It didn't take long for them to finish searching the cave as well as moving the bodies of fallen soldiers to carts so that they could be taken back. As for the bodies of the bandits, Morena just had them gathered together and burnt, so that they wouldn't feed the local wildlife population and cause issues later on.

Anything of use that was found in the caves was stored in carriages to be taken back; of course, there weren't many things of use. Just some weapons that could be reforged, some supplies they could use, as well as some books and notes from the bandit leader that Morena found interesting.

One of those books seemed to be a journal, and she intended to go over it when she got back.

But once everything was packed away safely, they began to journey back, one that was quiet after the stressful battle. Many soldiers had lost close friends in the fighting, and while they hadn't lost too many people, those who they had lost were grieved by the living.

The soldiers walked in long, tired lines, their boots pressing into the dirt in slow motion. The scent of blood and burnt ash still clung to them, they wouldn't be free of it without a good long bathe, and even though the bandits had been wiped out, no one felt like celebrating.

The carts followed behind, carrying the wounded, the dead, and the few captured prisoners still alive enough to be dragged, as well as the leader who had been silent since they had cut his limbs off.

Morena rode near the front, and she didn't speak to anyone. The bandit leader's words still rang faintly in her head, like a whisper she couldn't shake off.

'You think this is over?'

She didn't believe in curses, but something about that tone unsettled her. The man didn't seem like the type to make a needless bluff. She didn't know him all that well, but from what she saw, he wasn't like that.

There was more to it, and that was what worried her.

When they finally reached the outskirts of the city, the sun was already dipping low, the sky painted red and orange. It should have been a comforting sight after days of battle and travel, but as they came closer, the horizon didn't look right.

Morena was the first to notice it as she was at the front, the sky in the distance darkened.

It was a smoke.

At first, it was faint, like the usual haze from chimneys or burning trash, but as they moved closer, the shape became clearer; darker, thicker, rising from a direction she knew too well.

Her heart sank.

"That's..."

Adolf noticed it too, and his expression hardened immediately.

"My lady, that's near the estate."

Morena didn't wait for him to finish speaking; she already knew that it was near the estate; her heart dropped the second that realization dawned on her.

She pulled the reins hard and spurred the horse forward, the animal neighing as it broke into a sprint.

Dirt kicked up behind her as she charged down the road; she left the troops and Adolf behind in order to rush ahead, to return to her home and find out what had happened.

Her heart beating so hard in her chest that she couldn't even her the shouts behind her as the horse ran with all it's might.

"My Lady!"

Adolf's voice faded behind her, but she didn't stop; she couldn't stop.

Every hoofbeat felt heavier than the last, each one pounding in her chest as if it were her own heartbeat. The smell of smoke hit her next, so bitter that it burnt her nose, burnt her lungs with every breath she took.

The city itself was silent; everyone stayed inside, or those curious enough to wonder what was going on stayed hidden in their peeping. Morena had no time for any of them.

Her horse rushed through the city without care, the empty roads a thankful sight, as she drew closer and closer to her estate. Yet as she did, she also saw the glow of the raging fire even brighter.

By the time she reached the gate, her fears were confirmed.

The Ravenscroft estate, her home, was burning.

Flames raged on the upper floors, smoke poured from the windows, and the courtyard was littered with broken stone and bodies. Guards. Servants. Maids.

Some were burned, others cut down by blades; some of them were people she had known her entire life, people who had grown up with her, who had raised her, whom she had spoken to just days before.

Yet they lay before her eyes with their life taken from them, stolen before they could truly live.

The banner of her house hung torn and stained in the middle of the yard.

Her stomach twisted as she leaped off her horse.

"Find survivors!"

She shouted the order to the horses of men who arrived behind her. They didn't hesitate, scattering in every direction, trying to put out the flames or help anyone who still drew breath.

Morena pushed through the flames and bodies, her boots slipping on blood as she ran toward the main building. The heavy doors had been blown open, one hanging loosely from its hinges, and on the inside, the air was thick with smoke, and the smell of burnt wood and flesh made her eyes sting.

"Father! Alina! Lorian!"

Her voice boomed through the hall, shouting at the top of her lungs in hopes that they weren't hurt, that they were alive and well, but there was no reply; only the crackle of fire and the distant sound of something collapsing deeper inside.

She moved faster, ignoring the pain from her wounds that littered her body, the adrenaline and energy coursing through her body to increase her speed.

The hallways she had walked her whole life were unrecognizable.

Furniture overturned, portraits shattered, glass and ash covering the floors, even the walls themselves were broken from slashes and cracks. Every few steps, she passed a familiar face, lifeless eyes staring at the ceiling, their bodies sprawled where they had fallen.

The maid she had grown up with, the stable boy who had brought her horse, and even a guard she had trained with.

All gone.

She clenched her jaw and forced herself to keep moving until she reached the inner chamber.

The door had been barricaded from the inside; the sight of that gave her some sense of relief. Maybe, just maybe, whoever had barricaded it from inside was from her house, was her family.

She slammed her shoulder against it until it cracked open, stumbling into the room.

Her breath caught.

Her father was there, half-sitting against the wall, blood smeared across his side. His once-white shirt was torn and soaked through, and his blade laid beside him covered in blood and guts.

"Father!"

He lifted his head weakly at her voice.

"Morena..."

She ran to him and practically slid into a dropped position beside him immediately, checking his wounds. The cut wasn't fresh; whoever attacked had already left.

Still, he was pale, barely holding on.

"You pushed yourself too much, your poison..."

She muttered, pressing her hand to the wound to slow the bleeding.

He gave a weak, bitter laugh.

"You expect me to sit and do nothing while they burn my house down?"

She looked around the room; her sister Alina was leaning against the wall, a bandage wrapped around her arm, blood staining through it.

She looked tired and wounded but she was alive, Morena felt a sense of relief once she saw that her younger sister wasn't gone too.

Her eyes met Morena's, and for a moment, she looked like she might cry.

"They came out of nowhere."

She said quietly, her voice trembling.

"We tried to hold them off. Father told us to stay hidden, but they were already inside."

Morena bit down on her jaw when she heard her words.

"How many?"

"I don't know. A few dozen? Maybe more. They wore cloaks so I couldn't tell who they were, but they all had good equipment and weapons."

It wasn't a random attack, at least she didn't believe it was; they waited for them to leave the house with the soldiers then attacked when they were low in numbers.

This was planned, very carefully at that.

"You're alive, that's all that matters."

She said to her sister, seeing the pain and self-blame in her eyes; she knew that the girl blamed herself for not being able to do more, but she didn't want her to do that.

It wasn't her fault, if anything, Morena was to blame.

At that moment, a small voice came from the corner.

"Sister!"

Lorian.

He was sitting on the floor, clutching a dagger too large for his small hands. His face was streaked with soot, his eyes wide and red.

"I-I tried..."

He stammered, his voice breaking as he tried to speak.

"They broke through so fast... I couldn't..."

Morena reached for him and pulled him close, holding him against her chest.

He trembled like a leaf in her arms.

"You did fine."

She whispered, her voice steady even as her heart cracked.

"You did more than enough."

Soon enough, Adolf and the captain entered, both taking in the sight silently.

Adolf knelt beside her father, checking the wound with a grim look on his face.

"It's deep but not fatal. My worry is the poison, my Lord has the poison spread further?"

"I can still control it."

"Get the medics we took with us here now."

Morena ordered as she focused her mind and shifted focus. She had to get the situation under control as quickly as possible, she had to ensure that the House didn't take a hit from this situation.

"Put out the fires, secure every entrance, and have all the soldiers patrol the house. No one enters or leaves until I say so."

The captain saluted and left right away, shouting orders down the hall.

Morena stood, her clothes stained with blood, she looked out the shattered window at the smoke still rising over her home.

Her voice was quiet, but loud enough for Adolf and her father to hear her.

"This was preplanned, whoever was behind this, was probably behind the bandits too."

Adolf looked up at her.

"You believe the bandits were a distraction?"

She nodded her head.

"Yes, this was coordinated. Someone knew we'd be gone and used that chance to attack."

She turned back to the bodies in the hall, to the servants who had died defending what was theirs, and to the blood that stained the walls of her home.

"We need to find whoever did this, and make sure they pay the price for harming our people."

Her father looked up at her from where he sat, his voice hoarse but proud.

"You sound just like me when I was young."

Morena didn't reply to his words, instead her eyes just stared into the distance.

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