Dreiki’s mother smiled down at him, her eyes full of worry as she touched his cheek.

Tears welled in his eyes.

Zesa combed his hair with her fingers, and wiped his tears away, “Thank goodness. I was worried you’d never cry again. You’ve grown so strong.”

Dreiki found that funny for some reason, “Why would you wanna see me cry?”

“If you can cry, then you can laugh too. Your soul is only broken when you can no longer do either.” She pulled him up, hugging him close.

Dreiki took in his surroundings. There were marble pillars and stone benches all around. Ingen trees littered the area, violet pedals slowly floated down to the dark brown soil. Patches of grass and flowering plants sprouted.

He was in one of the parks in Yvian near Mt.Xirxus.

“Where’s Ezo? And grandpa?”

“Grandpa? Ezo?”

“Savekio, sorry. I call him grandpa. And Ezo is my bat drake.”

“Oh, they’re fine. They’ll be back soon.”

“And Luna? Is she safe too?”

His mother looked at him quizzically, “Who do you mean?”

Dreiki felt his stomach drop. Who else could he mean? Unless his mother had never seen Luna. Did Luna run away? Or maybe she… no.

“The xia who was trapped with me. Blonde hair with a feathered tail?”

“Oh, she’s with Savekio and Ezo. She had some burns, so Savekio’s tending to them.”

Dreiki felt a pit in his stomach, and his mom squeezed him, “Don’t you go blaming yourself for those injuries, okay? You did what you had to, and I know you didn’t hurt them intentionally.”

“Even if you say that…”

“Careful now, Malaki love eating children who are addicted to grief.” Zesa picked up his hand in hers and bit it.

“Ow!”

“See? You’re still alive.“

Dreiki smiled, rubbing the back of his hand, “What happened? How did I get here?”

The more Dreiki tried to remember the less he recalled. He didn’t know what had been a dream, and what had been reality.

“How much do you remember?” Zesa asked.

Dreiki recounted everything he could from this morning. The lack of guards in Punuuk, the fog, his mistake, how they’d been trapped, what they did to Luna, and how he got up the stairs and set off a flare.

When he tried to mention the monster, his voice stopped. He tried to push the words out, but his body forced him to skip those details. When he thought about it, he’d never told Savekio about the monster either.

From there, everything had been a blur. Dreiki could only recall bits and pieces. He remembered how he felt but not what happened. He told his mother about the pain and sorrow. How it turned into bloodlust and vengeful determination.

Dreiki remembered the water so vividly. He recounted how peaceful it felt. After that, he remembered having a dream, but he didn’t remember what the dream was about. He remembered the tune of his father’s song, but not the words.

His mother stroked his back to console him, “It’s alright. You don’t have to worry about them anymore. You’re safe.”

“How’s the boy?” A voice said behind them.

Dreiki turned to see Savekio and Luna, “Where’s Ezo?”

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“Ezo went off to hunt something. He’s probably stressed. I think bringing you food is the only way he knows how to help.”

Dreiki breathed easy, avoiding Luna’s gaze, “I’m doing okay, but are you-?”

“I’m fine,”she cut in, “And don’t look away from me like I’m a pitiful sort. I’ve been through worse, so look me in the eye.”

Dreiki laughed awkwardly, meeting her eyes. They were bright gold. He hadn’t noticed it in the dark of their prison cell, but her pupils were black crosses.

She was crying.

“What’s wrong?”

She looked away, “Nothing. I’m just relieved, that’s all. You told me we’d escape and it was the truth.”

Dreiki bit the inside of his cheeks trying not to smile, “So does that mean you’ll stay with me and grandpa?”

She looked to Savekio, and then back to Dreiki, “I’ve nowhere else to go, and no one else I can trust. But I know that wherever I am, The Jackal is going to be after me. So that answer isn’t up to me.”

Dreiki looked to Savekio, “Grandpa…”

“It’s dangerous.”

“But-”

“Do you realize you might end up captured, killed, or worse?”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m not saying anything. I’m asking you if you understand the consequences.”

“Of course I do-”

“Do you understand there will be a time soon when I can no longer walk, and your mother cannot save you?”

“But she’s got no one to protect her!”

“You’re not understanding me, my pupil. You still want the girl to come with us, even if it might mean you, your mother, and I are put at greater risk because of it? Is that what you want?”

“What are you trying to tell me then? I don’t understand why-” Dreiki paused as his mother touched his shoulder.

She smiled, “Savekio’s not trying to deny you. He wants your answers. Answer him with your true feelings, don’t argue with what you think he’s telling you.”

Dreiki stopped. Savekio wasn’t denying him?

What were his true feelings?

He thought of The Jackal and all the power he had. Dreiki was lucky enough that he was rescued within a day by his mother, but it had been the most terrifying experience of his life.

He hated the thought of being lost and of not knowing if someone was going to save him. He thought about surviving alone like Luna. Living every single day in fear that a poacher might capture him and take him back below the earth to be endlessly tortured and broken. Sold off and butchered like cattle to the highest bidder.

He thought of Ezo, and how he’d probably felt the same fear a year ago. Captured, chained, tortured, and starved until he was broken.

He thought of being surrounded by enemies and bystanders who turned a blind eye to his suffering.

Of dying alone and forgotten.

His mother wouldn’t be around all the time, Savekio was getting old, but The Jackal was still out there.

What about the other children like him? Who was going to save them? Who was going to come for them?

“I don’t want to run or hide. I want to fight back. I don’t just want Luna to come with us. I want to rescue everyone else The Jackal has kidnapped. Even if it puts us at risk, it’s better than leaving them to suffer so we can be safe. That’s how I feel.”

There was a long pause. Dreiki wasn’t sure if what he’d said was foolish or not. Would Savekio admonish him for having such a reckless mindset?

A grin spread across Savekio’s face, “He really is your son, Zesa.”

Dreiki was bewildered, “What? What does he mean?”

His mother laughed, seeing the look of confusion on Dreiki’s face, “I said the same thing to Savekio a long time ago after your father passed.”

“The truth is,” Savekio started, “The Jackal is not a new problem. And they’re not the only one of their kind. They’re simply a single head of a greater hydra. ‘The Jackal’ is likely a collective of nobles that me and your mother have been trying to track down whenever we can.”

“So then there’s multiple ‘Jackals’?” Dreiki asked.

“It’s likely, but we’re not sure if there’s a true Jackal leading their operation.”

“The guards were in on it too. I tried to get help and they turned a blind eye.”

Savekio nodded, “That’s not surprising. There’s a lot of money and power involved in the trafficking of Venator Knight children.”

“So now what?”

“Well you getting kidnapped turned out to be a net positive as terrible as that sounds. They had documents and ciphers in their hideout that could lead us to their other locations. We cut off one head and burned it at the stump. Now we can hunt down rest, and that’s something we couldn’t do until now.”

“But how did you all find me in the first place?”

Savekio locked eyes with Zesa, having a silent conversation before Zesa answered, “There was a pillar of smoke, and fighting in the streets.”

Dreiki wondered what they weren’t telling him before another thought popped in his head, “Oh, that’s right, Luna. I don’t remember much, but I remember you healing me with your water magic, so thank you.”

She shook her head, “I passed out too. That wasn’t me.”

“What? Then who was it? Grandpa?”

“It wasn’t me, no.”

“You know, I was wondering why you hadn’t asked about her,” Zesa said.

Dreiki looked at his mother, confused, “About who?”

“That xia from the Tibur who was protecting you before we got there.”