The siege had apparently dried up everyone`s thirst. Corbyn`s was quiet, save for the die-hard drunkards, Jeremiah, Bruno, and Delilah. They ordered the fanciest wines and liquors and scoffed at the prices. Jeremiah felt muscles relaxing that had been tense for months. He howled with laughter at nothing at all and felt nothing but joy in doing so. They cheered when Allison showed up. Her drink orders were few and her participation in revelry was limited, but they were glad to have her.

　　They departed with a drunken racket, singing bawdy songs to darkened streets. Their voices echoed in stark contrast to the subdued atmosphere of the city, but Jeremiah didn`t care. He carried Delilah on his back in a stumbling two-step while she crowed in his ear. But another voice split the night.

　　"If you look upon their faces, you`ll see not foreigners, not soldiers, but men and women who seek a better world! They`re willing to fight, to die for a better life for you. The snobs in those towers want to keep you in your place, because that`s where they can best exploit you!"

　　A gnome stood on a barrel, proselytizing to a small crowd. "How many of you have heard tales of the mountains of wealth hidden in the banks? How would your lives be changed, your problems solved, with even a single gold coin from their endless supply?" There were nods and grumbles of agreement among the crowd.

　　"Ah shit," said Bruno.

　　Delilah hopped down. "What`s going on?"

　　"They`re building support for their cause," said Jeremiah. "Making allies out of enemies." His heady lightness had been snatched away all at once.

　　"Support?" asked Allison, glaring at the gnome. "Why would anyone support the people who are sieging the city?"

　　"They see a chance at a better life," said Bruno.

　　"That`s treason. I`ll put a stop to this." Allison moved toward the gnome, but Bruno blocked her.

　　"No. Nothing will legitimize him more. Let this one go. Tomorrow I`ll see about hunting down the people she sent over the wall. Delilah, can you get the courts to agree to a bounty for these guys?"

　　"I`ll see to it first thing. Any spy captured will bring a small fortune, assuming they can prove it."

　　They continued home, the bounce gone from their step.

　　"What`d the king decide?" Jeremiah asked, adding his boots and cloak to the pile at the door.

　　"Nothing." Allison`s boot bounced off the wall.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

　　Within two days, the siege had changed every aspect of life in Dramir. Giants patrolled outside every gate. No supplies came in or out. On the second night, a massive inferno destroyed a warehouse full of grain, flour, and oats, causing the price of basic necessities to skyrocket. Law enforcement didn`t share Bruno`s belief that forcibly silencing the preachers would only strengthen their message, but the gnomes and halflings were particularly evasive. In fact, gnomes and halflings became something of a rarity on the streets, as guards began stopping them for lengthy interrogations.

　　Now that he was a free man, Jeremiah had no idea what he should do with himself. The siege bought him some time, as he was trapped along with everyone else, but he couldn`t stay in Delilah`s house forever, especially without contributing his necromancy. For now, he was a glorified errand boy, accompanying Delilah as she drew up bounties on the invaders and restocked her lab.

　　He and Delilah stopped on the way home to listen to a human speaking before a crowd, condemning the wickedness and greed of Dramir`s elite. "You remember seeing any humans get thrown over?" asked Jeremiah.

　　"Nope."

　　"Me neither."

　　On the third day, the draft began. Every able-bodied man and woman were to enlist in the city`s defense. They were equipped with cheap spears and only enough training to know which end was dangerous. The too old or too young were put to work stitching together cloth armor or helping to fletch arrows.

　　Allison came home late that night and dropped into her seat as the others were finishing up dinner. "I was putting conscripts on the wall, you know, showing them where they needed to be? One of them fucking waves at the siege line, they wave back, and he stares me dead in the eye and drops his spear over the edge."

　　"What`d you do with him?" asked Jeremiah.

　　"Sent him over the wall to go get it." The table went quiet for a long moment, there was an uncomfortable shifting of gazes. "It`s a war, we can`t tolerate open treachery in the ranks," said Allison.

　　"Morale isn`t high," said Delilah.

　　"How? How did she gain so much traction so fast?" asked Allison.

　　Jeremiah ventured a guess. "Not sure if you took a close look, but there are some Nosirin uniforms out in that siege line. If she really is able to speak to the downtrodden, really offer them a better life, well&" He remembered Valemor`s rage in the slum tavern, a man eager for bloodshed if it meant revenge on the necromancer who stole his livelihood.

　　Bruno nodded. "Yeah, she got traction quick. Not enough to mount an insurrection quite yet, but enough to fizzle out that patriotism you`re looking for." He was reading over his notes from contacts within the city, tracking leads onto the location of saboteurs.

　　"What`s the fight going to look like?" Delilah asked Allison.

　　Allison bit into a roll. "They can`t breach the walls, even with giants. We`ll be ready if they throw more people over. It won`t be like Nosirin."

　　"So, what can they do?" Jeremiah asked.

　　"My guess is they`re hoping the saboteurs get a gate open but&if I were leading her army, with her powers? I`d commit all my magic to a single giant and have him bash the portcullis down while I keep him alive. Now, I don`t know she`s that powerful, but I suspect she is."

　　"How do you counter that?" Bruno asked.

　　"If I were in charge? I`d mount our defense right there, keep them trapped in that slaughterhouse as long as possible. But then if I were her, I`d be looking for such a trap&well, I can go back and forth like that for a while." Allison rubbed her eyes. When she left for her room, she left behind a void of uncertainty around the table. Outside, alarm bells accompanied the orange glow of another fire.