The hour was late and the sky dark, save for the glow emanating from the fires far below. Patzau Ashill stood alone atop the fortress keep overlooking the city. She wore a cloak against the mountain winds and it flapped haphazardly behind her. The city itself, alive with the bright glow of its two great domed buildings, the Auction House and the Patzau Palace, seemed pristine in its quiet majesty. But in the shadow of the mountains, the still sprawling conflagration of Mudtown was a reminder of what she had done.

The wind had calmed much since the sun had set, but the fires burned hot enough to spread uncontrolled even without its influence. They left the city bathed in ginger light, as if the sun had never finished setting on this terrible day. Smoke billowed so thick and black that even the infinite night sky appeared bright by comparison. Yes, the Casoyan Fortress, perched high atop the volcanic plug, offered a commanding view from which Yanata could bask in her own failure. She stared down at Mudtown. Her face was steely and composed, and hid well the regret she felt.

She clenched the resignation letter in her fist, the curled parchment crumpling under the force of her grip. It was left on her desk by her daughter. Yuromi had rejected her position in the guild. Her letter was more a denouncement than resignation. Ashamed to call myself a soldier, the letter had read. Ashamed to bare the reputation of Ashill. Yanata’s breath caught as she ruminated over her daughter’s words and found herself feeling the same way. The difference was, she was supposed to be in charge. The fires, the destruction, the targeting of civilians; they were no accident. Soldiers, her soldiers, had carried out massacres.

Yuromi had always been smart. Maybe not the cold tactical smart her sister Kida had been, but smart enough to recognize she no longer supported what the guild was becoming and brave enough to walk away. It had taken Yanata until this moment to see it herself. She felt betrayed, just like Minoc. Worse, she felt she had betrayed herself in the process. She had sacrifice everything she believed in to retain control, and now she stood looking out over the city with nothing left.

Her betrayal had Patzau Yohati written all over it. He had been the one to pressure her to order the attack. He had agreed to her stipulations, and they had agreed that the destruction of Mudtown was necessary. But he and Burm had promised it wouldn’t be like this. Yanata felt foolish for believing him. Especially after Minoc’s betrayal. Fire is the madman’s weapon. They lied to her and she would take the fall for it. Her soldiers had retreated in defeat, thwarted by the fires they had lit. Hundreds were dead and dying, and she could do nothing but watch it unfold from atop her tower. My greatest failure will be my lasting legacy, she lamented. The weight in her chest threatened to crush her. But before she could hesitate any further, quiet footfalls sounded behind her.

“Yuromi?” she asked readily.

“Not this time, mother” Kida said.

Her daughter walked forward to stand by her side. They stood together in silence, Yanata confused by Kida’s presence and Kida, absorbed by the immense inferno below. The glow of the flames lit Kida’s face. It gave her an ominous look. Yanata felt a chill but passed it off as the wind. Kida’s eyes glittered with the same unflinching resolve that had always marked her.

“The fire is beautiful, isn’t it?” Kida asked, her voice low, almost reverent.

“Beautiful?” Yanata repeated, surprised by the comment.

“Yes, beautiful” Kida repeated. She seemed enchanted by the distant flames. “It’s a demonstration of our might, of Casoyan power. A warning to these tribes of thieves and criminals that Casoyan justice is swift and Casoyan justice is exacting. They’ll think again before they disrespect the order of things.”

Yanata turned sharply, her face a mask of quiet disdain and horror. “You find this spectacle beautiful?” She took a step forward. Her voice was laced with an edge of pain as she spoke, “This is not beauty. This is devastation. This… this is my greatest failure.”

Kida met her gaze with defiance, disappointment appearing across her young face. It was a mirror of Yanata’s own face. “Failure?” she scoffed, “What are you talking about? This is a lesson for those who oppose us, Mother. A lesson they’ll not soon forget. There is no peace without respect for order, and so we show these people what true disorder looks like. This is what they deserve.”

Yanata’s hand rose without warning. She struck her daughter across the face with a force that rang through the air like the crack of a whip. Kida reeled, her expression one of shock, before her eyes narrowed in fury. “If you see this city burning as anything but a failure,” Yanata growled, her voice low and dangerous, “you don’t deserve your position in this guild.”

For a moment, Kida stood still, as if still processing the blow. Then, her eyes flared with anger, and she stormed forward, her voice rising. “Unbelievable. I didn’t want to accept it. What they say about you is true. You’ve grown weak! You’ve lost your edge! You’ve forgotten what it means to command—to rule! These people hate you. They want you dead. They want us all dead and yet you mourn them? You’re fucking pathetic.”

Yanata’s breath came quick, her chest tight with emotion. “Go home right now, Kida,” she said, the command sharp and unyielding. “You will do well to remember that I am not only your mother, but your superior. Think wisely before you come to me with such foolish arrogance again. And remember this, you are not the one who has to live with the consequences of these choices. We will pay for this in blood, mark my words.”

Kida spat on the ground; her eyes full of contempt. “You’ve lost yourself, Mother. And in doing so, you’ll lose us this city: our home. I’ll make sure they know it’s you they should blame.”

“Good luck with that” Yanata spat. They already plan to blame me, she thought, stewing in her anger and frustrations. They won’t need your help, you ungrateful little witch. What happened to my sweet little girl? When did she become this monster?

Kida called out back to her as she stood in the stairwell, one hand on the hatch, “You shame yourself, and you disgrace the Ashill name. Your time is up, mother.” She slammed the trapdoor behind her, disappearing into the tower with the last word.

Yanata cursed under her breath. They judge you weak when showing mercy and tyrannical when displaying strength. You, my daughter, understand nothing about the paradox of leadership.

The silence that followed was heavy. Patzau Ashill stood motionless, staring down at the flames below. Kida’s words stung. She replayed them over and over in her mind as the world burned. Her regrets fell not on the choices she had made as a general, save for this last proclamation. Instead, her regrets were for the choices she’d made as a mother. She had failed both her daughters, in opposite ways. A candle lit from both ends.

The only thing that Yanata could imagine might be worse on a night like this was more company. She got it. Five more figures ascended the tower to join her atop the roof not long after Kida had departed. Never a spare moment to wallow in my own dark thoughts, Yanata sighed. She turned and saw Patzau Adagizhi, Patzau Hadashenta, and Patzau Powanati, their silhouettes framed by moonlight. Behind them, Guild Aginjigaade. The man on the left was Kawaka Bedil of Powanati’s guild, and the other was Janos Tydana of Yohati’s. She turned back to face the fires below and waited for the moment she feared most.”

“Patzau Ashill” Adagizhi said, his voice stern.

“Have you come to watch Mudtown burn with me?”

“No” Adagizhi replied.

“Then you’ve come to twist the knife. I knew this moment was coming.”

She turned, and the five men stood still a few paces behind her. The three bastards she could kill with her bare hands. It wouldn’t even be that hard. No wonder they had brought the Aginjigaade. Needed to feel safe when facing down an old woman.

None of them responded to her words and their silence angered her, “Well, for fuck’s sake Murak, get on with it.”

Adagizhi’s eyes were cold, his voice sharp as he spoke. “Patzau Yanata Ashill, by the order of the Patzau’s Council, you are hereby removed from your position as Leader of the Soldiers Guild. Your failure to properly execute your orders today has brought ruin to the guild and shame to our great city. We’ve come to relieve you of your command.”

Yanata’s gaze flickered briefly to the empty space beside them. “Yohati couldn’t be here to twist the knife himself?” she chucked bitterly.

Patzau Hadashenta ignored the remark, his gaze fixed on her. “The position of Patzau has been reassigned. Captain Gal Burm will assume your role from now on. Gal is familiar with the role. He will be the future of this guild.”

Yanata’s mind raced, and a bitter laugh escaped her lips. “Gal Burm? He’s barely out of diapers and not even close to making commander, let alone Patzau.” She chewed on her lip for a moment longer, Mulling over the appointment. “But now that I think about it,” she added, “Burm makes sense. You lot always wanted a puppet who can be controlled. It’s too risky to have a Patzau who might actually be able to lead this fucking guild.”

“Careful. You sound like Minoc” Adagizhi said. It was a threat.

“Well unlike Minoc, you don’t have to fucking crucify me to get me to leave. Consider me gone.” Yanata spat. Frustration bubbled over and contempt spilled into her words, “I’ll get my things and let you enjoy your new council. One where you can ruin this city as much as you want. No hard feelings. Wish you each the best.”

Yanata Ashill, Patzau no more, turned from the gathered group and made her way down to her office. They let her go unimpeded. Back in her office, she collected a few personal belongings. She grabbed a token from her late husband, her sword and coat, and a few sealed reports. She looked around the room, and thought about her decisions here. She knew at least, the very last one she had made in her final days as Patzau would do some good.

Yanata descended the steps and stopped halfway across the bridge, looking back at the fortress and the city beyond. And for the first time in many years, she felt the weight of everything she given and now lost. The Soldier’s Guild was her life. It was her passion. It was her bane. And it was her home. She had given everything she had to the guild; to Caso. Her husband, her children, her life. Now it felt as if it were all for nothing.

The thought was unbearably depressing. So much so that Yanata turned around and stalked back across the bridge and up to the top floor to ransack another bottle of wine for the journey home. Finding a pair of Yintal wines, she swiped both, knowing nobody would ever believe her the culprit.

She uncorked the first bottle with her teeth and took a large swig. The drink felt like a relief. Medicine for a broken heart. She knew the feeling well. It had been a very long time and yet, far too recent. It would feel even better not to feel anything. Soon, she promised herself. Bitter, she set off to drown herself in her new prizes in the comfortable emptiness of her own home.