Night came and dark within the forest became pitch black. Falan could make out the camp fires of Lord Birtran and his men. He glanced toward the others. Were they asleep or did they have their eyes closed while shivering in fear? He couldn’t say with such low visibility. If they were attacked by creates of the Blackwood, Birtran and his men would be as well. What would they do if he did not tire of waiting?

Did the mage wonder about Falan’s broken oath? She would probably ask him...soon. The Blackwood was hardly the place, but she would want to know who she was traveling with. She hasn’t asked yet, he thought. Falan would tell her the truth of she did. There was no dishonor in what he did, even if that was how others saw it. Still, he did not like talking about it.

Changing the subject of his thoughts, he listened closely for any sounds outside of Fellwind. If they gave up to Lord Birtran, High Lord Nightkar would surely have Serin and him beheaded for treason.

There was a soft whining croak not ten paces from where he sat. It could have been an animal, though none Falan had ever heard. Hand on his sword hilt, he searched the darkness.

Silence.

More silence...

What sorts of animals live in this place? he wondered, getting up. He moved forward a few paces.

There was a faint rustling of leaves behind him. He pulled his sword partially out of its sheeth as quietly as he could and was about to turn when a sharp object was pressed against his neck. Not a branch or a twig. Something metal.

A weapon.

He tilted his eyes left and out of the corner of his vision, saw a small person in dark clothes holding a spear to his neck. The assailant was perhaps the size of Leisa.

“I mean you no harm,” he said quietly, carefully moving his hand away from his sword hilt, “so long as you mean me none.”

The assailant sniffed. “Men do not come into the Blackwood.”

More pressure on the spear. A woman? A Hansa woman?

He drew a slow breath. “How is it that a Hansa lives in this place? I thought your kind was wiped out by the Dar’nithie.”

Was the Hansa smiling?

“We are more resilient than you think, humaaan.” Her voice was definitely feminine, but it held a deep growling edge, whether because she was about to thrust that spear into his neck or if Hansa just sounded that way, Falan did not know.

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Again he told the woman he meant her no harm. What he got in response was a dubious grunt as he felt her grip tighten on the spear. “We are only here because those men with the camp fires are trying to kill us. We had no choice but to come here.” Slowly he turned toward the Hansa woman, the sharp edge of her spear cutting into his skin. The pressure lessoned slightly.

Perhaps she does not want to kill me, he thought. “My name is Falan Nogal. Do you live here, in the Blackwood?”

The Hansa’s large eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Why do you care, humaaan?”

“I am only curious,” he said. “I thought your people were wiped out, or else had left these lands. What are you doing in the forest?”

The Hansa woman strafed aside, eyes glancing to her right as a soft metal on metal his issued from Serin’s scabbard. “Remove your spear point, Hansa, or you will surely die tonight!”

She smiled a flash of sharp white teeth. “Not before I kill your friend.

“She means us no harm, Serin. Falan had his arms spread, not entirely sure if she would thrust her spear into his neck. She simply wanted to know why we are here, and I told her.”

She eyed Serin, then Gorkis and the guardsmen fanning out. Her eyes fell on Leisa and the lady mage. If Falan had told the truth, it rang more true when the Hansa saw two women sleeping against the tree, Leisa under the lady mage’s arm. They could have been mother and daughter. There was no way she would know the older woman was a mage.

Is she even sleeping? he wondered about lady Casen.

Finally she pulled the spear off Falan’s neck, still poised to kill him at a moment’s notice.

Serin did not put up his sword. He was always slow to trust, but sometimes trust was needed to prevent an escalation of events. After a moment the man finally put his steel away.

Leisa shrieked and the Hansa’s already large eyes flashed larger, visibly tensing—ready to strike.

Brassen snorted awake and growled loudly. The lady mage mage bolted to her feet without so much as being disturbed out of sleep first as Leisa yelped awake. The mage had her hands raised, obviously ready to attack should the need arise.

Leisa scurried up against the tree. “What is that?”

Gorkis and the guardsmen continued fanning out.

Brassen hefted a small axe. “Don’t worry yourself, Serafe! I’ll kill it!” He swayed back and forth, ready to pounce.

“Stop!” Falan ordered. “Lower your weapons.”

It was likely the Hansa would skewer Brassen like a wild boar should the fool charge her.

They hesitated for a moment, then finally obeyed. Brassen scowled contemptuously.

Lady Casen’s eyes lingered on the Hansa woman. She lowered her hands. “Hansa,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “Interesting. We mean you no harm. We are sheltering here for a time from men who pursue us.”

“Your people are too loud, humaaan,” the Hansa growled quietly. Her eyes traveled up to the canopy above. “They can hear.” She made a motion with the flat of her hand over her mouth. “You will not survive here long, not if you stay here.”

No one said anything. The Hansa woman eyed them in turn, a cautious but curious expression on her face. Finally she lowered her spear completely. “Come with me.” She turned, making her way into blackness.

Falan looked to the lady mage. She looked right back, no hint of inference in her gaze—though it was hard to tell in this blackness.

The Hansa half turned, head tilted sideways. “I said come!” she hissed quietly. “You want help, do you not?”

“We’re—we’re going to follow that creature?” Jasen asked. He was standing next to Leisa. He teached down and helped her up.

“It seems so,” Sorela said.