The Bird and the Garden 3: The Final Adventure

Chapter 48: Chasing Shadows

The sun was rising when they came across the crest of the mountain, a few goblins scurrying down the slope. Ragna was just over the other side. To avoid attention, Penny was waiting a mile away for the signal to attack. Hazel was waiting with the adventurers for their report, and when they stood in front of the king, he raised an eyebrow. "What's the situation down there?"

"Knights," the first goblin answered. "They all have that crest that Yin used to wear."

"Church Knights," Ozpin muttered. "That is not a good sign."

Yin was quiet for a moment, pinching his chin thoughtfully. And finally, he looked up. "Did you... Take a guess who their leader was?"

"Yeah," the second goblin admitted. "There was a white haired man with an eye patch issuing orders. He was too far away to hear."

Jasper's fingers curled into Yin's shoulder. "Glenroy," she hissed. Verde raised her hat so she could see, her brow furrowed.

"Wait... If Glenroy is down there issuing orders to the knights, then that means they aren't regular knights. They're his knights specifically, the Knights of the Church," she pointed out. "Glenroy's status is far too high to be dealing with a basic knight."

"W... Wait, wait," Sasha cut in. "If Glenroy's here with his boys, then that means... They're expecting us?"

Silence fell among them. Glenroy and his Knights had seen many wars, responsible for driving the nonhumans who lived on the western side of the desert into a feral state. They were the Church's elite; they wouldn't be in Ragna without a reason.

"That... That isn't possible," Pyrrha said quietly. "They couldn't have known... We haven't even interacted with western society aside from Faralda! They can't know we're here! That's impossible!"

Salem had a sneaking suspicion she knew who was behind it. Someone who wanted them dead more than the Church did. And with him being unknown to Twist, it would have been easy for the master manipulator. "... The First Vao," she breathed. Everyone looked up at her with surprise.

"He didn't know either," Vao pointed out. But Ozpin shook his head.

"You're underestimating the First Vao... I advise you don't do that," he said. "He's been watching us since Grimmore, I'd bet. He knew we were going to the Secret City. After we took Faralda, he must have put two and two together, and tipped off the Church."

"He's a murderer! Wouldn't he get arrested?" Hekue argued.

"No, because they don't know who he is," Verde answered. "But no doubt that's why they're here and not storming Faralda. Protecting their supply of metal for their weapons would take priority. And once they find out we killed the Archbishop, not even Salem is safe from pardon. We'll all be executed, every last one of us and our families."

Things weren't going in their favor. Even with Penny, they risked unfathomable casualties at the hands of Glenroy and his Knights. Glenroy was smart enough to know when to retreat, ensuring that they'd be waiting at the Capital with a plan to take Penny down with their extensive military arsenal. Hazel groaned, rubbing his temples.

"So just storming the city is off the table... Any ideas?"

There was only silence. They couldn't come up with any strategies that would help them avoid running into Glenroy. They were running out of options. Would they have to risk it all? Ozpin stared at Yin expectantly. Was he trying to have the healer make a decision? Ozpin had been his mentor in the First Timeline, as well as sending him to train in the Second Timeline despite school. It wouldn't be surprising if he was trying to make sure Yin was experienced at strategizing, too. Vao certainly wasn't fit for planning.