The Amith Capil did not lack discipline. The soldiers organized quickly under their Captain's orders, dividing into pairs and setting off onto their assigned task without a wasted moment.

"We can use a hand," Arya told Dimitri.

Dimitri shook his head. "I'll only slow you down."

Arya's eyes turned to Valeri, then Iavor. "As you wish," he said.

The man was last to depart. His partner kept a wary eye on everyone present, her hand on the hilt of her sword. She cast a disapproving look Dimitri's way before following her captain into the depths of the manor. The meaning behind the unreasonable offer was not difficult to perceive. Dimitri's choice to trust men soldiers considered monsters would naturally not be well-received.

"Who needs them?" Gabriel purred, relaxing his own vigilant state, "I will protect you."

Dimitri snorted. He pinched the fur at Gabriel's nape and tossed the befuddled demon to Iavor in his moment of inattention, movements quick and resolute. Gabriel sailed across the room with a yowl of betrayal.

Iavor reached out to catch him. He held the demon under the armpits, the rest of the cat dangling uncomfortably in the air. "Have you played enough?" the vampire asked.

Gabriel swatted at the man's hands, ears flat against his skull. Iavor set him down with a chuckle. The demon spun around and meowed piteously at his previous resting post.

"Iavor Beaufort?" Dimitri asked, feigning deafness.

Iavor inclined his head in acknowledgement. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"I'm not," the man replied.

Iavor's expression retained a tranquil smile. He was not a man easily goaded. Moreover, his attention was currently otherwise captured.

Iavor's eyes were not on Dimitri but on the man standing silently behind him.

Gabriel followed the vampire's gaze with some reluctance. He had taken note of Valeri's state upon their arrival and knew the man was as well as could be hoped, given his company. There was no signs of torture or missing limbs, at least.

The vacant look in Valeri's eyes was far more troubling.

Valeri took a step forward. There was a curious absence in his expression, every feature soft and open, as if the man was wading through a dream. Gabriel hurried to make way, not trusting Valeri to mind his feet as he staggered toward Iavor. He took the chance to sidle closer to Dimitri. The soldier glanced down at him with an unimpressed look, but did not chase him away. Gabriel promptly pressed against his calf and purred.

Valeri stopped his unsteady advance. He stood facing Iavor, so still he appeared nearly lifeless. When he reached out to place a hand over Iavor's chest, it was as if a statue had come to life, the motion sudden and graceless.

"I am here," Iavor said.

There was another moment of stillness. Then Valeri crumpled forward, into Iavor's arms. His shoulders shook but not a sound escaped him.

Dimitri made for the door. Gabriel wove between his ankles, almost making the man stumble.

"Damned– what are you doing?" Dimitri hissed, aiming a kick the demon's way.

Gabriel dodged the irate man with ease and continued playing at a particularly furry doorstop. "Where are you going?"

"None of your business," Dimitri snapped.

The words were intangible, shared between them two alone. Gabriel was thrilled, and not a little amused.

"Shy?" he cooed.

Dimitri's second kick had a lot more force to it, if not better accuracy. Gabriel chirped in laughter.

"I must ask that you remain inside this room," Iavor said.

Dimitri raised his head to glare at the vampire instead. Gabriel thumped his tail, somewhat annoyed at the interruption.

"And why is that?" the man demanded.

Iavor remained impassive. His aloof persona was somewhat less convincing with Valeri clinging to him like a limpet; after a moment of squinting, Gabriel realized that Valeri was in fact no longer conscious.

"We all have our roles to play," Iavor said evenly. "Yours just so happens to be that of the lure."

Dimitri frowned, clearly unconvinced. "Arya and his men are on the hunt. What's left to fear in here, besides you two?"

Iavor did not reply immediately. He set Valeri down in a corner, arranging the man as comfortably as the bare furnishings allowed. Valeri's hands were dyed red with old blood. Iavor examined them with some care.

"How many men died?" the vampire asked.

The question gave Dimitri pause. "Ten," he said at last. "Eight Zero, two Amith Capil."

"Are all ten corpses missing?" Iavor continued.

"Only those that belonged to Zero soldiers," Dimitri replied.

Iavor rose to his feet. There was a table in the room, surrounded by a few wooden chairs. Iavor kicked the chairs aside and upended the table so it lay facing the door. Valeri was entirely hidden behind its bulk.

Gabriel's tail paused its careless dance.

Dimitri watched Iavor advance warily. The vampire bent to pick up Gabriel, then deposited the demon into the soldier's arms. Gabriel dug his claws into the fabric of the man's shirt, less the soldier decided to drop him once he came to his senses.

"If you would please," Iavor said, sweeping a hand toward the makeshift shelter.

Dimitri raised a brow. "Care to explain the decision to redecorate?" he asked.

"No time," Iavor said simply.

Something heavy struck the door. The wood rattled in its hinges, creaking like the bow of a ship in a storm.

Dimitri turned toward the sound in alarm. Iavor used this moment of distraction to wrap an arm around the man and bodily fling him back. Dimitri crashed through chairs as he attempted to find his footing, cursing up a storm. He would not stay put for long.

Gabriel acted quickly. He assumed a human shape just as the door gave in under the onslaught, relying on surprise rather than strength to drag Dimitri to safety. Dimitri strained against him in anger.

When the first corpse lunged into the room through the broken door, the soldier froze in Gabriel's arms.

The intruder was very obviously dead. There was a good part of his chest missing, his ribs protruding through torn flesh with every step forward. The man's milky eyes saw nothing. They found Dimitri nonetheless, the corpse changing course accordingly.

"Shit," Dimitri breathed.

The dead man did not advance far. Iavor had no weapon, but his strength was far beyond that of mortal men and indeed surpassed many immortal creatures. He had the corpse by the throat and rendered its limbs from its body before the dead man could do much damage.

As a result, Gabriel was treated to the nightmarish sight of a dismembered corpse wiggling like a worm in the dirt, still blindly seeking its target.

Iavor's only response was a meditative hum.

Two more bodies tumbled into the room, then three. Iavor broke them apart methodically. He kept the bloody melee well away from the rest of the room's occupants, dancing between swinging limbs and the flash of uncoordinated swords. The corpses were slow, but terribly strong – glancing blows left holes in the walls and crushed furniture to dust.

"What the hell is Arya doing?" Dimitri seethed.

Gabriel wondered the same of Iavor. The man was obviously baiting his opponents. Given that they were beyond pain or fear of death, it appeared an absurdly foolish tactic.

Iavor felled one of the dead soldiers. He crushed the man's skull under his foot; the body stilled immediately, drained of its terrifying drive to fight.

"The head," Iavor called.

Soldiers rushed into the room – living men and women, this time, their smiling Captain in the lead.

"Much obliged," Arya offered.

Dimitri stared, aghast. Gabriel snorted under his breath. One could always trust the Amith Capil to manipulate a situation to their best advantage. Iavor's voluntary participation was even less of a surprise. The undead soldiers had obviously caught his interest; Gabriel was certain that the morbid play would be going on still, had Iavor not had Valeri to mind.

The remaining corpses were quickly dispatched. Arya sent his team out to secure the rest of the house but remained behind himself, presumably to take responsibility.

He probably did not expect the censure to come from Dimitri's mouth.

"Do you always have others doing your dirty work?" the soldier spat. He had risen to his feet during the climax of the fight, kept behind the flimsy barrier of the upturned table only by Gabriel's tight grip around his ankles.

"Would you rather lose men for the sake of your pride?" Arya threw back.

Dimitri ground his teeth, but said nothing.

"Sahil and I have worked together in the past. Testing an unknown opponent in this manner is a strategy of long standing," Iavor said. He had picked his way across the room and was now examining Valeri for signs of injury. Upon determining the man was untouched, he turned cold eyes to Dimitri. "I do thank you for your concern."

"Who's concerned? I don't like being kept in the dark when it's my life that's at stake," Dimitri said, the last words pointed and meant for Arya.

"I was aware of the danger Zero posed," Arya admitted.

Dimitri glared at the man. Arya lifted his hands in a pacifying gesture, smile widening.

"However, the true nature of their mutation was very much unknown," the man continued. "Your contribution to uncovering the truth is worthy of merit."

"Fuck your merit. When did you get a hold of Miss Gondin?" Dimitri snapped back. He was testing the small advantage of the man's guilt to dig for information. Gabriel laughed under his breath, wondering if he ought to point out that the argument between the two soldiers amounted to that of a pot and a kettle.

"Since the very night young Sir Beaufort approached her, of course," Arya responded, obliging. He laughed at Dimitri's disconcerted look. "The Beaufort household has always been under observation. We knew of Miss Gondin's oath the moment it was sworn. It was only a matter of waiting for the debt to be collected."

"Always?" Iavor repeated quietly.

Arya straightened, posture subtly changing to something more wary. "It's been a point of contention for a long time. Many disagreed with the waste of resources. The orders were from up top, however, and could not be disputed."

Dimitri said nothing. Gabriel felt the soldier's mind turn, thoughts spinning dark and bloody. "That is right," the demon said, "The Amith Capil was well-aware that Valeri was not responsible for the deaths in Elsendorf. They sent your team in knowing none of it nonetheless."

"Shut up," Dimitri snapped, then cut all contact.

Gabriel was not disappointed. The soldier's trust in the Amith Capil had long been waning. It would not take long for it to erode completely, with or without the demon's aid.

"What made you suspect Zero?" Iavor asked.

"They are a pretty strange group, dead or alive," Arya replied.

"They were dead before you killed them," Iavor said.

It took a moment for Arya to respond. "You are certain?"

Iavor nodded without elaborating. Arya thought over some matter, and let out a low sigh.

"It was all conjectures, before today. Bits and pieces collected from reports going years back. No one'd seen anything like this, however – or at least, no one who'd lived to tell the tale.

"Looks like this bunch was dead-set on finishing their mission. They all went for Sir Beaufort and Lightning, rather than sneaking out to alert their handles. We'll take care of the rest and make sure news of your survival doesn't make it back into the wrong ears."

"What about you?" Dimitri asked.

Arya smirked. "What else? Taking a soldier's vacation, all of us."

"Feigning death?" Gabriel guessed.

Dimitri did not respond, but the demon felt that he was not wrong. He studied Arya with newfound interest. If the man was willing to go through so much trouble to cover up this mission and with it, Dimitri and Valeri's survival, then there was likely a larger plan at work. As loyal as Captain Arya might be, no man would draw the retribution of an entire army for the sake of relative strangers on a whim.

"We will depart. You may take your time and rest until nightfall, but I advise against lingering beyond that – there is no telling who is watching," Arya said.

"Thank you, Sahil," Iavor said.

"Pleasure, as always. Lightning," Arya called, "Do carry my best wishes to Shadow."

The man departed with a last grin and a jaunty wave, the spring in his steps decidedly at odds with the macabre surroundings.

"Victor's alive," Dimitri said softly.

Gabriel realized that Dimitri was not aware of the happenings in Elsendorf. He chose not to comment, afraid to draw attention to the fact that the soldier had reopened his side of their bond, perhaps by accident.

Iavor came to stand by Dimitri. The man eyed him warily; even Gabriel raised his brows, somewhat concerned to have his battle-wild friend so close to the injured soldier. Had Iavor eaten enough, the last time he hunted?

"You dropped this," Iavor said.

A bundle of fabric fell at Gabriel's feet. Iavor went to Valeri, gathered the man against his side, and made for the door.

"We leave at sunset," he said. "Rest if you can. The road to the Capital is long."

"Why the Capital?" Dimitri asked. Iavor was gone, however, so Gabriel answered instead.

"When you kill a snake, you need to cut off its head," the demon said.

He reached for the misshapen bundle. Cold sweat gathered at the back of his neck as he realized, suddenly, what sort of choice Malik was having him make.

Dimitri turned around. Gabriel was still sitting down, and his eyes were on the floor. All he saw was the man's feet moving, toes pointing towards his body rather than away. There was a beat of cold silence.

"Why are you naked again?" the soldier asked.

Gabriel huffed out a laugh. He raised his head and smiled at Dimitri's disgruntled face, cheeks dimpling.

"Here," the demon said, "For you."

Dimitri accepted the ragged bundle with some caution. He tugged the wrappings apart slowly, then froze in place.

"You..." he began.

Gabriel grinned. "His name was Reiner," he said. "The demon who stole that child's soul, seven years ago. The one who made you so unhappy. When I tracked him down at last, he was missing his right arm and his body was disfigured – his true body, not the shell demons wear in the World Above. Tell me, how did you do it?"

Dimitri swallowed, fingers tightening over the blade's hilt. He could kill Gabriel with a flick of his hand, if he so wished.

And Gabriel had allowed him the means to do so.

"I led him into a trap, and bound his body to the mortal world. He managed to escape with his life," the soldier said.

"But not with all of his limbs intact," Gabriel said. He eyed the bone blade in Dimitri's hand, expression darkening.

"What?" Dimitri asked warily.

"I find myself somewhat jealous," Gabriel admitted. He added in the stunned silence, "Would you consider not carrying the blade so close to your skin?"

Dimitri promptly turned on his heel, ignoring Gabriel's sad protests to remain.

"Go put something on!" the soldier called as he stomped away.

Gabriel grinned at his back. Then he staggered to his feet with a shout, and hurried to follow.

"Wait! Did that unreliable man give the all-clear? What if there are more corpses roaming about! Do not be careless, wait for me!"

There were no more animated corpses patrolling the house. Gabriel was uncertain whether he was relieved or not, given that this also meant he had no excuse to stick to Dimitri's side in the guise of protection.