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 0 - Rebirth

    An ominous aura exuded from the gate standing before me. The size of it as well as the patterns and designs sculpted into it¡ªdepicting the circles of hell and the demons that reside within¡ªmade it slightly intimidating to those who sought entrance.


    Only slightly, because whoever made it here would¡¯ve to go past all those things depicted on the way. Redundant.


    ¡¸ Here we are, brat, ¡¹ my companion told me. ¡¸ Once you go through, there¡¯s no going back. ¡¹


    I glanced at the raven beside me. The black bird, easily twice the size of its species, tilted its head as it spoke, ¡¸ Once you go through, there¡¯s no going back. ¡¹


    I kneeled in front of him so that our eyes were the same height. You said that twice.


    ¡¸ Only because it¡¯s important. ¡¹


    I nodded at that. It really was important.


    I ended up staring at the gate for a bit too long, processing what it all meant, even when I thought I¡¯d made up my mind a long time ago. I ended up filling my head with random thoughts, like how saying it was a ¡®gate¡¯ would only be accurate in the aesthetic sense per se. Rather, calling it a gateway or a portal would be more fitting.


    I shook my head. The most critical part of my long journey, and I was distracted.


    ¡¸ You don¡¯t have to go, you know?¡¹ the raven said, sensing my doubts, ¡¸ I know this is what you¡¯ve sought for, but you really don¡¯t have to go. ¡¹


    Yes, I do. I don¡¯t have anyone here I can trust¨C


    I stopped myself short and stared into those crimson orbs of his. I couldn¡¯t tell what he was thinking. Was he offended by my remark, or did he simply not care? I didn¡¯t know which of those was worse.


    I looked away and turned my attention back to the gate. What will happen in there?


    ¡¸ You will be judged. Your sins will be weighed against your retribution, or so how it should be, but you¡¯re a unique case. There¡¯s no value in punishing someone who doesn¡¯t remember their sins. ¡¹


    I furrowed my brows at him. Aren¡¯t you like that as well?


    ¡¸ ¡­No. ¡¹


    You told me that you don¡¯t remember anything. Remember that? Back when we first met?


    ¡¸ I remember. ¡¹


    I know you do. Was that a lie as well? Was everything you ever told me just one, big monstrous lie?


    I waited for him to answer, but the silence told me enough.


    I trusted you. You guys were like my family.


    ¡¸ That¡¯s only because you don¡¯t know what real family is like. ¡¹


    So it¡¯s my fault then? I said. If I had a voice, I¡¯d have probably choked up on those words.


    ¡¸ I¡¯m so sorry, brat. I really am. ¡¹


    A sudden tightness in my chest urged me to hug him, but I knew that if I did, I could compromise myself, flood myself with feelings that could overwrite my decisions. I didn¡¯t have a choice either way because he was the one who approached me instead, drawing and wrapping his large wings around me.


    ¡¸ Don¡¯t cry, brat. ¡¹


    I¡¯m not c¨C I shut my eyes tight.


    ¡¸ I said don¡¯t cry. ¡¹


    I¡¯m not.


    ¡¸ Be strong. ¡¹


    I¡¯m n¨C I will.


    ¡¸ And be brave, because you¡¯ll be on your own for now on. ¡¹


    I will.


    ¡¸ Now please stop crying. You make me feel all weird when you do. ¡¹


    Damn you, Hadda. I answered his embrace, grasping a fistful of feathers in my hand.


    I¡¯d sworn to never trust him again, but he always had a way to play with my feelings like that, even though I knew he didn¡¯t mean to. I¡¯d hated him for that.


    We didn¡¯t stay like that for long before he drew away. ¡¸ You should go now. We¡¯re not safe here. ¡¹


    I know.


    We weren¡¯t safe, true, but the real danger here was him changing my mind, and the longer we stayed together, the greater the chances of that happening. Even now, I felt hurt when he drew away.


    I¡¯m sorry too. For everything I¡¯ve said.


    ¡¸ Hmph. Your forgiveness doesn¡¯t mean a thing.¡¹ He looked away. There was no spite in his voice despite him trying to sound otherwise.


    Can you tell the others that as well? That I¡¯m sorry? Please.


    ¡¸ They get it, brat. We get it. ¡¹


    I nodded, stood up and faced the gate once more.


    It¡¯d been a long and arduous journey, but now that I was right before the end, I realized I never really thought about what came after. Even if I was absolved, what then? Would I go on to live like a normal person? What was normal in the first place? The thought of the real world suddenly terrified me more than the possibility of staying.


    I was working up my courage when something prickled my hand ¨C the bird had pecked me with his sharp beak.


    ¡¸ Just go already! ¡¹


    I¨C I¡¯m going!


    With just a tiny push, the gate opened on its own as if triggered by some form of mechanism. What lied ahead was a wall of impenetrable blackness that marked the extremities of the portal. I took a step forward and tendrils of darkness reached out, trying to cocoon me. I let them.


    Initializing transfer¡­


    ¡¸ Hey, brat. ¡¹


    I looked behind and saw the darkness blotting out his figure.


    ¡¸ You were like family to us as well. ¡¹


    Hadda, I¨C


    Transferring¡­


    ¡­Thank you, for everything, I said, but he was already gone.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Transfer successful


    Welcome to ¦«¦Å?¦Å¦Ë ¦¦¦Å¦Ñ¦Ï


    The black mist dissipated. I was in a different location now. I¡¯d have taken a look around if my eyes weren¡¯t too blurred to see anything.


    No more crying, I said to myself as I wiped the moisture off my eyes. I had to be strong, and I had to be brave. Just like he said.


    At first glance, it was a palatial hall with no lights, decorated with great pillars made of glass connecting the floor to a ceiling so high it was hidden in the dark above. On one side of the room, there were sets of steps leading to a desk that rose high above my head. Behind that was a large seat worthy of a monarch, its headrest crowning into a twists and roots that bloomed into some sort of demented, hellish flower. A throne, maybe, or a judge¡¯s seat, except nobody was sitting on it.


    I stood still as I tried to think of the next step. It used to be that after every transfer, our first priority would be to find each other. Well, I say find each other, but it usually ended up with them finding me. Then we would collaborate and suddenly it didn¡¯t matter what the death mechanisms were or what monster roamed, because together, we were invincible.


    Like a family. I smiled, picturing a mom, a big brother with mood swings, and a grumpy uncle, all bitter with each other, but still working together to find the lost me.


    And they did find me. Always.


    Shit.


    I was tearing up again. I had to focus. They weren¡¯t there anymore and I had only myself to rely on. First things first: analyze my surroundings, identify immediate threats.


    Nexy, what is this place?


    ¦«¦Å?¦Å¦Ë ¦¦¦Å¦Ñ¦Ï. Navigation label: The Court.


    The Court?


    It wasn¡¯t a throne nor a palace. The pillars, and everything else in the room aside from the seat¡¯s decorative ¡®flower¡¯ had an utter lack of vibrance. Walls were in monochrome and corners were cut and shaped in ways that made me think of a giant concrete cube with no windows, which made me wonder where the light was coming from. Just like the other levels, this place shared a common theme of sight-prohibiting darkness, and I could only hope that monsters and lethal traps weren¡¯t included¨C


    ¡°Hello there.¡±


    I snapped my body around to see a man sitting on the steps leading to the judge¡¯s desk. I¡¯d been sure no one was there a second ago.


    ¡°We finally meet.¡± He stood up and walked down the steps, his eyes fixed on me. He was an aged man donning a black suit that matched his hair. My instincts jumped into danger mode, telling me to run away despite his fairly plain appearance.


    He stopped a few feet in front of me. I assumed it was more to give me a feeling of safety rather than him being cautious of me.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re here for your absolution,¡± he said. His voice sounded younger than he looked ¨C animated, brimming with amiability.


    You¡¯re him, aren¡¯t you? The one they call Thalvos.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pity you can¡¯t speak. I would¡¯ve loved to hear your voice.¡±


    He smiled. I took a step back.


    ¡°No need to be wary. I could easily hurt you if I so wanted and there¡¯d be nothing you can do about it.¡±


    I frowned. Was that supposed to make me feel better?


    ¡°Your only sin is to appear in my purgatory without permission. To be honest, I have a zero-tolerance policy against intruders. I did try to erase you, but you¡¯re quite an indelible one, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    I froze. The feeling of the air moving without wind, as well as the hair at the back of my neck standing on ends, were sensations I was all too familiar with. Slowly, I turned my head and saw the darkness growing behind me, swirling at the corners of my eyes like a living thing.


    The Grim. You were behind it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not here for you,¡± he said, noticing my anxiousness. ¡°You¡¯ve suffered enough. You¡¯re free to go. Unless, if you don¡¯t me asking for a small favor?¡±


    No, I shook my head, just send me on my way.


    I had a hunch, or an instinct, that listening to whatever he had to say would lead to something bad, and ¡®bad¡¯ had a different standard in this place. One example of ¡®bad¡¯ was the nightmarish thing behind me. I kept glancing at it to make sure it stayed in place, not that I could do anything if it was to make a move.


    He grabbed his chin and made a childlike smile that pronounced the lines of his face. ¡°No deal? Let¡¯s see, you¡¯ve been here for seventeen lunar cycles. That¡¯s nearly three years.¡± He clapped his hands, so sudden I¡¯d nearly jump in my own boots if I¡¯d been wearing a pair. ¡°How about a little motivation? Seventeen moons, once that same amount of time has elapsed for you in the real world, I¡¯ll send this one to execute your friends.¡±


    ¡®This one.¡¯ The Grim.


    No. No, you can¡¯t. They did nothing wrong.


    He still had that smile, which almost disturbed me more than the actual creature of dark materializing in that very room.


    He raised his brows, ¡°It¡¯s all just and warranted. See, they helped you, an intruder, wreak havoc in my facility. Like I said, zero tolerance.¡±


    Just. Warranted. His words sank in.


    I should¡¯ve known. Even if I was free to go, I would never be ¡®free¡¯. Even if I¡¯d agreed to help him, then¡­ then what? What kind of favors would he ask of me?


    Genocide? Something even worse?


    How far would I be willing to go?


    ¡°Well? Your answer?¡±


    He was still smiling. I looked down and noticed my hands were curled into fists, cutting the blood flow to my fingers.


    Fuck. Holy fuck.


    ¡°Breathe.¡±


    I did as told only because I was out of breath. Even something as trivial as that, doing things as he said, made me feel sick to my gut.


    ¡°Like a family, were they not? Do you care so little for them?¡±


    Fuck you. That moment had been intimate to me. A precious memory, which he corrupted with just a single sentence. What else had he seen? How much of us had he intruded upon? How much of me?


    My blood curdled at the thought of him peering on me at my weakest moments. What did he see then? What was reflected in his eyes when his realm broke me, both spirit and body? Was he watching with that same smile?


    I took a deep breath. My friends were at risk and this was no time to get distracted by¡­ by unimportant things.


    Regardless of my decision, I had to know what I was getting into. I needed more information about him. His abilities, his weaknesses, anything that could help me deduce the kind of person he was.


    Nexy, identify him.


    Error: access restricted


    Eh?


    He laughed. ¡°Did you just try to use the Nexus on me?¡±


    He disappeared ¨C and reappeared right on front me. ¡°How cute. Unfortunately, that counts as a sin.¡±


    His hand was on my throat before I could process what happened. With ease, he raised me until my feet weren¡¯t touching the floor.


    ¡°And this is your exoneration.¡±


    He threw me.


    Super strength. He¡¯d flung me like a rag, I knew because I felt the corners of the stairway on my back, which was more than twenty feet away. He teleported again, this time popping out right on top of me.


    ¡°Dummy. How did you think I¡¯m monitoring you in the first place?¡± he said, before sending a kick into my stomach.


    I curled my body, partly from pain, but also to try and protect as much of my vital organs as I could. The next thing I felt was him stomping on my fingers, grinding them underneath his feet as if he was crushing some bug.


    I grabbed his ankle and tried to ease the pressure. He took that hand and lifted me up by the wrist, then let me hang at a point where our eyes were level.


    ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I? I can hurt you as I wish and you¡¯re powerless to stop it.¡±


    He let me fall back down. I turned my orientation around and crawled up the steps if even to buy one extra second. He was too strong. I couldn¡¯t do anything against him physically, but there was something else; one last trick up my sleeve.


    He stepped on my back, pressing my down.


    ¡°Stop crawling like a worm and take it. It¡¯ll all be over soon,¡± he said, pushing down harder. I could imagine my spine breaking just like that.


    One last trick. I¡¯d been struggling so long to get to this point, and I wouldn¡¯t have made it if my friends hadn¡¯t discovered my talent. My power.


    He grabbed on my hair and dragged me back to the bottom of the stairs.


    I had my friends back then, but now there was only me. I was just the conduit. The mindless tool, or the battery that they could use to tap into powers I had no control over. But it was still me. I was the one with the connection that none of them had. It was far-fetched considering I¡¯d never been successful on my own, but far-fetched was enough. Heck, it was better chances than what I had most of the time.


    He started kicking me again. I let him, retreating into the back of my mind as I focused on the pain as well as the fear of losing my friends. Those feelings would¡¯ve increased my chances of success if there was any. ¡®Alignment of the will and the subconscious¡¯, the bird had said, so many times it was ingrained in my brain.


    ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± he said with a gleeful voice, whilst kicking me on the floor. ¡°Reach out. Feel the aether with your soul.¡±


    He¡¯d seen through me. Of course he did. But it didn¡¯t matter because I could almost sense it. The aether and all its might, if I had it, I could¨C


    A sharp jolt of pain, like a sudden surge of electricity, broke all my efforts. My back arched in an extreme angle, my eyes forced shut as all thought processes stopped. It burned, and it spread until my whole being was on fire.


    ¡°Well done,¡± he said, barely audible between the screaming of every cell in my body as they were torn apart. ¡°That¡¯s as far as you go. Any more and your head will quite literally explode.¡±


    When the pain started to recede, my consciousness was but hanging by a thread. My body was left trembling, paralyzed from the shock.


    He kneeled beside me. Gently, he flicked away a lock of hair from my face and placed an ice-cold hand on my cheek, forcing me to stare into his dark eyes. ¡°Hurts, doesn¡¯t it? I want you to remember how that feels. That pain is proof of your sins having been cleansed.¡±


    I gritted my teeth.


    He¡¯d planned this, provoked me because he knew I would resolve on the aether, knew it would backfire on me. For what? A test?


    No. He was touching me freely knowing I couldn¡¯t resist. I peeked at the creature on the other side of the room. It was dormant. Thalvos had no intention of using it here, so why was it here? From guesswork, it was to show how easy he was going on me, or as a reminder of the power he held.


    Not a test. A statement. He had that authority over me and he wanted me to be aware of that.


    Damn you. Damn you, damn you!


    ¡°Oh, that look on your face. Grief? Hatred? And here I¡¯m offering you a chance to help your friends. I might even consider them absolved off all their sins and you all get to live happily together. Am I not a benevolent?¡±


    You¡¯re just¨C you¡¯re just a bully.


    I didn¡¯t know why I chose that word. It sounded mean in my head.


    He moved his hand and pressed against my forehead, reciting, ¡°O¡¯ nameless one, in the name of the Watcher and in the grace of the Goddess, you are now purged from your sins.¡±


    Initializing transfer¡­


    No, stop!


    I tried to reach for him, but all I could manage was lift a few fingers.


    He leaned in, positioning his lips near my ear, ¡°Find the true king. That¡¯s the favor I¡¯m asking you. Find that person, and don¡¯t die along the way because remember; your friends are counting on you.¡±


    You basta¨C


    Transferring¡­


    Transfer successful


    Welcome to Mer

 0.5 - New Beginnings 1

    Petrichor hung heavily in the air. Heavy boots sank into wet soil, soddened byrain earlier that morning,as he walked past the tents. The air was damp, the ground even more so, which didn¡¯t help when winter was just around the corner.But the cold was the least of Aenir¡¯s problems.


    ¡°What¡¯cha lookin¡¯ at, boy?¡± said one of the two gnarly man with a scowl on his face.


    ¡°Gale,¡± Aenir replied, then looked at the other man, ¡°Retch, evening to you too.¡±


    ¡°I said, what¡¯re ye lookin¡¯ at?¡±


    Aenir felt like rolling his eyes. A year of partnership, and still they hated his guts. He didn¡¯t blame them, of course. Petty minds do not take well when juniors overtake them. ¡°I have business with the Lord. May I come through?¡±


    Gale grinded his teeth. He was a burly man, heavy on the top. His forearms were riddled with muscles where the sleeves were rolled up, while the folding of his arms advertised the ones you couldn¡¯t see¡ªintentional, probably. Aenir had heard rumors about this man, about how he¡¯d choked a nirhound to death with his bare hands, or how the numerous marks on his left forearm indicated the number of people he¡¯d killed. Clich¨¦, but that didn¡¯t make it any less true, or him any less dangerous. Meanwhile, on the other side was Retch. He was less beefy than Gale, but taller. The dark skin was a telltale southerner which explained why he was wearing even thicker clothing than the others. Other than that, he was a ghost. No stories, no rumors, not even about why he¡¯d picked such an unflattering name.


    ¡°Let ye through, or what? Ye gonna swing that toy sword of yers?¡± Gale provoked.


    Toy? A part of Aenir¡¯s face twitched. Toy?


    It was a greatsword on his back, as long as he was tall. He could drop the strap down his arm and pull out the blade in one move, too slow in a fight, but just quick enough with the element of surprise. Gale was the biggest threat¡ªa swing at the throat, quick and hard as to cut the jugular. By the time Retch had a weapon out, Aenir¡¯s own sword would have already changed its target. Even if the man tried to parry, the measly saber would snap in two and Aenir¡¯s blade would easily split the skull in¨C


    No. This wasn¡¯t him. He was the calm one.Aenir smiled. ¡°Of course not, Gale. But the Lord doesn¡¯t like to be kept waiting.¡±


    They stared each other down for a good moment before Gale nodded his head towards the tent¡¯s entrance, granting passage.Aenir walked past them and into the tent. He didn¡¯t miss the southern curse Retch whispered into his ears.


    Inside the tent was the Lord¡¯s temporary residence, cluttered with many things you wouldn¡¯t normally bring into a long travel such as this. The wooden desk was one, probably pulled from a high-quality furniture set, along with the posh chair the man sat on. There was a faint smell which Aenir tracked to a fancy scent tablet, fixed onto a harness attached to the lantern hanging in the middle, imbuing the inside of the tent with a fruity smell to cover the stench of manure.The Lord was in the middle of writing. On the desk to his side was a photograph of him and his family; a younger wife and a daughter in her teens. He seemed so loving in the picture, wrapping his arms around both women into a tight huddle, full of smiles.


    If only they knew.


    The Lord either didn¡¯t notice the man walking in or was intentionally ignoring him. Aenir coughed to get his attention. He looked up from his letters,¡°Ah, Aenir.¡±


    ¡°You called for me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, most certainly I did.¡± The Lord stood up.He was a middle-aged man with a penchant for, apparently, horrendously mismatched fashion. He wore bright orange-colored robes with patterned embroideries faring from the south, which would do nothing against the cold and contrasted the dull, practical, insulated gloves and boots. The southern robe alone must¡¯ve cost more than what he paid the two doormen outside combined. He probably chose to wear it for the high collar, which did little to hide the dreaded double chin, nor did his pathetic excuse of a beard that, Aenir knew, he¡¯d been trying to grow for a while.


    ¡°Do you need something from me?¡± Aenir asked as the Lord rounded the table to approach him.


    ¡°Yes, I do. We have a problem.¡±


    A problem. His heart sank. He kept his composure when he clarified, ¡°A problem?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s your gally.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s being rambunctious. I¡¯m hoping you could do something about it,¡± the Lord said, emphasizing on a particular word as if to boast his range of vocabulary.


    Aenir sighed. To the Lord, it might¡¯ve been seen as an exasperated sigh, but really it was relief. ¡°Fannas,¡±he said. ¡°She tends to get noisy when the weather gets cold. I¡¯ll look into it.¡±


    ¡°I know you would.¡± The Lord made a smile that accentuated the fat attached to his jaw.


    Aenir turned to leave.


    ¡°Oh, and, Addy?¡±


    Addy? He stopped in his tracks.He could pull out his sword, make a cut at the lower abdomen¡ªparalyzing pain but not vital, giving him a chance to pull out the Lord¡¯s tongue, which could be vital. It would be so easy, and all his problems would go away¨C


    No, no, no. This wasn¡¯t him.Addy rhymed with ¡®laddy¡¯, which was the only reason why the Lord chose to call him that. He knew that there was nothing more to it.Slowly, Aenir turned around. He was smiling.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s been messing with my possessions. You wouldn¡¯t happen to know anything about it, do you?¡± The Lord asked.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Aenir widened his eyes, faking a decent ¡®I-have-never-heard-of-this¡¯ face. Not that he needed to fake it.


    ¡°Missing things,¡± The Lord narrowed his eyes, his fingers molesting a pitiful beard, ¡°things I would very much like to have back.¡±


    ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t know.¡± Aenir averted his gaze at the exit. Then quickly he added, ¡°Gale or Retch would know better, wouldn¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Pardon me, I must¡¯ve displaced them is all, this old me,¡± the Lord said, still combing the beard. ¡°Off you go, then. Don¡¯t let me keep you from your bird.¡±


    Does he know? Aenir gave a curt nod. ¡°Have a good evening, my lord, and good luck finding your belongings.¡±


    When he finally made it out of the tent, neither Gale nor Retch stopped him, but he could hear them snickering behind him as he walked away. Do they know?


    The cold breeze of the north washing over his face was the only thing distracting him from this possibly immediate problem. His life could be at risk and the rational part of him was telling him to back off, cut his losses and wash his hands from the muck.The other part, however, was telling him something completely different. He was too close to getting what he wanted. Too far in to get back out.


    Aenir made his way to the other side of the camp, past the mercenaries huddling or drinking or chatting by the fires. Some called out, he gave them a small wave. Some of them he knew by name. He¡¯d tried not to get attached, but after nearly one whole year surrounded by the same people, sleeping and breaking bread every night, it was becoming harder than it was worth.He scanned the forest surrounding the camp, specifically where the mounts were held.


    He saw his gally, Fannas, with her harness tied around a tree. All those puffy feathers and still she hated winter more than her owner did. Her feathers were coated in the color of chestnut, darker on her back and lighter from below her beak down to the abdomen. Her wings were a mismatch of colors, a mix of dark and light, messy and random and, like any other Gallupteryx, too freaking small to fly with. Compared to the rest of her body, which had a mass similar to a horse, her wings and legs seemed too small to carry her weight.


    She was silent. Her attention was on something Aenir couldn¡¯t see, probably an insect jumping around. Her black bead-like eyes snapped at him when he approached. ¡°Quack,¡± she said.


    ¡°Being rambunctious, are you, Fanny?¡± He scratched Fannas below her beak and she reacted by wriggling her tail feathers.


    Unbeknownst to himself, Aenir was tapping his boot restlessly against the ground as he looked towards the camp with a distant gaze. To the left, settling in the clearing, was the camp where five slavers¡ªsix including himself¡ª and thirty-something mercenaries were starting fires in preparation for the cold night. They all wore overcoats meant to protect against the wintry air, complete with gloves and headwear and some even with fur scarves. Some of the older ones were drinking already, either laughing or yelling at the younger lads.Meanwhile, to the right were the wagons, away from the warm fire and closer to the darkness of the forest. Some of the wagons were chained to nearby trees and rocks; some specific wagons, carrying the shipment.


    The shipment, as the Lord had called them.Cages. Cages with wooden bars and metal padlocks. They were either two-by-two, or three-by-three feet in their widths, five feet in height. Too large for pets, too small for circus animals. Except these cages weren¡¯t meant for animals. They were meant for people.


    Most of the cages were occupied by a single person while the larger ones had two people clumped together in a narrow space. They were ranging in age and appearance, but they all share two common features. First, all of them were of the Luphaen race. Second, all of them were, one way or another, attractive females. Not prisoners, just women that caught their eye, picked them off the roads or raided their houses if they lived somewhere detached enough.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Aenir whispered to no one in particular.


    ¡°Quack?¡±


    He counted nine girls in the cages. Nine more lives he had aided in shattering, and even more would be arriving.


    Sometime later, while feeding his gally, Aenir saw someone approaching from the corner of his eye. It was one of the mercenaries; a blond-haired man with a piece of cloth covering the lower part of his face. He wore a waistcoat over a white long-sleeved shirt that fit his lean build. A big percussion pistol, donning two high-caliber barrels, hung on his front utilizing the pouch sewn into the strap slung across his shoulder. Additionally, a saber hung at the hip, though it was arguably less intimidating than the cannon-pistol.


    ¡°Is there something you need, Lui?¡± Aenir greeted without looking up from Fannas.


    The man named Lui raised a ring of waterskins into view. His voice was slightly muffled by the kerchief as he spoke, ¡°Some of the guys ran out of water. The old fools must¡¯ve mistaken it for alcohol.¡±


    Aenir raised a brow. ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m running errands, basically. They said to bring you because you know where the water is.¡±


    Aenir gave him a nod. ¡°Follow me,¡± he said, leading Lui out of the clearing and into the woods.


    ¡°Hi, and bye, Fanny,¡± Lui said.


    ¡°Quack,¡± she said.


    As soon as they were out of earshot of others at the camp, Lui spoke up, ¡°So, I noticed you were staring earlier.¡±


    ¡°I beg your pardon?¡±


    ¡°You were staring at the slaves. Makes me wonder what a man was thinking.¡±


    Aenir¡¯s expression darkened at the word ¡®slave¡¯. ¡°They¡¯re not slaves yet, not until they¡¯re sold.¡±


    ¡°Sounds hypocritical for someone who¡¯s been putting people in cages for years,¡± Lui replied.


    Aenir¡¯s hands tightened at his sides as he held down the itch to punch the fucking guy. ¡°One year,¡± he said, ¡°and what do you think those cages are for?¡±


    Lui swallowed back his response.


    It was moons ago, but Aenir still remembered that day like it was yesterday. That day, when one of the captives, a young luphaen, gnawed through the ropes with nothing but her fangs. She ran on hours¡¯ end before the mercenaries ran her down with horses, beat her, and brought her back. By then, her body had suffered numerous injuries and bruises, mostly superficial, but it was enough to make the boss furious. The Lord, in his arrogance, had declared her ¡®unfit for sale¡¯, just because she had a couple of cuts on her face. Of course, they couldn¡¯t just let her go. She¡¯d seen their faces. She was a loose thread, so instead the Lord gave her to the mercenaries¡ªa gift for hard work and loyalty, he¡¯d said, even though they were the ones who¡¯d hurt her in the first place.


    She¡¯d died in the morning. No one even knew what her name was. The only thing that remained of her was an unmarked grave somewhere along the Redrye river. That very day, with dirt and mud still under his nails, Aenir came to the Lord with a suggestion. ¡®We must use cages to protect our merchandise¡¯, he¡¯d said. Aenir himself had taken away their chances of escaping, if there had been any, but he liked to think it was for their own good.


    But was it really? Perhaps death was mercy in place of what came next.


    The sound of water¡ªthey¡¯d arrived at the stream. Small, merely a few feet wide. Some moons ago, the slavers had used this exact same route. Aenir was the ¡®drudger¡¯ back then, running errands for the slavers. Now Lui was one, except it was for the mercenaries.


    Diligent on his duties, Lui kneeled by the stream and pulled a waterskin off the metal ring. He drowned it under the stream, filling it up for a good minute before he decided it was full and stuck it back to the ring, then pulled off another. There was maybe a dozen he had to fill.


    Aenir waited for Lui to speak first as the blond filled them up one by one. When the third container was brimmed and fatted, Aenir gave up. He looked around to check if there were any eavesdroppers before he spoke up, ¡°Okay, what¡¯s going on? Why did you bring me here?¡±


    With back towards Aenir, Lui told him, ¡°I¡¯ve got news. The cavalry will be here in two days. They''ve just reached the Dread.¡±


    ¡°Good. That¡¯s good,¡± Aenir repeated, as if to convince himself.


    Lui glanced at him, then at the endless tapping of his foot. ¡°You¡¯re restless.¡±


    He stopped his tapping. ¡°Of course, as anyone would be in a situation like this.¡±


    ¡°Not you. You¡¯d have more reason than that.¡±


    Aenir took specialeffort to not show anything more through his body language. He could never let his guard down around this guy.


    ¡°So? What is it? Tell me,¡± Lui pushed on.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing for you to worry about.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°I highly doubt that. Tell me, please.¡±


    Aenir sighed, long and hard. ¡°The Lord,¡± he finally said. ¡°I think he suspects something.¡±


    ¡°Benefit of the job, I would think. He¡¯s always suspicious.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Aenir crossed his arms, ¡°especially if someone stole one of his ledgers.¡±


    Lui looked over his shoulders. ¡°Was that what he summoned you for?¡±


    ¡°Did you do it?¡±


    ¡°No. Well, yes, but I made sure to return everything to where he left it. Unauthorized borrowing, not stealing.¡±


    ¡°Borrowing or stealing, the Lord is very observant. If even one document is misplaced, he¡¯ll know.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s worth the risk for acquiring his contacts.¡±


    ¡°Contacts? I thought I already gave you that.¡±


    Lui gave him a nod. ¡°The ones he¡¯d shared with you, yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen faces. Poles and lieutenants. He trusts me enough.¡±


    ¡°Then why would he question you like that?¡±


    Aenir¡¯s palm flew to his forehead to massage it. It made it even more frustrating that Lui actually had a point. ¡°Fine, point taken. I just wish you¡¯d given me a heads up. You could¡¯ve blown this whole mission.¡±


    ¡°This is the mission, Aenir.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s your mission.¡±


    Lui dropped, maybe slightly threw a waterskin into the ground with a fervor that told of annoyance. ¡°How would you have done it?¡± he said, voice slightly raised. ¡°Because if I remember correctly, you were planning to kill the Lord before I came around.¡±


    ¡°I still am.¡±


    ¡°Right. Fine,¡± he threw his arms up in the air. ¡°Kill the Lord, you replace him, and then what? How would you be any different?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be doing it for profit.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯d still be doing it.¡±


    ¡°Not for long I would.¡±


    ¡°On what guarantee? How can I be sure you won¡¯t end up as one of our enemies?¡±


    ¡°And?¡± Aenir said. ¡°What would you do if I become one?¡±


    Lui stood up and faced his accomplice. ¡°Do you intend to?¡±


    ¡°I intend to stay for as long as I need to get what I want.¡±


    ¡°Then your intent is irrelevant. Our, my mission is to identify the core of the filth and root them out, then break them into a state they can¡¯t recover from, no matter who they are.¡±


    ¡°Break them into a state they can¡¯t recover from,¡± Aenir echoed, his voice eerily without emotion.


    For just that one second, Lui froze. Cold sweat dripped as his instincts whispered at him to arm and defend himself. He answered Aenir¡¯s gaze, carefully picked his words and spoke, slowly and softly, ¡°It¡¯s what needed to be done, for the good of many.¡±


    Aenir smiled. His hand grazed the tip of his scabbard, surreptitiously positioning it for an easy pull.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that,¡± Lui said, stepping back.


    ¡°Do what?¡±


    ¡°That. You rarely ever smile and when you do, it feels wrong.¡±


    ¡°My smile is?¡±


    Lui¡¯s hand settled on the handle of his saber. ¡°Keep your sword in, Aenir.¡±


    ¡°No. We¡¯re not alone.¡±


    ¡°I know. Just, don¡¯t make any sudden moves.¡± Lui turned his head slightly and kept one eye on the trees across the stream.


    The creature stepped out of the woods, its lupine eyes glaring at them. It was roughly the size of a wolf, except slightly bigger, with shorter fur and thick grey hide, shorter snout, and four stout legs that were bending in a position to strike. Its wide maw was slightly open in a growl, giving them full view of all eight fangs, more than capable of tearing through flesh in a single bite.


    Lui made a point to stay still as he talked in a low voice, ¡°Nirhound. Class D threat, C if it''s with a pack.¡± With one swift move, he spun his body and answered the beast¡¯s glare with his own. ¡°I¡¯ve got this one, but there might be others.¡±


    Aenir was relieved, relieved that he now had an actual enemy to scratch his itches¡ªa receptacle for his mounting impulses. He placed himself so he and Lui were back to back and eyed the surroundings on their side of the stream. It only took him a second to see the unnatural rustling of shrubbery. He cocked the gun at his hip. ¡°One more here. Maybe two.¡±


    Lui clicked his tongue. ¡°Strays. Must be out hunting. Bad for us.¡±


    ¡°Bad?¡±


    ¡°Aye.¡± He pulled out his saber. ¡°It means we¡¯ll have to kill all of them.¡±


    Great. Just what we need. Aenir pulled his wheel gun out. Just what I need.


    He took a quick glance behind him. The first nirhound had taken a step into the water, still locked in a staring contest with Lui.


    ¡°You¡¯re the drifter here, Lui. What¡¯s the plan?¡±


    ¡°Grab a rock.¡±


    Aenir did so, promptly grabbing a loose rock the size of his palm from the bank of the stream. He hurled it towards a bush he saw moved. Apparently the throw either met its target or got close enough to provoke it¡ªthey moved underneath the birches and pines, moving the grass and bushes in two opposite directions.


    ¡°I got two mutts on my side,¡± he said, pointing his gun at the one approaching him.


    ¡°Shoot when ready.¡±


    Aenir used one hand to aim, the other ready on the scabbard of his sword. Just in case.


    The beast leaped out. He pulled the trigger.


    Behind him, a second shot rang, louder than the first.


    The bullet dug into the earth, launching leaves swirling into the air as his intended target skipped to the side and ran back towards the trees. He shot again, missed and hit the trunk of a tree.Two missed shots. Already the smell of gunpowder was filling the area.


    Lui joined his side, one hand holding the saber, the other the double-barreled pistol. ¡°How many left?¡±


    ¡°Still two,¡± Aenir said bitterly.


    ¡°These hounds aren¡¯t mere pups. They must have experience hunting the hunters. Don¡¯t waste your bullets.¡±


    Aenir gave Lui a curt nod but kept his finger on the trigger anyway. He didn¡¯t see any other way of handling the beasts.


    Shadows moved underneath the shades of trees. Many shadows, skulking as if to surround them. They met eyes.¡°Trees,¡± Lui said. Aenir nodded in response.


    In the same instant, they turned around and ran for a nearby cedar tree. Lui was faster, easily jumping up to reach a low branch then pulling up the rest of his body. Aenir did the same but was a second too late¡ªsomething caught the scabbard on his back, pulling him down.


    ¡°Aenir, your sword!¡± his partner shouted.


    Fuck that. Aenir reached for his gun, but gravity shifted for him as his hand let go of the branch.


    The air in his lungs was knocked out of him as he fell, but he didn¡¯t have the time to breathe. Quickly he scrambled away before whatever dragged him down could get to him, but the beast had latched onto his trousers, gnawing the fabric. The creature met his eyes, or identified it, rather, because now it was going for his head. He reached for his holster and found nothing.


    My gun. It fell when he fell. Aenir took his scabbard off his back and placed it in front of him, sword still in, catching it between the beast¡¯s fangs. Themaw closed in, only a hair¡¯s breadth fromchewing his noseas he pushedback against the two-hundred-pound beast. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about the dog spittle dripping onto his face, nor was there anything he could do with the four-legged footsteps nearing in, growling and craving for a piece of the meat.


    A gunshot blew off while he was struggling.Lui.


    The hound wasn¡¯t as distracted as Aenir was. It pulled on the scabbard and he, with the leather strap still around his shoulder, was flung away like a toy, several feet away.He landed rolling on his side and eased onto his knees, his sword-sheath in front of him, expecting a follow-up charge that was never coming.


    The nirhound that had thrown him was still as a statue. A narrow blade stuck into its skull from above, a blade held by Lui on the other end. Behind him was another hound, limp and bloody from numerous pellet wounds.


    ¡°That¡¯s three,¡± the blond said, pulling his sabre free to let the body fall. He wasn¡¯t even out of breath. ¡°Get on your feet. There¡¯s a fourth.¡±


    And a fifth. Aenir cursed under his breath. He watched the movement of the bushes, jumping between trees, hidden from view. Maybe more.


    ¡°Aenir!¡± Lui shouted.


    Aenir looked up just in time to catch his gun, Promptly, he cocked and aimed at a hound charging out of the thickets. It was notably smaller than the previous ones.


    A pup? He hesitated for a second. That second was enough time for two more hounds to come out running towards his friend.He pulled the trigger, and the nascent hound didn¡¯t even make any effort to dodge. It tumbled on its face, unmoving. Dead.


    Two more beasts were surrounding Lui. He¡¯d used the shot of both barrels, meaning he only had his saber left. He pointed the frail-looking blade alternatingly between the hounds. For a brief moment, his eyes met Aenir¡¯s and he blinked. A half-blink, with both eyes.A signal.


    Without waiting for any confirmation, Lui lunged towards one of the hounds, leaving his back open to the other.


    Aenir knew what he saw. He pulled the trigger with his elbow in a right angle, one hand on the grip and the other to fan the hammer. Two bullets flew in succession. One of them hit the hind parts of the beast just as it was going for Lui¡¯s back.


    The other one, meanwhile, evaded Lui¡¯s thrust, but the man didn¡¯t stop there. He stepped in with another thrust, which missed, and then a swing, which did not. A spatter of blood flew as the blade cut through the hound¡¯s left foreleg, deep enough to render it useless.He used that moment of victory to take a better position against the beasts. One of them had a leg messed up, the other had lead up its ass. Aenir ran to Lui¡¯s side, sword in hand, still in its sheath. The hounds glared at them, growling, legs poised to strike.


    Aenir was just about to pull his greatsword out of its sheath when something interrupted him; aflash of light, originating from deeper into the woods. It appeared suddenly, blanketing the forest in white, not so bright that they had to cover their eyes, but bright nonetheless. It sustained for one whole second before dying out, as quick as it had appeared.The nirhounds turned tails and ran in the aftermath. They were gone before either of the humans could do anything about it. Aenir and Lui exchanged befuddled glances.


    ¡°What on earth¡­¡±


    ¡°You good, Aenir?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, fine. You?¡±


    ¡°Aye.¡± Lui sheathed his sword and moved first, walking back to the stream to collect the waterskins.


    Aenir followed, his steps long and quick. ¡°What the hell just happened? You said it wasn¡¯t a pack.¡±


    Lui shrugged with one shoulder. ¡°They weren¡¯t acting like one, more like a bunch of strays wanting to get a piece of the meat. Their attack strategy was off, splintered and uncoordinated. If it was a family, they would¡¯ve retreated after I killed that first one, but they were ready to fight to the death, weren¡¯t they?¡°


    ¡°Until they were scared off.¡±


    ¡°Aye,¡± Lui nodded, ¡°but the question is, by what?¡±


    ¡°We could investigate that light, for starters.¡±


    He gave Aenir a funny look. ¡°What light?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re fucking with me right now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m flattered, but no thanks.¡±


    Aenir groaned. ¡°You know what, I¡¯ll go by myself. You go ahead back to the camp. They¡¯ll be looking for us if someone heard the gunshots.¡±


    ¡°And where are you going?¡±


    ¡°To investigate that light. If it intimidated the nirhounds, maybe we should be as well. I¡¯ll just make sure it won¡¯t get in the way of our mission,¡± Aenir said as he walked the way where the light came from.


    Lui followed behind. ¡°Seriously, what light are you talking about? I didn¡¯t see anything.¡±


    ¡°All the more reason to check it out,¡± Aenir told him. Most likely that flash of light was magic-related, a phenomenon visible only to those who had exposed themselves to the world of mana.


    ¡°You do realize we have bigger problems, right?¡±


    Yes I do. The Lord being suspicious, potentially ruining their plan and one year of infiltrative work. Aenir shook his head. ¡°This is a potential disruption.¡±


    ¡°Okay, got it, but whatever it is, you¡¯d need back up.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡± Aenir moved away.


    ¡°Yes, you do.¡± Lui grabbed Aenir by the arm, then raised two fingers pointing skywards near his ear and said, ¡°Hear that?¡±


    ¡°Hear what¨C,¡° only then Aenir noticed the silence of the forest. Only a little while ago, ot was filled by sounds of birds and insects. Now there was nothing but the sound of the stream.


    And then there was the ringing. The ringing, soft and constant, staying in the background. He wouldn¡¯t have noticed if it didn¡¯t sound oddly familiar.


    ¡°It could be the guns that chased them away,¡± Aenir surmised, deciding not to say anything about the ringing. His partner would just mock him and say something about ruptured eardrums.


    Lui shrugged. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s the gunshots, or there¡¯s something out there scaring the all wildlife away. It could be a bigger beast, and in my professional opinion, anything above a class C could easily hinder our mission.¡±


    That¡¯s what I was thinking. Aenir made what looked like a nod of agreement but stopped mid-bob. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t see anything.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Lui said. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll just have to take your word for it.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Right, just don¡¯t come complaining if we turned up with nothing.¡±


    ¡°No promises there,¡± he replied with what could¡¯ve been a toothy grin had he not a kerchief covering his mouth.


    Aenir led the way in a faster pace afterward. He mentally noted the darkening skies overhead; they were still an hour away from sunset, yet the chilling air had already settled. The moon of Grimyas was nearing, meaning the days were getting shorter, the nights longer and, considering their location, much, much colder as well. He preferred to have a fire nearby by sundown if he could help it.


    There was no way to really pinpoint the source of the light and it was all he could do to walk in its general direction and hope something turned up. He also kept an ear out for critters, maybe the chirp of a bird or the hop of a rabbit, but ultimately found none. The silence was mildly disturbing in such a forest, and the mysterious ringing didn¡¯t help either. Speaking on the matter, it really did sound familiar, particularly in how it didn¡¯t sound like it was coming from anywhere.


    ¡°How far do you think is it?¡± Lui asked.


    ¡°Um, not that far,¡± Aenir told him after a pause.


    In truth, he wasn¡¯t sure. The light he saw earlier was bright which indicated that the source was nearby, but then again, he¡¯d seen cases with electromagnetic waves doing things they weren¡¯t supposed to do, and most likely, this was one of those cases. He was reminded of a paper theorizing on wavelengths and how certain magi could have a broader visible spectrum. He was skeptical back then, but thinking again, the light he saw had a color he couldn¡¯t recognize.


    ¡°You know, I kind of expected it, but you handled yourself quite well in that fight earlier,¡± Lui said, rather casually.


    Aenir made a grimace, but quickly hid it away. He tried to figure out whether the compliment was meant to besardonic. ¡°Says the man who eats nirhounds for supper,¡± came the snarky reply.


    ¡°So did you.¡±


    ¡°I killed one.¡± And it was a pup, but he didn¡¯t elaborate on that. Lui basically tossed them around while he was being tossed around.


    ¡°I¡¯m a professional, remember? My job description includes beast subjugations.¡±


    Aenir made a squint with one eye. ¡°You¡¯re not even a real drifter, are you? I bet ¡®Lui¡¯ isn¡¯t even your real name.¡±


    Lui shrugged. His mouth was covered, making his facial cues that much harder to discern. ¡°I took the tests, the proper trainings, climbed my way up the classes the proper way. I¡¯m as real as a drifter can be.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Aenir said boorishly.


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying, for someone without beast training, you fought well.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s Luise, by the way.¡±


    Aenir looked to his companion, a flash of confusion in his eyes.


    ¡°My real name is Luise,¡± ¡®Lui¡¯ said, pulling down the kerchief to reveal a well-defined face that Aenir could imagine pulling gazes and tee-hees from town girls.


    ¡°Is this the part where I laugh?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, is there something you found funny?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s the fact that you literally truncated your name and call it an alias, or maybe because I have no way to know if your ¡®real¡¯ name is, indeed, your real name.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± ¡®Luise¡¯ grinned, ¡°I guess you¡¯ll just have to take my word for it.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s the problem with you, isn¡¯t it? Everything that comes out of your mouth, they just¡­¡± Aenir paused.


    ¡°Just what?¡±


    ¡­The ringing. Aenir knew what it was. He¡¯d heard it before, a long time ago¡ªa ringing that came from within the hearer¡¯s own skulls. He started walking again, but towards a different direction.


    ¡°Hey.¡± Luise followed behind. ¡°Are you going to finish that sentence?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a mana field.¡±


    ¡°A what?¡±


    This was big. No, this was huge. Sites like these could be counted with one hand in the whole continent, and he¡¯d found one that hadn¡¯t been documented yet. Could it really be what I think it is?


    ¡°Wait up. You said it¡¯s a mana field. You can sense mana?¡± Luise asked.


    ¡°I dabble, yes.¡±


    ¡°Can you¨C¡°


    ¡°No,¡± Aenir said, knowing what he was about to ask. ¡°Not in any way that¡¯s useful.¡±


    Luise fell silent after that. It could be that he noticed the dismissal in Aenir¡¯s tone, building a fence around the subject.


    After a moment¡¯s walk, the land started declining and the soil turned more and more soft under their feet. Finally, the trees parted, and in front of them was a still body of water.


    ¡°A swamp,¡± Luise said as they stopped by the edge. ¡°You took us to a swamp.¡±


    ¡°Apparently.¡±


    It was a small swamp, except calling it that would be inaccurate, considering the lack of the tepid smell or the rest of the biological processes that would otherwise occur. The swamp, the pond, was almost sterile. The water was clear enough that they could see the bottom, maybe about ankle-deep at the edges, though it did get slightly deeper towards the center of the¡­


    The center. There was something there. A structure, cubic-shaped, around seven feet in dimensions. It stood on a small body of land at the center of the water.The two men briefly exchanged looks before waddling their way towards the object. Aenir had to pull the sword off his shoulder and carried it over his head before wetting his legs up to below the knee.


    It was like a miniature island on a miniature lake. The little rays that broke through the forest¡¯s barriers hit the cube¡¯s greyish, unnaturally smooth surface and reflected them like light on modern concrete. It wasn¡¯t made of bricks because then they¡¯d see the lines, so it could be concrete. Either way, there was no sign of degeneration despite having been there for who knew how long. The entire structure seemed pristine, no discoloration nor any blemish or moss growth.Luise knocked on the cube¡¯s surface with his knuckle, and the sound it made was something you would expect when knocking on glass.


    Aenir circled the object. Whatever it was, the cube could be connected to the mana field and possibly the mysterious light from earlier as well. He had hoped to find an entrance to some kind of dungeon or ruin on the other side, but there was nothing. All of its sides were identical. It was, all oddness apart, a plain cube.


    Then he stepped on something that wasn¡¯t grass.He looked down. There was a girl.

 0.5 - New Beginnings 2

    The girl was unconscious, her ashen hair draped messily over her shoulders. She was clothed in a dress so marred and damaged that Aenir couldn¡¯t tell what color it was supposed to represent.


    Luise kneeled beside her. Then he grabbed the rims of her dress and, in one quick motion, flipped it all the way up.


    ¡°What the smothering hell do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Aenir had to jerk his gaze away.


    ¡°I, uh, need to check for wounds.¡±


    Scowling, Aenir glared at his companion and, in consequence, at her. He immediately regretted it.


    She was pale, and she was thin. He¡¯d noticed that earlier, but now he knew to what extent. It wasn¡¯t the kind of thinness that aristocrat women vie for. It was the kind of ¡°thin¡± where her limbs looked like skin-wrapped bones with no notion of meat, especially around the wrists and ankles. Thanks to the impudence of his ¡®friend¡¯, Aenir could see the outlines of her ribs bugling at her sides and how her belly sunk as if there were no organs within. But that wasn¡¯t even the worst part.The worst part was the scars that riddled her body. There were too many to count, but he noted a few that looked like they¡¯d been mortal injuries. There was one on her stomach, an old cicatrix just beneath her ribs that implied she¡¯d been impaled by something larger than a spear. A series of fist-sized marks started at her shoulder, from the base of her neck down across her chest and ending at her hip, giving the image of a large bite mark, though he doubted a creature with a jaw that large even existed.Just as he thought it couldn¡¯t possibly be any worse, Luise turned the girl¡¯s body on her side, giving them view of her back. A large scar that looked like it came from a blade, cut deep from her right shoulder blade to the side of her tailbone. The slash wound itself was almost hidden among a myriad of smaller whip marks on her back.


    ¡°Is she alive?¡± Aenir asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Luise was about to move the girl¡¯s body again, but Aenir grabbed the wrist that was holding her dress. ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± he said. ¡°The least we could do is to not shame her any further.¡±


    Luise furrowed his brows. He sighed and relented, returning the girl to how they found her. ¡°Just for the record, I didn¡¯t know she had nothing underneath.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s okay if she had something underneath?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that.¡±


    Aenir shut out the man¡¯s retort and leaned near the girl¡¯s face, sweeping away the hair on her cheek. She had delicate features, grimly obscured by starvation. Her lashes were long but the shadow underneath her eyes concealed it, just as her nose and puckered lips were appealing, but were fordone by her sunken cheeks and pallid, sickly complexion.


    ¡°I can¡¯t hear her breathe. Are you sure she¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s alive. It¡¯s shallow, but she¡¯s breathing,¡± Luise told him.


    ¡°Anything else you noticed in your little checkup?¡±


    ¡°Aside from the obvious? There¡¯s damage to her nails that looks pretty recent.¡±


    Aenir briefly looked at the girl¡¯s fingers and saw how they were bloody on the tips. Some of the nails looked broken, even. A sign of struggle against her captors, mayhap. ¡°Any thoughts on the obvious, then?¡±


    ¡°She needs a warm bed most of all, but we can¡¯t do anything about that for the moment. She also needs vitamins. We could find some fruits to extract liquid from on the way back if we have the time. Oh, and make sure to give her something warm to drink before feeding her anything solid.¡±


    Aenir was tempted to ask on how Luise seemed knowledgeable on the matter but wised himself not to. Instead he propped his wrists underneath the girl¡¯s shoulders and knees. He then lifted her up in his arms. She¡¯s too light. He frowned. She was light as a feather, but it was too damn literal to be a flattering statement. Rather than a feather, she was a freaking twig.


    ¡°You¡¯re really going to bring her?¡± Luise said.


    ¡°We can¡¯t just leave her, can we?¡± Aenir answered, but in truth, he was conflicted. He couldn¡¯t guarantee the girl¡¯s fate even if he was to bring her back to the camp. Who knew what the Lord would do to her? He was reminded to that one luphaen who escaped, only to be brought back and sentenced to a torturous death.


    Even so, this is the better option. This girl in white would probably hate him for this, but she would at least have a better chance with them than among these forsaken, beast-ridden woods.


    ¡°What about this thing, then?¡± Luise pointed his thumb at the enigmatic cube.


    Aenir furrowed his brows¡ªanother conflict. No mana field existed without reason as there was always something that brought these fields about; a freak of nature like the one at the Eye of Anzu, where the remnants of an ancient war were trapped in a perpetual whirlpool, or the Yggdrasil, an ancient tree massing mana from throughout the Mer. There was something abnormal to be unraveled right within his grasp, and he hungered for it. It could be registered under his name, and the cube, with all the mysteries around it, it was all his to discover. That feeling was almost unbearable.


    Almost.


    ¡°You stay here if you want. I¡¯ll take her back to camp,¡± Luise suggested, as if reading Aenir¡¯s thoughts.


    ¡°No,¡± he said. The gnawing hunger was heavy in his mind, but the weightless body in his arms were heavier. ¡°I¡¯m taking her back.¡± And I¡¯m not sure I could trust you with her.


    Luise shrugged and followed as Aenir walked toward the camp. ¡°What do you reckon? An escaped slave?¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Aenir said. ¡°They¡¯ve been using this route for a while. An escapee from a previous shipment, maybe, but that would mean she had to survive in the wilderness for two moons at least.¡± Yet the damage on her nails were recent, weren¡¯t they? That doesn¡¯t fit. He looked down on her face. If he put the haggardness aside, she looked young. Too young for this kind of suffering. His grip on her tightened. ¡°Who could¡¯ve done something like this?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been in this industry for nearly a year. Surely you¡¯ve seen cases like this?¡±


    ¡°Even slavers have a degree of lenity to their investments. Yes, some are crueler than others, but this? This is madness.¡±


    ¡°What do you plan to do once we get her to camp?¡±


    Aenir hesitated. ¡°There¡¯s a spare cage.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to lock her up?¡±


    He nodded. Two days. I¡¯ll just have to protect her for two days until the last group arrives, then we can initiate the ambush.


    ? ? ?


    ¡°Two days. We¡¯re two days ahead of schedule,¡± the driver said. ¡°The Lord will be content seein¡¯ us lot so early.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh. Think he¡¯ll give us an extra cut?¡± his friend said.


    ¡°Aye. We earned it, am I right?¡± He looked over his shoulders and met Latasha¡¯s eyes. ¡°Got a great catch too.¡±


    She threw needles at him through the bars. His response to her glare was to laugh it off with his friend.


    Filthy thugs. Latasha was never by any means a thoughtless or careless person, so how in smothering hell did she end up here? A ditch in a ditch; off the map, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by lowlife bandits. It was a ridiculous turn of events and she didn¡¯t even have anyone to blame but herself for being so damn careless.It had been days since Latasha was taken captive by these lowly criminals and she was dying, not literally, but her pride had been damaged to a point of no repair. Who did they think they are, to touch her so brazenly and cage her like some kind of¡­ some kind of wild fauna! She even had to share the tiniest cage in the world with some random plebeian! She, a Cardinal whose pillows worth more than the average man¡¯s annual earnings, had to sleep in such close proximity, shoulder to shoulder, with a commoner! In a cage!


    The worst part was not the cold, nor the fact that they hadn¡¯t given her sufficient food or water, or even that she¡¯d spent a whole freaking day without a bath. No, the worst part¨C, the worst part, was how they made her do her potty business in¨C, in¨C, in a smothering bush! With an impromptu latrine! Which she had to dig with her own hands! Un-mother-believable. That was something she would take to the grave.


    She looked around upon recovering from her internal crisis. Aside from her own, there were two smaller cages on the wagon, both inhabited. There was another wagon trailing not far behind, though it didn¡¯t have a roof and was carrying rough, smelly-looking soldiers instead of cages. Hell¡¯s, she¡¯d rather be there than share a cage with this thing.


    Latasha leered at the thing, at the weeping girl. Her clothes, which must¡¯ve been a commoner¡¯s negligee, had been torn with holes where gashes on the skin were visible. And her musk¨C gods, her musk, as if she¡¯d waded through mud and hadn¡¯t taken a bath for the weeks after, and it horrified Latasha that it might very well be the case.


    At any rate, she decided to tolerate the creature¡¯s existence for now. For now, because for now, she had no choice but to put up with the ambient sobs, the frequent jostling as the wheels bump against rocks, and the suffocating closeness with the filthy girl.


    Time passed agonizingly and just as she reached her limit, the wagon finally stopped. It was around sundown when they arrived at a camp inside a forest somewhere north, where they met up with even more outlaws. It was a gathering of outlaws. Having been raised in a birdcage, Latasha was naturally excited. After all, it was a gathering of outlaws.Then she saw the cages. There were more people locked up in wooden prisons just like hers, though aside from the three in her group, all of them were seemingly luphaens, judging by their big hairy ears poking out the sides of their heads.


    After the captors disembarked, there was this middle-aged man who approached them, dressed in southern orange-colored robes with high collars, mismatched with dull pairs of gloves and boots. He was waving around a heavily ornamented cane while shouting angry words at a younger bloke that was leading Latasha¡¯s group of captors.


    ¡°Subs! I want fucking sub-humans, you incompetent twats!¡± the man barked.


    ¡°But my lord,¡± the coach whimpered, ¡°these three humans ¡®ave redeeming features, I assure you!¡±


    A loud pang¡ªthe old man had struck with the cane. The coach fell on his side, holding the side of his head. Red liquid was seeping between his fingers.


    ¡°Someone, take him away. I¡¯ll deal with him later,¡± the old man said. Then he turned at the coach¡¯s friend. ¡°You, with me.¡±


    ¡°Y¨C yes, my lord!¡± The younger man whimpered.


    ¡°My lord?¡± Lord of what? Latasha eyed them as they climbed onto the wagon and inspected the cage nearest to the back.


    Inside was a golden-haired luphaen. Latasha could tell with a single glance that her clothes were made of high-quality material, but it was terribly worn and had patches where the fabric had tattered. This girl had been hugging her knees for the entire journey, her face buried between her thighs.The old man rattled the bars and, when she didn¡¯t react, poked her with the cane. The girl looked up. Latasha guessed by his smile that the old man liked what he saw.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good catch.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, my lord.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me yet.¡±


    They moved on to the next cage, inhabited by an olive-skinned girl with shoulder-length auburn hair. She was dressed in plain baggy overalls¡ªa commoner, albeit one with a nice face and shapely build. Her upturned eyes glared as they drew close.


    ¡°Explain,¡± the ¡°Lord¡± demanded.


    ¡°T¨C this one was sold to us, my lord.¡±


    ¡°Truly? That¡¯s fine, then.¡± He leaned in to take a closer look. ¡°Red-haired Narsi. Marvelous. She¡¯ll sell well.¡±


    Then the red-haired girl spat right into his face.


    The younger man froze as if under a spell. Latasha could see his hands trembling as his so-called Lord pulled out a handkerchief to wipe with.


    ¡°As fiery as her striking hair suggested. Your buyer will take pleasure in breaking you, as will I,¡± he spoke with a half-scowl, half-smile.


    The girl glared at him, but he only gave her his back as he continued onto the last cage. Latasha¡¯s cage. Well, shared with the other girl who, by the way, was still crying. Latasha was beginning to wonder the limits of a human body.


    The Lord frowned when he saw the weeping lass. ¡°She¡¯s hurt,¡± he said, crumpling his wrinkles into what he must¡¯ve thought an expression of sympathy. It was nothing short of disgusting.


    ¡°Erm, apologies, my lord. The mercenaries were rather, uh, undisciplined. I¡¯m positive she¡¯s still worth a¡­. price¡­¡± he trailed off as the old man glared daggers at him.


    ¡°My girl¡­¡± The Lord reached in and patted the brown-haired girl¡¯s head. She flinched, but the old man continued rubbing without a care. ¡°I¡¯m sincerely sorry for the misfortune that has befallen you. What is your name, if I may inquire?¡±


    She kept sobbing.


    ¡°Where do you live? Do you have a family we can return you to?¡±


    She cried louder. Latasha cringed away from the painful spectacle.


    ¡°Um,¡± the younger man spoke out, ¡°I¨C I¡¯m afraid, she¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°She no longer has a family, sir.¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    ¡°Ah.¡± He turned back to the cage and spoke in a softer voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, dearie. I will make sure you are properly compensated.¡±


    Compensated. Latasha couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore. A snort escaped from her before she could stop it. The Lord¡¯s attention turned sharply at her, and she froze like a deer caught in floodlights.


    ¡°Is there something funny?¡± Angry wrinkles mustered between his brows.


    ¡°I was just wondering how you could possibly compensate for a dead family,¡± she answered. Her voice sounded unlike herself ¨C daring and fearless, while the truth was the exact opposite. ¡°Oh, and by the way,¡± she added, ¡°do you know what the punishment for impersonating a noble is?¡±


    His glare intensified. ¡°You¡¯re assuming I¡¯m a fake?¡±


    ¡°Are you not?¡±


    The Lord moved so he stood near Latasha¡¯s side of the cage. He took a lantern from the younger man¡¯s hand and raised it to take a clearer look at her face. He looked down to meet her eyes, while she looked up. The raven-haired girl tried to keep a domineering posture, but the constriction of the cage made it hard. She settled on having her knees pressed together to her side, her back leaning against the bars with her arms crossed delicately on her waist. If only the girl she was touching shoulders with wasn¡¯t infecting her with such pathetic.


    ¡°I¡¯m no fake,¡± the Lord said. ¡°A Lord is defined by his power to keep his own words.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re planning to keep yours, then? To compensate her?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Then we will release her,¡± he said. ¡°You and her both.¡±


    ¡°Why not release us now? We¡¯ll work it out whilst free from our bonds,¡± Latasha suggested.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have to process you first,¡± he said.


    Process. Latasha managed to hold back a sneer. ¡°Process? I believe how you spell that is torture and blackmail. Hardly a better fate than slavery.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t make slaves of people.¡± He made a disgusting smile, the lantern near his head casting ghastly shadows on his face. ¡°Do not fret, miss. No harm will come to you, I¡¯ll make sure of that.¡±


    ¡°And her?¡± Latasha gestured at the red-haired girl. It was her best attempt to avert his attention away from herself, even if for a second. His eyes, however, stayed on her like a hungry wolf.


    ¡°An exception. The Narsi was bargained for.¡±


    ¡°The rest too, then? The luphaens?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a different matter.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Latasha made an understanding nod, breaking her gaze as casually as possible. ¡°Because they¡¯re not people.¡±


    His smile went wider and uglier. ¡°You seem to be a well-cultured person, miss¡­?¡±


    ¡°Hm? I do believe it¡¯s proper etiquette to give one¡¯s own name before asking for others¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Of course, where are my manners? My subordinates refer to me as Lord, as you may now refer to as well.¡±


    ¡°Truly? My own servants call me Lady, as you may now refer to as well.¡±


    He snorted with amusement. ¡°Lord and Lady. You flatter me.¡±


    She could feel his gaze scanning over her body. It sent a shiver down her spine. ¡°As was intended, my lord,¡± Latasha said with a well-practiced smile, hiding the trembling of her fingers inside the folds of her coat.


    ¡°While I do enjoy this wonderful exchange, I must ask; what is it that you want from me? I assumed you wanted something when you pulled my attention, but now you seem intent on keeping it.¡±


    Latasha paused for a second, as if caught off guard. ¡°Release me, my lord, and I¡¯ll make sure you will be the one compensated.¡±


    ¡°And how will you compensate me?¡±


    ¡°I have vast resources, such that you will thank me in the end. But if you still doubt me¡­¡± Latasha drew her hand and traced two fingers up over her side in a slow, provocative way. It lingered over her chest for a moment, drawing invisible circles before settling her palm at the base of her neck. She tilted her head against her hand in a calculated angle while still maintaining her gaze. ¡°...perhaps I can give you something else in advance.¡±


    The Lord¡¯s throat bulged as he swallowed, the corners of his mouth twitching as he held back a grin. He replied without much pause, ¡°A tempting proposition. And if I refuse?¡±


    ¡°Then, uh, you¡¯ll find yourself paying for a hefty consequence,¡± she stammered. The Lord opened his mouth to answer, but Latasha interrupted with a dismissive wave of hand, shooing. ¡°You can go now. Think it over, my lord.¡±


    A vein popped on the Lord¡¯s forehead, but he kept his ugly smile. ¡°I most certainly will, my lady. I wish you a good rest.¡±


    He turned away and headed towards the back of the wagon, dragging the younger man along.


    ¡°Oh, and by the way,¡± Latasha called out, ¡°it¡¯s public hanging.¡±


    The Lord stopped and shot a look at her. ¡°I beg your pardon?¡±


    ¡°The punishment for impersonating a noble, it¡¯s public hanging. Have you ever seen one?¡±


    He wasn¡¯t playing ball, keeping quiet, so Latasha continued, ¡°Well, I have. I attended the hanging of the White-Faced Fox five years ago. Did you know that the law demands death by suspension for impersonators? No quick drop there, just a slow and painful one where air is cut off from your major organs. The blood vessels in your eyes and face will burst, but you wouldn¡¯t even feel it because you¡¯re slowly dying of asphyxiation. You¡¯d just be there, wriggling in the air for minutes¡¯ long, waiting until one of your organ failures kill you so you¡¯d finally be relieved of the pain.¡±


    Still no reaction. She pushed on, ¡°So there you are, hanging dead and pale. Then the executor cuts down, and all these mounted blood pressure blows out. You get the ¡®angel¡¯s lust¡¯¡ªyour manhood engorges post-mortem, spewing bodily filths. One last humiliation, and it would be how you are remembered in history evermore.¡±


    The Lord¡¯s eyes were glued open, pupils dilated. Long seconds passed before he snapped his gaze away from her. Without a word, he and his entourage jumped down the wagon and left, a bit hurriedly, leaving a blaring silence in their wake.Silence? The wussy girl had stopped crying somewhere in the conversation, Latasha hadn¡¯t even noticed that. Her own heart was beating so loud she was sure the wuss could hear it. She took deep breaths and calmed herself down somewhat.


    She¡¯d done it now, that look in the Lord¡¯s eyes when he left told her that. It was a good outcome, considering what the situation had given her. She made him think she was all bark, acting like a na?ve and scared girl putting on a brave front. Feed his pride, amuse him with the feeble act and finally make him angry, take away all that ego from under his pitiful beard. He was furious, she made him furious, and that¡¯s exactly why he would deal with her. It was all an act, you see; the stammering, the averting gazes, all to feign weakness. Even her story about the hanging was a lie, something she read about in a tabloid a few years back. It was all an act, and anyone who didn¡¯t agree could just go to hell because the next time he returned, it would be to bring her to his tent to discuss terms, and fornication would not be among¨C


    Latasha¡¯s orchestration was interrupted when she realized her cage-mate had been staring wide-eyed. The other girls as well. They¡¯d listened in to the conversation.


    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Latasha said, and the wussy girl quickly looked away, trembling. Figures.


    She¡¯d gotten used to that look. People looked at her the same way back home. Her peers, even some of the powerful adults, staring and whispering when they thought she wasn¡¯t looking, and it was fine. ¡°Better to be feared than to be belittled,¡± her uncle had said. She never liked her uncle and could never see any reason for anyone to like him, but the counsel of a man with an age-old reputation was not to be brushed off, especially when it had gotten her this far¡­


    Latasha perked up when she heard incoming footsteps. That was quick.


    Apparently, the Lord was a quick decision maker. She braced herself to be called to his tent. Mind you, though she did tempt him suggestively, she would never, never allow him to place even one finger on her person. What she would allow was to open a civilized dialogue and explain to the Lord of whom she was, maybe even threaten him if things were to go that way.


    Or that was her plan at least, if the footsteps actually belonged to the Lord. They weren¡¯t.A man came from the opposite direction of where the Lord went. He moved swiftly and carried no lights, wearing clothes that blended into the darkness, but Latasha could still make out the figure of a man carrying another person. He climbed onto a wagon next to theirs and she watched as the man fumbled with the door of an empty cage. He placed the person in his cradle into the cage and locked them in. His movements were stealthy when he left to join the other outlaws, as if he didn¡¯t want eyes on him hanging around that place.


    Latasha¡¯s new neighbor was a sickly-thin person with white hair. She initially thought of an elderly woman, but that wouldn¡¯t make sense in the way of profitable slavery. Then she saw the pallid skin ¨C it was an albino. She could guess what that man had been doing with the pale girl in the woods and why he wanted to hide it. You see, this Lord seemed to have a sick sense of commercial professionalism, and she could imagine him exercising punishment like she¡¯d seen with the coach, maybe even worse, if he were to find his subordinates ¡®playing¡¯ with the merchandise and thus ¡®lowering¡¯ their worth.


    Latasha grasped on her elbows, her nails biting into the fabric. She¡¯d known about it, took lessons about how backward cultures in the fringes of civilization brought forth such abominable acts and heinous crimes that made up the Scripture of Sins. Yes, she¡¯d known about it, but seeing it happen before her own eyes was too different from reading about it.


    It had been too long since she had anything to eat, not to mention that it had been the longest she went without a wash, and she hated feeling dirty. She should be feeling angry with this treatment, but she wasn¡¯t. She was just¡­ irritated. Impatient, maybe, and that feeling peaked when she heard about the family of the girl beside her, again when she saw the dark-haired man with the albino. She couldn¡¯t understand that feeling or why she felt that way. It was like seeing a romance novel in the politics shelf; it was wrong and she had to fix it, but she couldn¡¯t reach it and she wasn¡¯t allowed to use the ladder.


    What did I do then? What did the littler, stupider me do to correct that wrong?


    She¡¯d climbed the shelves. Then she¡¯d fell along the way.


    Mass hysteria swept the whole house that night. Every servant was sent out to find the best doctors and medicines in the District because the little miss had a three-feet fall into what was basically a pillow. Everyone panicked, so she panicked, and all she could remember was the feeling of the book in her arms.


    Another pair of footsteps drew Latasha¡¯s attention away from her inner thoughts. The dark-haired rapist was back.


    Haven¡¯t you had enough? She was about to shout at him when she saw what he had in his hands; a bowl of soup and a piece of bread ¨C a bribe to silence the albino. Latasha scoffed as she watched the man approaching the white girl¡¯s cage.


    That was when a lightbulb flashed in her head.¡°Hey, guy yonder,¡± she called out. Assuming she caught his attention, she continued, ¡°She won¡¯t be eating that anytime soon. Why don¡¯t you give it to me instead?¡±


    She was famished, in case you didn¡¯t notice. She could see the man turning to her, hesitating, looking between Latasha and the meal in his hands. She decided to give him a push. ¡°You should give me those,¡± she smiled, ¡°lest you want the Lord finding out about miss whitey over there.¡±


    There was a gasp coming from the wuss, and a ruffling hinted that the red-haired girl had a similar reaction. Threatening a slaver when she was in a cage herself¡ªfoolish? Not quite. She had protection, you see, in the form of unfinished business with the Lord.Or at least, that¡¯s what she thought. She had second thoughts when she saw the man donned a pistol at his hip as well as a big, big sword on his back.


    He walked up to her cage and smiled back. ¡°Are you threatening me?¡±


    ¡°W¨C who¡¯s threatening who now?¡± her own smile nearly faltered. He was way taller than she thought.


    The man looked neat. Too neat for an outlaw. His dark hair was cropped, and he only had a thin stubble, unlike the other cavemen. His garments, the long overcoat worn over dark jacket and trousers, almost seemed like it was tailor-made for him. She wouldn¡¯t figure him as one of the mercenaries if it wasn¡¯t for the sword on his back which, now that she had a closer look, seemed way too big to be of any use in a fight. The wheel gun on his hip, however, was a different matter.


    Suddenly, the man sharply stepped near, drawing a little shriek from the wussy girl. He stopped short and made a look at wuss, sizing her up and down.


    Latasha knew that look. Oh, no you don¡¯t, you sick smothering perv¨C


    Just as she was about to unleash threats from the depths of hell, the man sighed and quietly placed the bowl and piece of bread in their reach. Then he walked away without another word. Latasha stared at his retreating back, somewhat dumbfounded. She¡¯d expected to have to make more arguments but apparently, the mercenaries feared the Lord as much as their captives did, if not more.


    When the man finally went out of view, she reached out and grabbed the food into the cage, placed the bread in her lap and used the bowl to warm her hands. She took a sniff of the soup. It was sickening.


    Beggars can¡¯t be choosers, Latasha. With that kind of conviction, she took a sip. Immediately she spurted the poison out of her mouth. That was all it was; poison. No edible food could ever taste like that.


    The wuss was staring at her, witnessing everything.


    ¡°Umm¡­ hungry?¡± Latasha offered the bowl. She¡¯d forgotten she had a poison-tester on hand.


    The brown-haired wuss took it, paused for a moment, then placed the bowl on the floor. She looked back at Latasha, welling emotions in her puffy eyes as she drew closer¡­


    What is she¡­ oh, holy ass of Athyra.There was nowhere to go. The wuss had trapped Latasha into a smelly, cruddy hug. Her head, her fluffy brown hair was rubbing against Latasha¡¯s chest, giving the Lady the unfiltered musk in all its glory.It was all she could do to freeze and hold her breath, trying her best to not breathe inthe terrible, terrible toxin. When the wuss finally let go and went back to the bowl of soup, Latasha was still frozen in shock.


    It had been a long day¡ªshe had been dragged against her will, starved and humiliated, but now, now she was stained. She was even sure the wuss left a snot on her overcoat. That piece of clothing was cheap as a rock, sure, but there was no way she could continue to wear it, so she stripped it off. She was wearing layers of well-insulated clothing, so the cold wouldn¡¯t bother her that much. On the other hand, the wuss was wearing what was basically a thin drape filled with holes.With a flick of her arm, Latasha threw the coat at the unsuspecting wuss.


    The wussy girl shrieked at the sudden attack, her flinching causing a bit of the soup to spill. She looked at the clothing, and then at the one who threw it. Her eyes bulged with gratitude.


    It was dirty, so I¡¯m throwing it away, okay? You just happened to be in the wa¨C Latasha realized her mistake when she had a bad omen of a second assault.


    Before that could happen, though, she was saved. ¡°Umm, can I have some too?¡± said the red-haired girl.


    Latasha glanced at the ruddy, who was clinging to the bars like a hungry pooch. She still had the bread, but she knew just from touch that it was a cold, hard bread, not in any way suitable for humans as far as she knew. But if the pooch wanted it, then¡­


    ¡°Catch.¡± She threw the bread.


    The red-haired Narsi reached out through the bars and nimbly caught it. She looked at the bread in her hands, then back at Latasha, tilting her head. ¡°Um, what about you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like bread.¡± Latasha looked to the other cage that housed the golden haired luphaen. ¡°Hey, Goldie. Ruddy has bread if you want it.¡±


    ¡°Rud¨C huh?¡± blurted the red-haired girl, hence baptized as Ruddy.


    ¡®Goldie¡¯ meanwhile kept her head nestled between her legs, remaining unresponsive. Latasha and Ruddy exchanged a look and shrugged.


    ¡°Um, I haven¡¯t said thank you yet,¡± Ruddy said.


    ¡°You''re welcome.¡±


    ¡°The name¡¯s Kaelyn, by the way.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Latasha.¡±


    ¡°Okay, um, don¡¯t take this the wrong way, but are you a bloody idiot?¡±


    Latasha stared into space, taking two seconds to make sure she hadn¡¯t misheard. Roughly only four people in the world would even dare talk to her that way. Two of them had the power to bring whole countries on their heels, another one had probably killed more people than a drunkard got drunk in his lifetime, and the fourth one was that very drunkard.


    ¡°Ruddy,¡± she said, calmly, ¡°I¡¯m taking this in a very wrong way.¡±


    ¡°Look, I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re a daughter of some noble or whatever, but what you did just now, threatening an armed criminal for a bit of grub? That was a stupid thing to do.¡±


    ¡°You mean that bit of grub in your hands right now?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s even more stupid,¡± Ruddy ignored her, ¡°was provoking the man who was clearly their boss. Hell¡¯s, you even threatened him to a public hanging and that angel¡¯s rust or whatever.¡±


    ¡°Lust, not rust.¡±


    ¡°Look, what I¡¯m meaning to say is, I know you¡¯ve probably lived a sheltered life, but are you really that na?ve?¡±


    Latasha rolled her eyes. Sheltered life, sure, but na?ve? This whole thing happened precisely because she wasn¡¯t some starry-eyed princess waiting for someone to come save her. ¡°Just eat your bread, Ruddy,¡± she said. ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Kaelyn, thank you very much, and I¡¯m only saying this because I don¡¯t want to see you getting hurt for saying some stupid word at the wrong moment.¡±


    ¡°I have a plan, so just¡­¡± shut the smothering hell up, ¡°sit tight, okay?¡±


    ¡°A plan, really?¡± Ruddy said with one brow and one side of her lips raised.


    ¡°A plan,¡± more like a plan for a plan, ¡°and if it goes well, it might avail you your freedom at the end of it. All of you.¡±


    Ruddy snorted, looking down at the cold bread as if considering eating it. ¡°Even if that was true, I¡­ I have nowhere to go.¡± She glanced at Goldie, ¡°I don¡¯t think many of us do.¡±


    That feeling again. The irritation, and the craving to fix it. Latasha shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t know and I don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t care then why are you doing this? He¡¯s letting the two of you go even if you don¡¯t do a thing.¡±


    Latasha sent her a ludicrous look. ¡°And who exactly is the na?ve one here? These criminals can¡¯t just let us go, Ruddy, not when we¡¯ve already seen their faces. They¡¯ll first send us to the same place the rest of you are going, and then they¡¯ll take precautions to make sure we don¡¯t talk. Cut off our tongues, in a metaphorical sense. Or maybe not so metaphorical, who knows?¡±


    Ruddy fell silent. The wussy girl too had placed the bowl down and conjured a depressing face.


    Feeble minded peasants. Latasha snorted. If you can¡¯t take it, then don¡¯t speak up in the first place.


    ¡°Where¡­¡± a new voice, and it came from right beside her.


    ¡°What?¡± Latasha had been beginning to think that the wuss¡¯ voice was sealed for everything but crying.


    ¡°Where are they sendin¡¯ us?¡± the wussy girl asked with a tiny voice that tallied her timid appearance.


    Latasha narrowed her eyes. She really, really didn¡¯t want to set off another bawling fit that could potentially go all night long. ¡°Somewhere south, maybe,¡± she answered, intentionally omitting some details.


    ¡°South?¡± Ruddy said. ¡°You mean like the Sinean?¡±


    ¡°No, I meant South, somewhere beyond the isthmus,¡± Latasha corrected.


    That moment, a rattling sound came from Goldie¡¯s cage. The luphaen had risen her head and was holding on to the wooden bars, ears perked up, cat-like eyes fixed on the neighboring wagon.


    Latasha followed Goldie¡¯s gaze and found a pair of blood-red eyes staring right back at her. Whitey was awake.

 0.5 - New Beginnings 3

    Should I tell them about the girl?


    Aenir looked at the faces of the six men inside the tent. They were the slavers who, unlike the mercenaries paid only as escorts, were on the payroll of the organization backing the Lord¡¯s business. Without the Lord acting as a proxy, however, they would have no connections to the syndicate ¨C mere underlings, so to speak. Of course, that included Aenir himself.


    ¡°To surmise,¡± the Lord knocked his cane on the ground to gain everyone¡¯s attention, ¡°it¡¯s couple of days early, but just as we¡¯ve planned, we divide our group into six parties, use the eastern route and rendezvous at Monarch¡¯s Strait for the crossing in forty days, give or take a week. Same warehouse, got it? Keep things nice and scheduled, and don¡¯t mess around lest your pay won¡¯t be the only thing you¡¯ll be missing.¡±


    Murmurs of agreement could be heard between them.


    They¡¯ll find out sooner or later. Aenir understood how much the Lord liked things rare and unique. A red-haired Narsi, for example, or a young albino. What could he do to her once he found out? He glanced at his boss ¨C there were currently more worrying things than one girl, such as, how suspicious was the Lord of him? How much did he let on his intents? Rats and traitors were dealt with extreme prejudice around these parts, and Aenir weighed the chances of him becoming the next example of it.


    ¡°Oh, and one more thing. I¡¯ll be having the human girls in my party,¡± the Lord added. This drew curious looks, but no one dared to ask¨C


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡ªno one but Aenir, that is. The others gave him stares as if it was a cardinal sin, but he didn¡¯t give a crap. The fact that he¡¯ll be in the Lord¡¯s party should be reason enough.


    The Lord looked amused as he answered, ¡°If you must know, Aenir, two of them was wrongfully captured. I intend to personally assure them of their safety.¡±


    ¡°And the other one?¡± There were three human girls, Aenir remembered.


    ¡°The Narsi was sold to us,¡± the Lord said, smiling. ¡°I owe her some disciplining. I can let you in on it if you want.¡±


    Aenir felt like vomiting. ¡°Thank you for the offer, my lord. I will put it into consideration.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t tell them about the girl. He should¡¯ve, he knew that once they found out in the morning, it would further drop his credibility in the Lord¡¯s eyes, which was the last thing he needed when he could already be under scrutiny. But when he thought about the Lord visiting this unique-looking girl who had zero means to defend herself, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to reveal it.


    Needing space to think, Aenir found himself a place a fair distance from the nearest campfire, away from the festivities of mercenaries celebrating the arrival of their fellow criminals. He was just starting to clean out gunk from his pistol, residue from the previous fight, when someone approached him.


    ¡°Uh, evenin¡¯,¡± the young mercenary greeted awkwardly. He was no older than a teenager.


    Aenir gave him a stare. This boy was in the same group, chosen by the Lord himself for reasons unknown. He held in his hand a flask, presumably filled with alcohol.


    ¡°Do you need something, Piery?¡±


    ¡°Nothin¡¯ much,¡± Piery answered. ¡°Heard you got attacked by beasts earlier?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I was. Were you not informed?¡±


    ¡°Nay, uh¡­ just curious if you got injured or somethin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± said Aenir curtly. In his head, he was trying to figure out the point of this conversation.


    Piery held out the flask. ¡°Drinks?¡±


    ¡°No thanks. I¡¯m coaching tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay. I, uh¡­ I¡¯ll be joining the others. You comin¡¯?¡±


    Aenir glanced at the drunken lads dancing by the fires. They seemed to be having a contest to get the biggest flares from spraying booze into the fire. One guy nearly got his face burned when he sprayed a second too long, got off with only fraying the fringes of his moustache.


    ¡°Maybe later, thanks." Piery left after that dismissal, leaving Aenir to distract himself with maintaining his gun.


    What the hell was that? Was the boy just checking up on his colleague? Or was there another reason to that seemingly pointless exchange?


    It wasn¡¯t even a minute after Piery left that another set of footsteps approached. ¡°You know, you don¡¯t make a very good spy like that,¡± Luise said.


    ¡°Eavesdropping, are we?¡± Aenir replied without bothering to look up.


    ¡°There wasn¡¯t anything to eavesdrop on.¡± Luise sat joining Aenir and whistled a distinct melody composed of three short note; an echo of the evening birds. While repeating that tune, he joined the maintenance routine, "Hey, can I borrow your brushing pipe?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and here,¡± he passed over a fist-sized sack to Aenir, ¡°try these the next time you¡¯re hunting nirhounds.¡±


    Aenir took the bag and peeked inside. He raised a brow, ¡°Buckshot?¡±


    ¡°The less you need to aim, the better it is against beasts. Your gun is just large enough for those, I think,¡± Luise said. He took a quick look around before speaking in a lower voice, ¡°How is our white princess?¡±


    ¡°I tucked her in nicely, but she still needs to be fed.¡± Aenir dropped the lead shots one by one into a chamber, testing to see how many would fit. ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell them.¡±


    Luise pulled out the brushing pipe out of a barrel with a -plop- sound, then turned his head to his friend with a ludicrous look. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell them about her.


    Luise assembled his gun back, fixing the pin with a clear ring. ¡°You can¡¯t hide her forever.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll figure something out. In the meantime, we have more urgent matters to attend to.¡±


    ¡°That we do,¡± Aenir nodded in agreement, ¡°The Lord moved up his timetable and they¡¯ll¨C we will be departing at dawn in six separate parties for passage through the borders. Other than the Lord himself, no one knows which route the others are using. Our best bet? Strike when they¡¯ve regrouped, just before the crossing into the peninsula. They¡¯ll be using one of the warehouses inside the harbor. I can mark the place and give your guys a signal when it¡¯s time to attack.¡±


    ¡°That would take too long. We have to take him down now.¡±


    Aenir put his gun aside. ¡°How? The drifters are still two days away.¡±


    ¡°New plan. I¡¯ll find a way to get into the Lord¡¯s group. We can rope him down and get him to talk, then let the drifters take the other parties.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s too risky.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the only way.¡±


    ¡°The only way?¡± Aenir crossed his arms. ¡°Is there a reason why we can¡¯t extend the timeline?¡±


    Luise sighed, his breath visible in the cold. His gaze drifted to the wagons were the new girls were kept. ¡°Among the newcomers, there was a raven-haired girl, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The boldness of the girl who demanded food from him ¨C there was no way he¡¯d forget it. ¡°What about her?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a bubble forming,¡± Luise told him, ¡°and for every day she¡¯s not where she¡¯s supposed to be, the bubble swells. When it pops, and it will, it¡¯s in everyone¡¯s interest for it to be as small as possible.¡±


    He narrowed his eyes. He could make a few guesses as to who this girl was. ¡°Everyone¡¯s interest, you say? Who¡¯s everyone?¡±


    ¡°Everyone,¡± Luise asserted.


    Aenir clicked the cylinder back into the gun. His eyes were admiring the pistol¡¯s metallic surface, but his mind was elsewhere. ¡°How come you know she¡¯s in my party?¡±


    ¡°Because I know she couldn¡¯t resist,¡± Luise made a mischievous smile, ¡°or maybe because I was eavesdropping on the meeting. At any rate, I may have another plan.¡±


    ¡°Which is?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no time to explain.¡± Luise stood up and stretched his back. ¡°If this plan is to work, there can be no delay. I, uh¡­ I need to sneak out of camp. Can you make a distraction?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re pulling this crap on me? Really?¡±


    ¡°Have faith, Aenir. It¡¯s now or never, and I mean now.¡±


    Aenir packed his tools away and briefly watched the joviality around the campfire where it had gotten to Piery¡¯s turn to spray the fire. The boy produced an impressively pitiful flare. ¡°As long as you keep your end of the deal,¡± he said as he walked towards them.


    ¡°I was wrong you know. You do make a good spy,¡± Luise said. He started walking the other direction, to a corner of the camp where the mercenaries¡¯ eyes didn¡¯t linger.


    Cracking his neck, Aenir concocted a dialogue in his mind. He knew how to fight, but this? Socializing, fitting in? No, Luise. I am not a good spy.


    He stopped just outside the group of men circling the bonfire and waited for them to notice him.


    ¡°Well, well, look who¡¯s here to join us!¡± one of the older men announced.


    ¡°Aenir, laddie, wherever you been?¡±


    ¡°Oh, good timing, it¡¯s yer turn now!¡±


    ¡°I betcha my ass his flame be pettier than Petty Piery here.¡±


    ¡°I was just cleaning my gun,¡± Aenir said while accepting the booze offered to him. He drank one big gulp and held it in his mouth. You better make this worth it, Luise.


    Drunken cheers were exchanged hours past midnight as slavers and hirelings alike celebrated their last night together before the long journey south. After the flame died out, they turned in to their own tents one by one, leaving only an unfortunate few to watch the night.


    Aenir¡¯s gaze bored into a dwindling fire, his hood pulled up to help stave the cold. He kept tapping his foot following an invisible rhythm, stopping when he became conscious of it, but continued as soon his focus was somewhere else. To be precise, his focus was on a set of approaching footsteps.


    ¡°Piery,¡±him again,¡°you¡¯re supposed to be on watch.¡±


    ¡°I need a minute to warm up. Can I sit here?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    Piery sat, made himself comfortable, if he wasn¡¯t looking so distracted. He kept glancing at Aenir as if terribly aware of the man¡¯s presence. For someone who asked, he didn¡¯t look like he wanted to be there.


    ¡°Is there something bothering you?¡± Aenir asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I wanted to ask you.¡±


    You¡¯re the one who keeps bothering me. He cleared his throat, ¡°Well, then, no. Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°Um, are you sure there¡¯s nothing?¡±


    Aenir narrowed his eyes with suspicion. The boy¡¯s insistence made it feel less like small talk and more like an interrogation. There was something else in his look¡ªexpectant? Knowing? Piery knew something, and now he was beating around the bush to get some sort of reaction.


    Aenir smiled. Then he reached for his sword.


    ¡°W¨C wait, I won¡¯t tell no one,¡± Piery told him.


    ¡°Tell anyone about what?¡± He loosened the strap fastening the blade to the scabbard.


    ¡°The girl? The one you brought here? I saw you takin¡¯ your own rations and¨C¡±


    There was a clank as Aenir pulled his sword partially out of the scabbard, revealing the blade¡¯s dark shine as it reflected the light from the fire. ¡°Even if there is a girl,¡± he spoke, lowly, ¡°what would you want in return?¡± Play along for now, see what he wants.


    ¡°N¨C nothin¡¯. I want nothin¡¯, really. Consider it me payin¡¯ back a favor,¡± Piery said, hand slightly raised as if to protect himself from the sword¡¯s gleam.


    ¡°What favor?¡±


    ¡°On our last run, you seen me free that slave and kept quiet about it. I, uh, I just¨C I thought maybe this make us even?¡±


    Aenir paused and searched his memories. Indeed, when the luphaen slave escaped some moons ago, someone on the inside had helped her. The story reported to the Lord was that the luphaen chewed the rope enough to tear it off, but in truth, the marks suggested it was cut by a blade. Prior that, He had seen the boy talking to the luphaen multiple times, including just an hour before she¡¯d escaped. He never took the case further simply because he didn¡¯t care whether she had help. The point was, she tried to escape, failed and paid with her life.


    ¡°Sure. We¡¯re even,¡± he said, ¡°but only if you answer my question.¡±


    ¡°Err, yeah, shoot.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°Why did you help her?¡±


    The boy hesitated. ¡°Cuz she asked me to?¡±


    ¡°Because she asked you? The luphaen?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Aenir returned the blade into its nest and saw Piery relieving some of the tension in his shoulders, just slightly.


    ¡°She begged me, more like,¡± the boy added. ¡°As a human being, couldn¡¯t possibly say no when a woman begs in tears.¡±


    ¡°¡¯As a human,¡¯ you said, even though she¡¯s a ¡®sub¡¯?¡±


    Piery shrugged. ¡°Humans, sub-humans, terms didn¡¯t even exist fifteen years ago.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s before the war with Hrakia.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure. Except I was only a wee kid when Hrakia fell, no relatives fightin¡¯ the Winter Schism either. I have no reason to degrade them aside from everyone else tellin¡¯ me so.¡±


    ¡°Creating your own values. I can appreciate that. You seem to have a working moral compass, Piery.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Piery chuckled. ¡°Sure? I mean, I like to think that¨C¡±


    ¡°So why are you here with all the muck?¡±


    Piery shut his lip, thinking. He broke into a childish, somewhat sly grin before answering, ¡°I¡¯ll tell my reason if you tell me yours.¡±


    Aenir hid a snigger by shaking his head. His reason to be here¡­ If he told the boy, he¡¯d have to kill him.


    ¡°I take that silence as a no?¡± Piery said.


    ¡°Quite right.¡±


    ¡°Let me know if you change your mind, cuz I think you too have a workin¡¯ compass,¡± Piery said, standing up. ¡°Back to the cold, lonely night watch for me.¡±


    ¡°Is that you asking for company? Because you lost that game fair and square.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know.¡± He raised his hand in a wave. ¡°I¡¯ll see you come mornin¡¯.¡±


    The chill of the night felt that much worse upon the absence of the extra body warmth, biting him wherever the skin is exposed. Still, he was much better off than the captives. He weighed on the thought of taking some blankets to them, maybe even snatch some rations from the supplies just to make sure they had what they needed to go through the night. Especially for that white-haired girl, who he worried would find dead the next morning. It only needed to be enough for one night if Luise were to keep his word, except it had been hours since the drifter left, and still there was no sign of him¡­


    ¡­was what Aenir thought when he heard something from the forest. A bird¡¯s call, the familiar tune of three short notes, singing alone with no other bird replying as it was too late into the night for that particular species. He grabbed his sword and made his way to where the whistling came from, in a dark corner of the camp where all lights but one lantern were out. Crates were stacked under a waterproof tarp where the lantern was hung, mostly filled with provisions and the like. He went around those crates, glancing behind him to make sure he wasn¡¯t followed to a spot where the watch couldn¡¯t see.


    ¡°You here, Luise?¡±


    ¡°You sure took your time.¡± Luise came out with that sardonic, smug tone of his.


    ¡°Cut the jokes. Where the hell were you?¡±


    ¡°Calling for reinforcements,¡± he said, winking.


    ¡°Is this your guy?¡± A low voice, gruff and throaty beyond what humans were capable of, spoke from the darkness. There was a figure behind Luise blending among the birches, towering at over seven feet tall. Armor hung from its broad shoulders, mostly hide and leather studded with metal plates, covering only the important organs. The rest, such as the arms and the below the thigh, were covered with a thick coat of fur. Fur, not hair, more animal than human if not for the fact that it was biped and capable of speech.


    ¡°Is this your mole?¡± it asked again. It? He? Aenir wasn¡¯t sure. He never saw a female before.


    Aenir looked up at its face. It had a snout, a pair of forward-facing eyes, as well as a pair of wolf-like ears, one of which had a part missing as if something chewed it off. It was hard to discern in the dark, but there was what seemed like a slash wound streaking over its left eye. Fangs peeked through its lips as it spoke, ¡°Wha¡¯s ma¡¯er¡¯, boy? Nevhar seen bigger men than you?¡±


    ¡°This is Aenir, and yes, he¡¯s my partner,¡± Luise said. ¡°Aenir, let me introduce you to Aldwan, the leader of a larkish mercenary group operating here in the north.¡±


    Aenir made a nod. He knew that name as well as the infamous ¡®mercenary group¡¯ which, depending on who you asked, may or may not be defined as a terrorist group. ¡°I take it you¡¯re our reinforcements?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Aldwan and his soldiers will¨C¡°


    ¡°Please, do not speak for me,¡± Aldwan said. Despite using the word ¡®please¡¯, it didn¡¯t in any way sound like a request.


    ¡°How many men do you represent?¡± Aenir asked.


    ¡°I have fivha warriors wai¡¯ing and i¡¯ching for blood.¡±


    Aenir furrowed his brows. ¡°Five? That¡¯s not enough. Far from it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but we have the jump on them,¡± Luise chimed in. "You and I can handle the guards before Aldwan and his men comes in.¡±


    ¡°Then what? They still outnumber us five to one.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking you could make an excuse to get into the Lord¡¯s tent.¡±


    ¡°And what? What do you expect me to do?¡±


    ¡°Take this Lord hos''age,¡± Aldwan was the one who answered. ¡°It could work. My men are deadliest in nigh¡¯ime warfare. We sow panic and confusion, make ¡®em ¡®hink there¡¯s ¡®hrice our numbers. If you can cap¡¯er their leader on ¡®op of that, the pressure will break ¡®em.¡±


    ¡°Make them surrender,¡± Luise nodded.


    ¡°Exactly. Wha¡¯ say you, Aenir-pada?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Aenir answered straightaway. He addressed Luise, ¡°This wasn¡¯t the deal.¡±


    ¡°Could you pardon us for a second, Aldwan-pada?¡± Luise said to the avlark before taking Aenir a short distance away, out of the avlark¡¯s acute earshot.


    Aenir spoke first, ¡°I help you save the girls and you help me take the Lord¡¯s place. That was the deal, Luise.¡±


    ¡°I have a new proposition.¡±


    Aenir made a cynical snort. ¡°And what could you possibly have to offer?¡±


    ¡°Theodras,¡± Luise answered. ¡°The Zasthanian Warlord, a Rattler lieutenant, and a malefactor among the top of Imperial Vigilance¡¯s hit list. And also your brother. You¡¯ve used this past year to try and infiltrate the Rattlers in the hopes you could find information about him in the criminal underworld.¡±


    ¡°Fucking bastard,¡± he sniggered, ¡°I¡¯m not even shocked that you knew.¡±


    Luise gave him a smile. ¡°You know who I am, you know my resources, and you sure as hell know I can deliver.¡±


    He scoffed at that. ¡°You want to help me find him? One of your biggest enemies?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say I believe you¡¯d be a good influence for him.¡±


    ¡°Why are you doing this? It can¡¯t be for the drifters. Is it because of that noble girl?¡±


    Luise kept his smile. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, friend, but you don¡¯t have much time to decide.¡±


    ¡±¡­Fine,¡± Aenir said. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me yet.¡±


    When they returned to the meeting spot, the avlark was leaning against a tree with arms crossed over his chest. His brown fur blended into the tree¡¯s bark perfectly in the dark, turning practically invisible as long as he remained still, which reminded Aenir of the creature¡¯s remark earlier on how they were ¡®deadlier in the night¡¯.


    ¡°So?¡± Aldwan greeted with a grunt-like voice. ¡°Havha you come thu an agreement?¡±


    ¡°More or less,¡± Aenir told him. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the Lord. I don¡¯t know you, avlark, but I will trust you to do your part.¡±


    ¡°Likewise, human,¡± Aldwan made a toothy, grisly smile. ¡°I¡¯ll ins¡¯ruk my men thu await your signal.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be something loud,¡± Luise was the one who answered. ¡°Something you won¡¯t miss.¡±


    ¡°What are you ''hinking?¡± Aenir asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking I can rig the gunpowder kegs.¡±


    Aldwan snorted with laughter. ¡°I like the way you ¡®hink, Wolf.¡±


    ¡°You do realize we¡¯re in the middle of a forest?¡± Aenir grumbled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Aenir dear. I know what I¡¯m doing,¡± Luise winked.


    ¡°Bes'' we hase,¡± Aldwan said. ¡°There¡¯re only few hours ¡®ill sunrise. Goddess speed you, Luise-pada, Aenir-pada.¡± Just like that, the hulking avlark vanished into the trees. For something as big as him, there was an awful lack of footsteps.


    ¡°Where the hell did you find this guy?¡± Aenir remarked.


    ¡°Sorry, trade secret.¡±


    Even without Luise telling him, he had a rather concrete guess. They were out in the middle of nowhere, days away from the nearest civilization, and now Aldwan showed up with his band of larks, seemingly out of thin air. Only a fool would believe such a coincidence. Presumably, the larks were planning to save the luphaens, their fellow Hrakians ¨C fellow sub-humans.


    ¡°He called you ¡®Wolf¡¯. You two knew each other?¡± Aenir guessed.


    ¡°We¡¯re acquainted.¡±


    ¡°Through the war.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why would he work with you, an enemy of Hrakia?¡±


    Luise shrugged. ¡°The same reason you are; because there are more important things than past grudges.


    Aenir couldn¡¯t say anything to that.


    ¡°Good luck, Aenir.¡±


    ¡°You too.¡±


    The both of them made their own ways, Luise to the gunpowder stash, and Aenir towards the Lord¡¯s tent. He metaphorically tiptoed across the camp, avoiding fires and lights whenever possible as to not cast shadows that would otherwise draw attention. Most of the people were fast asleep, sure, but he couldn¡¯t exactly see inside the tents, and he knew some of them didn¡¯t drink because they had coach duty in the morning. Not to mention the night watch, drunk as they were, were still watching.


    The Lord¡¯s tent was the biggest one at the center. Aside from the night watch, Aenir would still have to deal with the two giants, Gale and Retch. He was sure he could deal with one of them at a time, but there¡¯s no guarantee that the thugs wouldn¡¯t gang up on him. He would have to observe carefully before going in.


    Along the way, his path intersected with someone standing on watch. He deliberated about sneaking past but decided to act normal instead.


    The guard was a mercenary named Harret. There wasn¡¯t much that Aenir knew about him, only that he¡¯d once had a rifle that misfired and broke it trying to disassemble it. The others called him Fizzling Harry since. Clumsy, inexperienced in fights, and a bit on the dull side. Conclusion? Not a threat. The man looked tipsy, barely keeping his eyes open, but not drunk enough to not notice Aenir¡¯s approach.


    ¡°Who the¨C schmucks!¡± Harret jumped in alarm. ¡°You scared me blisters out of my¡­ uh, who¡¯re ye, again?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me, Aenir,¡± he answered calmly. ¡°The Lord¡¯s aide?¡±


    ¡°Oh, ye¡­ hic, yeah, that quiet bloke. What¡¯re ye doing this late? And I ain¡¯t dunk, by the way. Hic, bein¡¯ a proper night watch s¡¯all.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh, Well then, I¡¯ll be going,¡± Aenir gave him a wave and walked past.


    ¡°Hold up.¡±


    He turned back with a raised brow. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t answered my question,¡± Harret said.


    ¡°Harry, I just took a leak, that¡¯s all. No need to get all tense.¡±


    ¡°Is¡¯zhat so?¡± Harret looked at Aenir up and down. ¡°With all that gear?¡±


    ¡°There are beasts roaming about, remember?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that makes sense.


    ¡°Well, good luck with your watch¨C¡°


    ¡°You know,¡± Harret stopped him, ¡°the Lord said something interesting to us watches earlier. Said to keep an eye on this particular bloke he was suspicious about.¡±


    Aenir answered the man¡¯s gaze, hiding the curling of his fingers behind his back. ¡°Is that really?¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Harret chuckled as he fumbled with his pistol. ¡°Even said we¡¯ve got permission to¨C¡°


    The man¡¯s reaction was slow¡ªit was too easy for Aenir to slide the sling off his arm and pummel the man on the head with the scabbard. The sheath was designed to cover only the tip and one flat of the blade, with a single strap locking it in place that he unlatched the same time he swung it, unsheathing the greatsword. With Harret disoriented from the skull hit, Aenir gripped the blade with his off-hand and made a quick, deep thrust to sever the windpipe. Red liquid spattered from where the steel made contact with the skin. Harret¡¯s eyes were wide, his mouth agape into a scream without sound. Aenir pulled the body closer, keeping one hand on the blade thus pushing it deeper, breaking the spine.


    He watched the exact moment as life dimmed out from the man¡¯s eyes. Shock, pain, anger, regret¡­ so many things happening in those orbs, all overshadowed by fear. Fear of an imminent death. He pulled the blade out and Fizzling Harry tumbled onto the ground soundlessly, blood spurting out. A pool of black formed beneath his feet, staining the earth indelibly.


    Fuck.Aenir took a deep breath. He dragged the body out of sight, hands shaking, breathing ragged, vision clouded with red.Fuck!


    Everything was falling apart. How long had the Lord been suspicious? How many people had been informed? In the worst case, he would have to think of everyone else in this camp as his enemies, so that''s one down, three dozens to go. He could¡¯ve gone for the others on night duty, eliminate what would¡¯ve been the first people to response and maybe buy a minute or two for the larks to do their work. He opted not to, instead going straight for the Lord and the chance to win with minimal bloodshed.


    The path was clear. The few people awake weren¡¯t looking his way or the Lord¡¯s tent, standing obnoxiously at the center. Luise should already be in position, while Aldwan¡¯s men were probably circling the place right about now, setting traps and whatnot. All Aenir had to do was to sneak in and take the Lord hostage, and if that wasn''t enough incentive to make them all surrender, he could make it seem like he''d killed him. Thinking their employer was dead, combined with the pressure from Aldwan''s assault, would make them reassess the risk for a pay that would probably never come.Or at least that was the plan before all hell broke loose.


    He was only a couple of tents away from the Lord¡¯s when it happened; starting with a bright flash, sendingtremors through the ground and thunder through the air. By instinct, Aenir ducked behind the cover that was a measly flammable sheet of leather. Something burned, banishing the darkness that was Aenir¡¯s cover. People shouted and sleepers roused. Within a moment¡¯s fraction, armed mercenaries came scurrying out of the tents bearing torches, confused and half-asleep but raring for a fight. Like moths to a fire, they were drawn to the explosion.


    Damn it, Luise. Aenir rested his sword¡¯s crossguard on his shoulder and broke off into a sprint for the Lord¡¯s tent. With the enemies were busy looking at the fiery aftermath, he still had room to act, but not for long. He couldn¡¯t know what reason Luise had to set the signal off early, but it happened, and it was now or never¨C


    ¡°Aenir!¡±


    He planted his foot, used it as a pivot to turn towards the man who shouted his name. His sword, still high on his shoulder, was ever ready to be swung. Piery stood there, stopping within Aenir¡¯s range. Even betwixt the chaos, the boy took a second to marvel at the greatsword¡¯s glory. It wasn¡¯t even that long ago when he was threatened by it.


    ¡°Piery, what¡¯s going on?¡± Aenir asked, sounding calmer than he intended.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¨C I was runnin¡¯ over to check it out when I saw you, thought you had an idea.¡±


    ¡°I was doing the same thing you¡¯re doing.¡±


    Aenir took a step towards Piery, who took a step back in turn. The boy¡¯s expression suddenly turned into that of caution. ¡°Aenir,¡± he said, ¡°whose blood is that?¡±


    Aenir followed the Piery¡¯s gaze, down at his own body. There were stains splattered on his coat, blending into the dark fabric but still visible under the light.


    ¡°Oh,¡± he said. He couldn¡¯t take any chances ¨C he swung down, aiming for the base of Piery¡¯s neck.


    Any normal mercenary would¡¯ve taken a blade then and there, but Piery, young as he was, was handpicked by the Lord for his talents in swordfights. The blade still dug into his flesh, but by moving in the same direction as the swing, he evaded a fatal strike, injuring his shoulder instead of his throat.


    Aenir pulled his sword back up, high above his head while the boy fumbled for a weapon. A loud bang interrupted him, like an explosion but smaller, and closer. He felt an impact on his right thigh and from that he knew he¡¯d been shot.


    Gale was behind him with a pistol in hand. The burly man cocked and pulled the trigger for a second time, only to have it misfire. Cold weather combined with poor powder management¡ªAenir saw that coming a long time ago, didn¡¯t know whether to be glad for the life-saving fluke or to curse because it didn¡¯t happen one shot earlier. There was no pain, only numbness where the lead was planted and a somewhat sluggish feeling on his right leg, which didn¡¯t help when a third person, Retch, came running at him with a falchion.


    He couldn¡¯t muster a decent enough footwork to evade. There was only one thing to do; he loosened his grip on the handle, tightened the one on the pommel, and brought the greatsword down from above his head. The two swords clash, steel singing loudly as the falchion snapped in half. The greatsword, perfectly intact, vibrated, sending all the energy from the clash through its unique structure towards the hilt. The handle shook with enough force to break Aenir¡¯s bones had he not prepared for it.


    Retch jumped back and pulled a dagger from his boot. On the side, Piery and Gale were now ready with their swords. There was a second of bewilderment as they absorbed the exchange, at the impossible feat of blade breaking blade without so much as a scratch. Aenir made use of that second to plan his next move. He was surrounded by three mercenaries considered the best in their field. Obvious disadvantage, but enough about that ¨C what about his advantage? Piery and Retch weren¡¯t using their firearms, maybe because they didn¡¯t bother loading them, while Gale¡¯s was out of service. They didn¡¯t have guns. He did, except that would require at least one free hand when he needed both to wield his sword.


    What would his brother do? What would he, in the same situation, do?


    He wouldn¡¯t let himself be in this situation, first of all. He wouldn¡¯t have missed that first strike at Piery, wouldn¡¯t have gotten shot, and definitely wouldn¡¯t have let himself be surrounded. But that wasn¡¯t important. What¡¯s important was, how would have he done it?


    Aenir smiled. He let go of one hand from his sword and reached for the pistol. He cocked, aimed, and pulled the trigger in one swift movement while aiming at Piery. He didn¡¯t miss.


    He cocked again just as Gale came running. He pulled the sword in front of him to defend, one hand, to meet Gale¡¯s downswing. There wasn¡¯t enough force to break the saber this time around, but it was still enough to shatter his palm had he not let go of it at the last second. The greatsword fell to the ground with a mighty thud.


    His aim on Gale was foiled when someone grabbed him from behind. Suddenly there was a black arm was on his throat, the elbow pushing against and constricting his airway, while another was behind his head, locking him.


    Immediately Aenir felt faint. He knew he was seconds away from falling unconscious. He grabbed the arm on his throat and arched his back forward with all his strength, swung one arm back to hit Retch¡¯s groin, then spun his body around to break out of the lock. Had he not gotten his leg shot, he might¡¯ve pulled it off. Instead, not only was he not able to break out, Retch managed to make use of the turn to pull him into the ground, his back to Retch, his front facing the sky. There was no longer any leverage to make use of, nothing but his arm strength alone to vainly try and pry the arm off his trachea. He was out of options. He had no choice but to use that ¨C something he vowed to never use.


    When he heard the buzzing in his head, it took him a second to realize it wasn¡¯t him doing it. It was someone else, and he knew instantly what it meant. He wanted to shout and warn them of what¡¯s coming, but with his airway blocked, nothing came out. There was nothing he could do but to shift his weight to the left, furthest as he could go, then to kick the ground with his left leg, spinning to the right. Retch made use of that to yet again change positions. Now Aenir was below and facing the ground, still in the same lock.


    A second flash came, just like the first. Then a third, and a fourth, all within the span of less than a second. Aenir initially thought Luise was the one who set it off, but the ringing told him he was wrong. This was no gunpowder. This was magic.


    A fifth flash. He braced himself as the world around him exploded. For a moment he felt like he was floating with no ground below him. The ringing in his head transformed from that of magic to one caused by his proximity to detonation. The next thing he noticed was the overwhelming stench of burning flesh dulling his nose.


    There was no smoke. The ground was charred, as was the back of the southerner lying beside him. Retch, the unknowing meat-shield, was unconscious from the shock and bleeding profusely, but still alive. Gale was not so lucky: his legs were intact, so were his head and one of his arms. The rest? The rest was a mangled mess of flesh, organs and skin meshed together, with threads of muscles pulling away from the mass like strings.


    The tents were burning as smoke started canvassing the camp. There were coughing and screaming, and through Aenir¡¯s perforated eardrums, he could hear several repeated words; ¡°fire!¡± ¡°slaves escaping!¡± and ¡°magus!¡±


    Magus. A maturgist, specifically. A powerful one. He glimpsed her through the pillars of flame and smoke. The white girl, the very girl he brought here, stood at the center of a whirling inferno.

 1 - The Dread 1

    Survival is a craft, and it is one requiring a lifetime to master. To some, it may involve fighting to eliminate the danger while to others, evasion is the goal. Growing up in a place where monsters thrive, I¡¯d acquired some of these skills myself ¨C the art of playing dead in particular. I needed time to gather my thoughts and time to asses my position, which was why I was pretending to be asleep. Well, I said ¡®pretend¡¯, but it really was me lacking the strength to do anything. If they had done more than look, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to stop them.


    ¡°What do you reckon? An escaped slave?¡± one of them said.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± answered the man who carried me.


    To wake or not to wake, was my predicament. I didn¡¯t feel like I was in danger. Quite the contrary, it felt like they were helping, but then¡­


    ¡°There¡¯s a spare cage.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to lock her up?¡±


    Slaves. Cages. I wasn¡¯t so sure anymore, but then again, I needed the help. They could give me food, water, and a place to rest. If I had to be caged to receive it, I just had to break out afterward.


    It took a fair bit of walking to their base and the whole way, the man who carried me never faltered under my weight. I could only imagine a large and muscular man because I was too afraid to open my eyes out of fear they¡¯d notice.


    I saw lights through closed eyelids. Shimmers of orange in the dark, like lights in the distance brighter than the one in the sky. I could hear the sound of fire crackling, accompanied with low murmurs you¡¯d expect from a large group of people in one place.


    ¡°Buggers. That¡¯s Danill¡¯s party.¡± The man holding me stopped under a shade.


    ¡°Well, that changes things.¡±


    ¡°I should find the Lord, find out what¡¯s going on. Here, take the girl. The spare cage¡¯s over there, on the utility wagon.¡±


    ¡°Nay, you take her. A man¡¯s got to see things through, and you¡¯re the one who wants to put her in a cage.¡±


    I felt the grip on me tightening.


    ¡°Fine,¡± answered an irate voice. ¡°Then you go talk around and get a sense of what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°Deal. Talk to you later, Aenir.¡±


    The man called ¡®Aenir¡¯ moved swiftly after separating from his friend. Intermitting flashes of light told me he¡¯d placed the trees between us and the fires, and adding on how no one greeted him, I concurred he was trying to avoid being seen.


    He jumped on top of something, wood creaking beneath his feet. A door was swung open before he placed me down, treating me gentler then he needed to. Then I heard the door closing back, followed by the sliding of metal and a click as something locked in place. I waited until he jumped off the platform before opening my eyes. Darkness had fallen, and now I was in a cage ¨C wooden, vertical bars fixed onto rectangular boards that served as both flooring and roof. One side of the cage had hinges connecting to a door, which was fastened by a hasp fitted over a staple and secured by a padlock. Looking outside, the wagon was cluttered with various tools, bags, and crates. There were some weapons even, swords and pikes, unfortunately out of reach.


    I grabbed onto the bars and pulled myself up, just enough to peek over the sides of the wagon. There was another vehicle parked right beside the one I was on. On top were three cages, three people¨C no, four; the third, larger cage housed two individuals. Four people in total, all women, in the same situation as I was. Maybe even more that I couldn¡¯t see. Further away was a camp, lit by fires and populated by an untold number of tents. There were moving figures around the fires, shadows in the shape of people, with an orange outline as they were backlit with distant lights. One of those figures was approaching.


    I laid back down onto the cage¡¯s floor before he could see me and listened to the sound of boots. As he drew close, I smelled something new; a scent that overwhelmed the petrichor and horse shit, and a smell made my stomach growl.


    ¡°Hey, guy yonder,¡± a female voice said. ¡°She won¡¯t be eating that anytime soon. Why don¡¯t you give it to me instead?¡±


    Give what? Then it clicked in my head that it was food I¡¯d smelled. I considered whether to make a claim of my own, but then I would have to give away my readiness for questioning. I could only continue to listen in.


    ¡°You should give me those, lest you want the Lord finding out about miss whitey over there.¡±


    Miss Whitey ¨C I had a feeling she was referring to me.


    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± said a man¡¯s voice. The same voice as the man who brought me here.


    ¡°W¨C who¡¯s threatening who now?¡± the female retorted.


    I waited for a reply. None came. Daring myself a peek, I saw the tall man¡¯s back as he returned to where the tents were. Dark hair, broad shoulders accentuated by a long coat, carrying a sword as tall as he was.


    More importantly, one of the girls on the neighboring wagon had acquired something I needed.


    ¡°Catch.¡±


    A bread was thrown from one cage to another. They were sharing it amongst them. I opened my mouth to speak. I had hoped that maybe, maybe because things were different up here, something about this could be different as well.


    It wasn¡¯t. No voice came out. I didn¡¯t even know what I was expecting. Even after all I¡¯ve been through, I was still¡­


    ¡°¡­¨Ca bloody idiot?¡±


    ¡°Ruddy, I¡¯m taking this in a very wrong way.¡±


    Their voices were risen. Were they fighting?


    ¡° ¡­¨Ca bit of grub? That was a stupid thing to do,¡± one of the girls said. She had red hair and darker skin than the rest, wearing a loose-fitting and short-sleeved, knee-length dress, ripped rather than sewn that way.


    ¡°You mean that bit of grub in your hands right now?¡± came the snarky response from a raven-haired girl wearing what seemed like a multi-layered dress, somewhat conflicting the trousers she wore underneath. There was something in her voice¡ªconfidence? Arrogance?


    In the same cage, silently sipping her soup was a brown-haired girl wrapped in a large mantle that covered the entirety of her sitting form. Like me, she was quietly observing without saying any word.


    ¡®Ruddy¡¯ and the dark-haired girl continued the heated but hushed dialogue, and I absorbed everything. From them, I knew they were all taken against their wills and that the people partying around the fires were criminals.


    Criminals. That was an important word because it meant the existence of law, implying a complex social structure which required population, and population led to settlements. Multiple settlements, apparent by the very wagon I was on top of. That meant villages with roads between them. Maybe even towns and cities, forming a conglomeration to nations.


    I was shaking, maybe from the cold, maybe from the excitement of how real this was. The world of the living ¨C I¡¯d made it. The proof was right there in front me; people talking, debating and sharing food. Real people, unlike the monsters down below.


    Pff¡­ hah! Damn you, Thalvos.Starve me or cage me, it didn¡¯t matter. None of it mattered because I¡¯d survived. I got out. I had won¨C


    I stopped grinning to myself when I realized one of the girls was looking at me. She had golden hair and big, long ears poking out the sides of her head. Her clothing was unlike what the others had; a long and embroidered dress made of a silkier material, padded in some parts, battered and patched in some others. She kept staring at me like I was a crazy person.


    Another one of the girls noticed me. The one with raven-hair, glaring with her narrowed eyes. I answered her gaze and hoped to form some sort of connection.


    ¡°Ruddy, give her a piece. Goldie too,¡± the dark-haired one commanded. I was right in my guess. She was in charge.


    The red-hair, Ruddy, took a small chunk of bread and passed it to the fuzz-eared girl. She then tore off another bit but seemed to hesitate about giving it to me.


    ¡°What are you waiting for, Ruddy?¡±


    ¡°Um, she¡¯s a bit far.¡±


    ¡°Just throw it.¡±


    Ruddy looked over to me, ¡°I¡¯m going to throw it, so you have to catch it, okay? You absolutely have to catch it.¡±


    I nodded repeatedly and reached my hand out between the bars.


    She threw. It was a good throw, but I was a bad catch, or just too tired. The bread bounced off the bars and over the side of the wagon.


    ¡°Ah, um¡­¡± Ruddy looked at the little piece left in her hands. ¡°I¨C I¡¯ll throw this one next, so¨C¡°


    ¡°No, that one¡¯s yours. Whitey had her chance and she bonked it.¡±


    ¡°But Latasha, she¡¯s¡­¡± Ruddy lowered her voice, ¡°look at her. Don¡¯t you feel pity?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, she had her chance,¡± said ¡®Latasha¡¯, the raven-haired one. ¡°Besides,¡± she addressed me, ¡°I think she gets it.¡±


    I nodded slowly. It wasn¡¯t that I was fine with it, just that I happened to notice how the woman called Latasha didn¡¯t take anything for herself either. It was a sacrifice she made to take charge of this little group, and now she was asking me to make the same compromise if I wanted to be included.


    ¡°See? Whitey understands,¡± she said with a conniving smile.


    I did understand. But that didn¡¯t mean I would stay quiet about it. I reached out and rattled the hasp locking me in to see if it was loose in any way.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother. You¡¯d sooner pry those bars off,¡± Latasha said.


    True enough, the metal parts were screwed solidly into the cage. I tried yanking on the padlock as well, but the most I could do was make enough jangling to annoy a certain woman.


    ¡°Stop that already,¡± that certain woman said. ¡°Just sit tight, Whitey. We should be out of here soon.¡±


    ¡°How do you figure?¡± asked Ruddy.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you paying attention? I made a proposal to their boss. He¡¯ll come get me soon enough.¡±


    ¡°You mean you were being serious? So with him, you¡¯re going to, um¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t even!¡± Latasha snapped. ¡°I shall negotiate with him and nothing else.¡±


    ¡°Then how? It¡¯s not like you have anything else to give.¡±


    ¡°Oh, but I do. I can offer him things he can¡¯t refuse. Things well beyond the imagination of you peasant-minded people.¡±


    I watched, or rather listened as another debate developed between them. The girl with brown hair sharing Latasha¡¯s cage stayed quiet the whole time, while the one with hairy ears, Goldie, was¡­ she was still watching me. The girl was waiting, or expecting something from me, but I didn¡¯t know what. She turned away the moment I met her gaze, so I never found out that night.


    Latasha was dead set on making a bargain with our captors. She didn¡¯t reveal many of the details, wouldn¡¯t or couldn¡¯t, but we decided to go along for now ¨C ''we¡¯ here being Ruddy, because Goldie and the brown-haired girl voluntarily abstained from the discussion, but didn¡¯t seem to be against it either. Me? I was just nodding my head whenever they addressed me. Simply put, Latasha¡¯s idea was to wait for this apparent ¡®Lord¡¯ to come and invite her for negotiation, through which she would somehow make him agree to our release. In other words, her plan was for us to sit and wait, then wait some more while she did all the work. Since I could do anything but that, why not?


    We waited, and waited, with the churning of my stomach growing worse by the minute. Once in a while, someone would come by and check on them. Fortunately, they never did anything more than stealing looks. There was one prudent enough to walk right up to their wagon, but he too merely gave Latasha an ogling. He went away laughing after Latasha made what I assumed was a rude gesture with her hand. The fabled Lord? He never came. Mumbles of doubt began to sound from Ruddy¡¯s mouth, doubt that I too shared.


    ¡°Just wait. You¡¯ll see,¡± Latasha responded to those doubts. Her voice was lacking the poise she had a while ago.


    ¡°Latasha, it¡¯s been hours. I don¡¯t think that man is even awake.¡±


    The raven-haired woman made a long sigh but didn¡¯t say anything in reply. She made a distant gaze into the darkness of the forest.


    ¡°Latasha?¡± Ruddy tried.


    ¡°¡­What?¡±


    ¡°Um, you know, about what I said¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I follow your point.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Ruddy waited for an elaboration. After a minute of silence, she asked again, ¡°Um, what now?¡±


    ¡°Oh thee, I don¡¯t know, do magic and break out?¡± Latasha responded sarcastically.


    ¡°Ca¨C can you?¡±


    ¡°Would I still be here if I could? Please, stop talking so I could think.¡±


    Ruddy did not fall silent and fell into another verbal quarrel with Latasha.


    The ¡®plan¡¯, quote unquote, was a bust, no question about it. It didn¡¯t seem like they could come up with a new one anytime soon. It was time for me to act. My first thought was Nexy, but considering the connection it had with the Dark God, I decided to leave it alone. Then I remembered Latasha saying something that piqued my interest.


    ¡®Do magic,¡¯ she said. ¡®Magic¡¯. There were many things I¡¯ve noticed were dissimilar in this world compared to the one ¡®down below.¡¯ The people were one thing, the sunlit sky was another. Those were the obvious changes but it wouldn¡¯t be far-fetched to think there were other differences in a subtler scale, like say, the mechanics of magic. Perhaps one tiny variation to the rules to make it possible for me. Was it too hopeful to expect that?


    Nevertheless, it was worth a try. Linking with the aether was a matter of muscle memory, less about recollection than it was about reliving it. I closed my eyes, covered my ears with my palms, and tried my best to shut the girls¡¯ hushed whispers out. I focused on my own breathing, at how my body moved as the air flowed in and out.


    Usually I had to maintain that meditation before I could get into the state. Therefore, I was honestly, and pleasantly surprised when the ¡®tether¡¯ appeared in my senses, not even a minute after I started. It was like an invisible ¡®string¡¯ stretching long, connected to a web in a place beyond my perception. The web conjoined and disjoined into more strings, each of them attached to something in our world.


    Now that I¡¯d made the connection, I should be able to input ¡®commands¡¯ through the tethers. First, however, I had to figure out what kind of ¡®command¡¯ I needed to break out of the cage. Option one: break the metal lock. Option two: break the hinges. Both possibilities involved the handling of brute force on the cage¡¯s strongest points. ¡®You¡¯d sooner pry those bars off¡¯, was what Latasha said when she saw my playing with the lock, and she had a point. Why aim for the metal when there was a viable, weaker link? That left me with option three.


    The bars of the cage were widely-spaced enough that removing just one would allow me to fit my body through. I grabbed one of them and tried pulling on it hard, noting that there was barely any movement. By reaching a hand out and feeling around the top, I knew they were fixed onto the cage by a single screw or spike each on the top and the bottom. The boards were thick, and the nail would have to penetrate all the way through them and into the bars, one or two fingers¡¯ width deep.


    While the cage itself seemed newly built, the wood they used weren¡¯t as pristine as the construction. There was barely any movement on the bars when I yanked, yes, but there was still a wobble, especially around the edges where the nails fixed them onto the roofing and flooring. My best conclusion was that the wood had decayed around those parts and I only needed to speed up the process.


    I knew the theory and grasped the method, and all I had to do was the make the actual command. The problem was, I didn¡¯t know how. ¡®Alignment of the will and the subconscious¡¯, or so the mantra went. Even now, I could derive only nonsense from those words.


    First, I tried ¡®talking¡¯ to the tether. Then I tried a request. When that didn¡¯t work, I arranged the instructions like a syntax in my mind and willed for the tether to take them. The next thing I knew, I felt like a piece of my soul was being sucked out, and that was how I knew it was a success.


    Fuck yes. If only I¡¯d been able to do this back then, I could¡¯ve at least fought back against him.


    The air moved around me, whirling unnaturally, converging on the cage. To elaborate, collections of air molecules were gathering on the ends of one wooden bar, swirling faster and faster within tighter and tighter boundaries. It didn¡¯t take long for heat to build up and the wood to start smoking. The smoke, which was volatile vapor, prompted me to vacate dioxygen molecules from the swirling air, leaving only nonreactive gases to continue the work so that I wouldn¡¯t burn myself alive.


    I waited for a couple of minutes before curling my legs, then sprung them into a kick. The bar did not budge.


    ¡°Was that you, Ruddy?¡± I heard Latasha say.


    ¡°No, I think it¡¯s her¡­¡±


    I waited for a bit longer before a second try. This time, the bar made crackling sounds under my attack, but still stood fast.


    ¡°Stop that, Whitey.¡±


    I did stop. For a minute or two until I could see the ends of the wooden bar blacken. Then I kicked again.


    ¡°Hey, I said stop tha¨C¡°


    The wooden rod flew upon the second successive hit. It fell a few feet away from the cage and left two pointy stumps where the bar connected. I easily slipped out through the new gap, then stood up on my feet as I breathed in the taste of freedom.


    Fuck yeah!


    ¡°How in Athyra¡¯s perky bosom did she¡­¡±


    I jumped off the wagon and skipped onto my neighbors¡¯. They stared at me wide-eyed and gape-mouthed, part disbelief and part hopeful. I walked pass Goldie and Ruddy, straight to Latasha¡¯s two-girl cage.


    Now that I was close, I could properly see her features. She was a fair-skinned girl with dark hair and narrowed eyes, young adult or late teenager in age. Her multi-layered clothing started with a jacket on top of a dress, and trousers underneath a skirt. Her hair was put up in a regal manner, which when paired with the embroidered clothing, gave me a good hint of her social status.


    In the same cage, a young brown-haired lass was using a mantle as a quasi-blanket. I guessed by her bare legs that she wore little, if anything, underneath. Tears welled up in her droopy eyes as she looked up at me. Her mouth opened to say something, but only a little squeak came out.


    ¡°Goodness, Whitey. You¡¯re full of surprises, aren¡¯t you?¡± Latasha said. I grinned in response. ¡°Alright, uh, see if you can find a wrench or something.¡±


    A what? I titled my head. I had been planning to do to her cage the same thing I did to mine but thinking again, it would take a long time to do that for all three cages.


    ¡°It¡¯s a tool about this big. Metal, with a rotating cylinder in the middle that you turn to adjust the jaws,¡± she used her hands to describe an object around a forearm¡¯s length.


    ¡°Um, I don¡¯t think she understand, Latasha,¡± Ruddy remarked.


    ¡°Of course she does. You do, right, Whitey?¡±


    Not really. I nodded. Then I headed back to the other wagon. I didn¡¯t know exactly which tool she mentioned, so I picked up everything that fits the general size and ran back to Latasha¡¯s cage. I also grabbed a sword along the way, just in case.


    She had an unimpressed look on her face when I dropped everything on the floor. Sighing, she pointed at one of the tools I brought. ¡°That one. The coach¡¯s wrench.¡±


    It was a heavy, broad-shaped metal tool with a long handle and some sort of pinching mechanism. Latasha pressed the apparatus to the padlock and fiddled with the pincers, then commanded my help with her eyes. We twisted the tool together against the lock¡¯s shackle. We were met with heavy resistance.


    ¡°Hey, Wussy Girl. Give yourself a hand, will you?¡±


    With Latasha¡¯s decree, the brown-haired ¡®Wussy Girl¡¯ reluctantly joined the fray. Even with the combined strength of all three of us, it still took a good minute of pulling and twisting before the lock gave in. It fell with a heavy clunk and the cage door creaked open. Wussy Girl gave me a teary-eyed look of gratitude as she toddled out following the dark-haired girl.


    ¡°You two go get Goldie out,¡± Latasha instructed, taking the wrench to Ruddy¡¯s cage.


    There was only one of those jaw-tool, so I settled with the sword I brought and ran up to Goldie¡¯s cage. Her ears, covered in fur the same color as her hair, twitched on attention as I approached.


    I tried swinging the blade against the lock. It rang loud.


    ¡°Keep it down!¡± Latasha hissed.


    I know, I know.


    Next, I slipped the thin blade between padlock¡¯s shackles up against the sword¡¯s guards. As I pulled the handle in a lever movement, Goldie reached out and pushed in the same motion while Wussy Girl grabbed my shoulder and tugged from behind¡­ which wasn¡¯t helpful in any way.


    A short moment later, I heard something breaking on the other cage. Ruddy was out. Just as she and Latasha went to help, sounds of footsteps drew near.


    ¡°Craps!¡± Latasha jumped off the side of the wagon and we followed.


    ¡°W¨C wait!¡± Goldie pleaded, still in her cage.


    ¡°Ssh! Act normal!¡±


    We ducked underneath the neighboring wagon just as the light of a lantern entered our view. I could see the boots of a person approaching from the other side.


    ¡°¡­¨Che hell?¡± I heard him say. The feet broke into a jog towards the cages. ¡°Bloody hell? You, luphaen, where¡¯d the other lassies gone to?¡±


    We held our breaths as we waited for an answer. There was none. I could imagine the fuzz-eared girl sinking her head back between her thighs.


    ¡°Fuck, fuck, fuck!¡± the man cursed. He turned back towards the camp and ran.


    Latasha was the first to act. She nicked the sword from my hands as she clambered out from under the wagon and dashed off. I followed closely behind her.


    She yelled something profane. The man turned around as Latasha charged towards him with a sword. He seemed unarmed at first, but I saw him reaching for something on his hip. He pulled a weapon partially out of its holster¡ªa pistol. I¡¯d seen it before. I understood what it could do.


    The man took his aim, thumb on the hammer, finger on the trigger. Latasha wouldn¡¯t make it, I knew. She knew, but she didn¡¯t stop, or couldn¡¯t.


    My body was running, but my mind was tunneling away issuing directives through the tether. More with instinct than logic, I guided charged particles through the humid air, creating a current of electricity ripping amongst vapor in the atmosphere. It split the molecules into two invisible bubbles, with the gunman in-between.


    He cocked the hammer. The two bubbles moved closer, sandwiching the unknowing man who now had his gun trained on the girl.


    Latasha faltering in her steps, nearly tripping over her own feet was the last thing I saw before the trigger was pulled.


    Were it not for the initial spark warning me, I wouldn¡¯t have the chance to cover my ears from the deafening boom. For a moment, there was nothing but ringing. Latasha, closest in proximity, was brought to her heels. She was squirming on the ground holding her head ¨C a good sign, concussion at worst because otherwise she¡¯d be holding other parts of her body.


    Colorless vapor rose from the charred grounds where the man had stood. His gun had been the spark that set off the explosion, making it and the man holding it the epicenter of the blast. It happened so fast that it vaporized the projectile before it could leave the barrel of the pistol. A dozen feet away, a tent had caught fire. I didn¡¯t know if my explosion did it, or if the shockwave knocked a lantern or a candle over. The blaze spread fast to nearby tents, turning the night into inferno. It was my understanding that we were trying to stop the man from alerting his friends of our escape. I¡¯d forgotten that in a flurry of adrenaline and instead gave them a very loud and very rude awakening. Within seconds, rows of enemies were pouring out the tents.


    I ran over to Latasha and helped her up. She looked at me with bewilderment, ¡°Whitey, you¨C¡°


    I dragged her by her hand before she could finish. They were looking for us now. If we wanted to have any chance of escaping, it was now or never.


    ¡°Wait, wait!¡± Latasha planted her feet, ¡°There are others here!¡±


    I pulled her again, but she refused to move. There were figures a distance to her back, their true numbers hidden behind the smoke from the burning tents. Dozens of enemies at least, and every one of them were armed to the teeth, raring to find someone to blame for this chaos.


    ¡°Whitey, we have to help them,¡± said the girl by me, but my attention was on something else.


    One of the enemies pointed at our direction. Heads turned, followed by more shouting and pointing. Judging by the distance between us and them, it would take mere seconds to get their guns in range of us. I let go of Latasha¡¯s hand. I wanted to run but this time, it was her turn to wrap her fingers around my wrist.


    Let me go!


    ¡°Where are you going?! We can¡¯t leave them!¡±


    Swords were drawn. One of them started running towards us and like rock turning to avalanche, others followed. They didn¡¯t care for the flaming tents nor did they intend to save the people burning inside. They just wanted blood. My blood.


    They wanted to hurt me. Just like the monsters back then.


    Latasha was saying something to me. Her hand stuck to mine like glue, keeping me in place while the enemies trudged closer. The only way out I could think of was to curl my fingers into a fist and hit her in the face.


    She stumbled back with a shriek. Even as she crumpled in pain, her claws still lodged themselves tight on me. I readied my leg as I deliberated kicking her, but then she looked at me. With one teary eye and a palm covering the other where I hit her, she pleaded, ¡°Whitey, please help.¡±


    I¡­ but they¨C


    I couldn¡¯t understand. Help how? Didn¡¯t she realize what they would do to her?


    She¡­ wasn¡¯t the only one to forgo their own survival. Back on the wagon, Ruddy and Wussy Girl were fumbling to open Goldie¡¯s cage. No one was running away. No one but me.


    A gunshot crackled through the air. I ducked away, pulling Latasha down with me. She clumsily fell into the ground yet still her hand held mine. She was never going to let go.


    We were prey, you see. We were the weak ones, and it was our natural part to run from the predators. I knew it all too well, but these girls didn¡¯t. They were fortunate enough to have never played the part of a prey, unfortunate enough to not know how to act like one. But I knew. I had the experience they didn¡¯t have, and yet¡­ what was I doing?


    Running. That was how I survived then. It would be how I survive now, or¡­ should be. But was it really? Must I keep running from the monsters?


    I looked over where the enemies were. The gunshot had startled them as much as it did us, buying us maybe a couple more seconds. I turned to Latasha, cusped my hand over hers as I communicated, Let me go.


    She somehow understood for she let me go after. I stood up and faced the enemies who were coming again. I ran to meet them halfway.


    ¡°Whitey!¡± Latasha yelled in horror.


    What¡¯s the point of escaping that place if I was going to keep running away? Things have changed. Would change if I only had the courage, because now I had the aether under my command. I could almost see the current in the air as it bolted throughout the camp, past the enemies ignorant of the danger I would bring.


    I¡¯m not prey.


    There was another gunshot. I couldn¡¯t care less whether it hit. If I was to go down, I¡¯d make sure they go down with me. The invisible current had transformed the very air into fuel, waiting only for a single spark to set them off.


    I stopped a few feet short from the nearest enemy. Not one of them attacked immediately, stunned by the abruptness of my appearance, calculating in their little heads whether I was a target. Meanwhile, the converging bubbles of gases spelled a forthcoming doom.


    I am not prey.


    One of them trained his gun on me. ¡°You!¡± he howled. He didn¡¯t have the chance to say the rest.


    The wind caught cinders of the flame and flew them into the gas bubbles. It was the last cog needed to start the reaction.


    Nearest the burning tents where the sparks came from, an explosion occurred out of thin air and set off a chain reaction faster than human eyes could see; the shockwave from the first detonation dispersed the rest of the volatile gases, expanding the blast radiuses further just as they erupted.


    When the ash settled, the enemies I was facing were no longer standing. The fire from the burning tent had been snuffed out by the first blast, only for its embers to start new flames all over the place. From where I stood, it looked like the whole camp was on fire. I could hear coughing and groaning through the coagulating smoke. The shockwaves, it seemed, had become so scattered, with what the fueling gases spread too thin to kill them outright.


    I had to see it through. I had to see the undoing of the monsters with my own hands, so I walked forward, with a small globule of air around me to protect from the noxious smoke and ash. As I went forth, something grabbed my ankle. I looked down to see a man on his back staring at me. He tried to voice something along the line of ¡®mercy¡¯, but spat out blood instead.


    I tore my foot off his grasp. His eyes were teary from the smoke, unable to speak through ruptured lungs. He wheezed and begged with his eyes when I placed my foot on his throat.


    I am not prey.


    I pressed against his airway. His whole body twitched as it sensed its imminent death. I pushed down harder.


    The sound of clashing steel interrupted me before I could end the monster¡¯s life. Then there were gunshots and battle cries following from behind the veiling smoke. Silhouettes could be seen, tall and bulky figures swinging poles larger than themselves. More enemies. I prepared another set of commands through the tether for a second round of explosions.


    ¡°¡ªit! She¡¯s¡­ ¡ªnother barrage!¡± a shout came.


    Not a second after, a figure came running from beyond the smoke. A man with golden mane and cloth covering his face, wielding a bloodied sword. He ran full speed toward me.


    I didn¡¯t have the time to explode him. Instead I gathered as much air as I could and squeezed them into a small point of space between him and me. Dirt and ash alike flew as I let loose the condensed ball of air, simulating an explosion with no actual fire.


    The man saw my trap, sidestepped it with inhumane dexterity and continued his advance. I prepared more similar attacks to stop him in his tracks but he sensed them all somehow, danced through them as though without effort. It shouldn''t have been possible.


    How did¨C shit!Ibacked away. He was different from the others. A true monster.


    Electricity bristled through the air once more, breaking down molecules indiscriminately. There was no time to make a distinction between fuel and oxidant, nor between enemies and friends. It was a risk I needed to take if I was to become something more than a prey.


    ¡°Luise, take her down now!¡±


    Following the disembodied shout, the man threw his sword away as if it only slowed him down. He sprinted at me full speed, no longer caring of the traps I laid for him. He must¡¯ve made a bet that I¡¯d forgo obstructing his approach in favor of a bigger move. He¡¯d won that bet. And he lost as well.


    The moment he reached me was the same moment my explosives reached the flames. He tackled me down just as everything around us fell into violent combustion. My back hit the ground hard. He swiftly arrested my wrists above my head and pulled out a large pistol with his free hand.


    I felt the sizzling barrels pressing against my chest. ¡°Stop it,¡± he said.


    Fuck you.


    I didn¡¯t need my hands to control the aether. The elements whirled around us, ash mixing with sand as they cut into our skin like tiny knives.


    His eyes widened upon realizing I had no intention of submitting. He mouthed something underneath the cloth, then flipped the pistol in his hand and held it by the barrels. The next think I saw was him swinging it towards the side of my head just before I blacked out.

 1 - The Dread 2

    The first thing I remembered was nothingness. Void, if you¡¯d like. For all intents and purposes, outside of existence. No light, no sound, no me. No stimulation that my consciousness could react to, if there was any.


    Things stayed that way, though I don¡¯t know how long. A second? An eternity? Without a frame of reference, there was no way to tell if time was applicable in the first place.


    Things stayed that way. And then things changed.


    Purging¡­


    Who?


    That was probably the first I was aware of myself. Suddenly time was a thing, and along with that, thoughts.


    What came after were memories. Faces and images, flashing by before being swallowed by the void. Something had triggered my awareness and brought me into the realm of existing, and that same thing was siphoning my memories, robbing me of my identity the same moment I acquired one.


    I fought back.


    Warning: conflicts detected


    The invisible force resisted. I pulled harder, picturing myself in a tug of war, except the rope was my memories.


    Warning: data corruption detected


    Something cracked, then shattered into smithereens. The rope had snapped.


    Warning: fatal error. Initiating secondary protocols. Storing data to cloud server¡­


    Finalizing Injection Protocol¡­ successful.


    Initializing Post-Metem Overhaul¡­


    Ternary Fundamentals concordance rate: 98%


    Essential ¦²?¦¤¡õ¡Þ? rate: 71%


    Genetic compatibility rate: 94%


    ¦²?¦¤¡õ¡Þ? and ?n¡õ¡õ¡õ¦¤¡õ? correspondence rate: 45%


    WARNING: ¡°¦²?¦¤¡õ¡Þ? and ?n¡õ¡õ¡õ¦¤¡õ? correspondence rate¡± is below sustainable levels. Factoring with overall results...


    Conclusion: no changes necessary.


    Initializing subject transfer; AST coordinates ¨C ¦«¡õ¦Ö¡õ¦Ë ¦£¦Ñ¡õ¡õ¦Ð, ¦­¦£¦¶ 221, ¦£¦Ñ¡õ¦Í¦Ã¡õ¦Í?¦Ò ¡õ¦Ñ¦Ì, ¦¬¡õ¦Ñ¡õ¦Ë¡õ¡õ ¦µ¡õ?¡õ; Local frame ¨C ¦°¡õ¦Ñ¦Ã¡õ¦Ó¡õ¦Ñ¦×, ¦³¦Ç¡õ¦Ñ¦Ä ¦«¡õ?¡õ¦Ë.


    The mysterious force was still there, It changed its focus to me instead of the broken rope. It was swirling around, enveloping me like a cocoon before ferrying me away.


    Transferring¡­


    Where are you taking me?


    Transfer successful.


    Welcome to Purgatory.


    It happened so quick. When there was nothing, now there was grass, or moss, brushing against my skin. From that I knew I was lying down on my side.


    ¡®Lying on my side¡¯ ¨C I had a side. A body. Air in my lungs, blood in my veins. I could even hear my heart as it pumped blood throughout my body.


    I tried moving a few fingers. It felt awkward at first, like pulling the strings on a puppet. When I opened my eyes, they stayed open for as long as a blink lasted. I needed time to settle in and that left me open and vulnerable. I could only hope I was at a safe place.


    ¡¸ Oy, brat. ¡¹


    Something prickled the back of my head. I held my breath and kept my eyes shut.


    ¡¸ Wake up. ¡¹


    It was shuffling about, tiddling with my fingers, pulling on my clothes and hair.


    ¡¸ Wake up. ¡¹


    It nibbled on my ear. It didn¡¯t feel human.


    The creature breathed near my face, ¡¸ I can peel off your eyelids, you know? ¡¹


    Eek! I jerked away.


    ¡¸ Aha. I knew you were awake, ¡¹ said the bird.


    ¡­Said the bird, who perched taller on its talons than me on my bum.


    You, y¨C you¡¯re¡­


    The bird¡¯s beaks moved and clapped accordingly to the words, ¡¸ What? Speak up, brat. ¡¹


    No matter how many times I blinked, the bird with feathers of ebony was still standing in front of me. And it was talking to me.


    But you¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re a bird.


    The oversized raven came towards me with a bunny hop. ¡¸ You got a problem with birds? ¡¹


    I raised my hand between me and the bird. The thin-looking fingers and slightly curved thumb, the palm lines drawn on a pale skin, and the knuckle joints that show when I make a fist, they all felt¡­ alien to me. My own hand was a stranger. So were my feet, my hair, my¡­ my everything.


    Who¡­ who am I?


    The more I tried to remember, the more questions popped up; such as the white dress I was wearing, which I didn¡¯t remember ever putting on, and the shoes, or the lack thereof. Whoever dressed me forgot shoes, and underwear apparently, as well as sleeves to cover everything below the shoulders and the knees. The cold, and how undraped I was in the face of it, was starting to bother me.


    My garments, however, was the least of my worries.


    ¡¸ Hey, are you ignoring me? ¡¹


    N¨C no. I mean, what is¨C where¨C


    I couldn¡¯t get the words out. Then I realized I couldn¡¯t get the words out. I placed my hands over my throat and tried an ¡®aah¡¯ sound. Nothing came out, not even the slightest vibration.


    ¡¸ Can¡¯t talk? ¡¹ the bird said, tilting its head.


    I don¡¯t know why, but I tilted my head in the same direction. No, um, maybe?


    ¡¸ That¡¯s fine. I can hear you like this. Where did you come from, brat? ¡¹


    I closed my eyes. There were too many stuff happening and I needed one second to process it.


    First, I wasn¡¯t. And then I was. I remembered things, except I didn¡¯t. And I couldn¡¯t speak, apparently, yet somehow the giant talking bird could hear me. Telepathy? Mind-reading?


    ¡¸ Hey. Answer me. ¡¹


    And now the same giant talking bird was pressing me for, damn, for answers? It was asking me?


    ¡¸ Oy. ¡¹ I opened my eyes and saw it hopping dangerously close to me. ¡¸ Answer me, brat. ¡¹


    I¨C I don¡¯t know.


    ¡¸ Where did you come from? ¡¹


    I don¡¯t know.


    ¡¸ What¡¯s your name? ¡¹


    I don¡¯t know.


    ¡¸ How did you¨C ¡¹


    Mister Bird, frankly, anything you ask I will answer with ¡®I don¡¯t know¡¯, because I really don¡¯t know anything. Where is this? What is this place? Why am I here? What¨C


    I shut my mouth. The bird had fallen silent, thinking or formulating a response.


    ¡¸ If you¡¯re asking where we are, just look around, ¡¹ he said.


    I did as the bird told and glanced around while still keeping one cautious eye on the creature.


    It was dark. Dirt and moss cluttered the ground. Further away were the walls; the towering walls, surrounding us on all sides. Glowing vines grew on the lower parts, at around my eye-height.


    No, not vines. Runes, chained together in a repeated pattern. They were the only source of light as far as I could tell.


    There were gaps on the walls. Passages, four that I could see, leading outside the area. I traced my eyes up from the illuminated base of the walls and towards the upper section where the stone structure disappeared into a blanket of darkness above.


    Is this¡­ outside?


    ¡¸ Does it look outside to you? ¡¹


    I had to consider it. There were no stars in the sky and it was dark beyond the extent of a cloudy night. It looked more like a ceiling than a sky.


    But how would I know about that? Stars, sky, clouds and night, were things and concepts I could remember. There were other fundamental things too, like how a bird looked like, or how to even breathe. I knew about all those things because it was there, stored somewhere in my brain, yet when it came to my personal history or the history of all things for that matter, there was a blank space.


    I turned my attention back to the bird and saw it looking at me with its neck leaned to one side.


    Um¡­ M¨C Mister Bird? Do you know why we¡¯re here?


    ¡®Mister Bird¡¯. I¡¯d assumed his gender to be male, based on the voice.


    The tilt of his neck went back and forth. ¡¸ You mean you don¡¯t know? ¡¹


    Um, no, I don¡¯t remember. But maybe you¡­


    ¡¸ Don¡¯t know, ¡¹ he said. ¡¸ Don¡¯t remember either. ¡¹


    Oh. You¡¯re the same, then?


    An irate croak rumbled from his beaks. ¡¸ Preposterous! Harebrained brat, don¡¯t think me the same as you! ¡¹


    I¨C I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to.


    ¡¸ You didn¡¯t mean to what? ¡¹


    To, um, to offend you?


    ¡¸ Well I¡¯m offended. I hope the beast finds you and eats you. Bye. ¡¹


    The bird turned to leave right after dropping the word ¡®beast¡¯.


    Huh? No, wait! I grabbed hold onto his feathers.


    ¡¸ Keep your dirty paws off me! ¡¹


    He poked my hand, hard and repeatedly. I held on to him, fear of abandon easily overpowering the pain.


    Don¡¯t go! Stay with me!


    ¡¸ Are you telling me what to do? ¡¹ he stopped stabbing my hand and hopped close, to a distance he could easily pluck my eyes out. ¡¸ Are you telling me what to do? ¡¹


    I leaned back. Um, please? I¨C I don¡¯t know anything. And you said there¡¯s a beast and, and¡­


    I trailed off. I couldn¡¯t think of anything else to say.


    ¡¸ Why don¡¯t we play a game, then? ¡¹


    A game?


    He spread his wings and puffed out his chest. ¡¸ Yes! A game! I¡¯ll stick with you if you win. I¡¯ll make it fair, so long as you don¡¯t cheat. ¡¹


    What kind of game?


    ¡¸ Riddles! ¡¹


    I shook my head. That¡¯s not fair. I don¡¯t know any riddles.


    ¡¸ I¡¯ll ask the questions, then. Get it right, you win. You guess wrong, you lose. ¡¹


    I thought about it. Three guesses. I get three guesses and we play.


    ¡¸ Deal. ¡¹


    I thoughtlessly reached my hand out for a handshake. He snuggled his beak into my hand and shook it. A bird-shake? Beak-shake?


    Wait, what if I lose? I asked. It was a question I should never have voiced.


    He tilted his head back and forth. I could¡¯ve sworn I saw it smile. ¡¸ I get to eat you. ¡¹


    ? ? ?


    A wave of headache struck as soon as I woke up. It felt like someone was caving my skull in with a hammer.


    I had been sleeping with a thick blanket wrapped around me, on top what looked like a small and stationary wagon, a different one from last time. Smaller, clean and empty, fully covered by a tarp held up with thin steel wires. The shadows of leaves projected on the covers told me it was day outside, as did the light coming in from the open back of the wagon where a person was staring¨CStolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Who?


    I missed it on my first scan because he, or she, was so motionless. The person sat with one leg hanging off the back, silently staring at me with eyes hidden underneath a hood that only revealed the pale skin of their face. They wore a thick cloak that was both elegant and practical in design, sewn with golden embroideries around the wrists and down at the seams where it opened in the middle, but also fitted with pockets and weather paddings for winter travel.


    They held in their off-hand what seemed like a long walking stick adorned with a gem at the head. It was a relief knowing it was no weapon, another kind of relief when I realized I wasn¡¯t restrained. Kind of. I felt dizzy and vomitous.


    I forced myself to answer that person¡¯s stare. When I made an approach, they reacted by knocking down the staff, harshly, on the wooden surface.


    Am I not allowed to go out?


    They didn¡¯t answer. Well, of course they didn¡¯t. They just kept glaring with unseen eyes.


    Why am I not tied up? Or in a cage?


    They tilted their head curiously. I followed their gaze, down at my own body. My dress was gone and replaced by sleeveless tunic and trousers that felt several sizes too big. My hair felt nice, lighter and less grimy. I ran my fingers through them and it felt smoother than I remembered it ever being.


    You cleaned me up? Am I about to be sold?


    Our staring contest was interrupted by a distinct growl coming from my stomach.


    ¡°¡­Stay,¡± they said before stepping off the wagon and walking out of sight. The low, stern voice made me think it was a man. Probably a man.


    I crept to the back of the wagon and peeked out after he left. A dozen or so horse-drawn vehicles were parked at the side of the trail, just by the forest¡¯s edge. Across the road was a boundless prairie where hills and mounds could be seen in the distance, bordering with the blue skies. For some reason, the area around my wagon was deserted, even though there were people crowding just twenty feet away.


    I saw a couple of guys walking about carrying crates. Food and supplies. My stomach growled harder. More people were standing around, chatting by the wagons whence those crates came from.


    Off to the side, underneath hemlocks and pines, I saw guys sitting and conversing leisurely, swords and guns to their sides. Mercenaries on break. Among them, one individual caught my eyes ¨C a large person covered in brown fur. It must¡¯ve been around seven feet, if not taller. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was even human.


    Except for the large humanoid, which I left as indeterminate, all of them were men. There were no females, not even the girls from last night. Had they escaped?


    I considered sneaking away but the head pains were demanding otherwise. Why was I not restrained? Or why am I still alive, for that matter? Thinking about those questions made it hurt even more.


    I heard sounds from the front of the wagon. Horses. Perhaps I could steal one, then make my way to¡­ to where? Could I even ride a horse in the first place?


    ¡°Quack,¡± the horse neighed.


    Fuck it. I¡¯ll figure it out along the way. I hopped off the vehicle. Regardless of the situation, I wasn¡¯t about to lie down and let them do what they had in store for me.


    I snuck up to the front where a little coach¡¯s seat was installed. Wooden shafts connected the base of the seat to the harness of a creature I assumed was a horse.


    ¡°Quack,¡± the ¡®horse¡¯ turned its head and stared at me with its black, bead-like eyes. Its entire body was covered by puffy, yellow-brown feathers and it stood on two clawed legs that looked more chicken than equine. It had two wings, even, though it seemed vestigial of all things. Like chicken.


    Are you a horse?


    ¡°Quack!¡±


    Sounded like chicken. No, maybe a duck? There was a slight discrepancy with the information in my brain, but this was reality, and this thing was most certainly a horse. Probably.


    Alright horse, I climbed up the seat, cooperate with me.


    ¡°Quack?¡±


    I took hold of the reins and whipped it, Let¡¯s go!


    ¡°Quack!¡± the horse replied and stood still.


    ¡°Oy, who¡¯s that over there!¡± someone shouted.


    Shit. I dropped down the other side and hid behind the wagon.


    ¡°Quack, quack quack!¡± The avian horse flapped its wings as it wildly jumped in place.


    ¡°Ssh, ssh!¡± Be quiet!


    ¡°It¡¯s the white magus!¡± came a yell. I snapped my head to the source and saw a man pointing at me.


    Several footsteps drew near, their view blocked by the rows of vehicles.


    I ran down my options; I could run towards the open prairie, where they¡¯d ride me down with horses, or into the forest where wild beasts might lurk. I didn¡¯t have to think much about it ¨C I ran into the woods, snaking between carts and wagons to make it harder for them to follow.


    ¡°There, the little magus! She¡¯s running for the forest!¡± a man cried out just as I made it into the thickets. I slashed away at the bushes and made a path.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lose the little magus!¡±


    ¡°Tiny magus, we mean no harm!¡±


    Just who are you calling little? I looked up the trees and thought about climbing them. I opted not to. I could barely run without splitting my head open, let alone climb a tree¨C


    Ow. Shit, ow. My headache started to get worse, probably from all the running.


    I had to slow down, and it wasn¡¯t a surprise when one of them caught up to me. ¡°Down girl,¡± he said.


    My vision was darkening. I couldn¡¯t really see him, but I knew he was nearing me from the sound of boots crunching on dead leaves.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re scared. I¡¯m not going to hurt you,¡± he told me.


    I didn¡¯t like his tone. He sounded, I don¡¯t know, condescending? Like an adult talking to a grumpy child, or an owner to a rabid pet.


    When the black spots in my eyes went away, he¡¯d progressed to nearly within an arm¡¯s reach. His hand was raised with an open palm placed between us like a shield. I stepped back, then noted how the man seemed familiar. He had golden hair, a blue cloth strewn around his neck, and a big gun strapped to his torso.


    Oh, crap. He was the one who knocked me out back then. Of all people, it had to be the monster who could detect magic.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move around too much. You¡¯re still¨C¡°


    I charged into him, putting my whole weight as I rammed his midriff section.


    He lost his footing and I fell along with him. Before he had a chance to do anything, I straddled him and started clawing at his eyes. No matter what kind of monster it was, eyes were almost always the weakness.


    He raised both arms to protect his face while shouting, ¡°Don¡¯t! Stay back!¡±


    It took me a second to realize he wasn¡¯t speaking to me, but rather to the group of five who¡¯d just surrounded us. The guy below me used that distraction to capture my wrists.


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough, little tigress,¡± he snickered, despite the numerous claw marks on his face.


    I still have the aether, asshole. And now he had nowhere to dodge.


    He frowned. As expected, he knew what was coming, even though it shouldn¡¯t be possible. ¡°Stop,¡± he growled, ¡°Don¡¯t make me hurt you again.¡±


    I hissed, not at him, but because of the pain intensifying. The deeper I reached into the aether, the harder my brain got squeezed inside the skull.


    He loosened the grip on my arms when he knew I couldn¡¯t do anything. ¡°You¡¯re hurt and you¡¯re malnourished. Bloody hell, you shouldn¡¯t even be able to move around. We can take care of you, if you¡¯d just get off of¨C¡°


    ¡°Whitey!¡± came a familiar high-pitched voice as a girl squirmed past the wall of men. She briefly paused, gasping because she was either out of breath or surprised seeing the position I was in. ¡°Whitey, stop. They¡¯re friends.¡±


    I gave the blond man a glare. He released his grasp, ¡°What she said.¡±


    She moved to approach. One of the people surrounding us placed his arm in front of her. ¡°Madame, stay back¨C¡°


    The girl slapped that arm away. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me, please. I didn¡¯t mean that kind of friends.¡±


    No one else dared to interfere as she walked over. There was a black mark around her eye and she changed her clothes to more utilitarian ones, but it was still the same girl from last night.


    ¡°Whitey,¡± Latasha ordered.


    I slid off the man. Not because I complied, but because the mere act of sitting there had become too much to bear. I closed my eyes as all my senses were overwhelmed by the discomfort centered on my head, to a point I couldn¡¯t tell if the ground was beneath me.


    I felt presences converging on me, but I couldn¡¯t care enough to do anything about it. I¡¯ve lost. They¡¯ve caught me, and I just had to deal with whatever comes next. Maybe I didn¡¯t need to, if Latasha¡¯s words had any truth to them.


    A hand was pressed against my forehead. ¡°She has a fever,¡± said the man I¡¯d just tried to kill.


    ¡°You said you¡¯d take care of her, Luise,¡± Latasha addressed the blond-haired man.


    ¡°I can¡¯t be around her thirty hours a day, Tasha,¡± he defended.


    ¡°You know what, you deserve those marks on your face.¡± She turned her attention to me and put a hand on my shoulder, ¡°Can you walk?¡±


    I wanted to nod, but I was afraid it would make the pain worse. I was starting to wish I could just faint right there. At least I wouldn¡¯t have to put up with all this.


    ¡°Tasha, wait. We don¡¯t know if she¡¯s safe.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s madame for you, and she could¡¯ve easily killed you if she wanted to.¡±


    I peeked at the guy called Luise and our eyes met. Both of us knew I wouldn¡¯t have been able to. He decided to keep quiet about it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Whitey. The wuss is a healer, she¡¯ll fix you up.¡±


    ¡°We have proper healers too, you know.¡±


    Latasha ignored Luise¡¯s protest. She helped me up and slung my arm over her shoulder, and her arm around my waist. ¡°Oh, and someone get a coat for her, preferably one with a hood.¡±


    They didn¡¯t try to stop us when she led me back to the road.


    More people had gathered when we got out of the woods, no doubt drawn by the earlier commotion. They made way for us without saying anything, though the fact that not one of them offered to help did say something, I just didn¡¯t know what. The power of Latasha¡¯s authority, perhaps? Or just their brains unable to keep up with events, like mine was?


    I noticed how they were dressed differently from the people who caged us. Some of them wore the same teal-colored cloaks for one, and they were neater-looking in general; less facial hair, loosely uniformed coats, and less bodily odor. Different people, then.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name, Whitey?¡±


    I could barely hear her as I was focused on my steps and the efforts to make the least bump possible each time my feet touched the ground.


    ¡°Are you really going to keep this up? After all I did for you?¡±


    Keep what up?


    ¡°They could¡¯ve left you, almost did, if I hadn¡¯t implored otherwise. The only reason you¡¯re not tied up now is because it wouldn¡¯t do much anyway,¡± she paused, ¡°They didn¡¯t tie you up, did they?¡±


    I shook my head.


    ¡°Seriously? Not even a simple ¡®no¡¯? Is your breath that smothering precious to waste on me?¡±


    I shook my head again. That made me wince.


    ¡°Whatever, suit yourself. I¡¯m fine with it because I don¡¯t care, but you better show some appreciation when the wuss takes a look at you.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know how to respond to that, but I was glad she didn¡¯t push further.


    Latasha took me to a spot near the road where a formation of rocks and birches made a little concave, creating a small shaded area. A large cloth had been spread on the ground so that they didn¡¯t have to sit on wet dirt. There were familiar faces there¡ªRuddy, her red hair brilliant under the light, was the first to notice us approaching and gave us a wave. Beside her were Goldie, sitting cross-legged in a cultural manner, and the Wussy Girl, now with proper garbs instead of the rags I last saw her in.


    ¡°You found her!¡± said Ruddy.


    ¡°Told you it was her.¡± Latasha sat and joined them, then beckoned me to come into the circle as well. I hesitated.


    Why did they bring me here? Ruddy may be thrilled at my company, but not so much for the others. Wussy Girl kept making nervous glances at me, and Goldie seemed disinterested in the matter, refusing to even meet my eyes.


    ¡°Sit,¡± Latasha said. It wasn¡¯t a request.


    I sat down at the edge of the blanket, as far away from the center of the group.


    ¡°Introduce yourself.¡±


    With just those two words, I was suddenly put on a spot. They waited for an answer, and there¡¯s none I could give them, but only I knew that. Even the girl with golden-hair who seemed unconcerned was listening in ¨C I knew because her fuzzy ear was twitching.


    ¡°There you go,¡± Latasha said, ¡°our heroine with no name, apparently.¡±


    ¡°Um, thank you,¡± Ruddy broke in.


    For what?


    ¡°Wuss, what we talked about?¡± Latasha spoke to the brown-haired girl.


    ¡°S¨C sorry. Err, what¡¯s wrong with her?¡± the girl replied.


    ¡°Some idiot smacked her in the head with a blunt object, knocked her out for two days.¡±


    Two days. I didn¡¯t know I was out for two days. Two days was a lot of time for a lot of things to happen.


    Wussy Girl addressed me, ¡°Do you feel any pain? Um¨C¡°


    I nodded.


    ¡°¨Cheadaches, di¨C dis¨C disorientation, nausea?¡±


    I nodded again.


    ¡°You have a concussion, and, um¡­¡±


    Latasha raised her arm between us. ¡°Just the concussion. Anything you can do about?¡±


    ¡°N¨C no, sorry. She¡¯ll be fine as long as she doesn¡¯t strain herself, I think.¡±


    Latasha then spoke to me, ¡°Got anything to say, Whitey?¡±


    I sighed. I knew she wanted me to thank Wussy Girl for that piece of minutiae, but how? And why? I never asked for any of this.


    I looked at the ¡®wuss¡¯ and met her eyes. ¡°Um, sorry,¡± she said, but I don¡¯t know what she was apologizing for. Because she couldn¡¯t do more? Even though, again, I didn¡¯t ask for it?


    ¡°Hey,¡± Latasha tapped my shoulder, ¡°I said, have you got anything to say?¡±


    ¡°She can¡¯t speak,¡± Goldie spoke for the first time.


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    ¡°She can¡¯t speak.¡± She turned to me. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    Yeah, I nodded, How did you¨C


    ¡°Oh, then why didn¡¯t you just say so?¡± Latasha paused, then she nervously, awkwardly chuckled at must¡¯ve been a thoughtless remark, passing it off as a joke that no one else laughed at.


    ¡°Um, that¡¯s kind of rude, Latasha,¡± Ruddy said.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay if she doesn¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°And how would you know if she does?¡±


    While that chatter happened in the background, I turned my attention to Goldie who was finally meeting my gaze. She had odd-colored irises¡ªone blue and one the same amber as her hair¡ªas well as vertical, cat-like slits for her pupils, slightly dilated in the shade.


    Thank you, Goldie, I said with a little nod.


    ¡°It¡¯s not Goldie. My name is Melory.¡± She gestured at Wussy Girl, ¡°That¡¯s Farica, a healer¡¯s daughter,¡± then at Ruddy, ¡°And the loud one is Kaelyn.¡±


    Ruddy, or Kaelyn noticed we were looking at her and gave me a wave. Her darker olive-colored skin tone was in contrast with the bright red of her hair. ¡°I¡¯m Kaelyn!¡± she enthused, ¡°I¡¯ve been wanting to talk to you since that night. Um, thank you again.¡±


    Again, for what?


    ¡°You saved us, remember? You broke us out of the cages,¡± Melory explained. I stared at her for a few long seconds before she responded in a whisper, ¡°Yes, I can.¡±


    I heard someone brazenly clicking her tongue. Latasha was hanging an irate expression over her face. I followed where her glare was pointed at and saw two people making an obvious headway for us. One of them was the hooded person I met back at the cart, the walking stick in his left hand and a bowl in his right. Accompanying him was the blonde man, still with the claw marks on his face where my nails had dug. On the corner of my eye, I saw Farica scurrying behind Latasha¡¯s back.


    They stopped and hovered right by our blanket. Latasha made a leer at them. ¡°Why are you here, Luise?¡± she interrogated, as if he had no right to be there.


    ¡°A compromise,¡± the man answered. ¡°We need to make sure she¡¯s safe¨C¡°


    ¡°She¡¯s safe.¡±


    ¡°According to you, sure, but whose lives are you risking if you¡¯re wrong?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s safe.¡± Latasha glanced at me, as if it wasn¡¯t obvious who they were talking about.


    While they conversed, a bowl of warm liquid was shoved in front of me. ¡°I told you to stay,¡± said the hooded man.


    Uh¡­ for me? I tentatively placed one hand on the porringer and looked up at him for confirmation. When he didn¡¯t pull it back, I grabbed it from his hands and took a sip of the broth.


    The warmth immediately spread from my throat down to the tips of my toes, filling my stomach and revitalizing the rest. There was a salty taste to it that electrocuted my taste buds to life.


    Oh my gods.


    ¡°Look, they¡¯re getting along,¡± said Luise.


    ¡°What¡¯s he doing here?¡±


    ¡°Let me introduce you. He¡¯s Sallis, a magus from Zest-Flamel we contracted for this mission. Right now, his directive is to keep an eye on her.¡±


    ¡°This creep? Are you serious? You want him to hang around us?¡±


    Sallis didn¡¯t at all seem to mind he was being talked about in that light. Rather, his focus was fixed on me. ¡°Eat,¡± he said to me, and I gladly complied. I had another sip and swallowed what tasted like a chunk of soppy meat, having absorbed moisture after being boiled in the broth.


    ¡°Tasha, please, just bear with it for a while,¡± Luise said.


    ¡°It¡¯s madame, and define ¡®a while¡¯, because I¡¯m not about to have such an unscrupulous character like him around me.¡±


    It¡¯s me Sallis was supposed to watch, not her, but she worded it as if my being with her was a given. I wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about that.


    ¡°Just until we know for sure she¡¯s in control of both her actions and her magic.¡±


    ¡°Does she not get a say in this?¡±


    Heads turned to me. They wanted my opinion on this, but there I was wondering what the big deal was.


    To me, it seemed like the girl was just being stubborn to flaunt in front of her peers. She was asserting dominance, making sure the others knew she held sway even among the ¡®men¡¯. Luise, on the other hand, was simply dealing with the antics of an obstinate child.


    ¡°Well, Whitey? What¡¯s your take on this?¡±


    I, uhm¡­


    My immediate priority: blend in, assimilate myself into their society.


    I looked at Sallis. Everything Latasha said about him was true ¨C he was silent, pale under the hood, and there¡¯s no way to tell what he¡¯s looking at unless you¡¯re willing to get too close to his face. Latasha was clearly bothered by that, as if she expected me to be in the same place as her. Have I gained her trust, somehow, and would disagreeing with her mean betraying that trust?


    On the other hand, I didn¡¯t want to get on the bad side of whatever army this was. I didn¡¯t like Luise, not at all, but when he had dozens of armed people on his back¡ªpeople whose hands we ate from and whose carts we slept on¡ªpreference of character became irrelevant.


    I shook my head. I don¡¯t mind.


    ¡°See? She doesn¡¯t like it,¡± Latasha said.


    ¡°She¡¯s saying that she doesn¡¯t mind,¡± Melory said.


    ¡°What the fuck, Goldie? Why are you on his side?¡±


    I could see Melory¡¯s ears droop.


    ¡°Tasha, it¡¯s unbecoming for a lady to curse.¡±


    ¡°For the last time, it¡¯s madame.¡± Latasha stood up, frowning, and moved her arm as if to point at the blond man, but then decided against such a grandiose gesture. ¡°Fine then,¡± her hands settled on her hips, ¡°leave your magus here, just don¡¯t expect us to be courteous.¡±


    Luise made a toothy grin. ¡°Deal¨C¡°


    He was interrupted by a squeak coming from behind Latasha.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, wuss. Just trust me, okay?¡± she said to Wussy Girl ¨C to Farica. She turned back to Luise. ¡°And you, you answer my question first.¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Seeing that you¡¯re here, I¡¯m assuming the drifter chief and the Larkish chief reached an agreement?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that. Apparently Aldwan and the chief constable went way back. There wasn¡¯t much to disagree with. We were discussing about something else.¡±


    ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing you girls should be worried about, really.¡±


    It was an obvious bait. He wanted her to ask.


    ¡°I¡¯ll decide that for myself, thank you. Now tell me,¡± Latasha demanded.


    ¡°If you must know, a couple of horses went missing last night. No biggie though. We have spare horses and a gally lent by a friend.¡±


    ¡°Missing mounts?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, nothing big, but pair that with other abnormalities¡­¡±


    ¡°You mean there¡¯s more?¡±


    ¡°Kind of. That night you were rescued, I encountered a pack of nirhounds with abnormal behavior. Then there¡¯s the rumors surrounding this place. I hear locals have a different name for¨C¡°


    ¡°Oh, I know that,¡± Kaelyn raised a hand, then realized she was interrupting and shrunk back. ¡°Um, sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, go on.¡±


    ¡°My fa¨C, err, my folks, they call the cirque and its surroundings the Dread. Emmett the peddler said it¡¯s because the place is haunted, but I don¡¯t think anyone knows why exactly.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just hooey,¡± Latasha said.


    ¡°Superstition aside,¡± Luise said, ¡°the Drifter¡¯s Guild have actual reports of missing livestock around the region.¡±


    ¡°Just livestock?¡±


    Luise hesitated, ¡°¡­There¡¯s a few missing persons too. Traveling merchants, mostly.¡±


    ¡°Emmet the peddler,¡± Kaelyn said.


    Latasha gave the girls a once-over in thought before sharing her statement, ¡°It¡¯s all hooey. People go missing all the time.¡±


    Luise smiled. ¡°That¡¯s right. Even if there¡¯s something dangerous, the reports are only particular to small groups, not big and armed like ours. Nothing to worry about, really, but just in case, take care not to wonder outside the perimeter.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, we got it,¡± Latasha dismissed him with a wave.


    He gave a nod to Sallis before turning to the rest of us. ¡°Ladies,¡± he gave us a wink. You could argue he directed that at me, but I really preferred to think it was not.


    In his absence was a long and oppressive silence, interrupted only by the hooded man sitting on the blanket, just outside our circle. He was so close behind me I could almost feel his breath on my neck.


    ¡°It¡¯s horsecrap,¡± Latasha broke the silence.


    ¡°I know. It¡¯s just superstition, right?¡± Kaelyn said.


    ¡°No, I mean he¡¯s lying when he said it¡¯s nothing to worry about. Otherwise, why would he tell me?¡±


    ¡°But he said¨C¡°


    ¡°He didn¡¯t want to worry you girls. My uncle used to say that coincidences stop being coincidences when too many are stacked on top of each other.¡±


    ¡°Coincidences, like the missing horses?¡±


    ¡°And, um, the rumors,¡± Farica contributed with a voice I could barely hear. She was persistently keeping herself outside of Sallis¡¯ field of vision as well as mine, consequently.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Latasha said. ¡°And that wilhound he mentioned, whatever that is¨C¡±


    ¡°Nirhound,¡± Kaelyn corrected.


    ¡°My point is,¡± Latasha continued, ¡°we might not be out of the woods yet, get what I mean? Which is why I figured we could use a magus guardian.¡± She turned her head at the person behind me. ¡°Sallis, is it?¡±


    ¡°¡­Correct,¡± a solemn voice came out of the hood.


    ¡°Does your contract with the drifters include our safety?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That is one of the goals.¡±


    Latasha beamed proudly at herself. ¡°There we go. Our own personal magus guardian. Magi, if we count Whitey.¡± She rubbed the head of the girl behind her.


    ¡°Really? You¡¯ll protect us?¡± Kaelyn asked him.


    ¡°I am obligated to, as per our partnership agreement, so long as it doesn¡¯t conflict with my current directive.¡± Sallis then spoke to me, and me only, ¡°Do understand that this same directive gives me authority to end your life as I deem fit.¡±

 1 - The Dread 3

    ¡°So, let me get this straight.¡±


    Latasha was seated across from me. She had her arms and legs crossed in an unladylike manner as she addressed me, ¡°You can¡¯t speak, you can¡¯t read, and you do magic. How does that make sense?¡±


    Um, I¡¯m sorry? was all I could say. No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn¡¯t understand why she was upset.


    ¡°You¡¯re scaring her,¡± Melory said.


    ¡°What? No, I¡¯m not¨C¡° Latasha sighed, ¡°I¡¯m not mad, alright? I¡¯m just confused. How is she a magus?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Kaelyn asked. She was seated next to Latasha, closest to the open back of the vehicle.


    ¡°Nothing. Nothing at all, it¡¯s just¨C¡°


    The wagon jostled and nearly launched us from our seats. Latasha, perhaps distracted from speaking, almost fell over onto my knees. She snapped her head towards the front of the vehicle. ¡°Hey driver, be gentle!¡±


    ¡°So sorry, madame, road¡¯s rough and all. We¡¯ve just entered the cirque, lotsa uphills and downhills ahead,¡± came the response from the front.


    ¡°Well, you¨C ugh, whatever. Just drive careful¨C¡°


    Another big bump. Latasha groaned but expressed no further complaints.


    ¡°Why does everyone call you madame?¡± asked Kaelyn.


    ¡°Because, uh, don¡¯t worry about that, Ruddy.¡±


    ¡°Should we call you madame too?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± Latasha said before hunching over to pick up the slate that had fallen off her lap. She glanced at me, wrote something with the chalk-stick, then whirled it around to show me a large symbol that had been drawn on the surface. ¡°This is ¡®A¡¯. It¡¯s the first letter of the alphabet, got it?¡±


    Before I could burn the details of the letter into my brain, she turned it back around, wiped it with the cuff of her shirt, and showed me a new writing.


    ¡°This is ¡®B¡¯, second one. Bee, is how you pronounce it.¡± She repeated the routine, but paused in the middle of jotting down the next letter. ¡°You know what, I don¡¯t have time for this. You do it, Wussy Girl,¡± she passed the slate to Farica beside her.


    ¡°M¨C me?¡± The girl made a puppy-eyed look.


    ¡°Yes, you. Teach her so we could at least know her name.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Farica,¡± Melory jumped in, ¡°You don¡¯t have to do what she says.¡±


    Latasha gave her a mighty glare but did not rebuke. Melory, sitting to my right, was bravely answering the lady¡¯s stare. It was a stark contrast to how she looked back at the slaver¡¯s camp, her head between her thighs, waiting to be saved.


    Latasha grabbed the slate and lobbed it over to Melory. ¡°You do it, then.¡±


    Melory shrugged. ¡°Sure,¡± she accepted the object. She proceeded on drawing small symbols starting from one corner of the slate, arranging them in a neat row.


    I don¡¯t get what the fuss is.


    ¡°We can¡¯t just keep calling you Whitey, can we?¡± She responded without looking up from the board.


    What if, uh, what if I don¡¯t have a name?


    Her ears twitched. She paused, then leaned in and whispered, ¡°You can make one up.¡±


    ¡°Did you say something, Goldie?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking to you, madame.¡±


    Friction. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Captured against their will, nearly got sold as slaves, and even after the rescue, there was barely any time to lie down and rest. We were tired, and spending hours on a bumpy ride with our asses glued on crudely-assembled seats thrown together in a rush certainly didn¡¯t help to ease the irritable mood.


    The girls had been on edge ever since Luise told us about the potential danger of the Dread. Anxious? Probably, and another contributor to that was the man on my left, sitting too close for my comfort. He was so silent and unconcerned even back when Latasha bombarded him with colorful words because he refused to remove the inauspicious hood. Clearly she didn¡¯t like him being there, and the others were trying hard in pretending that he wasn¡¯t there. As for me, I personally wouldn¡¯t mind him myself, if not for what he said to me earlier.


    Another bump on the road shook the whole wagon, sending us barreling into each other. I found myself clutching to Sallis for balance. I didn¡¯t mean to, of course. I looked up and saw under the hood his eyes for the first time; a strange grey color, staring at me without expression. He looked young.


    I quickly let go of him and backed away. He didn¡¯t say anything, but something told me he did not like that.


    ¡°I hate this, I hate this, I hate this.¡± Latasha was starting to lose it.


    I hate this too. And not just because of the death-glare from the man beside me. The pain in my head wasn¡¯t as sharp anymore, but whenever the wheels bumped against a rock, it felt like it was my head they were bumping against.


    ¡°Why not just stop here? It¡¯s a good as any place to make camp, right?¡±


    Whoever Latasha was saying that to, they apparently heard her wish because a sharp, high-pitched sound whistled in the air, signaling the wagon to a stop.


    ¡°Huh? Really?¡± She spoke to the driver, ¡°Hey, why are we stopping?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, ma¡¯am. I¡¯m goin¡¯ up front and see what¡¯s up,¡± the coach said before jumping off the seat.


    From the open back of the wagon, I could see the rest of the convoy coming to a stop. A number of people were disembarking, one or two from each vehicle, and were walking or riding on horses towards the front of the line. The clapping of horses was matched by the knocking of wood as Latasha¡¯s boot tapped on the floor, itching to stretch itself. Her restlessness was infectious ¨C my toes were curling in my footwear.


    ¡°It¡¯d be good if this is our stop,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°For all our sakes, it better not be,¡± Melory said.


    ¡°And why is that?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s hours of daylight left. I¡¯m sure some people are longing to get back to their soft beds but stopping now would mean stretching the time we¡¯d have to spend in the wilderness.¡±


    Latasha couldn¡¯t muster a comeback.


    ¡°Um, you know a lot, don¡¯t you, Melory?¡± Kaelyn said, attempting to veer the topic.


    ¡°Of course I do. I¡¯m always travelling.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re nomads, then? You live on the roads?¡±


    ¡°Had to,¡± Melory said, ¡°since you people destroyed my home.¡±


    I could see Latasha¡¯s shoulders tensing up, her brows pulling together and her eyes narrowing. ¡°You blame us for that?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t blame you. I just blame the murderers that gave birth to you.¡±


    Melory, calm down. I couldn¡¯t let her ruin this. She was my only way to communicate with everyone else.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that my parents are highly respectable people,¡± Latasha said.


    ¡°And mine are dead. I guess I have yours to thank for that. Of course, I have to thank you too for letting yourself be captured, right? Because criminals have been slaving my people for years and no one ever did anything. Then they caught you, and suddenly everyone is¨C¡°


    Melory. I touched her hand.


    She stopped. She leaned back in her seat and heaved a long sigh.


    ¡°My father never supported the war,¡± Latasha said. ¡°My mother ran campaigns against the Sack of Elystar, ended up being ostracized for years. I wish I could say the same for the rest of the family.¡±


    ¡°¡­me too,¡± Melory said under her breath.


    The abrupt silence that came after forced us to pay special attention to a pair of footsteps. I saw the silhouette of a man through the fabric of the hood across me, walking towards the back side of the wagon. A second later, a blond head popped out at the back.


    ¡°Ladies,¡± Luise greeted. He raised a brow when no one had the will nor the energy to reply. ¡°Bad time?¡±


    ¡°What do you want, Luise?¡± Latasha said tiredly.


    ¡°I just thought you might want to be kept updated. Have I thought wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, sorry¨C¡° she cut herself short, a tad too late, and corrected herself, ¡°go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Our path¡¯s blocked by some sort of landslide. We¡¯re exploring options for alternative routes, should just take a few minutes before we¡¯re back on our way.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Do what you have to do.¡±


    Luise turned to leave, hesitated, then gave us a short glance. ¡°Play nice, okay? We still have quite a bit of journey ahead of us.¡± He addressed the hooded man, ¡°That means you too, Sallis.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± the magus said.


    Luise wasted no time returning to the front. I almost wanted him to stay just so we could have someone to keep the conversation running. Just as he promised, a few minutes later our driver returned, and we started moving again.


    ¡°Landslide, huh?¡± Kaelyn said. ¡°Must be the recent downpours.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh. Must be,¡± Latasha said, her gaze downwards as she fiddled with her fingers.


    At least she tried, that Ruddy. I could¡¯ve said something to Melory, but this? This was all new to me¡ªdealing with cultural differences, with conversation mines, being afraid of saying the wrong things¡ªoh how simple were the days when all I had to worry about was survival.


    We had to bear with another hour of that bumpy, silent ride where everyone was consciously pressing their lips together, until another whistle was sounded and we were told by the driver to disembark.


    Crisp, fresh wind blew on our faces as soon as we bared ourselves out the back. The sun had sunk in its afterglows, casting an orange shimmer on the horizon to the west, beyond the hill, and a dark purplish hue onto the clouds above our heads.


    Luise was there to welcome us when we got off. From the corner of my eye, I saw him saying something to Sallis. Something about my good behavior, I hoped.


    As Luise guided us through the bustle and uphill, the other ¡®drifters¡¯ were quick to split their work. Some were parking the vehicles by the road while others were unloading on a wide clearing on the hillside, which I assumed was our campsite. Within just a few minutes, fire pits had already been dug, primed with firewood prepared ahead of time. Tents were erected, and cooking pots assembled and ready for use.


    I spotted a few among the people that stood taller than the rest, just like the one I¡¯d seen before. On a closer look, it was obvious they weren¡¯t human, with what the fur-covered bodies and proportions, with wider hips and shoulders making them look stout from afar. Despite their beastly looks, they were cooperating normally with the drifters.


    What are they? I asked Melory.


    ¡°Avlarks,¡± she told me. ¡°My countrymen. Or used to be. Now they¡¯re just warriors without a nation. Wandering mercenaries, if you like.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know what an avlark is, thanks,¡± Latasha said.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking to¨C never mind.¡±


    ¡°Stew is cooking. I¡¯ll come back and bring you girls some,¡± Luise said and left us on a spot where they¡¯d prepared a small fire just for us. They even left a bundle of blankets for us to keep warm, just in case the fire wasn¡¯t enough.


    ¡°Honestly, they¡¯re acting like fairies,¡± Latasha remarked.


    ¡°Fairies?¡± Kaelyn tilted her head.


    ¡°Yeah. Leaving stuff for us without being seen, like shy teenagers in love.¡±


    Her choice of words amused me. Apparently I wasn¡¯t the only one who thought it was weird that our supposed rescuers were keeping distance.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, because of me¡­¡± Farica mewled.


    ¡°No? I mean, I¡¯m glad they¡¯re giving us some girl-space,¡± Latasha assured, blatantly brushing off Sallis¡¯ existence.


    I looked at Melory to clue me in, but she merely shook her head.


    Luise came back later hauling a stewpot with vapor rising out. Accompanying him was a familiar face; a tall, dark-haired man bearing a gargantuan sword, except the sword was nowhere to be seen and in his hand instead was a stack of bowls.


    ¡°Smothering hell,¡± said Latasha. She immediately took a defensive posture, shoulders hunched and arms raised in front of her chest. Farica hid behind her.


    Luise looked between her and the dark-haired man. ¡°I take it you two have met?¡±


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯ve¡­ um, talked.¡±


    ¡°More like, she kicked me in a very tender place because of a misunderstanding,¡± the tall man said, ¡°and ran away before I had the chance to explain.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Luise made an understanding smile. ¡°I believe I¡¯ve explained it for you, then. Latasha, this is Aenir. He¡¯s a friend whose help was crucial in the rescue.¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Latasha relaxed her shoulders but was still warily eyeing the man. ¡°He a drifter?¡±


    ¡®Aenir¡¯ was about to answer, but Luise interrupted, ¡°Nay, he¡¯s just normal man with a noble heart¨C¡±


    ¡°On second thought, I don¡¯t really care. Give us the food and be on your way, thank you.¡±


    Menacing lines formed on Aenir¡¯s forehead. Luise gave him a tap on the shoulder. ¡°As you wish, madame,¡± he said, putting down the pot.


    Aenir followed suit, placing the porringers nearby. Then he walked over to me. ¡°May I talk to you?¡±


    ¡°She can¡¯t talk,¡± Melory told him.


    I can if you translate for me.


    Aenir stared at the slate in her hands. She made a little shake with her head, though I had to wonder if that shake was intended for him or for me. ¡°Can¡¯t write either,¡± she said.


    The two men shared a glance. ¡°Can¡¯t be helped, I guess?¡± Luise suggested.


    Aenir crossed his arms as more lines appeared on his face. ¡°I don¡¯t buy it. How can a magus be illiterate?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I said,¡± Latasha reported. ¡°But it¡¯s the truth nonetheless. Now can you please go away?¡±


    His eyes settled on Farica, who was shrinking her figure on Latasha¡¯s back. ¡°Another time then,¡± he promised.


    They left afterwards, and promptly Latasha grabbed the porringer stack even though the ruddy was already reaching for it. I didn¡¯t know if others noticed how she forcefully took the role of distributing the bowls.


    I¡¯d taken note on her tendency to take lead on some things, like borrowing the writing slate, always speaking up first when the men were around, and now she was handing out the stew. Just the little things, but it was little things she would get thanked for. Maybe she thought it would enforce her authority over this little group?


    ¡°Here,¡± she gave me my share. On second thought, I might be reading too much into it.


    A pleasant smell exuded from the thin container. There was some sort of metal apparatus dipped into the broth consisting of a long handle and a round, concave head. Looking at the others, I realized it was an eating utensil. I copied how they used it, spilled some soup on the dirt instead.


    ¡°Here,¡± Melory took hold of my hand holding the object. ¡°This is how you use a spoon,¡± she said, guiding the tool from the bowl and into my mouth.


    Thanks.


    She responded with a smile. ¡°Anytime.¡±


    Um, back then, why didn¡¯t you¨C


    ¡°Not now,¡± she whispered. That¡¯s when I realized the others were looking.


    ¡°Athyra¡¯s teats, you¡¯ve got a lot of things to learn, Whitey.¡±


    ¡°Give her a break, Latasha. She isn¡¯t like you.¡±


    Latasha dropped her spoon into her bowl, the metal clanking. ¡°What do you mean, ¡®like me¡¯?


    Melory cleared her throat. ¡°Most of us didn¡¯t grow with silver spoons up our rumps.


    I dropped the spoon into the bowl. Was there another use for these things other than for eating?


    For a moment I thought they were going to start pulling each other¡¯s hair. Instead, Latasha just shrugged and addressed me, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Whitey. I didn¡¯t mean anything by it.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure what she was sorry about. I was too distracted by the warm and sapid stew. It could very well be the best thing I¡¯ve ever tasted at that point.


    ¡°This thing is so bland I could die.¡± Latasha paused, ¡°Wait, there¡¯s one bowl left. Did someone not get a share?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Sallis. I¡¯d forgotten he was even there.


    An hour after stew, the drifters told us to turn in early because we were going be on the road at first light. Our sleeping quarters was a large wagon, wider than the one we rode in this noon, meant for commodity rather than people.


    ¡°No.¡± Latasha barred entry to the back of the wagon. ¡°We bore with you for a full day, but there¡¯s no way in hell am I letting you sleep with us.¡±


    Sallis had a deadpan look on his face as he stood outside. He made no indication of retaliation, which made it more unsettling somehow.


    Latasha rested her hands on her hips. ¡°Are you hearing me? Find someplace else to sleep.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that,¡± a low voice came from under the hood. He made a move to climb the wagon.


    ¡°You come in here and I¡¯ll do the same thing to you as I did to that Aenir chap.¡±


    He froze with one foot on the tread. Slowly, he retreated back onto the ground. He goggled at Latasha, assessing how serious she was. He then redirected that gaze to me.


    ¡°Play nice,¡± he said before turning his back and walking away.


    ¡®Play nice¡¯. Was he saying that to me, or to himself?


    ¡°Freaking magi, they¡¯re all creepers I tell you.¡±


    ¡°We should sleep,¡± Melory suggested. ¡°We¡¯ve still got legions ahead of us.¡±


    ? ? ?


    ¡¸ Wrong. You have two guesses left, ¡¹ the bird said.


    Um, uh¡­


    ¡¸ ¡®Without me, there can be no life. Without me, there can be no death. I am everywhere, yet no place can describe me for I am nowhere. You can never see me, hear me, smell me, or feel me, for I am boundless.¡¯ What am I? ¡¹


    Air! You¡¯re air!


    ¡¸ Wrong again. Air doesn¡¯t exist in vacuum, stupid. You have one guess left. ¡¹


    I racked my brain yet again. It wasn¡¯t ¡®life¡¯, and it wasn¡¯t ¡®air¡¯, which leaves but one option left.


    ¡¸ Tick-tock, brat. Tick-tock. ¡¹


    E¨C energy? You¡¯re energy, you must be.


    The raven made a loud, vulgar croak. ¡¸ Wrong. You lose. ¡¹


    Eh?! But¡­


    ¡¸ Now I get to eat you. ¡¹


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Melory said, ¡°you don¡¯t have to do what he says.¡±


    But I promised.


    ¡¸ Promised? ¡¹ the raven laughed. ¡¸ Since when have you kept your promises? ¡¹


    No, I¨C


    ¡¸ Wake up, brat. You¡¯re a filthy little liar, always was, always will. Look at you now, eating delicious food, blankets to keep you warm at night, and what about us? ¡¹


    I couldn¡¯t say anything. My voice was stuck in my throat.


    ¡°Pfft, look, she can¡¯t even speak. Useless little Whitey, and she claims to be a magus?¡± Latasha laughed with her head tilted up, palm against her chin.


    ¡°Play nice,¡± the hooded man told me, ¡°or I will end your life. I have the authority.¡±


    ¡¸ Wake up, brat. These aren¡¯t your friends. No one ever was. ¡¹


    I felt tears welling up. Not even you? You said I was like family.


    ¡¸ Family? You left us, abandoned us here to rot. Wake up, brat. ¡¹


    No, I shook my head. I¡¯m not¨C


    ¡¸ I said, wak¨C ¡¹


    ¡°¡ªke up!¡±


    The earth was shaking. I screamed, Don¡¯t eat me! Don¡¯t eat me!


    ¡°Stop, stop! She¡¯s awake!¡±


    I realized it was me being shook, not the earth. Worried faces greeted me when I opened my eyes.


    ¡°Finally. My arms were getting tired.¡± Latasha was on top of me. She let go of her grip on my shoulders.


    Beside her was Melory. Kaelyn and Farica was slouching over me, looking at my face as if there were something horrid on it. I swept my hand over my face, but the only thing I could feel was cold sweat.


    What¡¯s going on?


    Melory was the one who answered, ¡°You were talking in your sleep.¡±


    ¡°Flailing, more like. Fish on land. Add sleeping posture to your list of things to learn, Whitey. I mean, ¡®Thyra¡¯s sake, were you battling a beast in your sleep?¡±


    ¡°I think she needs space,¡± Melory told them.


    Latasha got off me and went away mumbling to herself. The others dispersed seeing I was awake and well, except for Melory, who looked like she wanted to talk to me.


    ¡°You were saying stuff in your sleep,¡± she said in a hushed voice.


    What did I say?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I think you said ¡®air¡¯ several times. I thought you couldn¡¯t breathe.¡±


    Sorry if I bothered you.


    ¡°No, not at all¡­ well, you did slap her in your sleep,¡± she pointed a surreptitious thumb at Latasha, ¡°but mostly we were just worried. Kaelyn was saying you got possessed by the ghost of the Dread.¡±


    I glanced outside the wagon. The sun was already above the tree line. Weren¡¯t we supposed to depart at dawn?


    ¡°Oh, about that, Latasha already went out to ask. She¡¯d just came back before you started¡­ um, ¡®flailing¡¯,¡± Melory said in a deliberately louder voice, prompting Latasha to turn around.


    ¡°Someone went missing. They¡¯re delaying departure to search,¡± Latasha explained.


    ¡°Another horse?¡± Kaelyn said.


    ¡°I said someone. A person, one of the drifters. That scoun¨C Luise said he was gone around midnight.¡±


    ¡°C¨C could it be the ghost?¡±


    ¡°Ghosts aren¡¯t real, Ruddy. Anyway, they¡¯re limiting the search until noon, so stretch while you can. There¡¯s a stream nearby if you want to take a wash or something.¡°


    ¡°I¡¯ll go,¡± Melory said. ¡°She¡¯ll go with me,¡± she indicated me.


    Huh? I will?


    Latasha narrowed her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s down the hill. Someone will point you there.¡±


    Melory practically dragged me down the wagon and away from earshot before telling me, ¡°Sorry, I wanted to use this chance to talk with you.¡±


    Oh, uh, it¡¯s okay.


    She gave me a sweet smile. ¡°Shall we go, then?¡±


    Sure. I looked around and suddenly reminded myself of something. Where¡¯s Sallis? He¡¯s not going to join us, is he?


    ¡°Um, no. The drifters pulled him out earlier. To help with the missing-person search, I think.¡±


    I see. That meant they trusted me enough without a watch dog breathing down my neck. One burden off my shoulders, if only for temporary.


    We went downhill as Latasha told us to. Since it was near the perimeter, we had to ask for permission. The drifters were kind enough to lend us towels and a bottle filled with clear liquid after we told them our intent.


    ¡°It¡¯s still within the safe zone, so there¡¯s a risk of someone spottin¡¯ you. But hey, better peepin¡¯ ¡®umans than nir¡¯ounds, right?¡± the soldier joked. Melory frowned at that.


    We had to go a little into the woods before we found the stream. There were trees blocking the way, but it was so near the road that someone with enough motivation could see between the gaps.


    ¡°It¡¯s cold,¡± Melory tested the stream with her toe. She sent me a look, ¡°You know how to wash, right?¡±


    Of course.


    Melory walked up a tree by the bank and I followed her. She gave me a long stare.


    ¡°You, uh¡­ I¡¯d prefer we not see each other.¡±


    I tilted my head. Why?


    She started rubbing her forehead. ¡°Just, please? I don¡¯t know about you Laxians, but in my culture, we don¡¯t show our bodies outside of special occasions.¡±


    Special occasions?


    ¡°Yeah, like, um, c¨C ceremonies and stuff, and, and uh¡­¡±


    I was just joking, Melory.


    The color of her face turned cherry. Her ears drooped as she made a wily frown, ¡°You are mean.¡±


    I had to fight off a sudden urge to grab her ears. I¡¯ll just be over there, then.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    I chose a big rock jutting out the knee-depth stream and placed it between myself and her. As soon as I took off my clothes, a cold, teat-hardening wind blew over me, prompting me to do my business quickly.


    I popped myself up from behind the rock. Melory was still undressing behind the tree. I called out, You wanted to speak?


    ¡°Yeah, hold on¨C¡° she peeked out, saw me, and quickly looked away. ¡°S¨C sorry.¡±


    It¡¯s okay.


    ¡°Um, can I ask you about it?¡±


    About what?


    ¡°No, never mind. Anyway, I¡¯m coming out now.¡±


    I dived back behind the rock to give her space. We each ended having a section of the stream to ourselves.


    Melory, do you not want people to know that you can hear me?


    I could hear a splash of water on the other side. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s just that, err, it creates questions.¡±


    Questions?


    ¡°Yeah. The kind that would lead to more questions, and that can be harmful.¡±


    Okay. I sort of understood what she meant. No one else was able to hear me, after all, which brought me to the next question, How can you hear me?


    ¡°I can¡¯t really hear you, not really. I just feel your¡­ thoughts? Intentions and¡­ feelings, maybe? From there I just guess what you¡¯re actually saying.¡±


    I see. I¡¯d figured it was something like that. I also noticed how she didn¡¯t really answer my question, but I decided not to call her out on that.


    The both of us silently continued our bath. Melory seemed to be holding back, which in turn made me hold back. Hence, we came to an unspoken agreement not to ask anything personal about each other. We finished quickly, thanks to the magical liquid we received from the drifters which helped scrape off dirt from our skin. We put on our clothes and was about to head back when Melory stopped in her tracks.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± she asked me.


    I didn¡¯t¡­


    ¡°Wait, huh?¡± she turned around to face the stream. ¡°That¡¯s weird. I thought I¨C¡± her ears twitched, ¡°there it is again.¡± She turned around and faced the stream.


    I followed her gaze and saw something rustling the plants across the stream. Something was skulking around. Melory, step back.


    ¡°It¡¯s speaking to me. Can¡¯t you hear it?¡±


    I said step back. Then I addressed the invader, Who¡¯s there? Show yourself!


    I was hoping it was one of the drifters, maybe someone who was coming back from chores and saw us, decided to do something harmless. What came out of the bushes was something else.


    It crawled out, leg by leg. It stood on all eight probably at the height of my knees. Its body was hairy, colored in bright, striped patterns. Four orbs on its front, which I assumed were its eyes, were fixed at us.


    It lifted its pair of foremost legs high above its head. Melory made something between a shriek and a whimper. She pulled on my cuffs, ¡°We¨C we should run.¡±


    Wait. The creature didn¡¯t seem aggressive. Not territorial, but what then? Hunting? If that¡¯s the case, turning our backs could mean our end.


    Distance to the road: a hundred feet, approximately. Less than ten seconds if we were to make a break for it, but that ¡®less than ten seconds¡¯ could be enough for the creature to catch one of us.


    I grabbed Melory¡¯s hand. Move back, slowly, but don¡¯t take your eyes off it.


    The creature started moving, but not towards us. Not even changing position. The legs planted firm on the ground and skewed sideways, swinging the body left and right in a wavy motion. The two foremost legs, still raised up, followed the motion one step behind.


    What is it doing?


    ¡°I¨C I don¡¯t know. I think¡­¡± Her face draws an expression of utter bafflement, ¡°I think it¡¯s dancing. Almost as if it¡¯s courting.¡±


    The creature¡¯s innermost appendages moved, starting with a brisk up-down motion that kept in pace with the swinging. Then it stirred, almost vibrating, making disturbing clicking noises.


    Melory looked at me. ¡°Um¡­¡± she pointed a tentative finger at me.


    One glance of her face and I knew what she was trying to say. I looked at the creature who was still ¡®dancing¡¯. What the fuck?


    It stopped, probably sensing hostility. Its forelegs were bent into a hook shape as it started making a forward-to-back movement, repeatedly. It kept doing that gesture as it retreated back under the shadows, disappearing from view.


    What the fuck? I repeated.


    ¡°It wants us, or, um, you to follow.¡±


    We shared a look, didn¡¯t need to speak a word to come to a decision. We packed our things and scurried the way we came, not once looking back, though Melory did look up at the trees as if expecting something to jump down on our faces.


    ¡°We have to tell someone.¡±


    Agreed. But maybe not about¡­


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    We couldn¡¯t find anyone on the way up, and when we arrived back at camp, we realized it was because they were all gathered in a big circle. Something must¡¯ve happened while we were taking our wash.


    A man with wrinkled face and greying short-cropped hair stood at the center. He wore the same cloak as the others, but colored dark-red instead of teal. The drifter chief.


    Standing beside that person was Luise, for whatever reason, and one of those avlark people; seven feet tall, with brown fur and wearing almost zero clothing. It had a large scar streaking vertically across its right eye, as well as parts missing from the wolf-like ear on the same side. The leader of the bear-men, I surmised.


    We¡¯ll tell them after.


    Melory nodded at this and we sought out the others. It wasn¡¯t hard to spot Latasha¡¯s group, given how there was an invisible ditch separating them from the men.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Melory said as we sat behind them.


    ¡°Shush, we¡¯re about to find out,¡± Latasha said.


    ¡°We found Carleigh,¡± the drifter chief at the center announced, and the chatter was immediately hushed down. ¡°Unfortunately, he was already dead when we found him. Killed by beasts.¡±


    ¡°And not just any beasts,¡± Luise added. ¡°Drifters, we might be facing an Alpha. Orlev, Aldwan and I have decided to raise alert protocol to class-B, Yellow. This is not a subjugation. Our priority is the rescuees¡¯ safety. As of now, the mission is to retreat from the Dread¡­¡±


    Latasha turned her head and gave us a once-over. ¡°You look pale.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¨C¡°


    ¡°Well, Whitey is always pale, but¨C¡°


    ¡°¡ªwe saw a monster.¡±


    I don¡¯t know if it was because she said it a bit too loudly or if it coincided with the breaks between the chief¡¯s explanations, but heads turned to her, and the chief stopped talking.


    ¡°Miss Melory,¡± he came over, ¡°tell us more.¡±


    ¡°¡­A giant spider?¡±


    Chief Constable Orlev, leader of the drifters, narrowed his eyes. There was something in his composure that told me of a hardened veteran; skeptical, but always assuming the worst. ¡°And you both saw this?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Melory said. I nodded along.


    ¡°This spider, what did it do?¡± Luise inquired.


    ¡°It was just watching. Luring us, I think.¡±


    Sounds about right.


    ¡°Do you ¡®hink it¡¯s rela¡¯ed with your Carleigh?¡± asked the chief of the avlarks. He was easily one foot higher than the tallest human, towering over us.


    ¡°Chances are low that it¡¯s not linked, Aldwan. I¡¯ll instruct the men to tighten the perimeters. It must¡¯ve gotten through jumping on top of trees,¡± Orlev said.


    ¡°And then what?¡± Latasha said. ¡°Clearly there¡¯s something out there picking us off.¡±


    Orlev crossed his arms, resting his chin between his thumb and index finger. ¡°The Dread¡­ is it?¡±


    I saw Kaelyn flinch at the mention.


    ¡°What do you think, Ald?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this, Orlevha,¡± the avlark answered. ¡°I¡¯m not one thu believha in old folk¡¯ales, but this giant spider?¡± He glanced at the girls.


    ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll hold off going further in the cirque and send some scouts in. We stay here for the night while we hash out other possible routes.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what does that mean?¡± Latasha asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, madame,¡± Orlev assured her. ¡°We¡¯re just going to make sure the road¡¯s safe before going in.¡±


    ¡°No. You¡¯re not saying something.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really not¨C¡°


    ¡°Chief,¡± Luise interrupted. ¡°She¡¯s not as bratty a noble as she looks¨C¡°


    ¡°Hey¨C¡°


    ¡°¡ªand if she¡¯s saying they should know, I¡¯d vouch for her judgement.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Orlev said.


    ¡°Absolutely.¡± Luise gave Latasha a wink.


    ¡°Fuck you, Luise.¡±


    ¡°Alright then,¡± Orlev addressed us, though he was specifically addressing Latasha, ¡°Twenty years ago, during the last Blight, there were¡­ reports of similar beasts.¡±


    ¡°The Sixth Blight? I¡¯ve read all about it. There was no such report.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because it¡¯s nevhar been confirmed, La¡¯asha-arleda,¡± Aldwan told her. ¡°There were plenty of witnesses, but no concrete evhadences.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying a demon is behind this?¡± Luise said. I was mildly surprised he wasn¡¯t in the know as well. Although, to be fair, he looked young and was probably just a child twenty years ago.


    ¡°¡¯That¡¯s what vhalks back then say. If it¡¯s true, then we¡¯re way out of our league here. That¡¯s why Orlevha was reluc¡¯ant. He didn¡¯t want thu scare you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not scared,¡± Latasha said, looking up at the avlark, staring him in the eye.


    ¡°You should be, lassie,¡± Aldwan warned, his expression grim.


    ¡°Ald, ease up. We¡¯re to give them straight, not terrorize them.¡± Orlev turned to Latasha, ¡°That said, I trust you to keep yourselves from being overwhelmed by this because this is still a conjecture. The reports back then originated from the south, nowhere near this place, and one sighting doesn¡¯t indicate much. Just keep calm and follow our procedures. The drifters are trained for this.¡±


    Latasha gave him a curt nod, but it wasn¡¯t her he should be worrying about. Surprisingly, Farica didn¡¯t seem that scared either, but looking at the deadpan face, it¡¯s possible that the girl didn¡¯t actually understand the conversation. Ruddy¡¯s dread, however, was apparent from the stiff way she stood, constantly scratching her arms that were crossed over her chest.


    But the girls weren¡¯t the most restless ones here. It was the avlark chief, observable from his dilated pupils as well as the ears, perked up and alert. Orlev was better at hiding it, but I didn¡¯t miss how he couldn¡¯t look at Latasha in the eye.


    ¡°Just, hypothetically,¡± Latasha said, ¡°if it turned out to be a demon, what would your immediate procedure be?¡±


    Orlev paused. Aldwan answered in his stead, ¡°Drop every¡¯ing and run.¡±

 1 – The Dread 4

    The night was overcast with storm clouds. There was a glaring contrast where the illuminated areas bordered with the shadows, like drips of intense colors on a pitch-black canvas. As the glow of fires danced and flickered, it created an illusion of the shadows moving behind them.


    It reminded me of the Grim.


    Morbid. But circumstances were to blame.


    It started showering at some point¡ªan ice-cold rain that froze the ground in contact¡ªnot long after we boarded our bunk-wagon. There was a drop in temperature on account to this that left us huddling for warmth.


    The heating device helped. It was a smooth wooden box with holes on it with something inside radiating light and heat. I assumed it was burning charcoals, but Melory told me what they used was ¡®searing stones¡¯; a recent invention by someone called ¡®Geomancer¡¯, or something like that.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised a nomad like you know that,¡± Latasha said. She was closest to the device, warming her hands and rubbing them together in intervals. She was wearing at least two blankets over multiple layers of winter clothing.


    Melory wore only a thin shawl over her usual clothes. Kaelyn was sharing a blanket with Farica who was already fast asleep, her head leaned against Kaelyn¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°It¡¯s because we¡¯re nomads that we know,¡± Melory said in a quiet voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s rough isn¡¯t it?¡± Kaelyn joined.


    ¡°Yeah. Rough.¡±


    ¡°The winters, I mean. How do you get by?¡±


    Melory shrugged. ¡°We settle down and brace.¡±


    ¡°I think she would appreciate just a tad more detail, Goldie,¡± Latasha said.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not,¡± Melory said, dismissing the topic.


    The rain grew heavy into the night. We were supposed to turn in long ago but between the cold, the thrumming of raindrops on the covers, and that ambient sense of dread lingering, it was asking too much to relax.


    There was a bright flash outside. Lightning. Another thing I¡¯ve never seen with my own eyes yet I knew about because it was stored in that mysterious corner of my brain. The thunder came hard and the girls flinched despite the fact they¡¯d seen it coming.


    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t you guys think it¡¯s weird that they didn¡¯t have a body?¡± Latasha said.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Kaelyn said, her hands still covering her ears.


    ¡°The missing drifter. They said they found the body, so where was it?¡± the lady clarified.


    ¡°They must¡¯ve buried him on the spot.¡±


    ¡°Why not bring it back to the camp? It¡¯s rather rude to bury someone without giving his friends a chance to offer their prayers.¡±


    ¡°He was killed by a beast,¡± Melory was the one who answered, ¡°I doubt there¡¯s anything left to take back.¡±


    Latasha didn¡¯t say anything back, but her facial expressions was strained. Doubting.


    ¡°Um, yeah, I¡¯m more worried about the snow,¡± Kaelyn said.


    ¡°Me too,¡± Melory agreed.


    Snow. The thought rather startled me.


    I wasn¡¯t much different to a newborn fawn in terms of knowing how things worked in this world, but it didn¡¯t take much for me to picture the mountain trails getting clogged up by snow, slowing our convoy or even trapping us within the cirque. The drifters must¡¯ve had these dangers in mind as they travelled from sunrise to sunset, whipping their horses for ten hours straight on the road every day since the rescue. We were racing against time and the coming of winter.


    Then the word ¡®demon¡¯ was thrown in and suddenly they didn¡¯t care about the race anymore, apparent as the drifters had willingly delayed the journey to ¡®scout ahead¡¯. Maybe, just maybe, what they thought as entrapment by snow, starvation, and freezing to death, were trivial risks compared to the danger of a ¡®demon¡¯.


    As I thought something along those lines, another lightning struck. I heard something that sounded like a whinny reacting to the thunder. It came from outside, so it was definitely not one of us.


    Did you hear that?


    Melory addressed me, ¡°They moved the vehicles up here, I think. Horses and everything.¡±


    That caught Latasha¡¯s attention. ¡°How do you know? And why would they move the vehicles?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know for what reason, but I¡¯ve been hearing stuff moving around for a while.¡±


    ¡°And you didn¡¯t tell us? What the hell?¡±


    I saw Melory¡¯s ears drop slightly. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s important.¡±


    ¡°Um, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s nothing, Latasha,¡± Kaelyn said.


    ¡°It could be something. What else did you hear, Goldie?¡±


    ¡°Um,¡± the luphaen fidgeted, ¡°I could hear people shouting.¡±


    Which was normal given the intensity of the rain drowning otherwise normal sounds below shouting. Not that the rest of us heard anything.


    ¡°Something¡¯s afoot. I¡¯m going out,¡± Latasha said, but she didn¡¯t move a foot, trapped in her little bubble of warmth. ¡°In a minute,¡± she added.


    I acted first. I broke out of my nest and looked out, hood up. It was too dark to see more than orbs in the dark where lanterns and torches were lit. Some of the lights moved, and there were large pockets of them gathered in the direction of downhill. The outlines of vehicles were barely defined by the sparse amount of light that reached them, but it was enough to confirm Melory¡¯s claim that they¡¯d moved everything up from the base of the hill.


    Melory appeared beside me. Her dilated pupils seemed to glow in the dark as she scanned the same places I did.


    ¡°You two see anything?¡± Latasha said.


    ¡°There¡¯s some sort of commotion. I think they¡¯re making a fence,¡± Melory told her.


    They¡¯re making a barricade.


    ¡°A barricade. Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Are we, um,¡± Kaelyn lowered her voice, ¡°are we under attack?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m up, Kae,¡± Farica said, stirring up from Kaelyn¡¯s side.


    ¡°Sorry, did I wake you?¡±


    ¡°No. Been awake for a while.¡±


    Farica was the youngest here, somewhere in her early teens if I had to guess. Had she been pretending to be asleep? So that we didn¡¯t have to speak reservedly for her benefit? The alert look on her face suggested that was likely the case.


    ¡°Everything¡¯s fine, Fa,¡± Kaelyn assured the girl with a pat on the head.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not, Ruddy,¡± Latasha interrupted. ¡°And yes, we could be under attack, or at least the drifters are expecting it. I¡¯m going out to check. Is anyone with me?¡±


    I¡¯m going.


    ¡°Which means I¡¯m going as well, I guess,¡± Melory whispered.


    You don¡¯t have to.


    ¡°We¡¯re coming with,¡± she told the lady, then to me, ¡°I¡¯m coming with.¡±


    Kaelyn and Farica stayed behind. I was in luck as I had the hood which was meant to protect me during the day. Yes, apparently I was sensitive to sunlight, according to Latasha. Now the cowl served to cover me from the rain, if just a little. The lady and Melory weren¡¯t so lucky, but the pour was heavy and windy enough that it wouldn¡¯t matter if we¡¯d carried a tarp over our heads.


    ¡°Sweet merciful teat, it¡¯s cold,¡± Latasha said, crossing her arms and shriveling her shoulders.


    Every drop that fell on our skin felt like a touch of frost. Melory didn¡¯t seem nearly as bothered, but that could be her putting up a face.


    The grass felt hard and cold beneath our feet, almost as if they were frozen. Our breaths were visible in the cold as we made our way towards the largest concentration of light sources. Melory, with her nocturnality, volunteered to lead the way.


    We made our approach towards the barricade. I was close enough to see it now. It was made from sharpened pieces of wood laced together, arranged in a line and reinforced with double-ended spears and torches. People were fumbling about, emptying boxes and distributing the contents around. Bolts, spears, flasks and¡­ shovels. Shovels?


    Squinting my eyes, I saw the drifters digging a line of trench on the other side of the barricade. All of these weren¡¯t there this evening. They must¡¯ve done everything in but a few hours ¨C a testament to the efficiency of drifters. The ones that weren¡¯t digging the trough or cannibalizing empty containers were either pouring liquid into the furrows or distributing the supplies needed for said efforts.


    ¡°Look for someone we know. Preferably someone in charge,¡± Latasha said.


    Unfortunately for her, the first person we spotted was Luise. Or rather, he spotted us. ¡°Tasha,¡± the blond crept up behind us.


    For an instant, I jumped into danger mode. Melory¡ªwith her sharp senses¡ªhad the same reaction I did, turning around the moment the voice came from our back. Perhaps the rain and the night were to blame for us not noticing his approach, but then again, this was the monster capable of anticipating my magic in an almost-foresight manner.


    ¡°Luise, please announce your presence,¡± Latasha said calmly.


    ¡°Go back. It isn¡¯t safe here,¡± Luise implored. He had a raincoat with a hood on, as did most of the drifters in the rain. Underneath his coat, I could see his sword¡¯s sheen as water trickled down the blade. He was fully geared.


    ¡°No. We want to know what¡¯s going on,¡± Latasha said as she stared him down. It would¡¯ve made a decent effort if she wasn¡¯t shivering and rubbing her arms.


    Luise made a sigh. ¡°Just come for now.¡±


    He took us under a large waterproof cloth spread and held up with metal poles. There were crates stacked there ¨C gunpowder, judging from the smell. We stood somewhere out of the way as to not block the traffic of drifters. The others started noticing us, but they were too occupied with building the defenses to spare more than a few curious glances.


    Luise untied the kerchief around his neck and held it above Latasha¡¯s head. ¡°Madame, if I may?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not.¡±


    ¡°I insist. You¡¯ll get a cold, and that isn¡¯t a trifling matter in the wilds.¡±


    ¡°I said no. That thing has your s¨C s¨C sweat, on it,¡± Latasha stuttered, more from shivering than of disgust.


    While they bickered, I took off my cowl and used the inside part to rub the moisture off Melory¡¯s hair. Her eyes widened at that.


    ¡°I¨C I¡¯m fine,¡± she said.


    As Latasha and Luise argued, another person came under the tarp. It was the tall man with the overcompensating sword, which he donned on his back with a sling. ¡°Luise, this isn¡¯t the time to flirt,¡± he said.


    ¡°Watch your mouth!¡± Latasha snarled.


    Aenir gave each of us a look. His gaze stayed on me a bit longer than the others ¨C almost unnoticeable, but just long enough to know he had something in his mind. ¡°You said you vouched for the madame. Why not bring them along?¡± he suggested.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way I can do that.¡°


    ¡°Why? Because we¡¯re women?¡± Latasha said.


    ¡°That¡¯s not¨C,¡± he paused, ¡°alright, fine, I concede.¡± He took off his hood scarf and forcefully put it on Latasha¡¯s head, not giving her a chance to protest. ¡°Just, stay close, and don¡¯t make a fuss. Please?¡±


    Latasha responded with a curt nod. Luise paced towards another tent, and she stomped after him.


    ¡°Um,¡± Melory pushed my cowl back to me.


    I¡¯m fine.


    Casually, Aenir held out his long overcoat above us. He was tall enough to pull off the move and actually be convincing about it.


    ¡°Um, thanks,¡± Melory said. He didn¡¯t reply.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    We were led to a baker tent that stood out from the number of lanterns hung around its corners. A group of people surrounded a large crate they used as a make-do table. Orlev was there. Sallis. Aldwan, the avlark chief, as well as a couple others faces I recognized but didn¡¯t know the name of. Just like the others, the people there didn¡¯t give us anything more than a brief glimpse before continuing their discussion. No one said anything when we crowded into the tent, so I assumed they were okay with us being there, but neither did they seem open to interruptions.


    A crude drawing of the hill and its surroundings was laid out on the table, with different widths of lines and letters I couldn¡¯t read describing the environment. At the base of the hill, a large X had been drawn. The enemy. There was something about the size of that X that made me anxious.


    ¡°How are things?¡± Orlev addressed the new arrivals.


    Aenir pushed us under the roofing before answering, ¡°The lads are trying their best keeping the powder dry, but the rain¡¯s hard and we only have so much eyes to spare. Don¡¯t expect much.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for your help, Aenir.¡± Orlev tapped the shoulder of the drifter next to him. ¡°Tell everyone to pack a crossbow. No more than two clips.¡±


    ¡°Aye, chief,¡± the drifter said before marching out into the rain.


    ¡°Luise? Everything set?¡±


    ¡°Still unloading. Should we have two guys manning Little Dep?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Position it so it gets a clear line of fire on the entrance, but not too close.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Line of fire on the entrance.¡±


    Latasha cleared her throat and heads turned. Interruption. No one was scowling, but it certainly felt like they all were.


    ¡°I can see you¡¯re making a stockade on only one side of the hill. Is there no other entry point?¡± she said.


    ¡°We¡¯re counting on the natural crags,¡± Orlev told her. ¡°Have you been posted on what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯re anticipating an attack, but how? When, and why?¡±


    ¡°Our scouts spotted nirhounds swarming not far from here. A few dozens, at least. We¡¯re predicting an attack within the hour.¡±


    ¡°Swarming? Is that normal nirhound behavior? How are our odds?¡±


    ¡°Two dozen drifters and six larks on our side. Firearms are limited by weather, but we have substitutes,¡± Orlev said. He didn¡¯t answer her first question.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget we have the Firemonger with us,¡± Luise added, gesturing at Sallis.


    ¡°Any strategy?¡± Latasha asked.


    ¡°Standard alpha-red, hold out and thin the pack while a detached team searches out the alpha. We don¡¯t have manpower for the latter part, unfortunately,¡± Orlev said.


    The fact that they so eagerly brought her up to speed meant they expected her to have something to contribute. Either it was because of what Luise said about her, or they were just that stumped for ideas.


    The rattling of metal paused the discussion and pulled our attentions to a certain metal object being pushed towards the blockade. It was nearly as tall as I was, shaped like two enormous bows stacked on top of each other and attached onto a fixture donning two large wheels. Two arms extended out the sides in an upwards diagonal to form a large, intimidating V. There was a crank on its right side, which I assumed was the firing mechanism judging by the lack of a trigger.


    ¡°Don¡¯t put it too far ahead! We want it to cover the entirety of the chokehold!¡± Luise directed the instructions to the people pushing the contrivance.


    ¡°You have a Domitorem.¡± Aldwan growled, but not in an antagonizing way, more in a raring-for-battle kind of way. ¡°Vhaosha. That sure ¡®akes me back.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a portable variant. The Depredator,¡± Orlev told him.


    ¡°Any¡¯hing else up your sleevhas? Vhalame¡¯rowers, maybe?¡±


    ¡°Maybe not,¡± Orlev stared at me, ¡°we¡¯ve got enough firepower.¡±


    I stared back. Why are you looking at me like that?


    ¡°Um, why are you looking at her like that?¡± Melory asked him.


    ¡°We can use you. I assumed that¡¯s why you¡¯re here? To help?¡±


    My gaze met with Melory¡¯s. She shook her head, so small a movement that I was sure no one else saw.


    I gave Orlev a nod. She frowned.


    ¡°Whitey,¡± Latasha warned.


    ¡°Thank you, uh, Whitey? Is that your name?¡± Orlev asked with a raised brow.


    ¡°She¡¯s Whitey because she¡¯s Whitey, and she¡¯s not going anywhere.¡±


    ¡°And she isn¡¯t going anywhere,¡± Orlev said. ¡°She¡¯ll be near the barricade and not one foot beyond. She¡¯ll be within earshot.¡± His voice was deep and strict. Commanding.


    ¡°She will be a target. Oh, and ¡®within earshot¡¯?¡± she sneered, ¡°She can¡¯t speak, you numbcod! No, she stays here where it¡¯s safe!¡±


    ¡°Madame, we have one line of defense. One. If they break through, we¡¯re as good as dead. Nowhere is safe.¡± He looked at me. ¡°And she already agreed.¡±


    Yeah. I nodded again. For confidence.


    The situation aside, I felt like I had to do it. I never thought of myself as someone so eager to please, but I was new to this world, and these people around me were, at the time, the only rocks in a raging river I was constantly being swept in. Until I could build my own boat, I was entirely dependent on them. I had to earn credit to my name if I wanted to survive.


    No, that probably wasn¡¯t it. Yes, I didn¡¯t have anything societally. Looking at it another way, I did have my own boat, built from the time I broke out of that cage. I¡¯ve gained power by myself, but how far could I run with it? I needed to know the extent of my power and this just so happened to be the perfect occasion.


    Melory grabbed on my cuffs. ¡°I¡¯m going too.¡±


    ¡°Goldie, not you too,¡± Latasha protested.


    ¡°No,¡± Orlev said straightaway. ¡°You don¡¯t have anything to contribute to the fight.¡±


    ¡°I can talk¨C uh,¡± she fumbled, ¡°I can communicate with her. She, um, she can speak through me.¡±


    That got everyone momentarily speechless. They gave the luphaen dubious stares.


    ¡°It¡¯s true!¡± she snatched my wrist, ¡°Tell them it¡¯s true!¡±


    I hesitated. Honestly, I was glad for the possibility of finally being able to communicate with the rest of them. But why now?


    It was only hours ago that she told me she didn¡¯t want to tell others. Questions leading to harmful questions, she had mentioned, and now she¡¯s going back on her own words. Spur of the moment? Did I want to take advantage of that?


    I didn¡¯t give her a response. She looked hurt.


    ¡°Noncombatants will stay away from the barrier and that is final,¡± Orlev concluded.


    ¡°You can make explosions, yes?¡± Aenir addressed me. I nodded. He pointed at the slope beyond the trench. ¡°Once the enemy starts advancing, you will bombard them with fire magic. You think you can control your explosions enough to not harm one of our own?¡±


    I guess we¡¯ll find out. I nodded again.


    ¡°Good. Sallis will handle the left wing, while you take care of the right.¡±


    ¡°Little magus,¡± Orlev called, ¡°we¡¯re counting on you.¡±


    The chief turned towards the barricades and flipped out a small device. He brought it to his mouth and sounded a long, ear-jerking whistle. Melory winced, and though not as much, so did Aldwan.


    ¡°Men, fall back behind the barrier and man your stations!¡± Orlev blared.


    To that, drifters poured in from the chokehold with shovels and mud in hand. It gave us a preview of how the barricades worked; barring entry on all but one point of the trench, around ten feet wide, where the enemy would converge.


    The group started to disperse. Sallis went towards the left side of the barrier with Luise in company. Orlev and Aldwan took the center. That left Latasha and Melory in the tent, looking like lost lambs.


    Aenir nudged me. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    We were already out in the midst when I heard Melory crying out, ¡°S¨C scream! Scream if you need help! I¡¯ll hear you!¡±


    Latasha made a baffled look at that. I gave them an assuring nod.


    ¡°Stick close to me,¡± Aenir said, grabbing my upper arm. He didn¡¯t make a comment on that exchange.


    We forced our way through the wave of people, towards the right side of the barricade where they were setting up with rifles and crossbows. My eyes wandered to the far end where the spikes and trench ended and saw how the drifters used the shape of the hill to their advantage. I had to wonder if they picked this place as our campsite with this kind of scenario in mind.


    ¡°Can you see it?¡± he pointed over the barricade.


    The wooden construction blocked my view. I wanted to get closer for a better look, but Aenir stopped me. ¡°Keep a distance.¡± He turned his back to me and crouched, his arms splayed back. ¡°Get on.¡±


    Um.


    ¡°Get on, I said.¡±


    I adhered myself to his back and he stood up. At over six feet tall, I could barely make out the end of the slope where it connected with the road, and across that road was where a dense collection of trees started. The big X.


    ¡°They¡¯ll come from the tree line down there. The enemy is bunching a bit further from where you saw the arachnid this morning.¡± He pointed to the woods downhill, ¡°The ridges should keep them from surrounding our position, but try to divert them towards the center if you can.¡±


    Alright, I nodded, then I realized he couldn¡¯t possibly see it.


    ¡°Make sure not to detonate too close to the barricade. The trough is coated with napalm, wouldn¡¯t want to ignite it too soon.¡±


    I heard a snicker from the side. One of the drifters, taking amusement from the piggybacking. That prompted Aenir to put me down. He had a smile when I looked up and for some inexplicable reason, I felt danger.


    ¡°¡­We¡¯ll get you a box to stand on.¡±


    He came back with a box a minute later. I could hear suppressed chuckles when I climbed on top of it. Humiliating, but at least now I could see over the fence. My visibility was hindered by the darkness to around twenty feet or so. Beyond that was just a mush of shapes and silhouettes.


    Orlev sounded his whistle. The drifters stopped chuckling and all chatter was silenced. They took their places behind the barricade, their arms rigid and their expressions stoic. Their fingers kneaded the trigger of their weapon of choice, as if to check how far their index finger would have to reach.


    In that silence, with nothing but the hum of rain to fill the void, the night suddenly turned bright. Not lightning.


    I looked up and saw a glowing orb, bright and white, floating high above the hill. Its light reached even the trees in the enemy¡¯s territory. I could only assume it was Sallis¡¯ doing.


    The darkness had been banished, giving us full view of the slope of the hill. I imagined there to be a sea of beasts, but there was nothing but the two figures emerging from the woods. Two tall biped figures. Avlarks.


    ¡°The scouts!¡± someone shouted.


    They were scampering towards us, no weapons in hand because they either lost them or dropped them in favor of agility. More shapes started coming into view, pouring out the trees like a flood. Four-legged creatures the size of wolves. There were no howls, no barks, just a silent stampede.


    ¡°They won¡¯t make it alone,¡± Aenir said.


    I can¡¯t help them, They¡¯re too far¨C


    A fiery orb launching from the left side proved me wrong. The eruption shook the air and the earth, sending debris and beasts alike high into the air.


    Sallis. How did he do it? It seemed to me that he somehow sealed an explosion, projected it, and made it detonate on impact. But how does it work? What produces the energy and what contained it? What propelled it afterwards?


    More hounds were coming out to replace the dead ones and then some. The beasts were faster and were quickly gaining up on the avlarks.


    The rain fell silent as my mind shut itself from the outside world. My breaths were shallow, following an invisible rhythm that with each beat pulled the aether into my senses. I felt the seconds stretch, raindrops becoming lines rather than a flash. Connected and ready.


    I could wait for the swarm to get within my range, but the two avlarks wouldn¡¯t make it that far. If I could project my magic like Sallis did, however¡­


    I thought about it. Composing the explosive was simple enough, either through combustive processes or just the raw internal energy of mana particles exerted into the system.


    Conundrum? Suspending the process and then launching it as a projectile. One viable method: contain the combustion within a vortex of whirling particles with enough momentum to offset the outward pressure, essentially creating an enclosure to keep the fuel and oxidant together.


    As for the propulsion, draw the kinetic energy from the vortex, apply it as thrust, then have the vortex disperse on impact. Boom.


    That boom in my head coincided with a real explosion. Sallis again, bombarding the tip of the swarm as it bore down on the escaping scouts, saving their souls.


    Loud pops resonated all around me as drifters fired their rifles to snipe the beasts from afar, chipping away pieces of the horde. Aenir stood by my side, a pistol in hand pointed at the ground. He spoke to me with his eyes. Watching, judging on my inability to help.


    I gritted my teeth and held out my hand, palm up, more to warn the others nearby than out of necessity. The ¡®fire¡¯ started out dim and small, followed by the swirling of air encapsulating a bubble of gaseous mixture floating above my hand. As the energy built, so did the cyclone surrounding it, trapping the heat-bearing particles inside.


    ¡°Steady,¡± Aenir said. ¡°Let it build naturally. Don¡¯t rush the flow.¡±


    I nodded and let past second after second as the avlarks below scrambled for their lives. Eventually the fireball, my fireball, became so bright that others became wary of it, and the vortex so powerful it created a constant gust of wind around me.


    I took a deep breath. I splayed out my hand and the drifters took that as cue to get out of the way.


    The orb flew. I watched as it illuminated everything in its path before exploding brilliantly. Midair. A dozen feet before reaching its target.


    ¡°You almost killed our own men.¡±


    I saw. Shit. I could intuitively guess what went wrong. The propagation force was mooched from the barrier¡¯s kinetic energy, thus diminishing it as the fireball travelled, up until a critical point where it could no longer hold the internal pressure and prematurely detonate.


    I held out my hand and repeated the process, albeit with a slight alteration.


    ¡°Is¨C Is she going for another go?¡± one of the drifters said. He looked at the space above my hand as if it would ignite at any second.


    ¡°She¡¯s fine,¡± Aenir answered. To me, he said, ¡°You¡¯re fine.¡± It sounded more like an order than an assurance.


    I spared less energy for the explosive effect and more for the kinetic barrier this time. It formed much faster than before, the vortex spinning up first and the fire following behind it. Within seconds, I had a new and improved fireball. Less firepower, but more travel distance. Hopefully.


    Launch. Slower, and wobbly in its travel. Partway, it started to diverge from its original path. The detonation happened way off target, singeing away edges of the swarm.


    One of the avlarks stumbled. He couldn¡¯t get up fast enough. Jaws descended upon him within seconds.


    Harrowing screams mixed into the sound of rain. There was me hoping the growling of beasts would drown them, but the horde was eerily silent even as they bit into their living prey. In that light, the spray of blood and flesh was more glaring than it would¡¯ve been in the day.


    ¡°Aw, shit,¡± uttered one of the drifters.


    Another of Sallis¡¯ explosions, centered around the fallen avlark. To spare him from a painful death.


    My latest version of fireball was unstable. Because of the whirlwind?


    I tried again. This time I shaped the vortex barrier in an oblate shape, pressing the fireball into a flattened ball.


    ¡°Account for the wind. Aim for the center of the horde,¡± Aenir said.


    I got it.


    I flung the fireball. It flew faster and more accurately. I saw, frame by frame, as the air erupted right in the middle of the horde. Bodies went flying, charred and in pieces, leaving only a colorless smoke and a crater in its wake.


    Alright. I had the formula. Then I applied that to the next ones. I divided my focus in creating several at once. Two fireballs. Three. Four.


    ¡°Holy fuck,¡± I heard a comment to the side. ¡°Holy fuck.¡±


    I ended with five flaming orbs floating around me, then I flung them, one at a time. The first barrage sent a quake our way and quickly chained with another, causing the earth to perpetually shake as the horizon was covered in bursts of red and white flashes, dwarfing even the lightning. Dust whirled in the air like miniature eruptions, covering the sky in black.


    ¡°Don¡¯t! You¡¯ll strain yourself!¡± Aenir said through the piercing booms in the distance.


    Strain myself? No. It felt natural.


    Fireball after fireball, pitching them after one another like a clockwork. Almost monotonous, but I also felt weightless as I fell deeper into the aether than ever before, looking at the fiery theatre as if not from my own eyes. Each time I aimed for slightly different parts of the horde with the intent of crippling and scattering them.


    Yet the swarm still moved forward. Unperturbed. Silent and driven.


    Second barrage. I expected to hear the dying roars of beasts by now, but there weren¡¯t any. By the third volley, the dust had veiled my view of most of the enemy.


    I could hear cheers from the center of our formation, not from my attacks. The scout had made it past the barricade. The enemy wasn¡¯t that far behind.


    ¡°Enough!¡± Aenir grabbed my shoulder with enough force to make my knees bend. ¡°We have no visibility!¡±


    R¨C right.


    He furrowed his brows at me. I was expecting an angry sermon, but instead he asked, ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    I tilted my head. Why wouldn¡¯t I be?


    ¡°Last salvo!¡± I heard Orlev¡¯s shout.


    Taking that as a signal, the drifters fired their rifles in unison into the smoke before switching to crossbows.


    ¡°Come on, you fucks,¡± one of the drifters said as he aimed his crossbow into the wall of dust and debris.


    Aenir moved from my side and closer to the barricade, one hand aiming a cocked pistol, another ready to pull the strap on his shoulder.


    Mechanical sounds whirred from the machine in the center. One man was seated and ready to rotate the crank, while another person was off to the side carrying cases that resembled the machine¡¯s V-shaped arms.


    ¡°Steady, wait until they come out the cloud,¡± Orlev said. Even with the calm tone, his voice carried over to our side.


    We held our breaths. My eyes were sore from the dust as it mingled with the rain, but I couldn¡¯t bear to miss a blink. Any second now, the enemy would come charging out the smoke.


    The seconds ticked past. I could see almost in slow motion as a droplet fell from the tip of Aenir¡¯s pistol, my eyes following them all the way into the ground while still being hyperaware of the battlefield, ready to let loose another volley of explosions.


    ¡°¡­Why aren¡¯t they coming?¡± one of men said.


    Never before had I felt time pass that slow. I could hear the beating of my heart, pumping blood through my veins like the sound of the enemy¡¯s footsteps as they drew close. Except there was no sound. Just my heart, and perhaps the heartbeats of those around me.


    ¡¸ Found you. ¡¹


    Then my heart stilled. Frozen.


    I glanced around at the faces. No one reacted to the voice. I looked around again to find the source. It sounded so near me, yet it was impossible to discern which direction it came from, almost as if it came from my own lips.


    The wind gradually swept the smoke away. Through teary eyes and a dusty veil, I could see the myriad of craters I¡¯d left, as well as the pieces of meat strewn across the field. The grass had been trampled in a way that allowed me to see a shape of the enemy¡¯s advance.


    But there was no horde. When the dust cleared, not a single creature could be seen.

 1 - The Dread 5

    It was never going to be a fair game.


    The little knowledge I had was very much limited to the things within my immediate peripherals. Like a floodlight cast around me, moving when I moved while everything beyond that radius remained dark and obscure. Considering my memories went as far back as minutes, this ¡®ability¡¯ was kind of a blessing.


    The blessing in this case, one look at the bird and I knew what species he was, what it looked like and sounded like, or what it should look and sound like, in the same way I knew how to breathe. If I had to describe it, it felt like all kinds of information was kept locked away in a vault in some obscure corner of my brain, until it became relevant to what was happening around me. Who put them there or why¨C


    ¨Cwas a problem for another time.


    The problem right now was the game, his game, and this was where the blessing ran out. Because there was a great possibility of the answer to his riddle being something outside the spotlights. Something not intuitive, or something that was an outright abstract. The things that wouldn¡¯t trigger the phantom memories, tripping the vault¡¯s doors open.


    It wasn¡¯t a fair game. I knew that, and I still bet my life on it. Ask me why, and I¡¯d probably say something like not having memories meant I had nothing to lose. Which was the justification I wished I had.


    In truth, I was just too scared to be alone.


    ¡¸ Wrong. ¡¹ the bird said on my third, last guess. ¡¸ You lose. Now I get to eat you. ¡¹


    My heart skipped a beat as I responded. Okay.


    He tilted his neck at an angle that could¡¯ve tipped him off balance. ¡¸ Okay? ¡¹


    I nodded. Okay.


    I glanced around. There were four exits, the nearest one about twenty feet away, but it required me to go past the creature and I wasn¡¯t sure he¡¯d let me.


    There was one on the left about thirty feet away, and another on the right, fifteen feet, much narrower than the others. Small enough that the bird wouldn¡¯t be able to spread his wings.


    Best path of escape, if it came to that.


    As I contemplated, my ears caught a sound coursing in the air, a low volume indicating it came from a distant place.


    A low hum, a few high whistles mixed in.


    I chalked it up as the wind, despite how there hadn¡¯t been the slightest breeze since I came to. That thought occupied me for no more than a second before more urgent thoughts replaced it.


    ¡¸ Well? ¡¹


    Just like that, my focus was entirely drained by this creature that apparently wanted to eat me.


    I turned my attention back to the raven, perused him top to bottom. The red of his eyes that seemed like they¡¯d glow in the dark, with little black dots in the middle of the ominous crimson, were unwaveringly fixed on me. His feathers were thick and puffy where it went from the neck down towards the chest, forming a big lump that moved whenever he talked or croaked.


    ¡¸ I¡¯m hungry, ¡¹ he said.


    I turned my attention to the beak, which looked potentially harmful for normal-sized ravens. Something of his size? Potentially lethal, if aimed at the right places.


    Um, which part do you want first?


    ¡¸ Which part? ¡¹


    I slapped myself mentally. It was a train of thought I couldn¡¯t help but blurt out. Why would he want to eat me? What part of me seemed edible to him?


    And how in the world would I fit in his belly?


    You can¡¯t be thinking of, um, eating me whole, are you?


    ¡¸ No, ¡¹ he hopped closer, ¡¸ and you can¡¯t be thinking of running, are you? ¡¹


    I¡¯m not.


    ¡¸ Liar. I can hear you scheming. I don¡¯t blame you, though, and this just proves that you¡¯re real. All living things has that hardwired into their instincts. If you¡¯re a trick or a trap, you wouldn¡¯t have that. ¡¹


    His words puzzled me.


    I¡¯m not a trick. Or a trap, whatever that means.


    ¡¸ Really? I doubt anyone alive would be stupid enough to make that bet. ¡¹


    I¡­ agree with that. It was stupid so can we just, um, maybe forget about it?


    He answered with a definite shake of head. Weird to see a bird doing what was, as far as I knew, a very human gesture.


    He studied me, moving around me in the only way he could move without taking to the air ¨C hopping on his feet like a rabbit.


    That was when the distant noise came back. It sounded more like a roar this time, more engine than animal because of how it sustained, growing ever so louder by the minute. Ominous and sinister enough to draw my attention away from the flesh-eating bird.


    The wind, I thought to myself.


    The bird made a full circle around me. There was something comical about the way he jumped around like he was frolicking, eagerly waiting for its meal. Surreal, even, because I was the meal.


    Won¡¯t you be bored without someone to talk to?


    Even weirder that I was commiserating with it.


    ¡¸ A bit of a bore, yes. I got it, ¡¹ he exclaimed.


    Um, you got what?


    ¡¸ Which part I want to eat first. ¡¹ He stopped hopping. ¡¸ If you try to run, it¡¯s your eyeballs. ¡¹


    Of course. No need to take an arm or a leg, I wouldn¡¯t be able to run or fight back without the sight. It was a perfectly rational choice to pick.


    Fuck me.


    If¨C if I don¡¯t, uh, try to run?


    ¡¸ Then I¡¯ll start with your hair, your fingers after that. I¡¯ll move up from your less important parts. ¡¹


    I was made conscious of my hair, long enough to touch the small of my back, and of his beaks and the width of his neck, the amount of volume that could go down at a time.


    I made my decision.


    Okay, I said. This time I meant it.


    He wasted no time and croaked. ¡¸ Then gimme. ¡¹


    Scampering, staying as calm as I could, I grabbed strands of hair from my back and bunched them up into one icky ball of white hair. I didn¡¯t have anything to cut them with and so offered it to him as is, still attached to my scalp.


    He moved in.


    I watched wide-eyed as he opened his beak, revealing the red of the insides of his mouth, and snapped them close where it was coiled up around my wrists, cutting the strands like a pair of razor-sharp scissors.


    His throat bulged as he turned skywards to swallow.


    ¡¸ Hm. Pass. ¡¹


    Pass?


    Was it the taste? Or was it me ¨C my submission to his bidding?


    ¡¸ It¡¯s a pain, but I¡¯ll stick with you as promised. I say it¡¯s a pain because your kind is the type this place eats up whole. By your kind I meant noisy brats, like you and your yappings, and since I¡¯ll stick with you, you¡¯d do well to listen to me, do things as I tell you to, if you want to have the chance to¡­ ¡¹


    The hum. The roar. It had gone louder, or closer.


    It wasn¡¯t the wind.


    A prick on my hand caught me off guard.


    Ow!


    His beaks were placed close to the back of my hand. He¡¯d pricked me. ¡¸ I told you to listen. ¡¹


    I pulled my hand away. S¨C sorry. That sound is distracting me.


    ¡¸ Ah, yes. That would be the Janitor. ¡¹


    The Janitor? Is that what¡¯s making that noise?


    ¡¸ There are other things you should be worried about right now which, thanks to you, I no longer have time to explain about. ¡¹


    What things?


    He looked at a certain direction, alarmed as if he¡¯d heard something. ¡¸ Start running and stay close. Follow my cues, don¡¯t stop unless I tell you to. ¡¹


    Um, run from what? Hey.


    I turned my head at what he was seeing. A corridor with tall walls of stone on either side, the end of which was obscured by some kind of mist. There were shadows moving, an illusion to the eye caused by the darkness.


    Probably.


    The noise sounded like it came from there, one corner away from a straight path to where we were.


    Not even allowing me a second to process, the bird unraveled his wings and beat the air with it. Taking off in the other direction.


    Hey!


    I took to my feet urged by a dread, like I instinctively knew he¡¯d left me behind if I didn¡¯t.


    As the noise grew, from a roaring hum to a chorus of human-like screams, I ditched all coherent thought and ran after him.


    ? ? ?


    It was still a drizzle when I woke. Streaks of raindrops could be seen on the canvas where lanterns projected light from the outside.


    Kaelyn and Farica were fast asleep, their silhouettes outlined by the faint glow of the heating device that barely staved off the cold. On the other side was a caterpillar pile of a blanket which, by elimination, could only be the madame. She¡¯d been the least tolerant to the cold and standing in the rain had probably been worse for her than it had been for me.


    Latasha aside, they¡¯d been so shaken up earlier that I hadn¡¯t been sure they could fall asleep. I guess anyone would be knowing dozens, if not hundreds of beasts, had been swarming on our camp. It was the cold that lulled them in the end.


    One of the girls was missing. Melory.


    I fumbled around and found her at the back of the wagon, leaning against the side, her arms hugging a knee close to her chest. The first rays of day defined the delicate parts of her face, the point of her nose and the lines of her cheek, as she gazed out through the curtain¡¯s opening.


    I struggled out of my blanket. Moving lights could still be seen in the direction of the barricade ¨C the drifters standing guard, presumably. It hadn¡¯t been long since the raid, just mere hours ago when the drifters cheered thinking they¡¯d chased the enemy away.


    Only the younger drifters had been festive about it, however. The older, more veteran ones were too experienced to think they¡¯d won.


    ¡°I figured you¡¯re awake,¡± Melory said without looking.


    I sat across from her, raising my brows.


    ¡°The thrashing stopped, so I¡¯d figured you¡¯re probably awake.¡± She turned to face me.


    It freaked me out a bit how her eyes glowed in the dark. They made me feel like the mouse under a cat¡¯s gaze and that, for a short moment, messed up my danger-sense.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I have night terrors too,¡± she told me, probably taking my silence as something else.


    I shook that false sense of danger away.


    I wanted to talk to you about something.


    ¡°Maybe you should rest for now.¡±


    Her voice told me she knew what I wanted to talk about. She was putting it off for some reason.


    But why?


    I¡¯m fine.


    ¡°That tall guy¡­ um, I forgot his name. He seemed to think otherwise.¡±


    I gave her a shrug. Aenir thinks I¡¯ve strained myself, but I really didn¡¯t. We can talk now.


    Her position shifted. She clasped her arms and brought both her knees in. Defensive, now that she knew I had no intention of postponing this. Or she was just cold.


    She started first, ¡°You heard it too, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°The voice said it found someone. Who do you think it meant?¡±


    I don¡¯t know. You said you heard something too back at the stream. Is it the same?


    ¡°This one was¡­ stronger, for a lack of better word. Louder. We, um, we have to tell someone.¡±


    Then you¡¯d have to tell them about how you hear things. Other things.


    She tensed. It took me a second to connect the dots.


    Ah. Right.


    An accidental segue to what she was being defensive for.


    ¡°¡­You made me look like a goof, you know that?¡±


    I took a deep breath, buying time to compose as a reply while watching her face contort deeper into a frown.


    Questions leading to dangerous questions, isn¡¯t that what you said?


    She nodded after a moment of pause, her expression turning back to neutral somewhat. ¡°I¡¯m taking that back.¡±


    You¡¯re not worried about that anymore?


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡± She glanced at the others inside the wagon. ¡°Walk with me?¡±


    Sure.


    I¡¯d needed to move my body to alleviate some of the anxiety brought about by my sleep. I couldn¡¯t even remember the last time I had a good sleep, and chances were I never had any.


    I pulled my hood on as we hopped out the wagon.


    Our breaths fogged the air in front of us. The ground beneath our feet felt hard as blades of grass were layered with thin ice, turning the hill itself white to match the dull grey of the sky. The sun was probably above the horizon but still below the glaze-covered treetops, if I could judge by the amount of light permeating the clouds above.


    Forecast: no clear skies anytime soon.


    As we walked with no clear destination, I noticed people were up, restoking flames to warm their freezing bodies or tending to the horses, also freezing.


    The barricade was still there, as was the oil they¡¯d drenched the trench with, telling by the smell, even though they¡¯d tried their best to salvage every last drop.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°The problem with questions is still there,¡± Melory said. ¡°Not right away, maybe, but eventually people¡­ well, people wonder. It¡¯s what they do. Then they speculate, make their own conclusions, and from there it wouldn¡¯t be far from a decently smart person putting two and two together. Do you get what I mean?¡±


    Just don¡¯t tell them if you¡¯re so worried.


    ¡°Except we have to. It¡¯s not just our lives at risk, and we could be keeping information that could¡¯ve helped with¨C¡° she stopped and gave me a look. ¡°¡­You don¡¯t approve? Is this something about you?¡±


    Something on my face must¡¯ve caught her on.


    I glanced at our surroundings to make sure no one was nearby, and because I needed a second to make a straight answer while looking at her in the eye.


    There was a couple of guys looking our way at a safe distance. Drifters, swords on their hips. One of them had a familiar scarf or kerchief wrapped around his neck.


    They gave us a wave. We waved back.


    ¡°Is it the stuff about your name?¡± she continued, smiling at the drifters.


    Maybe, among other things.


    Explaining why I never had a name, or what kind of life I¡¯d been living until now. Being unable to speak or write had been a good excuse to avoid that mess.


    Melory shot me a look that I couldn¡¯t recognize at first. She gave me a pat on my shoulder, as if it would comfort me in any way.


    ¡°I understand,¡± she said softly. ¡°You can tell me.¡±


    Pity.


    It was a look of pity.


    I felt irritated.


    Drawing your own conclusions.


    ¡°Within reason, and just because you¡¯re a total blank. I don¡¯t know what kind of life you¡¯ve lived up to this point, but you can¡¯t survive on your own. I know that much. You need allies, friends you can trust.¡±


    Is that what you¡¯re seeing in me? A friend?


    She shrugged. ¡°Only if you want to. It can be me, or anyone else, as long as you have someone on your side.¡±


    You talk as if you¡¯re not in the same position.


    ¡°That¡¯s not¨C¡±


    Right. It¡¯s the avlarks, isn¡¯t it? Are they here for you?


    Her hand switched from my shoulder, snatching my hand, cupping it in hers. It felt too aggressive to be considered an act of affection than it was to shut me up. I was right on the mark.


    ¡°Tell me your story and I¡¯ll tell you mine. We can be each other¡¯s confidant.¡±


    That¡¯s hardly fair when one of us can¡¯t talk or write. No risk on your side.


    She winced at that and pulled away. ¡°Wow.¡±


    One of the people that waved at us was approaching our way, the one with light-colored hair and blue kerchief. Something about the way he walked with purpose felt disconcerting.


    I turned my attention back to the luphaen.


    What would you tell them, Melory? That you heard a voice? Even if they believe you¨C


    ¡°Us. You¡¯ll testify with me.¡±


    Fine. Us. Even if they believe us, they¡¯re too busy preparing for things like snowfall and beasts. The tangible threats. No one¡¯s going to care about an invisible voice talking in your head.


    ¡°So what, we keep quiet?¡±


    For now, just until we know more.


    ¡°Keep quiet about what?¡± Luise cut in as he walked up to us.


    He should¡¯ve been well out of earshot from the speed he¡¯d been walking in and must¡¯ve ran a short distance of the way.


    I hadn¡¯t noticed him closing in.


    Judging from the way Melory was eyeing him, neither did she.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to interrupt. Did you girls get a good sleep?¡±


    ¡°Sure, considering the circumstances,¡± Melory answered for both of us. She looked tense.


    ¡°Are the others up?¡±


    She answered in a single breath. ¡°No, they¡¯re still asleep when we left, why?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got something to talk to the madame about,¡± Luise said.


    ¡°If it¡¯s her, she¡¯s awake.¡±


    I sent Melory an addled look. Awake?


    ¡°Thank you, Mel,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s kind of important. Want to tag along?¡±


    ¡°Um,¡± she glanced at me, ¡°sure.¡±


    I nodded to confirm.


    We started heading back with him in tow. I watched him: his hair and clothes had been smothered in frost, and he had that off-putting smile as always. Something in his walk felt hurried somewhat, enough that we had trouble keeping up with him.


    My eyes trailed down to his sword, to the stains on his blade that didn¡¯t look too old. I didn¡¯t remember there being any close combat last night.


    ¡°Yes?¡± He noticed me looking.


    His eyes looked bloodshot. I almost missed it because of how he was acting; animated, never missing a minute without flashing a smile. He creeped me out.


    No, Sallis creeped me out. This guy was different.


    Whenever he was around, my heart started drumming like crazy. Alarms went off as I became hyperaware of everything, second-guessing every small action, concerned of how he¡¯d react as if my life depended on it. My magic hadn¡¯t worked on him, which was a reason of its own for caution, but that wasn¡¯t enough reason for this kind of reaction. He had been nothing but friendly since then.


    For reasons I didn¡¯t understand, he scared me.


    ¡°Is there something on my face?¡± He bent down in front of me, forcing our eyes to meet in close distance.


    I looked away by reflex.


    He seemed like a normal person on the surface, but my instincts weren¡¯t one to get this kind of thing wrong. Not a monster, maybe, but a hazard. Something to stay away from.


    ¡°Mel? Your friend seems to be on her toes around me. Can you tell her I¡¯m one of the good guys?¡± he said with a half-joking tone.


    ¡°She¡¯s mute, not deaf.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± he said, ¡°wasn¡¯t sure. Nothing I say ever seems to go across to her.¡±


    ¡°You, um, you did give her brain damage.¡±


    ¡°Yes I did, and she did try to kill me. Twice. Would¡¯ve been damned and blasted to bits if I didn¡¯t have Thyra¡¯s luck with me.¡±


    I frowned. Luck? Are you kidding me?


    I remembered how he¡¯d evaded my magic, waltzing through them like he knew with pinpoint accuracy when and how I would¨C


    Our eyes met again. He smiled, I lost my breath.


    He knew I didn¡¯t buy it. And he smiled.


    ¡°Can we consider it even? Me hitting you on the head, you trying to kill me?¡±


    ¡­Sure, I nodded.


    He reached out. I stared at the hand he offered for a couple of seconds.


    ¡°He wants you to shake his hand,¡± Melory, pointing out the obvious. Like I was some sort of backward moron.


    I guess I technically was.


    I know, I answered, not letting that small irritation show on my face.


    I flexed my fingers, checking the strength of my grip. I didn¡¯t want to appear meek but shaking it too hard could appear like I¡¯m trying to hide my own weakness. Then there was the matter of being seen as a pushover if I accepted the offer, and antagonistic if I didn¡¯t.


    Of course, refusing it wasn¡¯t an option either way. Sallis, and the way the drifters in general acted around me, hinted that my position was too volatile as it was. There was a chance that any sign of noncooperation, even something as small as turning down a handshake, could be taken as aggression.


    Or maybe I was making an earthquake out of a silly little handshake.


    I took his hand, gripping as hard as I could, and gave it a couple of solid waves.


    ¡°Thanks for accepting. And sorry for hitting your head.¡±


    I gave him a small nod, then let out a deep sigh when they weren¡¯t looking. Along the way I kept hoping no one was hearing the loud beating in my chest.


    Returning to our bunk-wagon, I could see the little glow of our heater through the white canvas. Everything from the wheel spokes to the wooden boards had been swathed with frost flakes.


    Luise made a skip towards the back. He opened the curtain and hollered, ¡°It¡¯s sunshine, sweeties! Wake up, or I get in there and mush you up!¡±


    A second later something flew out. A boot, it seemed like, which Luise caught. Another second and Latasha¡¯s head appeared, glares fixed at the man in front of her. He in return beamed at her.


    She really was awake. How did you know?


    I saw Melory¡¯s ears make an up-down movement. She¡¯d heard the lady moving around in her ¡®sleep¡¯, presumably? Which could be why she asked for that walk.


    Avoiding an eavesdropper, only to run into another.


    ¡°You better have a good reason for invading our privacy,¡± Latasha said, her voice slightly hushed, ¡°This being our place to sleep effectively means it¡¯s become our¨C¡°


    ¡°You wanted me to keep you in the loop. This is me, looping you in.¡±


    ¡°On what?¡± She glanced at me and Melory, then with a tone as if it was the most ridiculous thing in the world, she said, ¡°You told them before me?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t told anyone yet. This is more of a better-show-than-tell thing.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay. Good. Can we at least get breakfast first?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea. It¡¯s not pretty.¡±


    Latasha looked over her shoulders, into the wagon. The lack of voices inside probably meant the other two were still asleep. She almost-whisper-ed, ¡°How bad is it?¡±


    ¡°Severe mutilation.¡± Luise dropped his smile and turned to us, ¡°If you¡¯ve never seen that kind of stuff, it¡¯s better not to come.¡±


    Melory looked to me for a cue.


    The avlark scout from last night, probably, torn to pieces by the horde. Could be that they found something on the corpse, maybe something that sheds more light on the enemy.


    Melory shuddered around where I said ¡®pieces¡¯. ¡°Um, I think I¡¯ll stay,¡± she said. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t have to apologize for it,¡± Latasha replied. ¡°And you? Are you coming?


    It took me a second to realize she was addressing me.


    Uh, sure, I nodded curtly.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s two of us.¡±


    ¡°Wait, why her too?¡± Melory protested.


    ¡°Why not? She¡¯s got a right as much as the rest of us.¡±


    Melory was left speechless.


    I kind of get what she was trying to say, though. There was nothing I could contribute to even if I went, which essentially made me nothing but a bystander sightseeing a mutilated body or whatever it was.


    But that was only if I decided not to open a channel of communication, which was still in the air, and I wanted to see regardless. There¡¯s nothing wrong with knowing more.


    As Hadda used to say, ¡®ignorance is opposite of survival¡¯¡­


    ¨Cwhich weren¡¯t the exact words, but something along those lines. Yeah.


    ¡°If that¡¯s settled, come with me,¡± Luise said. He turned around and went ahead.


    ¡°See you at brunch, Goldie,¡± Latasha, coming after Luise.


    Melory grabbed my wrist before I could follow. Her eyes swimming around, she asked me, ¡°Should I come after all?¡±


    You can stay. I¡¯ll let you know what¡¯s up and then we can decide if we should pitch in. Deal?


    There was a telling pause on her part. ¡°¡­Promise you¡¯ll tell me everything?¡±


    Promise. I gave her an assuring nod.


    She let go. I left her and caught up with the others.


    In my own convenience, I¡¯d taken her ¡®everything¡¯ as in everything Luise was going to show us, instead of the ¡®everything¡¯ she may have actually meant. It was easier that way.


    We headed towards the far side of the camp, near the steep parts of the hill where it was mostly barren of people.


    The cirque could be seen from up there: a great ridgeline formed by a mountain range that surrounded a series of narrow valleys. The Dread, I assumed, must be referring to this natural barrier and the gorges within.


    There was a small, lone tent standing near the rock face. An avlark was hanging around the entrance. He gave us a wave when he saw us.


    ¡°Wolf,¡± the avlark greeted. Brown-furred, slash mark on one eye, a half-intact ear. The avlark captain.


    It was so goddamn hard telling them apart sometimes.


    ¡°Aldwan. Anything new?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s sill dead if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking,¡± he said, the ¡®still¡¯ missing the t. He leered at Latasha, then at me. ¡°Bet¡¯er keep out, lass. This is some¡¯hing that¡¯ll burn into your eyes.¡±


    ¡°You have no business telling me what to do, Aldwan. Pada,¡± Latasha snarked back, the impact she¡¯d intended mitigated by the space between ¡®Aldwan¡¯ and ¡®pada¡¯.


    I could see Aldwan¡¯s fangs poking out. Not a snarl or even a grimace, just a neutral expression except with two of his four fangs bared. He replied in a voice contradicting his words. ¡°My apologies, La¡¯hasha-arleda.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ letting that slide.¡± Her expression turned softer along with her voice. ¡°I understand you¡¯ve had a recent loss. Barruk-pada, was it? May his soul be at peace. You have my grievances.¡±


    There was a moment of silence that lasted a second too long past the boundary of ¡®awkward¡¯ and ¡®worrying¡¯.


    The avlark set his jaw, disappearing the pair of fangs that I saw. ¡°Much apprecia¡¯ed,¡± he said. ¡°Come on in. It doesn¡¯t smell as much because of the cold, but brace yourselves anyway.¡±


    I sneaked a peek at Latasha, at the corners of her mouth faintly curving up. A small victory. I was starting to figure her out, I thought.


    Aldwan opened the drapes leading into the tent and immediately a foul odor poured out. The smell of blood and rot. Suddenly I understood why he¡¯d been hanging outside. Through the open entrance I could see Orlev and Aenir inside, as well as parts of a wooden rod that could only be the magus¡¯ walking stick.


    The madame went in first, me following half a step behind.


    The air was worse inside. Not nearly as bad as I thought it would, but still worse. The source of the smell, a barely decomposed corpse stripped off all clothing, was laid down on a blanket.


    A human male. Around middle-age, with scruffy hair and facial hair, pallid from the lack of warmth both within and without the skin. Minimal signs of decomposition, on a surface level. The body was mostly free of damage aside from the large cavity where his midriff would¡¯ve been.


    The cavity, in an arbitrary order, started below the chest, extending outwards and down along the flanks in a large bowl-shape. The loop, the cut, whatever, closed around where his loins should¡¯ve been.


    The red ¡®bowl¡¯ was empty, organs missing as if someone or something had cut them out.


    ¡°Goddess.¡± Latasha was transfixed.


    ¡°His name was Carleigh,¡± Orlev introduced ¡®him¡¯. ¡°One of our veterans. I sent him away to scout ahead two nights ago when we decided to use the old road. We found him just the next day by the side of the road, not one league away from camp.¡±


    Latasha looked sick. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, her shoulders shrinking down on her form. She asked, ¡°What¡¯s so strange about this?¡±


    The question awarded her with incredulous looks.


    Luise cleared his throat. ¡°What she means is, what points of interests have we found that made this case abnormal.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s abnormal because it wasn¡¯t a nirhound that did this,¡± Aenir said. ¡°No claw marks and too much of the body left intact.¡±


    ¡°No signs of struggle either, which I find to be the most perplexing part,¡± Luise added.


    ¡°What killed him, then?¡± Latasha said.


    The people in the room paused as they glanced at each other.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± Orlev said. ¡°We¡¯ve never encountered anything like this before.¡±


    ¡°Do you use that line often?¡±


    The drifter chief shifted his weight, caught off guard by the question. ¡°Every other week or so,¡± he answered. ¡°Unknowns like this are part of the job and we have time-tested procedures for them.¡±


    ¡°Cases like this, nine out of ten we learn new behaviors,¡± Luise chimed in. ¡°Mutations, variables caused by different ecologies, maybe even new breeds of beasts.¡±


    ¡°So nine out of ten times it¡¯s not a big deal. Just something to add to your encyclopedia,¡± Latasha said.


    Not a big deal. It rather amazed me how she managed to say that phrase while staring at what laid on the ground.


    ¡°¡­More or less,¡± Orlev said. There were hints of a grimace on his face that he tried to hide. Offended, probably, of how she belittled the death of his subordinate.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing we¡¯re here for what happens outside those nine then,¡± Latasha concluded.


    ¡°Sharp lass,¡± I heard Aldwan¡¯s voice from outside. The shadow of his large frame was cast on the curtains. ¡°Exactly as you said. We¡¯re here to discuss whether or not we¡¯re fucked.¡±


    ¡°Ald, we talked about this. Ease up,¡± Orlev warned.


    ¡°The girl¡¯s got guts, Orlevha. She ain''t mincing words, I ''hink she¡¯d appreciate it if you do the same,¡± the avlark said, decidedly not coming in.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t speak for me,¡± Latasha snapped, then she turned to Orlev. ¡°He¡¯s right, though. I don¡¯t need this hum and haw. I have a dead body in front of me, for Thyra¡¯s sake.¡±


    Orlev drew both his hands in surrender. ¡°Alright, your points taken. No more beating around the bush.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for being straightforward on me, chief.¡±


    ¡°Likewise, madame,¡± he gave her a curt nod. ¡°The attack last night strengthened some of our conjectures. Nirhound don¡¯t usually swarm like that unless there¡¯s an alpha around, which could be the case if it weren¡¯t for their behavior being off. Canines and lupines communicate through a range of vocal and body languages and from what we saw last night, there were none of¨C¡°


    Latasha interrupted by clearing her throat. ¡°In layman¡¯s terms, please.¡±


    Orlev narrowed his eyes, the sides of his lips twitching as his patience was tested. He continued explaining in short, carefully worded sentences. ¡°We think they were being controlled. All of them. By nothing short of a Sideral-class threat. We¡¯re going forth in that assumption, but semi-active. That means our lives may not be in immediate danger for now. Because our decimation may not be its goal.¡±


    The lady, if anything, looked even more lost. ¡°Are you saying we¡¯re safe for now?¡±


    ¡°Otherwise we¡¯d be dead already,¡± said Aldwan. ¡°The young¡¯uns are saying we¡¯d drivhan them off, but blast me to jivhak if that¡¯s true. We¡¯re livhing because we¡¯re being let livhing.¡±


    ¡°Okay, wow.¡± Latasha made a sound that was halfway between a snort and chuckle. Nervous, which she tried to hide by deliberating, ¡°Let¡¯s assume you¡¯re right about this, how does the body fit into the equation?¡±


    ¡°Could be a coincidence,¡± Luise said. ¡°Could be there¡¯s no connection between this and the nirhound mob, or the abnormal behavior I saw, or the missing reports. At this point, though? Too many things going on that the chances of it being simple accidents isn¡¯t higher than, say, a Sideral-class at play.¡±


    It was the same thing Latasha had told us. Too many coincidences and they stop being one.


    ¡°¡¯It¡¯s not too late to ¡®urn back,¡± Aldwan pointed out.


    ¡°We¡¯re not equipped for winter,¡± Orlev stated. ¡°The eastern pass was cut off by the landslide. There¡¯s nowhere to go but forward. I remember there¡¯s an old route that skims on the mountainsides¡­¡±


    While they were discussing the next plan of action, Aenir was crouching near the body, turning Carleigh¡¯s head left and right with gloved hands.


    ¡°No signs of magic, you say?¡± he addressed Sallis.


    The hooded magus, who¡¯d been quiet until now, answered, ¡°Marginal to say the least. Not enough to claim either way.¡±


    I observed the body. It was well-preserved, I noted, aside from the big gaping hole on its belly.


    Luise mentioned how he found the lack of scuffle marks to be the most confusing part, but I had to disagree on that. The kind of beasts I¡¯m familiar with would never leave perfectly edible flesh to rot unless there was an aim to it, assuming they were sentient enough to have another goal than eating their fill.


    As a message, for example, to scare people away, or to induce fear as an effect. To weaken the next preys on a psychological level. I knew of one creature that did it for the latter and this¨C


    Fuck. Bad memories.


    This felt oddly familiar to that, is what I was thinking. Without a way to get more information, though, I couldn¡¯t say if it was either case.


    Except, I did have a way to find more clues.


    Nexy, old friend, you there?


    I¡¯m here.


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    I¡¯d been avoiding it because I knew that man was listening in with it. But fuck him. He would find another, worse way to spy on me with anyway.


    With a mental image of Nexy at my side, I crouched down beside the gore and reached in.


    Sallis grabbed my wrist, hard. ¡°What are you planning?¡±


    ¡°Wait, let her do her thing,¡± Aenir said. He then took off one of his black gloves and offered it to me. ¡°Put it on. Just to be safe.¡±


    For consideration¡¯s sake, I accepted the glove and wore it, two fingers in one slot because of the difference in size.


    I reached into the man¡¯s belly and, using the index of the glove operated with my index and middle finger, swiped a clump of viscid gunk from the linings of the belly.


    I pulled my hand near my face, stared at the goopy mess on Aenir¡¯s glove for a second, and licked it.


    There wasn¡¯t any particular taste or smell to it other than, I guessed, iron? The texture, if I had to describe it with one word, was slimy.


    Nexy, I¡¯m being attacked. Help.


    Identifying foreign substance¡­


    It was cooperating, at least. Along with the subroutines set to spying on me¨C


    Sallis abruptly grabbed my hand a second time. He had an alarmed look on his face, which was a first.


    ¡°Huh,¡± Aenir said with a blank expression. ¡°How was that?¡±


    I gave him a shrug.


    ¡°Crazy brat,¡± Sallis said, in a tone opposite of friendly, as his hand still gripped mine.


    ¡°Did Whitey do something?¡± Latasha said, pulling away from her conversation with the chief.


    ¡°Yes, she took a sip of that¡­ stuff.¡± Aenir indicated at the body.


    ¡°She did what?¡±


    ¡°It was just a tiny lick.¡±


    She turned to me, eyes wide, wrinkles between the brows the most I had ever seen on her.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you stop her?¡± she said with an intensity that was a fraction away from shouting.


    ¡°I thought she was just going to smell it,¡± Aenir said. ¡°I made a mistake, clearly.¡±


    ¡°Whitey¨C¡°


    Foreign substance identified.


    A flood of information hit me.


    Words I¡¯d never heard of, connections forming between them as they popped up. Compositions. Chemical structures. Drowning everything else.


    I felt dizzy and nauseous, and I wasn¡¯t sure if it was caused by Nexy¡¯s package or because of something I ate.


    Muscle tissues. Fascia. Fat. Membranes.


    Too many to remember. Too many trivial. Most were lost in the stream, maybe everything would be were I not able to centralize. I had to boil it down, condense it by focusing onto a single subject or theme.


    What doesn¡¯t belong.


    The theme.


    There was another torrent, a smaller, runaway flow from the original flood. Pieced together they created a story, with the narrative centered around two substances. Silk and venom.


    My tongue was numb. Had been for a while.


    Strong neurotoxin causing full neural shutdown, thus no signs of struggle. Cause of death, respiratory failure?


    Silk ¨C it had been enveloping something within Carleigh¡¯s abdomen.


    Eggs? Reproductive behavior, perhaps, to store the sacs inside a warm host. For protection, and food as soon as they hatch.


    Nausea and headache were getting worse. The toxin? This bad and this quick from one tiny lick, even after mixed with a bunch of Carleigh. Correction, extremely strong and very fast-acting neurotoxin¨C


    Irrelevant. Back to speculating: egg theory not possible, because that would mean there was but a day between placement and hatching ¨C unless the eggs were moved in from somewhere else, placed there hours before birth.


    Possible, then. But where were all the hatchlings? Why the leftovers?


    Control.


    What Orlev had said, something about the demon controlling the horde, making them behave unnaturally.


    Could that apply to the newborn creatures too? If so, in what motive?


    Maximize terror with the body, boasting its power with the attack, all to¡­ to what?


    I felt a hand on my shoulder.


    ¡°Everything okay?¡± Aenir asked.


    I nodded. I stood up and paced out the tent, noting the weakness in my legs.


    ¡°Whitey,¡± I heard Latasha call out.


    I nearly crashed into Aldwan who was standing right in front of the entrance. He had his arms crossed in front of his chest, gave me a weirded look when I came out.


    I went around him and gazed around for a particular face. I found her standing not that far away, golden hair standing out at the edge of the exclusion bubble around the tent with the corpse.


    She had said that she wasn¡¯t coming, but I knew she wouldn¡¯t be far away. She couldn¡¯t help it.


    Melory noticed me. I waved her over and met her halfway.


    Let¡¯s do it, I told her.


    ¡°Huh?¡± She said.


    I spoke to her with little space between the words. Let¡¯s do it. Open a dialogue.


    ¡°Wait, hold on, you, uh,¡± she fumbled, ¡°What in the world did you see in there?¡±


    Clues. I think I have an idea of what we¡¯re up against.


    ¡°Okay,¡± she nodded, eyes down. She continued with erratic hand gestures, spinning one finger around the other. ¡°Okay. And the questions? The, err, the name stuff? You¡¯re okay with them asking?¡±


    We don¡¯t even know if they will¨C


    My legs failed. Melory caught me in her arms. ¡°Hey?!¡±


    Oops. Sorry, and thanks. Anyway, situation has changed and¨C


    I slumped further into her, my face on her chest, forcing her to bear my entire weight as she tried to keep me from outright tumbling face first into the dirt. ¡°Um, did something happen to you in there?¡±


    I looked up at her face. Her pupils were dilated, which were much more obvious on her eyes than that of a human¡¯s. Night vision and all.


    I¡¯m fine, I think. The poison was already diluted in¨C


    ¡°Poison?¡±


    I¡¯ll explain everything, I assured.


    Melory said a word that sounded like a swear in a foreign language. ¡°I knew I should¡¯ve gone with you.¡±


    I offered an impish smile. Or I was thinking I did, hard to tell with the area around my mouth going dull.


    From the corner of my eye I could see Latasha and Aenir coming out of the tent and making a beeline towards us.


    I looked back at Melory. Shall we?

 1 - The Dread 6

    Don¡¯t tell them about the voice.


    I saw the corner of her eye twitch. ¡°Why?¡±


    I had much to say. An eight-legged creature that had tried to lure us, and a phantom voice manifesting mere seconds after my display of magic ¨C the one thing these occurrences had in common was me. That I¡¯d been in the crux of it.


    Maybe, or maybe it was something else, I couldn¡¯t say for certain. Either way the safest thing for them to do would be to eliminate all possibilities from the equation. If it was me, I¡¯d get rid of me to test the theory, ditch me somewhere in the cirque and see if the monsters followed suit.


    That can come later. More pressing matters right now.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. We don¡¯t have the time.¡± Melory looked vehement. She shifted me as I slid down from her clutches, then catching me before my knees hit the ground.


    Take it slow, yeah? We figure out a way to explain our thing, word it so they believe us.


    She shook her head. Disagreement? On what?


    Footsteps came around. Two long arms wrapped around from beneath my shoulders, lifting my weight off the ground.


    ¡°I got her,¡± Aenir told Melory. Latasha would be right behind him.


    Melory, nodding, let him take me. ¡°Um, she said something about poison.¡±


    Mel, no, just follow my lead¨C


    ¡°I can communicate with her. She can talk through me.¡±


    Fucking Mel.


    I wish she hadn¡¯t done that. I¡¯d wanted us to decide on what to say beforehand instead of throwing that out, which now forced me to deal with the follow-up.


    I couldn¡¯t see what Latasha¡¯s reaction was, whether she expected a response from me, with Aenir blocking the view.


    The tall man bent down to wrap his arm around my waist before asking me, ¡°Can you walk?¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°Want me to take you somewhere you can sit?¡±


    I nodded again and let him walk me into the camp. Tactical retreat, to give myself a minute to figure things out. No one was reacting yet because it had been too sudden and in-the-face, no context whatsoever to help them process.


    I felt a raindrop on my head, through my cowl. The drizzle had dwindled down to a few patters here and there. Grey clouds still hung above, silently threatening us with another downpour and keeping those below on their toes much like the beast horde did.


    At the far side of the camp, where the barricade remained erect, some men stood guard with rifles on their back. Aside from those few there was an evident absence of people. If I had to guess, most were back inside the tents, resting or catching up with their sleep, but I had the feeling that wasn¡¯t the case. Aenir wasn¡¯t saying anything about it, which probably meant nothing was out of the ordinary.


    He took me to one of the camp¡¯s smoldering fires where a young drifter was sitting on a foldable stool. He had no sword, no gun and no crossbow, a spoon midway from bowl to mouth when he spotted us.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Aenir greeted with curtness that made me doubt whether he knew the young lad''s name. ¡°Can you give her some space, please?¡±


    The young man readily got off his chair and helped me ease myself onto it.


    The fire, even though nothing more than a flicker beneath a stack of charred wood, created a bubble of warmth that warded off the wintry breeze. It warmed my extremities, the tips of my fingers and parts of my body that weren¡¯t as much affected by the venom.


    ¡°Should I go get the healer?¡± the drifter offered. Quick on the take.


    ¡°If you would,¡± Aenir replied, sending the him away.


    The two lagged behind us. I could hear them talking.


    ¡°¨Cnough of that, please?¡± the lady pleaded as she came into earshot. ¡°Just, stop. Things are complicated enough without you spouting this Hrakian twaddle-tosh.¡±


    Melory replied with words laced with knives, ¡°Sure, take this opportunity to insult my dying culture.¡±


    ¡°Oh, shush, you¡¯d have to bring your people into this? Everyone is scared and stressed as it is, and you''re¨C¡°


    Melory cut her off with what I could only assume was actual Hrakian twaddle-tosh. Some syllables I recognized because Aldwan had said them at some point; ¡®Jivhak¡¯ or something like it.


    Damn it, Melory. This was why I¡¯d wanted to take things slow.


    Aenir snapped his fingers in front of me. It caught me by surprise.


    ¡°Your reaction is a bit slow. Are you feeling dizzy? Nausea?¡±


    I shook my head. It was the same things Farica had asked about. The diagnosis then had been mild brain concussion and taking that into account, what I was experiencing wouldn¡¯t be anything outside the original symptoms. It had gotten worse for a minute there, with Carleigh, but Nexy was likely to blame for that.


    Aenir kneeled in front of me and placed two fingers on my neck, just below the jaw. Ten or so seconds before he pulled away. ¡°Pulse¡­ normal. Are you having trouble breathing?¡±


    A bit. I nodded. I had to consciously take slow, deep breaths because my lungs didn¡¯t feel like they were working at full capacity.


    It occurred to me, again, that Carleigh¡¯s most probable cause of death had been asphyxiation. Lung failure. I hoped I wouldn¡¯t get to that point.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back. You stay here and wait for the healer, okay?¡± Aenir said. He left before I could protest, brushing past Melory and Latasha and back the way we came.


    Meanwhile these two were keeping up with their mutual slander. It wasn¡¯t even close to a debate. One was making insults in another language, while the other was¡­ I couldn¡¯t tell.


    We needed a mediator. Aenir had been it and he was gone. I was tired, my mind was rambling and it was difficult to form a coherent thought. It felt taxing keeping my eyes open, let alone keep up with their dialogue.


    Carleigh. He¡¯d been alone when something struck him. What kind of thoughts would¡¯ve passed his mind as he slowly fell unconscious, knowing he would never wake up?


    I¡¯d been alone too, once. With nothing but imminent death occupying my mind. I remembered wishing for it¨C


    A jolt woke me up. I felt hands on my back, keeping me from falling over.


    ¡°Do you want to lie down?¡± Melory asked, leaning down to my ear, hands bracing my shoulders to keep me upright. She''d made her body a backrest for me to lean on.


    I shook my head. It was crucial that I remain lucid as we told the others about this... about our telepathy thing. I was ninety-percent sure I¡¯d pass out if I were to lie down.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    I¡¯m sure. It annoyed me that she¡¯d needed this confirmation. I felt like she and I had different priorities.


    The girl nodded, straightened her back and told Latasha, ¡°She said she¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°So you say.¡± The madame had her arms crossed, a pucker between her eyebrows telling of dubiety.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± was Melory¡¯s response. Challenging.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re underestimating how utterly ludicrous this sounds.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any reason for lying.¡± Melory puffed out her chest, I could tell from how my shoulders rocked in her grip.


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying you are. I¡¯m saying that maybe you¡¯re seeing shapes in the clouds, or patterns in your teacup. I know some people believe in those delusions.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not delusional!¡±


    Mel, calm down.


    I tried to get a word in edgewise, talked to Melory and waved my hand at Latasha, but they were both focused on each other.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t me debasing you, Goldie. Psychological issues aren¡¯t a joke and things like hallucinations¨C¡± the madame hesitated, ¡°I know you talk to yourself when you think no one is listening.¡±


    ¡°I was talking to her.¡±


    I nodded my head.


    ¡°Yeah, her.¡± Latasha gave me a look. ¡°Not exactly the most credible, is she? Not after what she did to the other girls.¡±


    There was a moment of pause. Shock on Melory¡¯s part, confusion on mine.


    Latasha was silent as well. Observing us, fingers tapping on her upper arm in a rhythm. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell her.¡±


    Melory¡¯s silence was revealing.


    ¡°¡¯Thyra¡¯s sake, how fucking stupid can you be?¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t need to know.¡± The grip on my shoulders tightened. I could feel tiny pricks where her nails were in contact with my clothes. Almost claw-like.


    ¡°So what, all this time she thinks Sallis is watching her for no reason?¡±


    Mel, what is she saying?


    We were getting off-tracked, but this felt too important. After all that talk about being my confidant, Melory was keeping something from me.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t need to know!¡±


    The way she shouted, she''d sensed my trust in her wavering.


    ¡°I knew I shouldn¡¯t have left it to you.¡± Latasha met my gaze. ¡°There were others.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    ¡°On the slaver¡¯s camp. Other girls. Because of what you did, they¨C¡±


    ¡°Heeey!¡± someone shouted our way.


    Bad timing.


    Two figures, making a beeline towards us. Kaelyn and Farica. They both looked disheveled, loose hair clumping into bedheads and tunic slipping off their shoulders as they ran.


    No.


    I waved them away, hoping they¡¯d see it and stayed away, or read the atmosphere and stayed away.


    They didn¡¯t do either. It was clear from their faces they¡¯d heard about the venom somehow, and it hindered them from seeing things clearly. Had Aenir told them? Or did that drifter mistook the word ¡®healer¡¯ as ¡®two girls sleeping inside the bunk-wagon¡¯?


    There had been no avoiding it either way. Kaelyn went straight for me, gripped my shoulders and shook them violently. ¡°Are you okay?!"


    ¡°Let go of her!¡± Melory howled as she tore the redhead¡¯s hands away.


    I saw the spatter of blood.


    There was a silent moment where everyone froze, each of us processing what had just happened. Then everything went bedlam.


    The lady stepped in, arm drawn out. She backhanded the girl standing behind me.


    I fell from my chair. My first thought was Melory stumbling back from the hit, but she stumbled forward, claws I didn¡¯t know she had out and bared. Pouncing on the madame. My back reached the ground the same time they did.


    Melory was on top. Their cries blurred together into a whirlpool of madness, no longer distinguishable from one another.


    I felt sick. Too many voices. Too many people. Things happening too fast for me to follow, sick as I was.


    I glanced around to see if there was anyone who could stop them, or at least knew what was happening. Kaelyn was on the ground as well, blood dripping from the claw marks on the left arm. It looked deep. Farica ¨C she was yelling her heart out: stop it, or stop this, words that fell on deaf ears.


    The two struggled. Melory dug her claws into the fabric on the madame¡¯s waistline. One of the two screamed, I couldn¡¯t tell anymore.


    Latasha reached inside her coat and I could hear the click, metal against metal. My heart stilled when I saw what she pulled out.


    A random scene popped in my head. A memory from my time back in the maze, early in my timeline. There had been me, frantic, losing all sense because it had been too much. Rendered witless by compounding fear. The monsters, the mazes, the monsters.


    The slavers, the beasts, the Dread.


    I looked at them and saw copies of myself, of the old, frantic me. I tried to remember what happened to me at times like these. What had pulled me out of it.


    Wind picked up. It started as a swirl, a gentle breath of winter that was building up into something else. Dead leaves whirled, round and round, dancing in the air as if trapped inside an invisible storm. Tents roared as canvas pulled and pushed against the rigid poles, threatening to tear.


    There was this sort of relief when drowning one¡¯s self into the aether. I felt it last night as I projected one explosion after the other. The weightlessness, everything becoming clear as they moved as though in a timeless way.


    I felt it now too. It chased away the venom¡¯s haziness. Things felt like they mattered less: the blood, the two girls clawing at each other, trivial compared to the vastness of the aether. Through that vastness, I moved the gale in collision.


    It hit them hard.


    I lurched when they flew, pushing Melory down with my whole weight before she had a chance to get back up. When her eyes met mine, I couldn¡¯t see myself in the reflection. Her odd-colored eyes were opened wide, pupils dilated, fangs bared and snarling. Feral.


    Mel!


    She swiped at me. I snatched her wrists before her claws could reach. I tried to hold her down but her lithe form was treacherous ¨C she was much stronger than me.


    Melory! I tried again, but I knew I¡¯d lost her. I¡¯d have considered slapping her out of it if my hands weren¡¯t full holding her down.


    I heard movement on my back. The rustle of clothes and grass: someone getting their bearings and settling into position. I shifted my body, putting myself between this person I couldn¡¯t see and the girl below me.


    Don¡¯t shoot!


    ¡°Fucking move, Whitey!¡±


    The madame was moving again, trying to get an angle on Melory. I couldn¡¯t let that happen.


    I lifted myself up, pulling my weight away and off her. It had been my only leverage. Immediately she pounced back, arching her back forward, knees buckling to push me off her.


    I pulled the luphaen into a pseudo-embrace and wrapped as much as my body around her. The gesture was clear, a warning to both sides: you want her, you go through me.


    Melory bit into me, hard, at the spot where my neck connected with my right shoulder.


    I bit back. It was her upper arm and a place where I made sure it hurt. Around the same half-second I heard a smack from behind me followed by an object hitting the ground. Kaelyn or Farica, either one had swatted the weapon out of the Latasha¡¯s hand.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    I bit harder, and so did the luphaen¡¯s fangs dig deeper into my skin. I was betting on either the pain from my bite, or the taste of blood from hers, to wake her out of this craze.


    I won that bet.


    The strength waned from her arms, falling down her sides. Her maw followed suit, the jaw easing off but fangs still embedded. I heard her taking a sharp breath.


    Mel, I called.


    When I felt her twitch, I knew she was back.


    I let go of my bite. My hand went from her wrist to rubbing her on the back. The next part was vital.


    Melory. It¡¯s okay.


    She was shivering. Too afraid to move as reality dawned on her. The blood, the eyes on her, the look in those eyes. The fangs, still rooted in my skin.


    Movements behind me. I swung an arm out, fingers spread to tell them to stop whatever they were planning.


    I moved the hand on her back to her shoulders, up to her neck. To the back of her head, caressing her hair¨C


    She pulled away. She got on her feet and dashed off.


    Mel!


    I stumbled forward in my attempt to give chase. The aether¡¯s effect had withered away and left only the venom¡¯s paralysis. If I could chase after her, I would¡¯ve¨C


    No, that was a lie. If I really wanted to, a measly venom wouldn¡¯t have gotten in the way.


    Hands reached for me, turning me around. Farica¡¯s teary eyes met my own.


    Behind her was Kaelyn, now on her feet. She¡¯d been the one to slap the weapon from Latasha¡¯s hand. I thanked her in silence.


    Latasha was putting pressure on her waist, where the dress was stained red. It looked bad. I pushed Farica away, turning her attention away from me and towards them because they needed it more.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Kaelyn broke the silence. ¡°It was my fault.¡±


    ¡°She struck you, Ruddy,¡± Latasha, her voice strained.


    That. What happened there?


    I remembered Kaelyn grabbing me in panic. Melory reacted violently, but¡­ why?


    I hadn¡¯t¡­ wasn¡¯t pegging her as someone capable of so much aggression. Everything she¡¯d said, how she acted until now, I¡¯d been sure she was more on the passive side of things. When she¡¯d lashed out, it didn¡¯t feel like her.


    The ruddy shook her head in disapproval. She held the injury on her arm tight. ¡°It hurts. It hurts so much.¡±


    ¡°Walk it off.¡± The lady pointed a thumb. ¡°People are coming. They can¡¯t know.¡±


    Three people were heading our way from the direction of Carleigh¡¯s tent. Luise, Aldwan, Aenir.


    She was right. We couldn¡¯t let them know.


    Fuck.


    If Kaelyn and I were only ones harmed, maybe it would¡¯ve been ¡®okay¡¯ with a slap on the hand. But Latasha was a madame, a noble of some sort. Melory could be facing a death sentence.


    ¡°She didn¡¯t mean it. She couldn¡¯t have, it¡¯s not her,¡± Kaelyn murmured, voice breaking at the end. I wholly agreed with that statement.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Latasha took off her shawl and winced as she wrapped it around her waist.


    Farica tore away the cloth on Kaelyn¡¯s arm, then quickly used it to gift-wrap the wound. Exposing the injury in order to hide it.


    ¡°I can patch this up if I had a kit,¡± Farica said. Her calmness was uncanny.


    The trio drew near. Farica busied herself wiping the trails of blood running down the redhead¡¯s arm, down her wrist and her palm, trickling off her fingers. They were but successful in smearing the entirety of Kaelyn¡¯s arm red. So much for hiding it.


    ¡°Whitey,¡± Latasha called. She pointed at the base of her neck.


    The bite. I pulled the oversized shirt from the collar, hiding the bite by letting the fabric fall of my shoulder on the other end. It felt weird, maybe even a tiny bit embarrassing to lay my skin bare against the cold air. An almost alien emotion.


    Melory had been like that back in the river. Bashful, refusing to come out unless a rock separated us. A different Melory.


    Aenir crouched beside me. His eyes were a clear blue like the sky unhindered by clouds, something I wouldn¡¯t have noticed had I not desperately looking for a distraction from my own chaotic thoughts. Hells, I was desperate enough to make a fucking poetry out of it.


    ¡°The healer?¡± he asked. I shook my head.


    ¡°Tasha, everything okay?¡± Luise asked. Things were weird enough that his voice sounded comforting, as if everything from volume to tone was calculated to its soothing effect.


    On the lady¡¯s waist, redness was seeping through. I didn¡¯t know if she noticed, but she aligned her body to keep her left flank out of their sight. ¡°No, everything¡¯s not okay. Whitey¡¯s sick.¡±


    Kaelyn followed her cue, positioning herself to hide the blood still leaking from the wraps. Farica helped hide it with her own body.


    ¡°Tasha, you¡¯re bleeding¨C¡°


    ¡°Everything¡¯s fine!¡± Latasha shouted, and it was a shout she¡¯d put too much force into, worsening the pain. She couldn¡¯t hide the grimace.


    Luise stopped there.


    Aenir hoisted me up in one swift move. One arm around my waist, the other under the bend of my knees, much like how he¡¯d carried me into slaver hands. I couldn¡¯t find the strength to protest. I was broadcasting my weakness in front of Luise of all people.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the healer?¡± Aenir asked, not to anyone in particular.


    ¡°He went out,¡± Luise told him. ¡°Someone on sweep duty got pricked by stinging herbs or something.¡±


    The blond hunched over and picked something off the ground. A palm-sized pistol. He un-cocked it before passing it over to Latasha.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Latasha said. She was getting wobbly, her form slouched forward. Her focus was split between staying on her feet and keeping the pain from showing on her face. Luise went to help her stand.


    ¡°Where is Melory?¡± Aldwan growled. I¡¯d forgotten the eight-feet tall humanoid was even there. Everything seemed so blurry.


    I pointed the direction she went. Go.


    He stared at me.


    Go, I repeated, as if it could make him go faster. I jerked my head to nudge him.


    ¡°Little magus, ¡®hank you.¡±


    He did as I told. I watched the broad of his fur-covered back as he stomped off. I¡¯d known he was here for her, maybe to rescue her, maybe to take her back to her people. It didn¡¯t matter. I just hoped he could fix what I couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°We¡¯re going back to our wagon,¡± said Latasha.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Luise said. ¡°Our supply¡¯s diminished from the battle and we won¡¯t need another storage. You can keep using that one.¡±


    The fifty-foot limp back was bleak. Neither men asked anything. They¡¯d known something was up¡ªthey weren''t idiots¡ªand decided to keep a vow of silence.


    ¡°Where¡¯s everyone?¡± Latasha was the one who spoke out first.


    ¡°Out on patrol. Clearing the area, making sure we¡¯re not up for a second wave,¡± Luise answered. ¡°I¡¯ll go find Rips as soon as I drop you off. He¡¯ll take care of you girls.¡±


    ¡°No, I can do it,¡± Farica said. This was the first time I¡¯d seen her speaking directly to a man. ¡°I just need his kit. I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pass the word.¡±


    The guys helped us up the wagon. Latasha took her seat near the back, nearest the entrance. Kaelyn sat across, Farica beside her to provide an extra grip. As Aenir set me down further in, Luise supplied the heater with a handful assortment stones of varying shapes, pitch black in color.


    Searing stones, I assumed. Melory told me about those. It lit up almost immediately when Luise turned a dial at the bottom of the heater.


    Curious. And I didn''t have anyone to ask about it.


    Aenir took something out of his side pouch. A small vial of dark liquid, which he handed over to Farica. He gestured at me. ¡°Concoction. For her."


    ¡°Ophalisks.," Luise blurted out. ¡°Nasty sons of bitches. Nerve venom and a bizarro diet that culminates in acid-like poison. Mixes them up and spits them out. You¡¯d have to cater the remedy carefully¨C¡°


    ¡°I know the drill,¡± Farica said, curt. Dismissive.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see to it that you girls get treatment asap,¡± Luise assured us.


    ¡°Then get to it asap,¡± Latasha said, also curt and dismissive. She was clenching her teeth.


    ¡°We¡¯ll leave you to it, then.¡± Luise gave us a nod and hopped out the back.


    Aenir followed, but not before addressing me in a low voice, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t use magic so recklessly.¡±


    He left the words hanging and closed the curtains behind him. I was too exhausted to even discern the meaning of that.


    ¡°Put pressure on the wound,¡± I heard Farica saying to the ruddy. She then came over to me, vial in hand. ¡°Can you sit on your own?¡±


    I demonstrated the very feat in response.


    ¡°Take it,¡± she gave me the medicine. ¡°Two sips. You¡¯ll feel hot down your throat. When the warmth goes away, take another two sips. Wait five minutes before drinking the remainder. Is that clear?¡±


    Bossy ¨C Farica was in her elements. I gave her a nod.


    ¡°Where were you burnt?¡± she asked me.


    I opened my mouth.


    ¡°How did you¨C err, I see blisters on your tongue. It hurts but it¡¯s nothing threatening. The toxin must¡¯ve been well diluted by the time you, um, came in contact. It should be okay.¡±


    On the contrary, I wasn¡¯t feeling anything. I was assuming there was some kind of paralyzing agent in the poison as well. It would probably hurt later, after the numbing wore off.


    Ah, well. I don¡¯t use my tongue much anyway.


    No one heard me.


    ¡°Can I leave you alone? I¡¯ve got to¡­¡± the girl looked over at the others, the curls of her hair bouncing as she turned her head.


    I gave her the yes. She scurried over to Latasha.


    ¡°No. Ruddy first.¡± The madame was heaving out the words.


    Farica didn¡¯t pay her any heed and untied the shawl, lifted her coat and her dress beneath it. I could see through a blur where a spotless ivory met with blotches of crimson. ¡°You¡¯ll need sutures. You and Kae both.¡±


    ¡°Smothering hell. Everything¡¯s messed up.¡± Latasha¡¯s eyes shut tight. Her nails dug into her palms.


    ¡°Um, it¡¯s okay to cry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not crying.¡±


    She definitely was. From the pain, of course, because I couldn¡¯t imagine her caring enough to cry over anything else. To her side was the miniature pistol I saw earlier; four chambers, probably loaded, with a barrel no longer than the owner¡¯s finger.


    Latasha noticed me looking. ¡°Luise gave it to me. For protection.¡±


    Not what I was asking. I gave her a glare.


    Kaelyn jumped in as if she''d read my mind, "You tried to shoot her."


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have, I¨C¡° Latasha stopped. Because she knew it¡¯d be lying if she hadn¡¯t. She corrected herself, ¡°Whitey could¡¯ve been killed.¡±


    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t. Not Mel.¡±


    Latasha was shaking her head. ¡°The bloodlust? It¡¯s their defensive mechanism. It¡¯s bound to happen sooner or later.¡±


    An ugly, ugly feeling rose from the pit of my stomach.


    You knew.


    The luphaen¡¯s predisposition, Latasha fucking knew.


    I wanted so badly to throw something at her.


    Farica did what she could from there, using whatever she had on hand to bind the injuries. Latasha was worst off judging by the profuse bleeding. I hated feeling this way but I couldn¡¯t help but think she deserved it, that she''d reaped what she sowed. This wouldn¡¯t have happened if she hadn¡¯t pushed Melory into a corner.


    A corner which I¡¯d created by deferring on action. Because I was worried about the fucking questions.


    A defensive mechanism, meaning she¡¯d felt like she was being attacked. We made her feel like that.


    Fuck. Fuck everything.


    We were licking on our wounds and there I was, stuck in a twilight, switching intermittently between blacking out and barely aware, condemning thoughts mingling with contrition. Blaming Latasha, blaming myself for not making a decision sooner. Blaming whoever the fuck told Farica and Kaelyn about the poison.


    I switched from problem to solution. What action to take next? What could I do to fix this?


    I couldn''t think of anything.


    It was maybe a short while later that someone came up outside the closed curtain. A welcome distraction.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± Latasha called out, composure in her voice at odds with her facial expression.


    ¡°It¡¯s Rips. The healer?¡± came the answer from behind the curtain. Male, average height compared to other drifters. Relatively young, if his voice was anything to go by. I struggled to pinpoint more details ¨C anything to keep myself awake. The shadow moved near. ¡°I¡¯m coming in¨C¡°


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Latasha¡¯s eyes wondered as she tried to think of a reason. ¡°We¡¯re not proper. Just leave your things here.¡±


    As the madame said that, Farica moved towards the exit. ¡°Um, Rips, right? I¡¯ll take care of them if you can pass me your kit. Bandages, disinfectants, stitching kit. And, err, painkillers if you have any.¡±


    Rather pointless to try and hide the incident at this point, but it was a sentiment more than anything ¨C a statement from the madame that she wanted to keep things under wraps.


    I saw his hands go in, one holding the handle of a wooden box with white cross painted on the sides. His other hand held a stack of cloths and blankets. ¡°It¡¯s all in there. Just holler if you need any help. I¡¯ll be near.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Farica took the box and checked its contents. She let him place the blankets down on his own.


    ¡°Try to keep warm. The avlarks were saying that snowfall¡¯s imminent,¡± Rips advised. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on here. Would it be acceptable if I tell the others you¡¯ve gone down with a cold?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Latasha said.


    Farica waited for the sound of boots going away before returning to the madame¡¯s side. ¡°Come here, Kae. I¡¯ll treat you two together.¡±


    While she treated them both, I took my own medicine. Two sips. It gave me a pungent, peppery taste down my throat that stirred me a bit from the ¡®twilight¡¯ state.


    I heard a yelp. Farica was cleaning the madame¡¯s wound with cloth moistened from her flask of water.


    ¡°Take one pill only,¡± our healer told them. She also addressed me, ¡°Do you need one too?¡±


    Pain relievers. I shook my head because I thought it would further mess with my head. I focused on the heat in my chest as it drained down towards my stomach. In the fringes of my vision, I saw Farica applying the bottle of clear, refreshingly odorous liquid onto a fresh cloth. She pressed it against Latasha¡¯s wound.


    Latasha sniveled between rasped breaths as the cloth was rubbed against her. ¡°Painkiller my pretty ass, that fricking hurts.¡±


    ¡°It takes time for the analgesic to kick in,¡± Farica answered, now rubbing even harder.


    Latasha hissed. ¡°Can¡¯t you wait until it fucking does?¡±


    The little healer gestured at the redhead, who was pressing down on the laceration on her arm as she waited for her turn.


    ¡°Don¡¯t whinge,¡± said Farica. ¡°It only makes it worse.¡±


    Latasha wasn¡¯t making anymore complains.


    Having cleaned out the blood and gunk, Farica took more stuff out from the box. A small bow-shaped needle and a spindle of really thin thread.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done this before?¡± Latasha asked. Her eyes were locked on the needle.


    ¡°Yeah, lots.¡± Farica tied the thread around the needle¡¯s eye with little effort.


    The heat in my stomach had gone away. I took another two sips.


    ¡°He mentioned something about snow, didn¡¯t he?¡± Latasha said.


    Farica was flicking the needle, then she cut the thread at around an arm¡¯s length. ¡°He said it was going to snow.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°Not good,¡± Kaelyn interjected.


    Latasha shrugged with her right shoulder, the one away from her injury. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen snow before. We don¡¯t get them back in Angestile.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Lie down, please,¡± Farica ordered.


    Kaelyn offered her lap. Latasha grudgingly complied, laying with her back against the wood, head propped on the ruddy¡¯s thighs.


    ¡°We have coasts, though,¡± Latasha continued, her gaze on the covers above our heads. ¡°Beautiful beaches, resplendent reefs. I bet you inlanders have never seen the ocean.¡±


    Kaelyn smiled at that. ¡°Nu-uh. My family lived in the Isles when I was a kid. Da took me sailing every other day.¡±


    Latasha made a painful chuckle. ¡°Sounds fun.¡±


    ¡°It was.¡±


    Farica brought a piece of fabric she¡¯d ripped off and folded into a compact size. She gave it to Latasha. ¡°Bite down on this if you want.¡±


    ¡°Does it really hurt that much?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve stitched people without painkillers, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking. But they weren¡¯t civilians. Or nobles.¡±


    Latasha scoffed at the mention of nobles, but took the offer anyway, placing it in her mouth. Her eyes flickered to Farica¡¯s hands ¨C no more small talk to distract herself from the needle.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move or I might mess up the stitches.¡±


    Latasha responded with a sound that was halfway between a grunt and a whimper.


    Kaelyn caressed madame¡¯s forehead, to help soothe her, and the other arm across her chest, to help hold her down.


    Farica¡¯s hand was trembling. She hid it from the other two as she took a deep breath, steadied her grip, and pressed the point against Latasha¡¯s skin.


    I gulped down the rest of my vial.


    ?


    A small lump of snow tipped over as I adjusted my cowl, a lump several minutes¡¯ worth of buildup. A similar accumulation could be seen on the ground, on top of trees and tents, caking unmanned horses and vehicles at a worrying rate. I kicked on a mound of snow to check my strength. The medicine they''d given me had a rapid payoff and I¡¯d been able to walk on my own within an hour or so. My steps were a bit wobbly to be honest, but I had to get out of that stifling wagon.


    I''d been making my rounds around the camp, searching for Melory, when the snow started to fall. The drifters had returned from the sweep, and some of them started noticing me after I made my third or so pass around their vicinity.


    On my fourth lap, one of them decided to call out.


    ¡°Little magus, you lookin¡¯ for somethin¡¯?¡± He was part of a larger group of drifters hanging by a fire, taking cups of something hot and what assumed to be dried meat. Snow had nested on their clothes, turning them white in the short amount of time they were out.


    ¡°She can¡¯t speak, dumbass,¡± his friend said.


    I halted, thought of something, then put my hands above my head, fingers pressed together to mock avlark ears.


    A third guy chuckled into his cup. ¡°That¡¯s cute.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I think she¡¯s tryin¡¯ to say somethin¡¯. Err, ears? Chief Aldwan?¡± the first guy guessed.


    I nodded.


    ¡°He¡¯s with the chief,¡± he pointed at a tent. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t interrupt them if I were you.¡±


    Thanks, I gave them a curt nod.


    The tent he directed me to was Orlev¡¯s, situated around the center of the camp. It was bigger than the others because he''d been using it to brief his officers.


    On my approach I heard raised voices inside. The meeting was still going on.


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that,¡± I heard a man say. Orlev¡¯s voice. ¡°I have a responsibility to my men and the guild.¡±


    Answering was an avlark¡¯s distinctively low and gravelly voice, ¡°I can ¡®ake some of your people in, provide shel¡¯er ¡®ill the end of Grimyas.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the problem right there. Some, not all.¡±


    ¡°Not really up to me, Orlevha. She¡¯s a cardinal, they¡¯ll ¡®ear her apart as soon as she ¡®akes a step in¡­¡±


    Just as I was about to take a peek, I saw a glimpse of gold, moving around the other side of the tent.


    I went around the other way. Cutting her off.


    She must¡¯ve seen what I was doing and doubled back, nimbly keeping the tent between us such that I couldn¡¯t get anymore than a flash of her hair. Stubborn.


    I tried doing the same thing, but so did she. It was coming down to merry chase around the dome of the command tent.


    I didn''t have time for this.


    Come on, Mel. I might collapse if you keep this up.


    A cheap move, taking advantage of my own weakness. Luckily she cared enough about me that it made her second-guess what she was doing. I used her faltering to catch up with her.


    I found her on the other side. Snow had piled on her shoulders and uncovered head, telling of how long she¡¯d been out in the open. She stood with arms on her side, gripping the edges of her clothes, eyes on her feet to avoid mine.


    I was slow and careful in approaching her. I wasn¡¯t sure if she¡¯d run away from me.


    Can you look at me?


    She did, for maybe a quarter of a second. I caught the redness of her eyes, how swollen it was. When she looked again, it was a quick peep at my shoulder where the dressing Farica had put on me was partially visible.


    ¡°¡­They want to take me back,¡± she said. Her voice was barely above a whisper.


    They. The avlarks.


    Do you want to?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± She finally met my eyes. A subtle conveyance, looking for my opinion.


    I felt conflicted. She was leaving her life in my hands, because she wasn¡¯t brave enough to make a decision.


    Make her stay and she¡¯d face the terrors of the Dread. Make her leave and I¡¯d lose my only means of communication.


    I was put in mind to my times in the maze. Everything had been simple back then, a time when every decision made was with my own survival above all else.


    Thinking again, not much had changed.


    I need you, Mel.


    I saw her expression shift. Strained. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Can we talk it out?


    She shook her head. ¡°No need.¡±


    With the others I mean.


    ¡°I can¡¯t. I¨C I hurt them.¡± She drew back.


    I chased after, one step closer. So you apologize. Isn¡¯t that how it works?


    ¡°I hurt you.¡±


    And I got you back, didn¡¯t I? She was wearing long sleeves, but I was sure I¡¯d left a remarkable bite there.


    I made another move. She saw the movement of my legs and jerked away.


    "Please, I¨C I don''t know what came over me. The voices¨C I wasn''t¨C I didn''t meant to¨C" her voice broke. Her hands went to cover her face, hiding. The way she collapsed in on herself made me think she was going to scream.


    I know you didn''t. I took another step.


    Silence. She was making a painful whimper as she threw her head down, hands crawling over her hair, pulling at them.


    Mel, please.


    She took a deep, shaky breath. Her arms went down back down.


    ¡°I don''t know what to do. I don¡¯t know if they¡¯ll forgive me.¡±


    We don¡¯t need them to forgive.


    She was trembling. Cold? Scared? She wasn''t meeting my eyes.


    Hey, I''m your friend, right?


    Her ears flinched at that. "You said no."


    I never said that.


    A long pause.


    "...Do you mean it? Be my friend?"


    I do.


    I heard a hiccup. She turned away from me. "Sorry. So sorry. For everything."


    I''m sorry too. I should''ve listened to you.


    "It wasn''t supposed to go this way. I never meant any of this to happen."


    I know, Mel. I know.


    Every step I took crunched the snow under my boots. She was within an arm''s reach now. I held out my hand to her, then I halted when I heard her titter.


    "You''re so strong," she said, her tone changing drastically. "I painted this image of you, you know? Like you were some kind of wounded bird that needed help. But that''s not you, is it?"


    Mel?


    She sounded different.


    "Even now you''re calculating the best way to coax me. Because you need me."


    She flinched when I grabbed her. She turned, and the look in her eye had changed as well. Determined. Meeting my eyes straight.


    I do need you.


    "I know. I''ll come with you."


    I was caught off guard. She took my hand, or snatched more like.


    "Can I ask you one thing?"


    I gulped down. Anything.


    She gripped hard, nails scratching my wrist. "You stay by my side. Even if they drag you around, even when they tell you to explode stuff, I get to be in the front seat. We stay together. No matter what."


    I nodded. Deal.


    She gave me an unnerving smile.


    ?


    ¡°¡­Stew yesterday, stew for breakfast. I¡¯m guessing we¡¯ll have stew for dinner?¡± the madame¡¯s voice rang out.


    ¡°It¡¯s better than dried food.¡± Farica said.


    ¡°Where¡¯d they get the meat, anyway? It¡¯s not like¨C¡° the madame paused, ¡°Oh gods. Am I eating monster meat?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just canned meat, Latasha.¡±


    Latasha had gone talkative. I was thinking it was because of the painkiller taking effect, removing some of her inhibition, if she ever had any. Kaelyn on the other hand was being quiet.


    The luphaen was standing behind me as we stood outside the wagon. She didn''t look scared anymore. Nervous, yes, but not a nervous wreck like I was.


    "I''m ready," she whispered.


    I parted the curtains.


    ¡°Whitey!¡± Latasha beamed at me. Clearly not herself. ¡°Come in! We saved some not-monster stew.¡±


    I moved a bit to the side. They saw Melory.


    The reaction was a bit less than what I¡¯d call dramatic. The sudden tension, the flexing of their limbs. The clatter as Farica placed her porringer. Kaelyn bent forward to get a clearer look. I saw Latasha reaching for her pistol.


    I met Melory¡¯s eyes. She held my hand, and I gave her a nod.


    This was going to be a lot of work.