The edges of the breach in the Wall were rough and uneven. The colour of the vines had changed to a colourless bone white for at least a hands breadth around the edges. It reminded me of a dead log that had been left to sit in the sun for years. I reached out and touched the vine, only for a large section to crumble to dust under my fingers. I noticed more white dust lay at my feet in thick piles, gradually blending into the sand of the barren wasteland that stretched beyond the Wall.

I moved to a spot on the Wall that still had a healthy colour. Placing my hand against it, I took a deep, calming breath and closed my eyes as I drew on my magic through the circle on the arm brace. The thick dark green strands of life flowing through the Iron Vines came into view. Their heavy, steady rhythm seemed to almost vibrate the air around me. Looking to where the wall was breached, I found the strands of light to be blocked, the hum of life prevented from going near. I frowned. I'd seen this before, when a part of the plant had died and been separated from the rest.

I withdrew, opening my eyes to find Captain Strykar standing next to me, watching me intently.

"What did you find?" he asked.

"The Wall itself is healthy," I told him, running my hands over the rough bark. "The flow of life is steady and strong. But the area around the breach is strange, it's as though those sections of vine have been sitting dead for decades."

I looked up to the top of the Wall, where the hole narrowed. "Plants don't rot away like this though. If there was a sick section of vine then one branch would die. This hole goes across multiple branches. I don't think this is natural."

The Captain stared up at the wall, fingers drumming against his sword's hilt. "Can you fix it?" he asked.

I gave him a nod. "Yes sir, it will just take a bit of time."

He indicated I proceed, then stepped back. I set my hands back onto the vines, and once again drew on my magic. My stomach growled, reminding me I hadn't eaten since dinner last night.

This is going to be a long day.

I focused on the Iron Vines, pushing them to shed the crumbled dead pieces and regrow new fresh sections. The vines were stubborn, resisting my efforts and not wanting to move. As Da often told me, I needed to be more stubborn than the plants. Gradually, amidst sounds of creaking timber and scraping bark, the Deadwall regrew. The fresh sections of vine sprouted near me, slithering their way over, under and around more strands of new and old vine before connecting seamlessly with the remaining pieces still holding the Wall.

At last, it was done. With a groan, I withdrew from the vines and stretched as I inspected my work. The new pieces of the Iron Vines were conspicuously brighter in colour than the rest, but were otherwise just as strong. Captain Strykar and Jayce were sat beneath the shade of a nearby tree, their horses grazing quietly next to them. The two Deadwall Guardsmen were nowhere to be seen, having left at some point during my work.

The Captain rose and approached, while Jayce collected the horses.

"Nice work," he told me as he studied the Wall. "Does it always take this long to fix something like this?"

I stifled a chuckle. "Yes sir," I replied. "The Iron Vines are notoriously difficult to work with. It is believed that is part of what makes them so strong. "

Captain Strykar was silent for a while. "Do you think a demon could have caused this?" he finally asked.

I considered a moment before answering, noting I'd asked a similar question of Da just last night. "I...don't think so sir. The vines weren't burnt from a fire, and earth magic couldn't cause this. At best earth magic could cut off the flow of life to a section of vine to cause it to die, but the result wouldn't be immediate. This feels as though this one section of wall, across multiple strands of vine, died off and aged over decades."

The Captain frowned. "Not even a time magus could achieve that, not that they'd ever leave Tempus."

I shrugged at that. I knew little of the time magus, as even mention of them were rare. Rumours said the Emperor of Tempus kept all time magus isolated from the rest of their population.

"It's possible this is some new kind of disease I suppose, maybe a poison?" I offered. "But I've never seen or heard of anything like this before."

Captain Strykar said no more, but signalled to Jayce who helped me back onto his horse, and we set off towards Crosset. The sun was already on its descent as we left the Wall. Small birds zipped through the long grass chasing bugs, while others sang from the safety of trees that dotted the open area. To our left, I saw the line of trees that made up part of our farm's orchard a little way in the distance. Briefly, I considered asking the men if we could go past my house, but quickly discarded the idea.

I want to see how Da's doing. Ah, and hopefully mum hasn't scolded the village doctor over his inadequate storage of medicinal herbs again.

We made it back to the dirt road which ran from the guard house to Crosset, and the horses were set into a steady canter. The ground sloped gradually downwards as we passed farmland which was broken up by copses of trees. There was the occasional person working in a field, and they would stare at us as we passed.

The sun was touching the horizon by the time Crosset came into view. Small lights shone through open windows in the low stone buildings. The horses were dropped to a trot as people were also walking along the road, weary from a day of tending the farms and on their way home. We passed a few carts laden with fruits and vegetables freshly harvested today, pulled along by donkeys. The horse's hoof beats changed to a sharper clack as the road changed to cobblestone. The river running behind the village glimmered in the failing light.

A few small market stalls now closed for the day were lined up along the short road. The only permanent stores in this village were the butcher, a blacksmith who mostly repaired farming tools, and a small grocer that also doubled as the hospital. A small building which held a school for the local children sat on the other side of the village.

We stopped in front of the grocer-hospital as the first stars began glimmering in the now purple sky. Jayce took the reins of both horses while Captain Strykar went through the door to the hospital, with me close behind him. Three beds made up with crisp white sheets lined one wall, the other side of the room hidden by a movable cloth curtain which acted as a treatment room. I knew from previous visits a door behind that curtain led to the other half of the building holding the grocer.

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The two beds closest to the door were empty. The last bed held Da, now washed and wearing clean clothes, his arm freshly bandaged. He was leaning back against some pillows, and his face was no longer creased with pain. Mum and Mason sat on stools next to him, also clean and in fresh clothing, Mason still wearing the arm brace that Grace had given him.

Mum was the first to see us enter. "Rowan!" she exclaimed, rushing over to give me a hug and completely breezing past the Captain. Mason and Da just grinned at me.

"Mason got back hours ago, what took you so long?" mum asked.

I gave her a pat on the back and pulled out of the hug. "It was a big hole mum, and the Iron Vines have never been the cooperative sort," I told her.

Mason lifted an eyebrow. "How big was the hole you fixed?" he asked. "Mine was only small, not even as tall as me."

I opened my mouth to answer when Captain Strykar cleared his throat. He was standing near the end of Da's bed, a strained smile plastered on his face.

Oh, whoops. I forgot he was here.

"If you don't mind," he started, "I'd like to speak to you, Mason, about the Wall breach you repaired today, as well as you Gareth about the ones you have repaired previously."

Mason's lip began to curl into a sneer, but one look from mum had him fix his face into a neutral expression. His distaste for nobility was well known in our family.

Gods I hope he keeps his cool.

Captain Strykar questioned Mason and Da at length about the damage they each repaired. Both gave descriptions similar to what I had found, with the edges of each hole being white and brittle. The main difference seemed to be the size, although neither of them mentioned how the crumbled sections acted as though they had been dead for years. The Captain didn't mention this to them either. I mentally shrugged, he mustn't think its useful information.

Once they were done with their explanations, the Captain seemed perplexed, and was staring off into the distance while tapping a finger against the hilt of his sword. I had sat on a stool next to mum, and was resting my head against her shoulder. My entire body felt heavy and gritty, my head filled with a thickening fog of exhaustion. I wanted nothing more than to curl into a little ball on the floor and sleep. Although, my stomach argued that food was the more pressing matter.

"I'll take what you've told me to the Duchess," Captain Strykar said, causing my drooping eyes to jolt back open. "However, I would like to request that Rowan accompany me to report her findings directly to Her Grace." He was looking at me with a calm gaze.

Wait, he wants me to what?

"Is that necessary, sir Strykar?" Da asked, now sitting up straight in his bed. He flicked a concerned look at me. "Surely your testimony alone would be sufficient?"

The Captain folded his arms across his chest and raised his chin slightly. Doing so brought a faint scar going from the corner of the right side of his mouth down to his chin into view, when previously it had been hidden by the dark stubble of his beard.

"Are you concerned that Miss Rowan would not be safe within the ducal house? Or is it that you don't trust a group of the Lycan Guard's men to escort her without harm?" he asked with a frown.

I felt Mason shift in his seat on the other side of me, and saw his hands clenched into fists while resting on his legs.

Da held up his hand in a placating gesture. "That's not what I'm saying sir," he explained. "But please understand, our family just survived a demon attack. Our house was likely destroyed. The thought of my daughter having to travel any distance from us makes me a bit anxious." Da's voice was calm and even. It really shone through that he was familiar in dealing with nobles from his time as a Palace Guard.

Captain Strykar unfolded his arms and his face relaxed. "I can understand your concern. Rest assured I will have your daughter back to you as quickly as possible." He then looked at me. "Miss Rowan, we will depart at dawn tomorrow." With that, he turned and left the hospital building.

Huh, looks like I don't get a say in this?

Once the door had closed behind the Captain, Mason jumped up from his seat, knocking it over with a loud clatter.

"That fucking prick!" he shouted, glaring towards the door.

"Mason, not so loud," mum chided. Da simply sighed and raked his hand through his hair.

"Why the hell does he get to order us around? Does some fancy title and a family he was born into make him any better than us?" he asked angrily while gesturing sharply, although he did lower his voice. He turned to look at me. "Aren't you annoyed? Why did you just sit there, you should have refused!"

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. I could feel a headache coming on. Mason's anger towards those within nobility stemmed from when our family had escaped Arbor. I had been too young to remember anything from that time, but Mason had told me how mum and Da had helped a noble family escape the country with us, only for them to abandon us once they made it to safety. Plus the Ardere nobility had been very disdainful about taking any refugees in until it was proved we would be useful to them.

"I am annoyed," I told him. "But my refusal wouldn't have achieved anything. You know as well as I do that he could forcibly drag me before the Duchess if he wished. And, quite frankly, I'm too damn tired to jump up and down about this right now."

Mason's shoulders slumped, and he looked down at the ground while rubbing his neck. "I know, you're right. It's just... I worry about you Ro. You know how city folk view us being from Arbor. I don't want them hurting you."

He was right. Our home country had lost all of the protective barrier stones which kept away the demons, and had become overrun. Many people viewed that as a failure on the part of the people of Arbor, believing we had done something so egregious that we had been abandoned by our god.

I smiled and patted his arm. "Don't worry so much, you know me. I won't take shit from anyone."

Mason's face relaxed and he smiled back. "Yeah, I know. Oh, but you should take these with you." He pulled out a small pouch from his pocket and handed it to me. I opened it to find a small pile of tiny seeds that looked like they were stained pink.

"Blackberry seeds," Mason explained. "If anyone bothers you, just wrap them up with these guys. I found them on the way back from the Wall."

I chuckled. These blackberries would have savage little thorns once they were grown, and would certainly make a mess of someone if they got tangled in it.

"Thanks Mas," I told him as I tied the pouch back up.

Doctor Henry came into the room then, a short balding man with olive skin and a thick black moustache. He bustled over to check on Da's arm, shooing us out of the way as he did. Mum pulled me aside and showed me where the wash room was, handing me a bundle of clothes and a pair of well worn boots.

Once I was alone, I looked down at the clothing I had been wearing all day. Black splatters of dried demon blood were smeared over most of my front. Specks of mud and grass had flicked up over my pants, and my still bare feet were so covered in dirt you could barely see my pale skin beneath.

Yeah, not gonna be able to wear these again.

I quickly stripped and washed with cold water, also taking the time to wash and comb my hair. Some of the wavy strands of hair had worked loose of my braid over the course of the day, and had tangled into a nasty mess of knots.

Once clean, I dressed in the clothes mum had given me. They consisted of a simple grey-green dress and dark brown leggings. The leggings were a bit tight on me, since my hips and thighs were a bit bigger when compared to the rest of me. "Pear shaped" mum had always called me. The dress fell to just past my knees, and had two deep slits at either side that ran to the tops of my thighs, long sleeves that were looser near the top but fitted firmly around my forearms, and a rounded neckline that sat just beneath my collarbone. No magic circles were embroidered onto it, which was to be expected. I fit the leather arm brace back on. The leather boots I slipped on but didn't bother to lace up.

Now dressed and feeling somewhat human, I went back out to my family.