"And what are those operations?" asked Annemiek.
"Simple. Sabotaging mines and releasing endangered animals onto property that they were planning to develop was one of our favorite tactics over the last seventy years," said Karl with a smile. That particular strategy had been successful on numerous occasions, much to the family's delight. More than a few projects had been delayed for years because of it. "Honestly, they should be more than satisfied with those stories. They make excellent campfire tales."
Karl leaned back in his chair and chuckled quietly. "I will ask those two old timers to tell the stories themselves. It should help with their boredom." The thought reminded him of Arin and some of the consequences that could have followed his actions. Fortunately, everything had worked out in the end. Even so, it had been far closer than Karl would have liked.
"Wait, back up for a second," said Annemiek. She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "You called it theater, but from everything I have observed, there was no theater involved at all. I have seen what those city dogs have done over the years. You cannot seriously convince me that all of that was an act."
Karl shook his head slowly. "No, you are right. That part was real." His expression hardened slightly as old memories surfaced. "Those were opportunistic families causing trouble on their own because they wanted powerful backing. They received that backing eventually, but their real job was testing us." A dangerous smile appeared on his face. "That is also why we never stopped our missions."
"Right, I am done getting involved in multi-generational politics," Annemiek said with a sigh. "It is far too exhausting for me." She rubbed her forehead before looking back at him. "And I take it I am one of the only people who knows this secret?"
"Yes, you are," Karl replied casually. "Before you, only three people knew." He raised three fingers while speaking. "The elder responsible for the treasury, the patriarch, and the eldest living blood relative. That was enough to discreetly fund the operations whenever necessary."
Annemiek stared at him for several seconds. Karl spoke as though he had merely discussed the weather, yet he had casually revealed a secret operation that had remained hidden for four hundred years. The scale of it was difficult to comprehend. Entire generations had lived and died while protecting that secret. Somehow, not a single leak had ever occurred.
"Do you think they are going to contact the assassins?" Annemiek asked. She had always been fascinated by the strange relationship between the two families. Despite everything that had happened, there still seemed to be a level of trust between them. It was a relationship she never fully understood.
"I know they will," Karl answered immediately. "They are scared of us, but they are absolutely terrified of them." He folded his arms across his chest. "Most of the intelligence regarding where we should strike came from that family. Without them, many of our operations would have been impossible."
"Good," said Annemiek. Then a dangerous smile slowly appeared on her face. "Now that all of that is over, we have something else to discuss."
Karl immediately felt nervous. A small bead of sweat appeared on his forehead. Experience had taught him that particular smile never led to anything pleasant. Every survival instinct he possessed suddenly activated at once.
"What exactly do we need to discuss?" Karl asked cautiously. "I thought we were finished." He glanced toward the office door. "I still have a lot of work waiting for me."
"Not so fast," said Annemiek.
Before Karl could react, she grabbed him by the hood and pulled him back onto the couch. The movement was so sudden that he nearly lost his balance. Any hopes of escaping vanished instantly. Annemiek looked entirely too pleased with herself.
"Now tell me the truth," she said. "You mentioned that if you wanted to hide something, nobody would ever find out." Her smile widened slightly. "So who exactly did you go see?"
Karl nearly choked.
"That is a baseless accusation," he declared immediately. "I am absolutely loyal to you." His expression remained firm and dignified. Internally, however, he was panicking.
Ha, as if I would ever dare do something like that, Karl thought. You smiling tiger would have me dead by the next morning. Worse, nobody would even take my side. They would probably help you bury the body.
Of course, Annemiek already knew that. What she truly enjoyed was watching him squirm. Seeing the usually confident Karl trapped on the couch and desperately defending himself was surprisingly entertaining. Especially after he had spent the last hour acting so smug.
"No, I think we have much more to discuss," she said. "I am not convinced you are being entirely honest."
While the argument continued, three family members approached the house carrying reports. The moment they noticed the situation through the window, all three silently turned around. Whatever information they carried was suddenly far less important. They valued their continued survival far too much to interrupt.
Far away from the house, deep within the forest, a small hill rose roughly thirty meters above the surrounding terrain. The soil covering it was dark and unhealthy looking. Everything about the area felt wrong. It was as though nature itself was quietly screaming for help.
At the very top of the hill stood a single tree. It looked completely dead, as though it should have collapsed years ago. Yet somehow it remained standing despite its condition. The sight of it filled most observers with unease. Even without understanding why, people instinctively disliked looking at it.
The answer soon revealed itself.
Dark portals suddenly opened on all four sides of the tree. One after another, creatures began emerging from the darkness. Some walked while others crawled or slid across the ground. In total, more than two hundred creatures poured into the clearing.
Unfortunately for them, they had very little time to admire their surroundings.
A rain of arrows suddenly descended from above. The first volley struck with devastating effect. Several creatures died instantly while many others were wounded. Confusion spread through their ranks before they could even understand what was happening.
Then the second wave arrived.
Unlike the first volley, these arrows came individually from hidden positions throughout the forest. They were far more accurate and arrived at an alarming pace. Roughly four arrows flew every three seconds. Each shot targeted weak points with frightening precision.
The battle ended quickly.
One by one the creatures fell. Their bodies vanished shortly afterward, leaving only scattered arrows behind. Hidden figures emerged from the tree line to collect their ammunition. The entire process had become routine after months of practice.
"Hey, Arin, I am getting bored," said Tom.
The complaint was completely unsurprising. Tom always complained whenever things became repetitive. It was practically a law of nature at this point. Several nearby archers rolled their eyes the moment they heard him speak.
"Can you stop complaining for once?" Bill asked. "None of us can help you with that." He tried very hard not to raise his voice. "And for the love of God, stay alert. That tiger could appear at any time."
The four of them were hiding relatively close together because their position offered an excellent view of one of the portals. Other entrances had similar groups observing them. The remaining family members were spread throughout the surrounding forest. Every angle was covered.
"Oh please," Tom replied confidently. "I heard the adults talking about it." He shrugged casually. "It should not be a problem. It will just take a few more arrows."
This time even Arin and Bertho looked unhappy.
"If you do not shut up, I am welding that mouth shut," Bill growled.
Tom immediately looked offended. "What did I do wrong?" he asked. Even he could tell something was bothering everyone. The problem was that he did not understand what it was.
"You just raised a flag," Arin said with an annoyed expression. "It is exactly like a restaurant server saying it will be a slow day." He shook his head. "You know what always happens after that? It becomes the busiest day anyone has ever experienced."
Arin glanced toward the portal before continuing. "You have seen what comes out of those things. What if it is not a tiger?" he asked. "What if it is an eagle that can fly? Are you ready to shoot that down?" His expression darkened. "Because I do not think you are. We are not used to dealing with something that fast."
Then Arin froze.
His eyes locked onto the portal.
"You know what," he muttered quietly. "Speak of the devil."
Something had appeared.
"And I was finally going to choose a skill today," Arin cursed under his breath as he raised his bow and took aim.