"So tell me, just how good does he treat you?" Nigel pressed, rubbing his chin as if pondering some great riddle. "Come on, if you''d leave Ss behind and join me, I''d make sure every one of you was looked after. You''d all be treated like kings."


    Damien just shook his head. "It''s not the same, Mr. Howell. You missed your chance." He nced at the others, his loyalty unwavering. "We chose to follow Mr. Myers, and for good reason. Even if he never paid us a cent, we''d still stick by him. All of us—our situations were...plicated. If we''re alive today, it''s because of him. He pulled us out of the darkness, trained us, gave us a future. Without him, none of us would be here."


    The bond they shared with Ss Myers was something far deeper than money or benefits—a debt of life and purpose that could never be repaid, much less betrayed. Nigel might have been generous, but he could never stand in Ss''s ce.


    Nigel tried again, undeterred. "Alright, so what''s your price? Tell me what you want, and I''ll give it to you. Is it really betrayal, or just moving on to something better?" Damien gave an incredulous chuckle. "You keep asking, but it won''t change a thing. Maybe someone else might be tempted, I don''t know. But I''m not your man. Today I owe you a favor for the ride, but forget about poaching me."


    Nigel regarded him with a mix of amusement and admiration. "You''ve got guts, I''ll give you that."


    Just then the driver called out, breaking the conversation. "Mr. Howell, look up ahead! There''s a crowd-looks like people have been tied up!"


    “Pull over,” Nigel snapped, his brows knotting with sudden worry. The fear hit him that these captives might be from Calliope''s group.


    "You think something''s happened to Calliope?" Damien was instantly alert. As soon as the car stopped, he jumped out and hurried over to assess the situation.


    One look was all he needed before his whole body sagged with relief. “They''re not her people."


    He nced at the uniforms and the sound of theirnguage-locals, by the look of it. "No way Calliope would bring Stormgard men as her security, right? Even if she had a local guide, it wouldn''t be all of them."


    These captives wore mismatched camouge, clearly belonging to some local militia. Nigel sent one of his men over to question them.


    Damien didn''t wait. "Well? Are they connected to Calliope?"


    Nigel gave a crooked smile. "Right, on the money. Turns out a few vehicles passed through, led by à woman sounds just


    ke Camel


    She''s the one who tied this lot up."


    He let out a low chuckle. "Knew it-she can handle herself. Her team''s not the biggest, but they''r plenty tough And she''s got more than enough firepower on her own."


    Damien''s shoulders finally rxed. "That''s a relief. Who are these other groups, then?"


    "Just fragments of a couple rival generals," Nigel said with a wave, dismissing the local power struggle. "Let''s get moving."


    The bound captives started shouting, begging to be freed, but Nigel and Damien ignored their pleas and climbed back into the car.


    As they pulled onto the road, Damien looked sideways at Nigel. “We''re going to run into more factions like this, aren''t we?"


    Nigel nodded grimly. “Count on it. The power structure here''s a mess—patchwork fiefdoms everywhere, and every little army''s looking for trouble. It''s a headache."


    He sighed heavily. “But up ahead is ck Spider—that one''s real trouble.”


    Damien arched an eyebrow. “ck Spider?"


    Nigel''s expression soured. "The


    guy''s unhinged. Smart as a sack of rocks, but he''s built himself a sizable force. Word is, he used to have someone powerful pulling strings for him but ve never seen someone waste so many men doing so little."