A pause.
Then Conrad’s voice comes through, low and immediate. “Hold them there. Do not engage unless necessary. Backup is moving.”
I don’t take my eyes off the group. The man smiles wider.
“Backup,” he repeats softly. “Interesting choice of word.”
Then everything happens at once. One of the disguised rogues steps toward the tourists.
Brooke moves to intercept. Delilah shouts into her radio again. And the forest behind them erupts with motion. Not one group. Not two. Multiple figures break cover from differentangles, moving in staggered formations along the treeline as if testing pressure points around the town’s edge.
My breath catches.
“They’re not entering from one point,” I say.
Delilah glances at me sharply.
I point, tracking movement as more shapes appear farther down the road. “They’re spreading. They’re probing multiple access routes.”
Brooke curses under her breath. “That’s coordinated.”
Delilah’s voice drops. “That’s organized.”
The disguised rogue in front of us takes one step back. Not retreating. Signaling. And then the attack begins. Not a full assault—something worse. A test.
One rogue suddenly grabs a tourist’s arm. Brooke reacts instantly, pulling the person back. Delilah shoves another behind her. I step in without thinking, placing myself between the group and the attackers.
“Enough,” I snap.
The word carries more authority than I expect. For a split second, everything pauses. Then the rogue smiles again.
“Interesting,” he says softly. “You’ve got a new anchor point.”
And then he’s gone. Not fleeing—falling back into the trees as if he’s gotten what he came for. The others follow in coordinated withdrawal, slipping between trunks and brush with eerie precision. Within seconds, the forest looks normal again. Too normal. Silence rushes in to fill the space they leave behind.
One of the tourists exhales shakily. “What… what was that?”
No one answers him. I’m already pulling out my phone again.
“We need full communication coverage,” I say. “Every business on alert. Every patrol route active.”
Delilah stares at me. “Tessa?—”
“No,” I cut in. “This isn’t isolated. That wasn’t a scouting party looking for weakness. That was multiple entry pressure points. They’re mapping the town.”
Brooke looks toward the forest line, jaw tight. “So what’s the target?”
I don’t answer immediately. Because I already know. Not the town. Not the roads.
Not the perimeter. Me. I swallow once, hard, then force my voice steady.
“Conrad needs to know this isn’t a single incursion,” I say. “It’s layered. They’re attacking from multiple directions to split response time.”
Delilah nods and keys her radio again. I turn toward Main Street, already moving. Behind me, I hear Brooke fall into step.
“You’re taking charge of this,” Brooke says.
I don’t slow down. “I’m coordinating. There’s a difference.”
