elaborate that Greta briefly stopped yelling at him to ask where he'd learned it.

Elias declined to answer.

Valerie suspected he'd been taking notes from Greta.

Greta denied everything.

Malcolm's condition had not changed. Greta was praying Joey and Cassandra would return with the bloom that would heal the massive man.

The large mercenary lay in the reinforced bedroom, surrounded by monitoring equipment and the occasional magical ward that Elias insisted was necessary.

His injuries had stopped worsening, but he remained unconscious.

Greta visited him whenever she could.

Sometimes she sat beside the bed.

Sometimes she checked the equipment.

Sometimes she talked to him about the security situation, even though there was no indication he could hear her.

On the fourth evening, Taylor found her there.

Greta was seated beside Malcolm, arms crossed, glaring at the unconscious man.

Taylor paused in the doorway.

“Any change?”

“No.”

Taylor came inside.

“I'm sorry.”

Greta shrugged.

“He's stubborn. He'll wake up when he's ready.”

She said it with absolute confidence.

Then she looked at Malcolm.

“Which had better be soon, because I'm running out of people I can trust to keep Elias from doing something stupid.”

Taylor smiled faintly.

“Valerie could help.”

“Valerie encourages him.”

“That's true.”

They stood quietly for a moment.

Malcolm's breathing remained steady.

Greta reached over and adjusted the blanket near his shoulder.

Taylor noticed but didn't comment.

Instead, she asked, “Do you think Leviathan knows what we're planning?”

Greta's hand stopped.

“I think he knows we wanted to distract him.”

“And now?”

“Now he's trying to figure out what we were distracting him from.”

Taylor looked down at Malcolm.

“Joey and Cassandra.”

Greta nodded.

“Probably.”

Taylor's expression tightened.

“They've been gone too long.”

“It's been like a week now.”

“I know.”

“Joey's with Cassandra. If anyone can get through that graveyard, it's them.”

Taylor looked toward the window.

“And if they don't?”

Greta was silent for a moment.

Then she stood.

“Then we'll have to make sure they're coming home to something worth fighting for.”

Taylor looked at her.

Greta picked up her weapon from where she'd left it beside the door.

“Besides, if Joey comes back and finds we've let his girlfriends house get destroyed, he'll probably apologize to the attackers.”

That earned a small laugh from Taylor.

“He might.”

“And Cassandra will kill us all for letting it happen.”

“Probably.”

“See? We have excellent reasons to stay alive.”

Greta headed for the door.

Taylor followed.

For a moment, the familiar humor returned.

Then Harold's voice came over the manor's internal system.

“Greta. Security alert.”

Greta stopped.

“Where?”

“Southern perimeter.”

Her expression hardened.

“What is it this time?”

“Multiple contacts. At least thirty. They are approaching the outer tree line.”

Taylor's wings flickered into existence for an instant before she suppressed them.

Greta tightened her grip on her weapon.

“Are they advancing?”

“No.”

“Then what are they doing?”

A pause.

“They appear to be forming a line.”

Greta and Taylor exchanged a look.

They hurried toward the security room.

The thirty figures stood at the southern edge of the forest.

Lizardmen.

Armored hounds.

Several taller creatures carrying shields.

Behind them, something enormous moved between the trees.

The manor's defenses remained active.

The outer wards glowed faintly.

No one on the grounds moved.

Greta stared at the display.

“That's more than we've seen before.”

Valerie stood beside her, already armored and armed.

“Still not enough for a full assault.”

Elias studied the formations.

“Agreed. If they intended to attack, they would have spread out. They're too concentrated.”

Taylor stepped closer.

“They want us to think they might attack.”

“Or they're waiting for us to make the first move,” Valerie said.

Greta's jaw tightened.

“Harold, can we identify a commander?”

“Negative.”

“Any magical signatures?”

“Several. None match the cloaked entity from the previous night.”

Taylor watched the formation.

“Why thirty?”

“Enough to look threatening,” Elias said. “Not enough to overwhelm our defenses without support.”

Valerie nodded.

“It's a test. They want to see if we send everyone to the southern perimeter.”

Greta looked at the other screens.

“And if we do, they'll hit us somewhere else.”

“Possibly,” Harold said.

Greta pointed at the ceiling.

“Not now, Harold.”

“Understood.”

The formation remained motionless.

Minutes passed.

Then one of the lizardmen stepped forward.

It carried a long spear, its tip decorated with strips of dark material.

The creature drove the spear into the ground.

It stood there for a moment, staring toward the manor.

Then it bowed.

Not deeply.

Not respectfully.

It was the sort of bow someone might offer a rival before a fight.

The creature stepped back into formation.

The entire group turned and began withdrawing.

Taylor watched them go.

“They're sending a message.”

Greta's eyes narrowed.

“What message?”

“That they know we're here. That they know we attacked the outpost. And that they can come closer whenever they want.”

Valerie watched the retreating figures.

“They're also telling us they don't need to attack yet.”

Elias nodded slowly.

“They're waiting for us to make a mistake.”

The creatures disappeared into the forest.

Harold confirmed that no hostiles remained within visible range.

Nobody relaxed.

Greta looked at the empty screen.

“Right.”

She turned toward the others.

“From now on, we assume every attack is a distraction, every retreat is deliberate, and every quiet night is a trap.”

Valerie nodded.

Elias sighed.

“I miss the days when our biggest problem was magical merchandise.”

Greta looked at him.

“You once sold a cursed helmet to a man who couldn't remove it.”

“It was clearly labeled.”

“He tried to bite through his own arm!”

“And yet he successfully removed the helmet.”

Taylor covered her mouth, suppressing a laugh.

Even Valerie chuckled.

For a few seconds, the security room felt almost normal.

Then Malcolm's name appeared on the medical monitor displayed in the corner.

His condition remained unchanged.

The laughter faded.

Taylor looked at the screen.

Greta followed her gaze.

Beyond the manor walls, Leviathan's forces were learning their defenses, probing their weaknesses, and searching for the reason behind the outpost attack.

Inside, their most powerful warrior remained unconscious.

Their allies were days away.

And somewhere beyond the Graveyard, Joey and Cassandra were pursuing a power that might be their only chance of stopping Leviathan.

Greta picked up her weapon.

“Keep the watches running,” she said. “Nobody gets comfortable.”

Valerie checked her ammunition.

“Wasn't planning to.”

Elias straightened his coat.

“I shall begin recalibrating the ward geometry.”

Greta paused at the door.

“Elias?”

“Yes?”

“If you blow up Cassandra’s house, I'll kill you myself.”

He gave her a dignified nod.

“Understood.”

Greta left.

Taylor remained at the security display for another moment, watching the dark forest.

Then she whispered, too quietly for the others to hear:

“Come back soon, Joey.”

Outside, the trees stood motionless.

For now.

But somewhere beyond them, Leviathan was waiting.

And he was learning.