"Root me sideways, Korin!" shouted Tara. "How in the Elders' names did you end up with that mess?"

  They were in Tara's study. It had been a couple of months since she got a proper room at the Town Hall for her administrative work. But she had to spend so much time elsewhere, checking the work of others or attending meetings, that this study still didn't feel lived-in.

  Tara chuckled. "You know, it's funny that I'm an Elder now, and still swear by their name. Old habits die hard. So, Korin, what do you have for me?"

  "We have to gather troops!" exclaimed Korin defensively. "That bitch…!"

  "Which one of them are you talking about right now?" asked Tara. "The undead one, or the traitorous one? You know, the fact that both of them are free is totally your fault. Twice already."

  "Don't provoke me Tara," said Korin. "I acknowledge your status as the leader of the rangers and town's Elder, but I've lost Perrin! We had to dig a grave for him right there, in the forest, in the frozen ground."

  "Again, whose fault is that?" said Tara. "How did it even happen that you were ambushed so easily?"

  "This facility was abandoned since years ago," said Korin. "That you know. We received some signals in the area a while ago. Some garbled radio chatter. It took some time to figure out it wasn't anyone of ours. It wasn't any other ranger patrol either."

  "We all know that part," said Tara. "So, what now?"

  "We were finally able to track the radio signals to this old facility," said Korin. "I stayed outside with a part of team, to control the exit. And sent Perrin and his guys inside to inspect. They found them."

  "That's also obvious, next?"

  "There are only two of them there," said Korin. "Yes, they ambushed us and caught us by surprise. But now we know about them and we need to do something."

  "Were you able to listen to any of their chatter in the end?" asked Tara.

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  "No, it's always garbled," said Korin. "We checked all the settings on our radios, nothing helps."

  "Korin, when are you going to become a solution man, and not a problem man?" asked Tara. "I have enough trouble with the townsfolk and our… hm… partners from other towns. How do you plan to solve this issue?"

  "We need to send a decisive force," said Korin. "Who knows what could these two do if they are left alone. They've done enough already. And that's not even taking into consideration that stash we found there. It's the largest haul since Harlan Thorn was in charge of exploration."

  Tara whistled in surprise. "That big? What did you see there?" she asked.

  "We didn't have much time to explore, as you know," Korin said. "What we saw in the halls that were previously sealed were the standard small gadgets like radios and wristbands. But even if that's the only type of devices there is, it will supply us for years and allow us to boost trade. Can you imagine the level of influence it would give Mountain View? The level of influence it would secure for you?"

  Korin's voice was becoming slimy. Tara never saw him trying to be so persuasive. He really wanted to do away with his old subordinate. And she could understand why. Lila has become his personal burden, a huge dark blot on his reputation.

  "I commend your eagerness to deal with that traitor," said Tara after taking a brief moment to think. "But we are not in position to do it alone. You and I saw it with out own eyes what this undead can do. We witnessed the scene on the execution day. This operation needs more people. Preferably rangers who are motivated well enough and ready to die."

  Tara stood up from her table and went to the door of her study.

  "Brenna! Come over here!" Tara waited until her aide approached before giving orders. "Draft a message for our partners. This is a security issue we all have to deal together. But don't mention our findings yet. We'd better keep it as a bargaining chip."

  She turned to Korin. "Brenna will help you to organize a team on other side and will be in charge of the joint force."

  "Do we really need the outsiders' intervention?" asked Korin.

  "Yes, we need that. Even if that means we'll have to share," said Tara. "Your previous encounters only confirmed that."

  She returned to her table.

  "I agree that this problem has to be solved once and for all," said Tara. "But we have to be smart and I don't want to lose more people than necessary. We have lost too many rangers in the past months already."

  Tara returned her focus to the documents piled in front of her.

  "Dismissed."

  She waited until Korin was almost out of the door and said: "Korin, don't mess it up this time."

  "Yes, ma'am."