Five intruders. Leander looked at the pile of bodies outside of their front door. Three dead on one side, two alive on the other. He and Cooper accounted for two of the corpses. Gabrielle the third. One man was unconscious, having been piled on and beaten by half a dozen sect members at once in an ambush.

He was impressed by that one. Most of the initiates had hidden, as they were supposed to, but a few had been together and chose instead to defend the sect, as a true cultivator would. The final attacker was the one Adam had dealt with. The Loremaster refused to share most of the details, but that one was now huddled to the side with his arms around his legs, rocking back and forth and whispering in a language Leander didn't know.

He was proud. They should all be proud! The sect had come under attack and defended itself, even without Laurel or Martin. There were a few broken bones, and Gabrielle was walking like every step hurt, but cultivators accepted pain when necessary. Plus Eric was already going around and helping. He couldn't fully heal everyone, but he could ease the pain and start the process.

It was a successful day. Which meant the city guards arguing with Annette were being unreasonable. They demanded everyone involved go to their station to discuss. Annette was telling them that was impossible.

Leander inched closer. If she needed backup he would help.

"Our members will be happy to give statements when you have determined who is investigating. Tomorrow."

"Ma'am, please listen, we have authority –"

Something far more dangerous than a handful of attackers crashed to the ground behind the guards in an explosion of wind.

"Explain!" Laurel barked.

Everyone from the guards to the sect members crowding around started to speak at once. While the sect barraged her with stories of the fights, she walked over to the two attackers still alive. She grabbed the first one by the head, ignoring him when he tried to fight her off. The expression on her face went from angry to lethal when she released him. The one that was muttering nonsense, she didn't even bother with.

"Everyone inside!" she snapped. "You two, come back later with someone who can actually get something done."

The guards worked for the City, not the sect, but that didn't slow them down as they followed instructions. He watched them go, waiting until everyone from the sect had gone back inside. It was just Laurel and him left outside.

"What a fucking mess." Her mana flared in time with her words. He couldn't pick up on everything, but he could tell she reached all the way past his own range, out towards the ocean. A pulse followed, from the sect house out through the entire City, and beyond.

"Gather everyone up for me, Leander." Her hand came down and gripped his shoulder. "You did well."

He perked up and went to do what she asked. They won a battle and Laurel was proud of him, all before dinnertime. It was turning out to be a pretty good day.

*********

Laurel was left standing in the dying rays of the late winter sun. Her whole body held perfectly still. She was sure if she moved at all she would shatter the world around her. Dark rage seeped into her bones. Right alongside a deep welling of shame. Protecting the sect was her entire fucking job.

And the Order of Decorra had played her like a fiddle. Not that the attackers understood what was going on. If she had to guess, they had either offended someone important, or were simply the most expendable cultivators the Laskarians had found.

She had grown complacent. Convinced that her own presence would be enough of a deterrent, confident in her ability to notice any new cultivators that arrived in her City, she had failed to account for this exact scenario. That it was an obvious strategy from her enemies just burned the shame in deeper. They had already proved there wasn't an ounce of honor among them.

When the sun was set, she had mastered herself enough to go back inside. Martin would return when he felt the pulse from the Core. Until then she owed her sect an explanation. And an apology.

At the door she paused, tapping into her ever-present connection to the Core. The mana running through the sect house would survive any attack from the outside. She pulled more. In a matter of minutes the extra layer of security was in place. No one would be able to enter unless escorted by a sect member. There would be arguments from Esther and Annette, who coordinated their supplies and delivery schedules, but Laurel was overruling them. Then again, maybe not. Both had been present during the attack, though they had been spared the worst of the violence.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

By the time she reached the rotunda, the whole sect had gathered. It was a tight fit, and that realization sent another twist of guilt through her spirit, where it usually brought pride. People relied on her promise that this place was safe.

Cultivation was a dangerous journey, but their home should be unassailable. The shattering that reality was a blow it would take a while to recover from. Esther, because she was the best person in the world, was finishing up doling out hot chocolate and whatever treat had been baking that day. Laurel accepted the mug pressed into her hands, letting the rich scent sink in and smother some of the turmoil inside. She took a deep sip before she stepped forward to begin.

"Let me start by expressing how extraordinarily proud I am of all of you. The courage and resourcefulness you've shown today is a credit to each and every one of you. And you deserve an explanation.

"A team from Laskar arrived in the area around a month ago. They stayed far away from the City, and stayed off the local roads. They waited until they were sure Martin was out of the city. Mortal spies in the port, I think.

"They attacked Ramston this morning. It's a tiny Village directly south. Barely large enough to form a Core. But it's part of the network I've built so I could tell something was wrong. It seems they coordinated, so that a second team approached the sect house, betting that I would be gone.

"It was a tactic I should have anticipated. That we suffered an attack in our home is my failure, and I can only apologize and promise that it will not happen again."

She ended her speech and bowed from the waist. It was far more deference than she would show to anyone else in the world. For three deep breaths she held the pose, then stood to receive the judgment of her sect.

"It's hardly a failure," Annette said. "What else were you supposed to do, let the other place get attacked?"

Laurel saw nods from around the room. Leander in particular looked incensed at the idea of leaving one of the smaller populations without protection.

"There's no secret about what's going on. The rest of us could have figured something out just like you. You plugged the gap right?" Adam was frowning at nothing, his hand drifting every few heartbeats to touch the ink flask on his hip.

"Your grace is a worthy gift, thank you." Laurel said. It truly was. Not that she expected censure from her friends, but disappointment or fear maybe. If anything, her sect members looked a mix of angry and inspired. They'd been attacked in their home and the desire to strike back in retaliation burned in more than one eye.

That would need careful watching. Vengeance was a short path to cruelty. But first she would explain the rest. "Yes. For now, until the Order is destroyed, no one enters without accompanying a sect member. No one in the private areas at all that isn't a member. And Martin and I will be more vigilant about any duties that take us further afield. At least until you all can match us in a fight. Doesn't seem like it will be too long based on what happened today."

She finished with a smile, watching the more battle-hungry among them perk up. Gabrielle preened with her friends. She deserved it, having taken out one of the attackers on her own. Blood cultivators were a pain to fight, quite literally, and worse for those who hadn't gained full control over their body. That she had pushed through the agony to land a blow was more than most with twice her advancement could say.

Formal atmosphere broken, the gathering splintered into smaller groups and discussions. No one was ready to retire to a quiet evening after fighting a battle. Laurel took the time to talk to each member of the sect. Now more than ever, she wanted to connect with each of them. Most were in good spirits. After the alarm went off, the novices had all followed instructions to hide or get to shielded locations. It had been frightening, but not visceral.

A few weren't so lucky. Laurel found Felix, huddled in the corner with his back to the wall, refusing to meet her eyes. She settled in next to him. For her sect members, tonight, she had all the time in the world. They stood in silence, while ever so gradually, Felix stopped shaking.

"I don't know if I can do this. I just hid in the library. Everyone else is talking about how excited they are to hit back or fight the next ones. Before the sect I was a science student. That's still what I am. Not a warrior. Not whatever that is." He gestured to Leander where he was miming Cooper's fight with the first attacker.

"I don't want you to force yourself into a role. We need people that aren't just focused on combat. In a more established sect it would be obvious. There would be a master alchemist for you to study with, other crafters, people who focus on writing or research, farmers, artists. I'm sorry we haven't been able to model that for you."

"But that's not going to happen for a long time. Until everything shakes out with the Laskarians, being in the sect will be dangerous."

For a moment she contemplated lying. Or downplaying the issue and letting Felix take some comfort in her confidence. She crushed those instincts. In the end she just said, "You're right."

"I don't know if I can…" he trailed off, but Laurel didn't need more words.

"Do what you have to. But know you'll always have a home here if you need it."

He nodded and slumped out, along with some of the others who were ready for the night to be over. Only a few people remained and it was time for one of the more complicated check-ins Laurel had to make.

Gabrielle made an excuse to step away at a jerk from Laurel's head, leaving her alone with the star of the evening.

Cooper shifted from foot to foot. He looked at his feet, at his drink, up at the dome, anything to avoid eye contact.

"I hear you're the hero of the hour."

The boy started at that, nearly flinging the dregs of his hot chocolate across the floor. "Not hardly!"

"No? Alerted the sect. Fought off one intruder almost entirely on your own. Took down another with your sect mate. Hunted through every nook and cranny in the building to make sure it was over. Reassured the newer members that things were under control.

Laurel let the litany sink in. "Seems pretty heroic to me."

"That was just.. That was what had to happen. Nothing special about that."

Laurel quirked an eyebrow but she refrained from pressing too hard. "I'm proud of you. And of how far you've come."

He rubbed the back of his head, shrugging at the same time. "It felt good," he finally admitted. "I, you see, ugh. Look I know you know that I haven't been thrilled with the poison aspect. For a while there I thought about changing it. But I still couldn't come up with anything else I wanted instead.

"Using my cultivation to help felt good. Really good. I didn't freeze this time."

Laurel gave him a warm smile and a short hug. "I'm glad. Not every journey has to be a straight line, Cooper. You're figuring out what works for you.

"Take some time over the next few days. Meditate on your aspect. You used poison today to make sure the people you cared about stayed safe. And to root out an invader. That's the kind of resonance that doesn't come around very often."

Sensing it was time to let him process, Laurel continued her circuit. There was one more conversation they needed to have, but not until later. When the sect slept they could figure out how they were going to strike back.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.