The Guild Hall. Basement. Morning.
Grog descended the stairs with Mirena beside him. Lira followed a few steps behind, her bow across her back, her eyes scanning the shadows. Ken brought up the rear, silent as smoke.
The basement was cold, damp, lit by flickering torches. The cells had been makeshift—storage rooms repurposed for containment. The doors were heavy, the locks solid. But the strangers had not tried to escape. They had waited.
"Ben first," Grog said.
Mirena nodded. She unlocked the door.
---
Ben looked up when they entered.
He sat on his cot, his wrists still bound, his ankles still tied. His shoulder was bandaged, his face was bruised, his eyes were sharp. He had been expecting them.
"More questions?" he asked.
Grog pulled up a stool. Sat across from him. "An offer."
Ben's eyes narrowed. "What kind of offer?"
"Stay."
The word hung in the air.
Ben stared at him. "You want us to stay."
"Vorlag has no presence in this world. The portal is closed. The connection is severed. He can't reach us here."
Ben was silent for a moment. "You don't know that."
Mirena stepped forward. "We've studied the residue. The link is broken. He would need to find another way."
"Another way exists. There's always another way."
"Not yet." Mirena's voice was steady. "Not for a long time."
---
Ben looked at his bound hands. "And if we stay? What then?"
Grog leaned forward. "You help."
"Help how?"
"Fight the creatures. Share what you know about Vorlag. About the hunters. About how to survive." Grog paused. "No secrets."
Ben's jaw tightened. "You want us to work for you."
"I want you to earn your keep."
Tina's cell was next.
---
Tina sat on her cot, her arms wrapped around her knees. Her face was pale, her eyes red. She looked up when they entered.
"Ben?"
"He's fine. We're talking to him." Grog sat on the stool. "We have an offer for you."
Tina listened. When he finished, she was silent for a long moment.
"You trust us?"
Grog shook his head. "Not yet."
Tina almost smiled. Almost. "That's honest."
"I'm not a politician."
Tina looked at Mirena. "The artifact. You've been studying it."
Mirena nodded. "We have."
"You want to keep it."
"We want to understand it." Mirena's voice was careful. "You can keep it. But we need time to study it. To learn from it."
Tina was quiet. "And if we refuse?"
"Then you leave. In two days. When the artifact is ready." Grog met her eyes. "But you'll be running again. To another world. Another unknown. Another fight."
Tina looked at her hands. "We've been running for a long time."
"I know."
"Maybe we're tired."
Grog said nothing.
---
Davin was awake.
He sat on his cot, his arm bandaged, his face pale. He looked younger than his years—sixteen, maybe seventeen—but his eyes were old.
Grog sat across from him. "You've heard?"
Davin nodded. "Ben told me. The shadows can hear through walls."
Grog glanced at Ken. Ken shrugged.
"Your teleportation," Grog said. "It's a blessing."
Davin's jaw tightened. "It is."
"Can you teach it?"
Davin shook his head. "It's not something you learn. It's something you're born with."
Grog nodded slowly. "The fire?"
"The fire is magic. The teleportation is... different."
Mirena stepped forward. "The artifact. You used it to jump between worlds."
Davin's hand went to his pocket. The artifact was there, pulsing faintly. "It's how we survived."
"It's how you keep running."
Davin met her eyes. "It's how we stay alive."
---
The four of them gathered in the corridor.
Grog leaned against the wall. Lira stood with her arms crossed. Ken watched the shadows. Mirena held the artifact in her palm.
"What do you think?" Grog asked.
Lira spoke first. "I don't trust them."
"Neither do I." Grog looked at Mirena. "But we need them."
Mirena nodded. "The artifact is unique. The knowledge they have—about Vorlag, about the hunters, about other worlds—could be invaluable."
Ken spoke from the shadows. "They're not liars."
Lira turned. "How do you know?"
"I can see it now. When people lie. When they're scared. When they're hiding something." Ken met her eyes. "They're scared. They're tired. They're not hiding anything important."
Lira held his gaze. Then she nodded slowly. "Fine."
---
Grog returned to Ben's cell.
"We have conditions."
Ben raised an eyebrow. "Name them."
"You stay in the guild. You follow our rules. You don't leave the capital without permission."
Ben nodded slowly. "And the artifact?"
"You keep it. But the mages study it. When they're done, it's yours."
Ben was quiet for a moment. "And if we want to leave? Eventually?"
"Then you tell us. You don't disappear in the night."
Ben met his eyes. "Agreed."
Grog stood. "One more thing."
"What?"
"If you betray us—if you're working for Vorlag, if you're hiding something that will get my people killed—" He paused. "The shadows won't need to find you."
Ben nodded slowly. "I understand."
Grog walked to the door. Paused.
"You'll have proper rooms. Not cells."
He left.