We had to move fast. In mere minutes after the news were brought in, Bishop began a flurry of activity. We ran with more messages—in simple words since there was no time or sense in writing them on paper—and gathered people while Bishop organised the efforts from his home and packed his things.

All that time I felt flown away like a seed of dandelion in the wind. Once again, a place that became more of a home to me than the house where I spent the nights was being cleared of everything that made it such.

‘Well,’ I thought as I helped Bishop put heavy tomes into a wooden crate, ‘that’s not true, right? Everything goes with us.’

That didn’t calm me down. We all still were dandelion seeds, so easy to be blown away. How hard could we hold for each other?

We couldn’t move everything at once, during the day—that’d be too suspicious, Bishop explained. He made a scheme instead, where I, Gi and Yvenna moved stuff from Bishop’s place to the inconspicuously left in an alley cart. And from there, the cart could just leave the city as normal—after the driver oils the gate guards’ hands so they won’t look at what was inside.

The loading lasted all the day and continued in the night. Everyone was tired, but didn’t show it—or at least, didn’t complain. Even Yvenna cursed templars, gods, angels and demons, but said nothing about the yawns that became more and more regular the lighter the sky grew.

It was almost sunrise when we finished, and I tiredly sat down on the edge of the loaded cart. Now, we only had to wait until morning and leave the city! Despite my exhaustion, I grinned at the thought. The templars thought to catch us, but we were faster.

Bishop was told by everyone to sit down and leave the physical work to us, but he kept hovering around, anxiously watching the process. Only how did he sit down too, next to me, and let out a breath. Yvenna didn’t sit, but stopped swearing under her breath and just leaned on a wall.

The few other brothers in truth that helped us to gather things—there were more of them running with items from Bishop’s house after the dark fell, but the alleyway was too small to let more than a couple at once join us with the loading itself—sat down to rest, too, smiling. The moment of quiet got to them as well.

The only one who was still tense and sat like on needles was Gi. Even now, his eyes, which saw in the darkness better than these of any of us, kept darting around, watching for threats, from where he stood at the entrance to the alleyway. Our lookout, the best one. He always warned us about the patrols so we could hide in time, but I was sure that the danger had passed, for now.

“Templar patrol! Coming towards us!” his loud whisper made us all jump.

I ran towards Gi and looked where he was looking. They really were coming, a full holy dozen, six and six, with lanterns and shining armour. What they were patrolling here, so late—or early? Then they turned toward our alleyway, and I realised they knew where we hid. How?

“These suckers. I was dreaming about bashing their heads in ages ago!” Yvenna hissed when we all realised what was happening.

“They must’ve caught one of the brothers who helped with the hauling,” Bishop said, paling. “Oh, no. Lord Devourer, bless them with your tenacity in the afterlife. And us, children… we can’t leave the cart here. The books from here can’t be allowed to fall into templars’ hands… They will have to be destroyed.” He spoke like the order brought him physical pain.

Two of the burly men that helped us with the loading looked at the cart that was, yet, without a horse. “We can pull it!”

“Not fast enough.” Yvenna spat on the cobblestones and pulled out her axes. “Do whatever, I’ll have to fight these asses either way. Gi, Hector, are you with me or what?”

“Yvenna, my girl, you can’t…” Bishop wrung his hands. “And you, boys…”

I pulled a long dagger out of the sheath on my belt. Rosha made one for me, at the same visit when she showed us how to peek into missives. It was sharp enough that if I had any beard growing, I’d be able to shave with it. “We’ll be fine, old man. Just, just calm down. We’ll deal with them and things will be alright again!”

I put as much bravado in these words as I could, but I didn’t feel as sure in my heart. One thing I knew—I won’t let the templars take away any of my new family, no matter what. This time, I won’t run or hide.

“Yeah, who do you think we are?” Yvenna snorted. “Just watch, I will take them on. Who do they think they are?”

Gi just nodded, but his determination to fight raised my spirits the most. He knew his chances, always, and only bet when he knew he’d win.

Then the templars came, and we had no more time for chatting. Their leader—the one with a golden plumage on top of his helmet—didn’t let us explain ourselves. “Heretics, cease your unlawful actions and give yourself and your possessions over, or feel the wrath of Heaven!” he declared.

Yvenna answered for us—she shouted like only she could and charged him with so much rage that even templars paused for a moment before raising their weapons. Then I and Gi joined her, too, staying away from her wide swings and just poke with our daggers where we could reach when there was an opportunity.

I tried hard to ignore the heavy smell of blood in the air, the noises, the everything, but there was no helping my panic when I saw Gi, of all people, bleeding on the ground.