Selerim swung his sword down, careful not to move too quickly for Gwyn to follow. He'd intended on halting their training sessions during their excursion, but she'd insisted, stating neither of them knew what the future hold. That was as good a reason as any, so he'd acquiesced willingly. And besides, he enjoyed their sparring sessions. It was yet another part of life in Cress he found himself constantly yearning for.

His sister responded by raising her staff, holding it at an angle so that his blow slid off its smooth, metallic surface. The cracking fire at her back bathed her small form in warm orange light, mingling with the cool silver of the staff she held. She'd improved yet again since they last sparred. Her movements were more precise now, and more confident.

Gwyn's newfound proficiency brought with it yet another problem: she needed a suitable weapon. The staff itself was a training instrument through and through; its lack of a blade made it unsuitable for real use.

He still felt a twinge of guilt over her outburst. The fact he'd not noticed himself pulling away was no real excuse. She was his sister. An integral part of his life. Someone he shared everything with.

Selerim pivoted on his front foot, digging his back into the snow as he turned. A wall of soft white rose in response, catching the flickering firelight. Surprise flickered across her face, only to be replaced as he slammed the elbow of his sword-arm into her abdomen.

She went tumbling back into the snow.

"Sorry," he said, lowering his weapon and leaning over to offer her a hand as she coughed. "Was that too hard?"

"No," she responded, shaking the wet white powder from her hair. "You just surprised me. Every time I think I've seen everything, you pull out something new."

"That was sort of the point."

"I know. Use everything you can. That's what you're trying to show me, right?"

He nodded. "It's easier with snow, but if the earth is soft enough, it works well enough."

"Got it." Gwyn planted her staff in the thick layer of snow, resting her weight on it. "Again?"

Selerim shook his head. "No. That's enough for tonight. We're still traveling. Some sparring is fine, but you still need to save your strength."

"I won't be able to pick and choose my fights."

He reached out to tousle her hair. "Maybe not in the future. But for now, you can. So rest. And we still need to eat."

"... Alright."

They walked back to the fire in silence. His sister's face was tight with concentration, no doubt poring over the events of their skirmish. Her desire to learn was a decidedly good thing, but left him with mixed emotions nonetheless. He'd wanted to protect her from the rigors of their world for a while longer.

But that was an impossibility, now, and more importantly, clashed with her own desire.

He'd left a number of skewers resting by the fire. After their session, the meat was cooked through, and the spiced vegetables perfectly roasted. He gave two to Gwyn before taking two more for himself. The fifth, which he saved for Nyx, held only meat.

"Here." Selerim handed it to his sister. "You remember the whistle I taught you?"

She nodded, taking the skewer from his hands and pursing her lips to let out a single note. Nyx descended at the sound, snatching the skewer from her hands before vanishing back into the night. "I still can't get used to that," she muttered.

He smiled. "It takes some getting used to." He'd always found comfort in the knowledge of his Wyrd's shadowy vigil, but knew well the discomfort it caused to others.

They ate quickly but quietly, their appetite incensed by both the day's travel and their spar. The skewers themselves were cut from a tree branch; Selerim simply added them to the fire afterwards.

"You feel guilty about something."

"... How'd you know?"

Gwyn shrugged. "I know you. And... It's easier to tell when we're sparring. It's like I can feel it in your weapon whenever I block. I don't know how to explain it. If it's about what I said before..."

Selerim shook his head. "It's not. At least... Not entirely."

"Not entirely?"

"It's part of it," he admitted. "But I should feel guilty about that. I don't want to hide things from you. I'm sorry I tried to."

"It's fine," she said tersely. "But what else is bothering you?"

He stared into the fire, trying to organize his thoughts.

"If you don't want to talk about it..."

"No, I do." Selerim reached for another piece of firewood, throwing it into the fire and watching the flurry of sparks and embers that kicked up as a result. "It's just... A lot."

"We have time."

He chuckled. "I guess that's true. Sometimes..." He trailed off. "Sometimes I feel like I should have stayed behind. In Vasoria."

"Why?" Gywn's tone was curious, devoid of blame or anger.

"It's complicated." Selerim paused again, trying to organize his thoughts. When he spoke again, his voice was hardly even a whisper. "I feel guilty for leaving her behind," he admitted. "Viria." He sighed. "And then I feel even *more* guilty because my place is here. With you and mom."

"I know how much you care for us," Gwyn said gently. "And that means the world to me. It really does. But we can't be your whole life, either. Even in Cress, you had your friends. Your duty as a hunter. It's why I was happy when you decided to become a mercenary. I still don't think you should quit."

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"I know." Selerim sighed. "That's not the only reason. I promised her uncle I would keep her safe." He felt a twinge of anguish at the thought of Vane- the elf he'd buried so many nights ago. He'd mulled over the events leading up to that; agonized over them. "And then I left her behind in a country that wanted her dead."

"I'm glad you came back."

"... I am too."

"Is that it?"

He shook his head. "No."

"Then what else?"

"I have a duty to Corvus. To Senri, Verad, Saya... Sita. Everyone that died. To find out what happened." Selerim took a shaky breath. "I feel like I'm neglecting that duty."

"Do you still feel guilty about... Surviving?"

"Sometimes. Not often. They wouldn't want me to feel guilty... And that helps."

"Good."

"And I still feel guilty about letting mom send the letter in my place."

"I'm sure she wanted to."

He nodded. "She did. But still. And now that something's happened, I feel guilty about that, too."

"You can't blame yourself for every bad thing that happens."

Selerim nodded. "Knowing that and believing it are two different things."

"And... Viria." Gwyn said the name slowly; experimentally. As if testing how to say it. "How do you feel about her?"

He frowned. "Why do you say it like that?"

She shrugged. "I'm just curious."

"It's... Complicated." Selerim grimaced. The word was so utterly inadequate; and yet, he could think of no other one to properly describe it. "I care for her. I really do. But whatever bond we forged was born as a result of the worst night of my life. That's hard to separate. I'm glad she survived. I really am. But... There are times I wish that... That someone else had survived. And then that makes me feel even more guilty."

"It's not like you had any control over it."

"I know."

"I'm glad she was there for you, you know." Gwyn's voice dropped to a hushed whisper. "So is mom. It..." She took a breath. "You may have preferred if someone else survived. But still. I'm glad *someone* was there for you." Her hand went to the bracelet around her wrist. "And... Her being part of that night doesn't mean you can't care for her."

"I know," he repeated. "It's just... Hard to separate the two."

"You'll be happy to see her again, won't you?"

"Yes."

"... But that's just another reason for you to feel guilty."

Selerim nodded once, not trusting himself to speak.

"You can't keep living like this. All these things... They're not your fault."

"They're not... But I feel guilty."

Gwyn opened her mouth- to say more, no doubt- but yawned instead.

"You should get some sleep. We have plenty of time for now," he quickly added, seeing the protest form on her lips. "But it's late. We'll still travel tomorrow- and spar if you want to. We can talk again whenever you want to. I promise."

"... Alright." He could hear the reluctance in his sister's voice, but she agreed nonetheless.

image [https://i.imgur.com/T7fdvjj.png]

"You can feel it, right?"

Tasha nodded in response.

"Just push it through. The bracelet will take care of the rest."

"... What if I break it?"

"You won't," Suli said soothingly. "The spell is designed to be easy to use." The bracelet itself was little more than a smooth metal band wrought from simple, unadorned silver, yet it had cost them nearly all the money they'd pooled together. It was well worth the price, though, considering it held more than twice the capacity of her ring- more than enough to carry the weapons and supplies they needed.

Whatever happened to it after their commission would be up to them. It was only fair, considering they'd contributed far more to the purchase. Whether they kept it or resold it was of no consequence to her; the device was only a means to an end.

Tasha pursed her lips in concentration- and the small wooden cube set on the table vanished.

"Now pull it back out."

Her face scrunched up. "How?"

"Think of it as doing the opposite. Instead of guiding essence in, pull it back out. Think of the item you want. It's just the cup now, so it'll be easy."

She closed her red eyes. One second passed, and then another- and the cup appeared in her outstretched hand.

"See? Just like that."

"I don't think I'll be able to do that in a fight."

"You won't need to. We're just going to carry supplies in yours. I'll carry all the combat essentials like weapons and first aid."

"Alright."

"I take it your lessons are going well?" Rase asked from his seat in front of the fireplace.

"We're already done. This is all there really is to it. It's all she'll need for our commission, at the very least. It'll get easier every time you use it. If you decide to keep it afterwards, I'm sure you'll find a lot of uses for it."

"I can't believe it cost us so much."

She smiled. "It is hard to believe, isn't it?"

"Speaking of our commission..." Rase stood, walking over to join them at the table. "I take it you've finally decided on a route?"

Suli nodded. "More or less. I may make some minor adjustments in the days leading up to our departure, but nothing major." She'd spent the vast majority of the previous days poring over maps and reports before finally deciding on which path to take. "It's not the fastest route, but I think it's the right combination of safe and quick." She sighed. "It's really just a balancing act. It's best to avoid the areas dense with Reavers, but at a certain point, taking the long route becomes more dangerous. We could run out of supplies, or end up overrun. I've already requisitioned a detection device, but it'll only do so much."

"Perhaps you should ask our newest member what his trick is. He seemed to know their whereabouts well ahead of time."

"I intend to. I'm not sure he'll tell us... But I don't think he'll leave us completely in the dark. He warned us last time, after all."

"Are you worried about having him alongside us for so long?"

She shook her head. "Not particularly. He knows Worrick is my brother, and even without that, I don't think he'd want any trouble with the Guild. Or the royal family, for that matter. Still... I can't quite puzzle out how he fits into all of this."

"I'm sure all will be revealed with time."

"I hope so. At this point, I just want to be done with it and then go spend the rest of my days somewhere no one will bother me."

Rase smiled, reaching over the table to tousle Tasha's hair. "I hope you'll allow us to bother you on occasion."

Suli smiled in return. "Of course. You're never a bother."

"When do you think we should set out?"

"At least a few weeks from now. It won't be as cold then, but some Reavers will still be hibernating." She hesitated before continuing. "I don't like saying this, but you should make sure to have everything here in order before we leave."

"I'm well aware. Naru and I have already made arrangements."

"Then all that's left to do is wait."

image [https://i.imgur.com/T7fdvjj.png]

The winter cold, combined with the weight of Umbra pulled Gwyn from the dark of sleep. She pulled her blanket close around her shoulders before sitting up straight. All that remained of their fire was a sparse flickering of warm orange flame.

Selerim stood on the other side. He'd foregone his thick winter coat in favor of a simple leather jerkin. Just looking at him made her cold; and his actions, even moreso. He was only half-dressed, scrubbing away at his bare skin with handfuls of half-melted snow. She could still see the traces of purplish-blue blood against his scarred flesh, and the white around his feet was spotted with the same color.

"More Reavers?"

He nodded. "Just a few. Nothing to worry about."

Gwyn shook her head. "I'm not worried." It was the truth- she trusted Selerim to protect her, regardless of what may come. She paused, considering her words before speaking. "I think you should let me try fighting."

Her brother dropped another handful of snow, leaning over to pick up his garb and pulling it over his head before responding. "Alright."

She blinked. "Just like that?"

Selerim nodded. "I think it would be good for you to get some experience. And Nyx says there's only small Reavers around here. As long as I'm nearby, I can keep you safe." He paused. "Are you sure you're ready, though?"

"It won't be my first time seeing a Reaver."

"I know. But seeing them and fighting them are two different things."