Romilla returned with a few scant provisions and a warm jug of metha, then proceeded to move Aelyn aside and see to Eleanora’s bitten foot. Aelyn winced at the sight of puffy flesh and blackened veins creeping up to Eleanora’s knee. What could they do, though, except rely upon Romilla’s knowledge as a healer and what meagre supplies she still possessed?

Watchmen First Class Marika and Thackeray arrived just as Eleanora was pulling her boots on, struggling with her swollen ankle. Marika was a short woman with an intense cast to her features and a long scar running down one cheek, while Thackeray looked far too boyish to be a watchman first class. Aelyn could read his calm composure, however; no matter that the world had gone to the hells around him, she sensed that Watchman Thackeray intended to do his duty to the last.

The Swords and the watchmen gathered around the desk. Everyone stared at each other. No one quite seemed to know where to start.

‘We’re leaving,’ said Borik after the pause had become uncomfortable. Aelyn looked sharply around at him, but the duardin’s expression was stubbornly unrepentant.

‘We haven’t decided anything of the sort!’ exclaimed Romilla.

‘Captain Morthan trusted you with a duty!’ said Watchman Shen at the same time.

‘Captain Morthan still owes us a substantial sum of money,’ replied Borik. ‘As it doesn’t look likely that’s going to be paid, our services are no longer available. Are they, Aelyn?’

‘Typical cheffing mercenaries,’ muttered Watchman Marika. ‘No faith, no loyalty, no care for Sigmar’s realm, just in it for yourselves.’

‘We’ve lost three of our own to this nightmare,’ Romilla retorted hotly, turning a furious glare upon Marika. ‘One before we even got here! We didn’t need to come to your damned city, didn’t need to bring you our warning.’

‘Oh, and what good did that warning do anyway?’ asked Marika. ‘The way I heard it, you fools turned up with a few scraps of prophecy and nary a clue how they related to anything. I heard the regent militant threw you out of his palace.’

‘That much is true, and look at how matters have turned out,’ said Bartiman sourly. ‘Perhaps if your precious regent militant had listened to us when we arrived he’d be alive now and so would a lot of other folk.’

‘Listened to what?’ snapped Watchman Shen. ‘A bundle of half-formed guesswork? The words of a tainted freak? Lieutenant Grange told us all about you lot, don’t worry about that. He had no idea why the captain put any faith in you at all.’